Ten facts you didn’t know about vitamins

1. 71 per cent of Canadians are regularly taking vitamin supplements everyday.

2. There are no standardized recommendations or guidelines on how much vitamins an individual should take daily.

3. Health Canada acknowledges the fact that the ingredients printed on multivitamin labels may not be the same as what Canadians are getting in the tablets. Amounts in multivitamins can be within 10 percent of what they say on the label.

4. Canadian adults are at least 80 per cent deficient in their Omega 3 essential fatty acid intake (proven to improve brain power, heart health and even lower bad cholesterol). Most people need about 450-600 mg/day.

5. Not all fish oil supplements contain enough of the essential Omega 3 DHA and EPA fatty acids. Many contain too much Omega 6 and 9 when a typical person consumes enough of those nutrients in a day without supplements.

6. Some medications may actually deplete nutrients Canadians need in their everyday life. For example, the birth control pill will deplete folic acid (an important nutrient especially for women to prevent anemia during pregnancy), and thyroid medication won’t allow the body to absorb iron.

7. Men should not take multivitamins that contain too much iron because they typically get enough from their diet.

8. Our body can only absorb 500 mg of calcium at a time but some supplements, even cereals, provide much more.

9. Contrary to what many people think, people with darker skin actually need more Vitamin D because their skin can’t absorb as much of the vitamin from sunlight as those with lighter skin.

10. The best way to get your vitamins is with a healthy diet, high in fresh vegetables, fruit and fish.