Multi Vitamins
By Dan Speirs
A regular advertisement screening on New Zealand TV for a multi-vitamin product asks the viewers:
“Do you feel tired and run down?”
Viewers are lead to believe that this could be due to a vitamin deficiency.
It doesn’t consider the possibility that being tired is a completely normal consequence of:
- A busy, stressful day
- Skipping meals due to time constraints
- Being dehydrated
So let’s take a closer look at micro-nutrients and the case for supplementation.
Multi Vitamins, Iron Supplements, Selenium. Does My Client Actually Need them?
If you know your macro-nutrients you’ll know that carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy. One of the best sources of good carbohydrate is fruit and vegetables and the average kiwi isn’t getting enough.
So being tired and run down is more likely to be due to poor intakes of fresh fruit, vegetables and other good sources of carbohydrates such as wholegrain breads and cereals than vitamin deficiency.
Mico-nutrients
As the name suggests ‘micro’-nutrients are nutrients the body needs in very small amounts. Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients and just like carbohydrates, fats and proteins they are not food groups, rather they are nutrients that are found in the various food groups.
Food Groups
Food groups are:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Breads and cereals
- Milk and milk products
- Lean meats, poultry, seafood and eggs
- Nuts, seeds and legumes
Vitamins
Vitamins are divided into two groups:
- Water soluble vitamins (B-Complex & C)
- Fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E & K)
Fat soluble vitamins are absorbed with fats and well stored in fatty tissue. Reserves of these vitamins can last a long time and daily intake is not essential.
Water soluble vitamins cannot be stored and are easily excreted, making deficiency more likely and daily intake more important.
The following table summarises the functions of the major vitamins and the food groups that provide these:
| Functions | Common Sources | |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A | Important in growth, bone and teeth formation, cell structure and night vision | Yellow & green vegetables, liver, cheese, eggs, oily fish |
| Vitamin B Complex | Important in digestion, development of a healthy immune system, and body maintenance | Wholegrain breads & cereals, rice, pasta, meat & poultry, seafood, milk, eggs, nuts, legumes |
| Vitamin C | Important in manufacture of collagen, gums, teeth, blood vessels, growth and maintenance of healthy bones and ligaments. Is also a powerful antioxidant | Fresh fruit and green leafy vegetables |
| Vitamin D | Regulates calcium and phosphate, critical for nerve function, aids absorption of calcium, is required for strong bones and teeth | Fish, liver oils, egg yolk |
| Vitamin E | Important for cell structure, maintaining the activities of enzymes, protecting the lungs against pollutants, and protecting against aging | Wholegrain breads & cereals, nuts, most green vegetables |
If followed, the Ministry of Health (MoH) guidelines for daily consumption of the major food groups should ensure that micro-nutrient requirements are easily met. Their information suggests that vitamin deficiency in the New Zealand diet is actually very rare.
However… vitamins can be temperamental!
Some vitamins such as Vitamin C can be easily destroyed by cooking. The MoH estimates that boiling vegetables can destroy 50-80% of Vitamin C content. It recommends cooking with minimal water (steaming) or using the microwave. And where possible fresh is best and raw is great.
Minerals
Minerals are absorbed from the soil by plants. They come into our diet through the plants we eat and/or the animals we eat that have eaten the plants.
New Zealand soils do tend to be deficient in iodine and selenium but the MoH has not determined that these soil deficiencies have actually resulted in deficiencies in our diet. They recommend the use of iodised table salt if possible but advise people to be wary of adding salt to the diet as our intake of sodium is actually considered excessive and excessive sodium levels are linked to high blood pressure.
There has been an increase in the use of supplemental selenium in animal feeds and the importation of wheat and other products from Australia where selenium in the soil is higher, to counter the low selenium levels in New Zealand soils.
In both cases the MoH does not recommend the use of supplements unless under the supervision of a doctor.
The table below highlights some of the major minerals, their functions and common food sources.
| Functions | Common Sources | |
|---|---|---|
| Iron | Transport oxygen to body tissues and pick up CO2 for exhalation | Meat (esp. red) and poultry, seafood, wholegrain breads & cereals, some green leafy vegetables |
| Calcium | Supports bone & teeth formation and remodelling, assists muscle contraction, blood clotting, cardiovascular health & iron metabolism | Milk & dairy products, wholegrain breads & cereals |
| Potassium | Helps conduct nerve impulses, is vital for muscle contraction, helps maintain normal heart rhythm and regulates fluid balance | Green leafy vegetables, lean meat, some fruits, wholegrain breads & cereals |
| Zinc | Important for growth & neurobehavioural development, immune & sensory function and reproduction | Lean meat and poultry, some seafood, nuts and seeds, wholegrain breads & cereals |
| Magnesium | Important for structure of bones and teeth, transmission of nerve impulses and muscle contraction | Wholegrain breads & cereals, nuts, lean meat, poultry & seafood, some fruits & vegetables |
| Sodium | Important for energy transfer, fluid balance, nutrient uptake and the maintenance of a normal heart rhythm | Common salt whether added to food or in processed food |
| Iodine | Required for normal growth and development and the maintenance of normal metabolic rate | Iodised table salt, low fat milk products, eggs & seafood |
| Selenium | Has important roles in control of thyroid hormone metabolism, reproduction and immune function | Seafood, lean meat & poultry, eggs, wholegrain breads & cereals |
| Fluoride | Has role in bone mineralisation and protects teeth from dental cavities | Fluoridated water and toothpaste |
Calcium
Probably the most controversial mineral is calcium.
There is confusion over what the optimal intake is to achieve and maintain peak bone mass, protect from osteoporosis (brittle bones) and the subsequent risk of bone breakages. The MoH estimates that 20% of the population have an inadequate intake of calcium.
Rather than encouraging supplementation, the MoH advises people to consume the recommended low fat intakes of milk & dairy products and other foods containing calcium. MoH also recommends preventing losses by minimising alcohol intake and smoking, and including regular exercise which aids calcium retention.
Iron
Fitness people are often interested in the mineral iron. This is due to its importance in the transportation of oxygen to the body, and therefore to performance in endurance events that are largely dependant on an optimal supply of oxygenated blood to working muscles.
According to its source, iron can be classified as:
- Haem – from meat, poultry and fish, or…
- Non-haem – from plant based foods, iron supplements and iron fortificants in food
Approximately 20-30% of haem iron is absorbed by the body whereas only about 5% or less of non-haem iron is absorbed. Because of this it has often been thought that vegetarians especially would be vulnerable to deficiency. However iron deficiency is actually very low according to the MoH.
To optimise the absorption of iron the MoH advises people to include foods high in Vitamin C at mealtimes, and minimise the consumption of tea and coffee at mealtimes which hinders iron absorption. Again the MoH only advises supplementation under medical supervision.
Supplements
Supplements (as their name suggests) are only required to supplement a diet when a deficiency has been established. As with vitamins, if the MoH’s recommendations for daily intakes of the food groups are met then so will the requirements for daily mineral intakes.
When you read through the MoH guidelines it is very clear that supplementation (and indeed diagnosing the need for supplementation) is the domain of medical professionals and not fitness professionals.
Role of the Personal Trainer
So what is your role as a Personal Trainer in regard to micro-nutrient intakes and the use of supplements?
As a Personal Trainer you should:
- Answer your client’s questions concerning micro-nutrient intakes with sound knowledge based on MoH guidelines for healthy eating
- Understand the MoH guidelines for daily intakes of the major food groups and help our clients to meet these guidelines
- Where necessary work with medical professionals to ensure the nutritional needs of all our clients can be met
I remember a prominent New Zealand sports doctor referring to the urine at the Olympic Games as the ‘most expensive pee in the world’ because the athletes would take every supplement available on the chance it might offer them a split second advantage.
The reality is that the body only uses what it needs and excretes the rest, hence very expensive pee! There are probably better things to spend ones money on than unnecessary supplements, such as fresh fruit and vegetables!
For more information on micro-nutrients, their intakes and the MoH recommendations for healthy eating follow the hyperlink to this article:
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