The idea that we should or shouldn’t use a multivitamin is a dichotomy that pits fitness professionals against doctors and studies. Consuming micronutrients through food is ideal, but that begs the question.

How realistic is it to consume the variety of foods we need to hit our vitamin and mineral requirements?

Vegans, vegetarians, and now carnivore dieters often receive recommendations to consume a multivitamin along with their regular diet. Why is that? Well, it's simple: they don’t get sufficient vitamins and minerals that can be consumed with a varied omnivorous diet.

They’re lacking these important micronutrients because their diets are a limiting factor. So, the same logic can be applied to most Americans (look at our obesity/health trends) who underachieve in the “eating a variety of healthy and nutrient-dense foods” department, regardless of where they fall on the diet spectrum.

Do you fit any of these categories?

1. Do you follow a diet that restricts or eliminates certain foods or specific macronutrients?
2. Are you a picky eater?
3. Do you struggle to eat a variety of foods? 
4. Do you eat the same foods every day?
5. Do you struggle to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, you probably would benefit from taking a multivitamin.

What should you look for in a multivitamin?

A multivitamin supplement usually contains a variety of key vitamins, as well as select minerals that are necessary for good health, such as magnesium and zinc. One SERIOUSLY OVERLOOKED factor is the presence of trace minerals.

Trace minerals are essential minerals that the human body must get from food, but, unlike macronutrients, we only need a very small amount. Even though trace minerals are needed in tiny doses, they are still crucial to our health and development.

Trace minerals are integral for ALL of the body's basic functions, from metabolism, muscle and brain function, hormone regulation, and protection from health-damaging free radicals.

Many of these minerals are lost from our whole food diets due to soil degradation and over-farming. These important micronutrients are often left out of your standard multivitamins.

Oregon State University recently published a study that taking a daily vitamin supplement that contains minerals, including zinc and a large dose of vitamin C, may help reduce the length and severity of colds and similar illnesses.

The Titan Nutrition® Difference

At Titan Nutrition®, our daily multivitamins are a precision-designed formula that addresses the critical needs of the active male and female body. Essentials™ Ares & Athena provide a low-cost benefit to you.  A small investment is all that may be necessary to ensure you’re getting all of your essential micronutrients to perform at your best at work, home, and the gym.

The sourcing of your vitamins and trace minerals are crucial for multiple facets of your health. Our formula includes the highest bioavailable vitamins and minerals through methylated and chelated sources.

Methylated vitamins are in a form that the body can immediately use without needing conversion. For instance, methylcobalamin (a form of vitamin B12) and methylfolate (a form of folate) are already in their active forms. This is crucial because not all individuals have the same efficiency in converting vitamins to their active forms due to genetic differences, such as those in the MTHFR gene for folate.

Chelated minerals are a form of dietary mineral supplement where the mineral is bound to an organic compound, usually an amino acid or other organic molecule. This bonding is intended to enhance the mineral's absorption and utilization in the body.

Our choice to use these forms leads to better absorption, bioavailability, and activation of unique processes in our body that require said vitamins and minerals.

Essentials™ Ares & Athena includes vitamins D3 and K2. Their relationship ensures that calcium is absorbed easily and reaches the bone mass, preventing arterial calcification, and helping to keep your heart and bones healthy. 

Vitamin D is emerging more and more as a powerhouse Vitamin (which is more like a hormone). We placed 2,500 IUs of Vitamin D-3 instead of the usual 400-700 IUs in big box brands. Vitamin D is produced by the body when exposed to sunlight and most of us don’t produce enough even if we frequently are out in the sun.

It would take you prancing around, practically naked for a couple of hours a day to produce those levels of Vitamin D and most Americans are deficient!

Vitamin D may help reduce inflammation, risk of colon and breast cancer, improves mood and upper respiratory health by aiding the fight against infections from viruses and other pathogens, and may allow the brain to release melatonin so we can fall asleep easier – like when you’ve been out in the sun all day and are tired as soon as night falls.

B vitamins assist in optimal energy production as well as the building and repair of muscle tissue.  Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, pantothenic acid, and biotin are directly involved in energy production during exercise.  Folate and B12 are necessary for the production of red blood cells, protein synthesis, and tissue repair.

Magnesium is an essential element in biological systems and most people are likely deficient. Recent studies state that 85% of Americans are deficient in magnesium.

Magnesium regulates heart rhythm because it plays a role in how muscular tissue contracts and relaxes, reduces blood pressure, and is necessary to produce ATP (the main source of energy in our cells) which must be bound to a magnesium ion to be biologically active.

Essentials™ Ares & Athena provide gender-specific support. For men (Ares) promotes vitality and healthy prostate function. The women’s formula (Athena) promotes healthy skin and metabolic support for more energy and thermogenesis.

It’s hard to eat enough variety to make sure your food is varied in nutrient sources. This is made even harder with the nutrient depletion we experience from farming and agricultural practices. If you want to ensure all your daily micronutrient needs are exceeded for optimal health, immunity and performance, Essentials™ Ares & Athena offer you a powerful dosage of the most important vitamins and trace minerals at a very cost-effective price! 

Learn More About Titan Nutrition

References:

1. Fantacone, M.L.; Lowry, M.B.; Uesugi, S.L.; Michels, A.J.; Choi, J.; Leonard, S.W.; Gombart, S.K.; Gombart, J.S.; Bobe, G.; Gombart, A.F. The Effect of a Multivitamin and Mineral Supplement on Immune Function in Healthy Older Adults: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Controlled Trial. Nutrients 2020, 12, 2447.
2. Dancer RCA, Parekh D, Lax S, et al Vitamin D deficiency contributes directly to the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)Thorax 2015;70:617-624.
3. Ormsbee, PHD, Michael. “There's More to Nutrition Than Carbs and Fat: Why Micronutrients Matter.” The Great Courses Daily, 30 July 2020, www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/theres-more-to-nutrition-than-carbs-and-fat-why-micronutrients-matter/.
4. Blumberg, Jeffrey B et al. “The Evolving Role of Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement Use among Adults in the Age of Personalized Nutrition.” Nutrients vol. 10,2 248. 22 Feb. 2018, doi:10.3390/nu10020248