Do Your Patients Know Why They Need Their Supplements?

by Oluwatobi Moses Ojo

Whatever the case, your patient should not leave your pharmacy without at least being advised on the importance of supplementation and the potential benefits to their health.

Yes! They may claim they don’t need it, or worse, you want to milk them of their hard-earned money; do not reciprocate their ignorance or negligence too. I mean, DSTv tells you to subscribe to Showmax in addition to your regular bouquet and you conclude you don’t need it or they want to keep milking your pockets — see where I am going.

Different vitamins play different roles in the body, and a person requires a different amount of each vitamin to stay healthy.

Every day, your body produces new cells, muscle, bone, and skin. It produces cells that carry nutrients and oxygen to the far reaches of your internal environment, and it sends millions of nerve signals along thousands of miles of brain and body pathways, basically issuing the instructions that help sustain your life.

Vitamins and minerals are considered essential nutrients — because acting in concert, they perform hundreds of roles in the body.

NOTE: You don’t need to explain all the constituents if you are giving a Multi-pack. Here are a few essential vitamins and minerals you absolutely must know about.

1. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an antioxidant. It can come from plant or animal sources. It promotes good eyesight, helps maintain bone growth, reproduction, cell functions, and immune system.

Food Sources

• Fatty fish, liver, colorful fruits and vegetables, egg yolks, fortified foods like milk, juice, and cereal.

2. Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

Vitamin B1 helps the body cells change carbohydrates into energy. Getting enough carbohydrates is very important during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It is also essential for heart function and important to nerve function.

Food Sources

• Pork, whole-grain or enriched breads and cereals, nuts and seeds.

3. Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

Vitamin B2 works with the other B vitamins. It is important for body growth and the production of red blood cells. It also aids in the release of energy from proteins.

Food Sources

• Milk and milk products; leafy green vegetables; whole-grain, enriched breads and cereals.

4. Niacin (Vitamin B3)

Vitamin B3 helps maintain healthy skin and nerves. It also helps the body make sex- and stress-related hormones and improves circulation and cholesterol levels.

Food Sources

• Liver, tuna, turkey, salmon, avocado, chicken breast, peanuts.

5. Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5)

Vitamin B5 is essential for the metabolism of food. It also plays a role in the production of hormones and cholesterol.

Food Sources

• Fortified cereals, organ meats (liver, kidney), chicken breast, mushrooms, avocado, nuts, and dairy milk.

6. Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)

Vitamin B6 helps form red blood cells and maintains brain function. This vitamin also plays an important role in the proteins that are part of many chemical reactions in the body. The more protein you eat the more pyridoxine your body requires. The body needs vitamin B6 for many chemical reactions involved in metabolism. Vitamin B6 is involved in brain development during pregnancy and infancy. It also is involved in immune function.

Food Sources

• Soya beans, banana, oats, chicken, turkey, fish, vegetables.

7. Folate (Vitamin B9)

Folate (or folic acid) is best known for aiding in fetus development and preventing birth defects but if you’re growing out your nails, fighting depression, or looking to combat inflammation, this ingredient is important, too.

Food Sources

• Dark leafy greens, avocado, beans, citrus.

Tip: You should aim to give around 400 mcg of folate or 600 mcg if the patient is pregnant. Methyl folate is a more active form which generally indicates a more beneficial product. It is also important to know that folate absorption is almost complete on an empty stomach and lesser with food.

8. Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12)

Vitamin B-12 works to keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA the genetic material in all cells. Vegan or vegetarians are prone to vitamin B-12 deficiency because most food sources are animal-based like meat, poultry, fish, and eggs.

Food Sources

• Cheese, turkey, chicken, eggs, yoghurt, milk.

Tip: Less than 3 mcg of B-12 is adequate because your body gets rid of any extra B-12 when you pee. B-12 also has many forms. Look for a B-12 as methylcobalamin (or methyl-B12), which is easiest for our bodies to absorb.

9. Vitamin C

Also called ascorbic acid, is an antioxidant. It is important for helping to protect cells and keeping them healthy, maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones, and cartilage; also promotes wound healing and helps the body absorb iron. Vitamin C cannot be stored in the body, so you need it in your diet every day.

Food Sources

• Citrus fruits, red and green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and potatoes.

Tip: 50–500 mg of Vitamin C per day is enough for adults as you should be able to get all the vitamin C you need from your daily diet.

10. Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant also known as tocopherol. It helps the body form red blood cells and use vitamin K. It plays a role in our immune system and metabolic processes. Most people get enough vitamin E from the foods they eat. Good sources of vitamin E include . Vitamin E is added to foods like cereals. It is also available as a supplement.

Food Sources

• Vegetable oils, margarine, nuts and seeds, and leafy greens.

11. Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps our bodies absorb calcium, which is important for bone health. Not getting enough of this vitamin can increase your likelihood of getting sick, your chances of bone and back pain, bone and hair loss.

While you should be able to get your daily vitamin D by being in the sunlight for 15 minutes, the reality is that living in wintery locations with little sunlight, working a 9 to 5 life, and applying sunscreen (which blocks vitamin D synthesis) makes getting vitamin D hard. This vitamin is also hard to come by in food. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. You need calcium for the normal development and maintenance of healthy teeth and bones. It also helps maintain proper blood levels of calcium and phosphorus.

Food Sources

• Fatty fish, egg yolks, fortified foods like milk, juice, and cereal

Tip: The NIH recommends that children 1–13 years of age and adults 19–70, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, get 600 IU of vitamin D per day. Older adults should get 800 IU.

12. Calcium

Women in particular start losing bone density earlier, and getting enough calcium from the start is the best nutritional defense against this loss.

Food Sources

• Fortified cereals, milk, cheese, and yogurt, nuts and nut butter, beans, and lentils.

If your diet is rich in these foods, you’re likely getting enough calcium already.

Tip: The recommended amount per day is no more than 1,000 mg for most adults, and while you probably don’t need to get all of your calcium needs from a multivitamin, you want there to be some. It is recommended that you get calcium in the form of calcium citrate. This form optimizes bioavailability, causing fewer symptoms in people who have absorption issues.

13. Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential nutrient, which means that we must get it from food or supplements. It is best known for being important to our bone health and energy production. However, magnesium may have more benefits than that. It can also: calm our nervous system and reduce stress, ease sleep problems, regulate muscle and nerve function, make protein, bone, and even DNA. A lot of people are magnesium deficient because they aren’t eating the right foods, not because they need supplements.

Food Sources

• Soybeans, pumpkin, nuts, legumes, beans, spinach.

Tip: The NIH recommends no more than a 350-mg supplement for adults. The best forms are aspartate, citrate, lactate, and chloride which the body absorbs more completely.

14. Zinc

Zinc tends to be low in older people and anyone under a lot of stress. Zinc supports our immune system and helps our body use carbohydrates, protein, and fat for energy. It also aids in wound healing.

Food Sources

• Oysters, dairy, eggs, whole grains, nuts, spinach, sardines.

The body can’t store zinc, which is why this comes highly recommended.

Tip: The NIH suggests you get approximately 8–11 mg of zinc daily, so the amount you want your multivitamin to have depends on your diet.

15. Iron

Iron should be in your multivitamin, but not everyone needs the same amount of iron. Some of the benefits of iron include increased energy, better brain function, healthy red blood cells.

Those who eat red meats typically get enough iron, but certain circumstances like having your menstrual cycle, going through puberty, and being pregnant may increase the amount of iron you need. This is because iron is essential during times of rapid growth and development. Vegetarians and vegans may also want to make sure their multivitamin has iron, especially if they’re not supplementing meat with other iron-rich foods.

Food Sources

• Dark leafy greens, cashew, beans, red meat, liver, and organ meats.

Tip: Around 18 mg of iron in the form of ferrous sulfate, ferrous gluconate, ferric citrate, or ferric sulfate should do, any more, and you may feel nauseous.

It is important to mention that supplements are never a substitute for food.