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The Times of Your Life
Recommended Supplements for Every Stage
By Kelly Burgess
It's official: You need to take your vitamins. The June 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association contained a landmark recommendation that all adults should take a multivitamin each day to make sure they get the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals. This was groundbreaking news because it replaced the medical community's long-standing, unofficial stance that eating a well-rounded diet is sufficient for adequate nutrition.
The revised recommendations came with the news that nearly 80 percent of Americans do not eat the recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables necessary to provide sufficient amounts of key vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy diet. With the rise in convenience foods, the ease of the drive-through and the average American's continual time crunch, it doesn't seem that the common diet can provide the necessary nutrients for optimal health.
Although all Americans are now being urged to take a daily multivitamin, women have long been urged to supplement their diets because of their unique physiological needs. For example, because women are at greater risk for osteoporosis, calcium supplements are recommended by doctors throughout a woman's life, and pregnant women often are prescribed iron supplements in addition to a prenatal vitamin.