Our bodies need vitamins in small quantities to function properly. The handy infographic below by MedAlertHelp shows that the best source of vitamins is eating the right foods.
 
Some of the foods you need to eat to attain all the vitamins include spinach, strawberries, liver, eggs, kale, salmon, broccoli, sunflower seeds, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, bananas, soybeans, carrots, and guavas.
 
However, due to the fear of developing deficiencies, some people believe that supplementing their diet with multivitamins on a daily basis could help prevent them and even improve their overall health and fitness.
 
But before you decide to buy multivitamins, read the following article. If you experience some of the issues listed below, you might want to check with your doctor and determine whether or not you should be taking a supplement.
 
Diseases
 

• Crohn’s disease can cause inflammation in the digestive tract thus leading to abdominal pain and severe diarrhea, which all make it hard for you to absorb the required micronutrients like vitamin B12 and vitamin E.
  If you have cystic fibrosis, thick mucus can block the tubes that carry digestive enzymes from the pancreas to the small intestines. Without these enzymes, your intestines cannot absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

• People with diabetes may need multivitamins if they take Metformin since the drug can interfere with vitamin absorption.

• Those suffering from alcoholism and chronic diarrhea need to supplement their diet because these conditions inhibit the absorption of vitamins B1, B2, and B12.

Vegans, Vegetarians, Older People
 
Vitamin B12 can be found only in animal sources. That is why older adults who are vegans and vegetarians find it hard to get vitamin B12 to ingest or absorb. They are at risk of suffering from numbness in hands and feet, have difficulty in walking, and need to take a B12 supplement.
 
Gastric Bypass Surgery
 
People who have had bariatric or gastric bypass surgery are at risk of suffering from nutritional deficiencies because of the gut manipulation involved in the surgery that changes the way nutrients are absorbed in the body.
 


 
Other Reasons for Taking Supplements
 
The best source of vitamin D is 20-30 minutes of exposure to the sunshine on a daily basis. But due to geographical locations in which the sun can disappear for around three months, people who live there can suffer from deficiency signs due to lack of enough sunshine.
 
Apart from that, due to overuse, the soil in which we cultivate our produce can become depleted of nutrients and minerals. Therefore, even if you manage to get the right amount of vitamin-rich foods, you might still become deficient because those foods do not contain them in necessary quantities.
 
Moreover, foods at times have to travel far before they reach the market where you buy them which further reduces their nutrient content. The same applies to storing foods for a long time in refrigerators — some need to be ingested while they are fresh in order to preserve the nutrients, especially fruits.
 
Conclusion
 
All things considered, it might become necessary for you to take a vitamin supplement or two to meet your daily requirements for certain vitamins. But first, you need to consult with your doctor to determine whether your body is already getting them in sufficient amounts.
 
Furthermore, while they usually won’t cause adverse effects, most multivitamins won’t be very helpful because your body simply won’t absorb them. It’s a much better idea to only take specific supplements for the vitamins you are lacking.
 
Infographic URL: https://medalerthelp.org/the-world-of-vitamins-infographic/