re: Men's Multivitamin

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Why Multivitamins Don't Work
1. The one-size-fits-all philosophy.
It's largely agreed that there are 24 vitamins and minerals essential to human life. Various organizations have come up with an alphabet soup of acronyms (RDA, DRI, etc.) that tell us just how much of these nutrients we all need to function and live. The trouble is, they're all based on a bell curve and while they may hold true for a 150-pound municipal worker named Phil who lives in Akron, Ohio, they might not hold true for sweaty athletes, bigger (or smaller) people, or you.

2. Downright nasty manufacturing processes.
Most vitamin C and most B vitamins, for example, are made in China, the vitamin C from mixing sulfuric acid with high-fructose corn syrup and the B vitamins from coal tar derivatives. Sure, there are "natural" ways to manufacture vitamins, but chances are if you're taking a multi, you're ingesting some stuff that's a little ugly.

While there's no proof, yet, that these Frankenstein vitamins are less effective or not chemically equivalent to the natural stuff presumably manufactured by filtering organic mangos through the gossamer panties of angels, it just doesn't smell right, literally or figuratively.

3. So many possible interactions.
Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble and as such are best taken with food. Iron shouldn't be ingested with coffee or tea because tannins interfere with absorption. Likewise, iron interferes with the absorption of zinc and copper. Vitamins E and A can counteract K.

And then there's the problem of phytates, which are compounds found in whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. They're problematical in that they interfere with the absorption of trace minerals. In regions of the world where phytate consumption is high but consumption of meat and seafood is low, you see epidemic mineral deficiencies that manifest themselves as developmental delays, mental deficiencies, dwarfism, and hypogonadism.

What that means is that if you're one of the millions who takes your multi with their phytate-laden morning oatmeal, you're pooping out some exceptionally high-quality fertilizer every day. It also means that taking a pill to handle most of your nutritional needs is pure folly since there are just too many possible interactions and pitfalls.

4. Cherry picking and not seeing the big picture.
Science has established that there are pretty much 24 essential vitamins and minerals and it's easy to see how some simplistic, two-dimensional thinking would lead to the assumption that you just have to isolate these substances, stick them all in pills, and feed them to the world.

However, we've seen that it usually doesn't work. People don't get healthy or stay healthy from ingesting multis. Maybe, just maybe, these nutrients aren't supposed to be isolated and taken by themselves. Maybe they need to be taken in whole food form to be truly effective. Maybe the nutrient needs to work in conjunction with some (or maybe even all) of the micronutrients and phytochemicals intrinsic to the whole food source for it to work.

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