The Food Medic - S10 Ask Dr Hazel: Should you take a multivitamin as an insurance policy?

Episode Date: November 3, 2023

This weeks listener question is: Do you recommend taking a multi-vitamin as a precautionary measure during the winter months to avoid getting sick? If you would like to submit a question to the podcast, please send your voice recorded question to [e-mail]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello and welcome to Ask Dr Hazel, our mini episodes where I answer all your burning questions. So let's hear from this week's listener. Hey Hazel, I wondered if you recommend taking a multivitamin as a precautionary measure during the winter months to avoid getting sick? Thank you so much for your question and it's a a really good one. And I think it seems intuitive that we should try to help support our immune system and boost our nutrition. But do multivitamins help? And the short answer is you're probably wasting your money. Paradoxically, most people take multivitamin supplements are quite health conscious anyway, and already consume a healthy

balanced diet. So getting nutrients from supplements is also not the same as getting it from food and now it's becoming increasingly clear that food is much more than the sum of its parts and that nutrients function better when consumed as part of a whole food rather than in pills. Having said that supplements can be helpful in specific situations so supplementing with vitamin d for example in the uk during autumn and winter is really important because we don't make enough from the sun during these months so maybe you want to hedge your bets and take a multivitamin anyway but is it safe to do so now i would say most multivitamin supplements purchased from reputable sources in the uk are unlikely to cause any adverse effects if you're taking them in the correct doses.

But I have to say that too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. So, for example, if you're taking a multivitamin tablet, which already includes vitamin D, you don't need additional vitamin D supplements unless it's been advised by a health professional. Those taking medications should also check with their doctor or GP before starting any supplement as they may interact with the medication. And I guess the top line is there is no real nutritional supplement that can have the same benefits as a healthy balanced diet. If you feel like you're deficient in a specific nutrient or you're unsure, then please just speak to your GP or pharmacist and they can advise you further on what is best to do next. That's all for me. See you again next time.