We all need vitamins and minerals. But it’s hard to remember which are good for what, which we’re more likely—or extremely unlikely—to run short of, and how much is too much. That’s good to know, when a multi-billion dollar industry keeps trying to sell us more (and ever-pricier) supplements.
The COSMOS-Mind trial was funded by the National Institute on Aging to see if cocoa flavanols or multivitamins could help people stay mentally sharp as they age.
Getting enough vegetable powder? Protein-packed junk food? High-calorie candy? Dressed up sugar water? It’s hard enough to eat—and stay—healthy. Who needs tricky ad pitches to confuse us!
Here’s a sampling.
“Feed your cells,” says Centrum. “Designed with your genetics in mind,” says Ritual. “The perfect women’s multi,” says Olly. “All clean, all the time,” says Sundown. “We’re so organic,” says VitaFusion.
Companies use any pitch that works to sell their multivitamins. But they dodge the $64,000 question: Do you need one? The short answer: We don’t know.
Here's how much of each vitamin and mineral we should aim for every day (from foods and supplements combined), according to the new Daily Values (DVs) set by the Food and Drug Administration. The DVs are based on the National Academy of Medicine’s Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), which vary slightly by age and sex.
