Algorithm for Effective Use of Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

Abstract

At present time, there is a huge range of vitamin and mineral supplements (VMS), that differ in composition and doses of micronutrients, which complicates the choice and their effective use. The purpose of the review is to substantiate the algorithm for effective use of VMS for the correction of micronutrient deficiency. The general pattern in the VMS administration is that there is an inverse relationship between the dose of micronutrients and the increase in their concentration in a fasting blood test after an overnight break. Improving vitamin status requires time, that is longer when taking VMS with low doses, and for each vitamin the time to achieve optimal concentrations is different. To optimize the vitamin status by means of VMS administration containing vitamins in doses corresponding to 100% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) takes from 1.5 months for B vitamins to 3-5 months for vitamin D. A course of VMS administration for 1 months may not be enough to correct the deficiency of all vitamins. After stopping additional use of VMS, a “wash-out” of vitamins occurs for one to several weeks, i.e. decrease of blood concentration and return to the original state of deficiency. A universal, scientifically based scheme for the effective use of VMS consists of a course of VMS administration with high (200-300% of the RDI) micronutrients, especially after an illness or taking antibiotics, and then switching to constant use of VMS containing deficient micronutrients in a dose of 50-100 % of RDI. Women during the periconceptional period and throughout pregnancy are recommended to take daily multicomponent VMS, specifically designed for pregnant women, containing doses of micronutrients that correspond to the physiological needs of the body.