CHICO, Calif. – Are those Flintstone multivitamins really meeting your nutritional needs? In this week’s Wellness Wednesday, brought to you by Happy at Home, we explored this question with insights from Dr. Nerissa Prieto, owner and medical director of Privvy Modern Health.
Dr. Prieto emphasized the importance of vitamins as essential raw materials for the body. While consuming nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens, organ meats, and nuts is a good start, she said it might not be sufficient for everyone.
“Food isn’t everything, that’s not the whole story. It’s a great place to start when you’re young and healthy and don’t have any other disease process going on,” said Prieto.
For those who don’t fall into the young and healthy category, the standard multivitamin might not address deficiencies. A significant concern is vitamin D deficiency, which Prieto saus affects 90% of people over 50.
“Vitamin D is the captain of the ship of your immune system and if you’re not getting enough you are probably suffering from underlying inflammation that can contribute to everything from cognitive dysfunction to heart diseases,” said Prieto.
Dr. Prieto suggested discussing potential deficiencies with a doctor.
“I think talking to your doctor about what your predisposition is to suffer from deficiencies; that’s going to be related to your age, your lifestyle overall and somewhat related to your genetics,” said Prieto.
She noted that absorption of vitamins might decrease with age, affecting the efficacy of supplements. When asked about the best supplementation method, Dr. Prieto highlighted the benefits of sublingual supplements and IV nutrition for certain populations.
“There’s a lot to be said for the sublingual group because it skips the liver and goes straight to the gut for some supplements. Certainly, as an ICU doctor, I’m biased toward the use of IV nutrition in certain populations because their guts cannot absorb what it is that they need to achieve a healthy state to prevent the progression of their older person disease,” said Prieto.
