Do we need vitamin and mineral supplements?

Who needs vitamin and mineral supplements?

At the pharmacy, people often ask us if they should be taking a vitamin or mineral supplement. For young female patients that are pregnant or planning to get pregnant soon, we recommend that they start taking a pre-natal multivitamin as soon as possible. This supplementation is very important for the development of the baby because it contains 'Folic Acid' as well as other vitamins and minerals that are needed during pregnancy. Many women will stop taking the  pre-natal vitamin after giving birth, however, it is recommended that the pre-natal multivitamin supplementation be continued for 4-6 weeks afterwards and as long as breastfeeding continues. 
   
For people who are picky eaters or those who are often skipping meals, they could be lacking essential vitamins and minerals from not eating certain group of food. Sometimes, vegetarians may become low in iron because they are not consuming any red meat. Also, people who are lactose intolerant may not be getting enough calcium from their diet because they avoid milk and other dairy products. According to Osteoporosis Canada, adult women require at least 1000mg of calcium a day and women over 50 years old require 1200mg of calcium a day. Even for those of us who drinks milk and eat dairy products, we still may not be getting enough calcium from our diet alone. 

To find out if your current diet is providing you with sufficient vitamins and minerals, we recommend that you talk to a dietitian.  Large grocery stores, like Loblaws, will sometimes have dietitians on-site that provide free consultations to customers.

Medications induced vitamin or mineral deficiency

Drugs can often cause deficiencies in vitamins or minerals in our body. One common example is the use of diuretic to lower blood pressure in seniors and over time, the patient may become deficient in potassium, sodium and other minerals depending on the type of diuretic being used. If you are taking a diuretic, you should ask your pharmacist about what to watch out for and how to prevent the deficiency from occurring. Sometimes, it may be as simple as eating more bananas and oranges to increase potassium intake. Other times, oral supplementation may be required. 

People that are taking Metformin, a diabetes medication, for more than 10 years should be aware that their body storage of vitamin B12 could become deficient. This is because Metformin can cause malabsorption of vitamin B12 from diet. If you have been taking Metformin for more than 10 years, your doctor may recommend that you take oral supplementation of Vitamin B12 or have an annual injection to prevent this deficiency. 

For patients that frequently take "stomach pills", like "Tecta", to lower their stomach acid, these medications can alter the absorption of vitamin B12, magnesium, potassium and calcium. If you take this type medications everyday for more than a few months, you may want to consider taking supplementation for Vitamin B12, magnesium, potassium and calcium. 

For patients taking cholesterol lowering drugs, like Lipitor, this class of drug can decrease the body's Co-Q10 level. Coenzyme Q10 is something that the body requires for proper function of many organs. It also helps to provide energy to the cells inside our body. To prevent a deficiency in CoQ10, oral supplements are available for purchase.

Upcoming patient seminar

Mark your calendar for the upcoming FREE patient seminar at Custom Care Pharmacy. 

Topic: Healthy weight loss to reduce your need for chronic medications, like hypertension drugs, cholesterol drugs, diabetes drugs. 

Date: August 30th 2015 (Sunday)

Time: 2 pm - 4 pm

Location: Custom Care Pharmacy

Plus FREE taste test of Ideal Protein weight loss food products

Call to reserve your spot today! 905-305-0111