Vitamin tablets don't do much?

[regustering]

I'm pregnant so taking a vitamin tablet and found myself wondering into the vitamin tablets actually work. For example you can get a multi vitamin that's the size of a tic tac, yet L-Lysine is the size of a chewing gum.

Do they actually work, it so why don't we feed those who are starving due to political/food issues or those who aren't eating due to anorexia etc?

Can a multivitamin minus a bad diet?

If you can’t get food to someone who is starving, how will you get the vitamins to them ?

Alot of anorexics take vitamins it doesn't resolve the problem they are approx 16 calories. They may help with deficiencies but aren't calorific and a food source for the body- you need protein / amino acids etc.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/could-you-survive-on-vitamin-pills-and-water-alone/

The problem with many vitamins on the market is that they contain multiple vitamins that can block the absorption of the actual molecule you're trying to get.

For example:
IRON: Calcium, Vitamin E and Zinc can reduce the absorption of iron.
CALCIUM: Magnesium and Zinc can both reduce the absorption of calcium.
MAGNESIUM: Calcium reduces the absorption of magnesium.
ZINC: Vitamin B9, calcium, iron and copper reduces absorption of zinc.

But if you eat real food that's not a problem. If you eat a steak you're getting iron and zinc but the key is that you're getting plenty of both so if you're not absorbing all of the zinc, it doesn't matter. You're still getting enough. You're better off eating real food, low in foods that block absorption like soy, gluten and other grains and cereals.

You are taking the multi-vitamin tablet for the folic acid.

You could just take folic acid tablets instead but depending on what vitamin you are short of - remember the fetus takes what it needs and leaves you with the rest - then it's just a way of trying to ensure you have enough.

BTW I didn't take a multi-vitamin when I was pregnant.

Obviously not a substitute for a healthy diet but if you've ever been diagnosed with a deficiency then are prescribed tablets the difference can be amazing so they clearly work.

Yes, they work - if you need them.

If you don't need them, they are pointless.

I need b12 - it doesn't seem to matter how much I get in my diet. Sometimes I supplement with b12 alone, sometimes with a multivitamin, but they all work - because I need it.

It will depend on how good your diet is. When I was pregnant all I could stomach was macaroni cheese, anything else I would be sick when I bent over, even with the medicine I took, I wasn’t eating a varied diet so I took a multi vitamin every day, just to try and help. 30 years ago there wasn’t the choice that there is today. I’m in my early 60’s now, so take a few which are marketed to my age.

I'm pregnant, and experiencing the joys of still being sick at 6m, and with pretty bad food aversions too..

The vitamin won't do loads for me - it might not even do the same thing every day. But it's a small safety net when I'm feeling pretty depleted.