Other Vitamin And Mineral Supplements

Replacing or supplementing nutrients other than calcium and vitamin D may be necessary if there is a problem with absorption. Absorption of nutrients can be affected by disease activity, bacterial overgrowth, loss of bowel from surgical resections, or interference from medications.

 

Supplements are a good idea when a major food group is eliminated. But what about taking a supplement for times when you are busy and you do not necessarily take the time to plan, shop for, prepare, or eat nutritious meals. These regular daily activities can be especially hard for someone who isn't feeling well or lacking in energy.

 

The best way to determine if you need a supplement is to identify which food groups are not well represented in your daily diet. Remember, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements are essential to your health because your body cannot synthesize them. They must be consumed from a variety of foods.

 

The first step is to compare your diet to the USDA MyPyramid Food Guidance System or Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating. For each food, a particular set of nutrients and a recommended number of servings are specified. For example, the grain products are significant sources of complex carbohydrates, riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, iron, protein, magnesium, and fiber. Thus, if an individual does not choose many servings from this group, those nutrients may be lacking. This is when it is a good idea to consider a supplement for the missing nutrients. Just remember that eating the real thing is more tasty, filling, and provides more nutrient variety. A well-balanced diet, including a variety of foods, is best for good health and can usually be eaten even if you have IBD.

 

There are many brands of standard adult multivitamins with minerals, and most varieties are fine for meeting general needs. There are special versions available, which add more target nutrients (for example, prenatal versions have more iron, calcium, and folic acid, while "silver" versions add more calcium for people over 50 years old).

 

More does not necessarily mean better. The 'mega' or 'super' or 'stress' doses are not usually more beneficial because any excess that is ingested is not used by your body and is simply excreted in the urine.

 

There are safety risks to mega-dosing, especially with fat-soluble vitamins that are stored in our bodies and not excreted in urine. Harm from higher doses can include toxicities, masking deficiencies of other nutrients (for example, folic acid masks vitamin B-12 deficiency), interference with body functions, such as blood clotting (for example, excess vitamin E), risk of birth defects, liver damage (for example, excess vitamin A), or risk of kidney stones (for example, excess calcium).

 

In addition to considering the appropriate dose, how do you know if the product is safe? In Canada, when choosing a supplement, look for a D.I.N, (drug identification number) or a G.P. number (general product number), which assures you that Health Canada has approved the product as being safe. This way you know that you are getting what you are paying for. Products with a D.I.N, number undergo quality assurance testing to ensure standardization, safety, and effectiveness.

 

In the United States, vitamins and mineral (as well as botanical products and herbs) are considered "dietary supplements" under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. According to this act, a company is responsible for determining that the dietary supplements it makes or distributes are safe. They must also have evidence for any claims of health benefits, but they do not need approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are marketed. The manufacturer is responsible for listing the ingredients of the supplements, but the FDA does not monitor the quality of the dietary supplements on a routine basis. Manufacturers who introduce new supplements after 1994 are required to show evidence of safety of their product.