Multivitamin vs Individual Vitamins - What Is The Best Option?

  • By Performance Lab
  • 4 minute read
Multivitamin vs Individual Vitamins - What Is The Best Option?

In a perfect world, all the nutrients we need to perform optimally would come from food, and we'd easily satisfy each of our individual daily nutrient requirements with a healthy diet. But unfortunatley, that is not the reality here.

Most people don't consume anywhere near what they should for certain vitamins and minerals in their dietary supplements. Which is why we see a staggeringly high prevalence of nutrient and vitamin deficiency in the world with vitamins like D, C, B, Zinc.. The list can go on.

For most people, time stands between us, the perfect diet, and knowing the daily essential vitamins to take. We're always in a rush and opt for convenience rather than health.

And when it comes time to making up for vitamin deficiencies, we turn to an individual vitamin supplements as a crutch. But the truth is, you can't supplement to make up for a bad diet. Supplements are there to complement a good diet with healthy foods.

And when it comes to finding the right dietary supplement that will fill nutritional gaps, there are two you can choose: multivitamin supplements or individual vitamins.

But what's better? We're breaking it down and giving you what you need to know about using a multivitamin or opting for individual nutrients.

Do Vitamin and Mineral Supplements (Multivitamins) Work?

If you dig into the research on multivitamins, there's a lot of conflicting information. Some sources suggest multivitamins are effective, while others agree they're not 1-3. But when you look at a multivitamin compared to individual supplements, there are a few factors you need to consider:

  1. Synthetic vs. natural: A multivitamin is designed to pick up where food left off and fill nutritional gaps in the diet. But one of the big problems with most multivitamins is that nutrients are delivered in a form that the body doesn't recognize. In order for the body to use a nutrient, it has to be chemically similar to those found in food. NutriGenesis technology, however, provides nature-identical vitamins and minerals to maximize absorption and bioactivity. That means you don't need to worry about popping back a slew of synthetic nutrients.
  2. Inhibited absorption: How much of a nutrient your body absorbs is also key to an effective multi. There are certain nutrients that, when taken together, inhibit the absorption of another. For example, beta-carotene inhibits vitamin K, so it's best to avoid taking these simultaneously.
  3. Timing: Certain foods can inhibit the absorption of vitamins and minerals, while other foods can enhance it. For example, vitamin C enhances iron absorption, whereas caffeine can interfere with calcium. When supplementing nutrients, you need to be mindful of when you're supplementing and with what to achieve optimal absorption and efficacy.

Although having a good multivitamin in your stack does offer several benefits, most conventional multis are better in theory than in practice. They promise a "quick fix" by delivering sub-par nutrients that your body doesn't recognize.

All supplements aren't created equal, so it's important to do your research if you want an effective multivitamin. But first and foremost, good nutrition starts with diet. On top of that, you can add in a multivitamin tailored to your needs or specific nutrients to fill in the gaps.

However, they should be taken at the right time and in the right amounts to achieve optimal health and performance.

What Should You Take: Individual Multivitamin vs Individual Supplements?

There's no denying that supplementing your vitamins à la carte has some benefit over a multivitamin. While excess water-soluble vitamins (vitamin C and B vitamins) are excreted in urine, too many fat-soluble vitamins can accumulate in the body.

That said, the reality is that most of us just don't get enough nutrients, period, so overdoing it with a daily multivitamin where you're not mega-dosing isn't likely to happen. And studies suggest that excessive intake is likely to occur with people using a multivitamin alongside other individual nutritional supplements 4.

Another benefit to taking individual nutrients is that you're getting higher amounts of what your body actually needs. Maybe you're low in a specific vitamin like vitamin D, and the amount in a multivitamin isn't sufficient to boost your levels.

Or maybe you've ramped up your exercise, and you need more B vitamins and vitamin C in your supplement regimen. With individual vitamins, you have complete control over your dose.

On the other hand, a multivitamin is great for supporting nutrient maintenance—if you're taking your multi regularly and following a balanced diet, chances are you won't encounter deficiencies. And it's also ultra-convenient—just a few capsules a day to maintain optimal health.

But most multivitamins you'll find in stores aren't suitable for you—they're designed for the general population, but not everyone's needs are the same.

So, rather than wasting your money on a generic multi, invest in NutriGenesis Multi. It's specifically designed with male and female needs in mind to deliver the purest nutrients that support full-body performance and hormonal balance.

Final Thoughts

With all of that said, whether you take an individual multivitamin or single nutrients comes down to personal needs, preference, and convenience.

Sure, filling your supplement container daily with individual nutrients may provide your body with what you need, but who wants to pop 26 pills each morning and 13 more at night? Realistically, no one.

That's where something like NutriGenesis Multi performs—you're getting controlled doses to prevent overloading, but enough to maintain nutrient stores and prevent deficiencies. Best of all, only four capsules per day.

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