Do You Need To Take Multivitamin Supplements For Fitness?

Fitness, physical wellbeing and athletic performance are as much about your nutrition as your workout regimen, and our cafe barn can help cater to your specific needs.

Because fitness is both very popular and very important, there are sometimes aspects of an athlete’s routine that more closely resemble Pascal’s wager than solid nutritional fundamentals, and one of the most interesting cases of this is multivitamins.

A Pascal’s wager is a thought experiment where it is rational to believe in something because the consequences of doing so are minimal and far better than the potential risks of not doing so.

With multivitamin supplements, the logic behind taking them is that the consequences for doing so are practically zero for most people outside of the cost of buying them, but the consequences of a nutritional deficiency are such that it is logical to play it safe.

In reality, the evidence that they are effective outside of very specific, medically advised situations is somewhat minimal, and there is a risk that some athletes will attempt to compensate for a cheat day or an unbalanced diet with supplements.

Most of the time, athletes who eat cleanly, train hard and sleep well will not need multivitamins unless they are advised otherwise by their doctor.

However, there are exceptions to this, particularly for people who have taken up fitness routines with specific goals in mind.

People who have had bariatric surgery, are taking weight loss injections or are on very low-calorie controlled diets could be at risk of not getting enough vitamins and minerals from their food intake alone, and would therefore benefit from multivitamins.

Similarly, people on a vegan diet may be at a higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, which performs several important functions in the body and is primarily (albeit not exclusively) found in animal byproducts.

They also may be lacking in vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc and calcium, and in those circumstances it may be beneficial to take multivitamins.

Magnesium is also one to consider taking, with a growing body of research showing that there are numerous health benefits associated with this supplement, including potentially improved heart health and sleep regulation.

In most cases, however, it is best to ask your doctor first, as most people who regularly consume multivitamin supplements do not strictly need them.