Vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients (plant nutrients such as antioxidants and flavonoids) are known as micronutrients. This is because we need them in micro amounts to remain fit and healthy. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are known as macronutrients as we require them in much larger amounts to provide us with calories and energy.
Generally, we cannot manufacture vitamins within the body (vitamin D being one of the exceptions) so we need to consume them to get enough – either in our diet or in the form of vitamin supplements.
Each vitamin plays a different but vitally important role, if we don’t consume enough of them, we may become deficient. The symptoms of deficiency vary depending on the vitamin but can include lethargy, a weakened immune system leaving us more susceptible to infections, dry skin, brittle nails, hair loss, problems with concentration, and mental clarity.
|
Vitamin |
Highlights |
Total content |
Lasts |
Cost |
|
Vegan, free from fillers and binders |
60 capsules |
2 months |
£16 |
|
|
Vegan, free from fillers and binders |
120 capsules |
2-4 months |
£13 |
|
|
Vegetarian, free from fillers and binders |
60 capsules |
2 months |
£16 |
|
|
All-in-one vegan multivitamin capsule |
90 capsules |
1.5-3 months |
£27 |
There are two distinct types of vitamins – water-soluble and fat-soluble. The water-soluble vitamins include B vitamins and vitamin C. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins.
Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are readily available in the bloodstream after consumption when tissues and organs need them. However, they cannot be stored by the body, so any excess we consume is excreted in our urine. This means that we need to consume them in our diet or supplement form daily. It also means that they’re unlikely to build up to toxic levels in the body.
Fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in the fats that travel within the bloodstream. They are then stored in the liver and the body's fatty tissues. For this reason, we don’t have to consume them every day.
Care should also be taken to consume more than one vitamin supplement that contains vitamin A, as this fat-soluble vitamin can build up to toxic levels. Whereas, in the case of vitamin D, it’s good practice to take a daily 10mg supplement as this is considered both beneficial and safe.
We require vitamins for various biological processes including digestion, cellular growth, and renewal. These support the work of all bodily systems. Eating a healthy and varied diet should mean that most of us consume the vitamins we need daily. The exception is vitamin D as there aren’t many vitamin-D-rich foods.
There are times when taking a daily vitamin supplement is recommended. For example, if we’re unwell or unable to eat a balanced diet, or if we choose to eliminate certain foods or food groups, such as if we’re vegetarian or vegan. Some medical conditions may also mean we may be at risk of becoming deficient, for example, if we’re gluten intolerant or have coeliac disease, we may miss out on certain vitamins that are present in bread and pasta.
This means that some people choose to take a daily vitamin supplement or a multivitamin.
When buying vitamins, choose brands that don’t add unnecessary fillers and binders to bulk them out. These are added when the active ingredient is only needed in small amounts or to help bind the active ingredients together. These excipients have no nutritional value, nor do they generally make the supplement any more beneficial.
Such excipients are often listed under ‘other ingredients’ and can be found in many forms. Fillers and binders include talc, starch, rice flour, vegetable gum and microcrystalline cellulose. Some of these have been linked to potential harm to human health.
There are vitamin supplement brands available that don’t routinely use fillers and binders, G&G vitamins for example, and where they do, they’re a natural alternative such as organic brown rice flour. Brands like these tend to offer more natural, purer vitamin supplements than those that use cheaper and artificial additives and excipients.
Although a balanced and varied diet is likely to provide the vitamins we need, it isn’t always possible to consume enough of every vitamin, every day.
This isn’t so problematic in the case of fat-soluble vitamins as they can be stored by the body (the exception being vitamin D, which is a daily supplement recommendation). But for the water-soluble vitamins, if we go a few days without consuming enough, we may begin to become deficient.
For this reason, taking a vitamin B complex, vitamin C and vitamin D supplement daily can help to support health and wellbeing.
Different types of vitamins will have different instructions, but they’re generally best taken with food. This helps the absorption of the active ingredients, particularly the fat-soluble vitamins, which are best taken with a meal that contains good fats including oily fish, nuts, seeds, olive oil or avocado.
The Vitamin B complex is a range of different B vitamins all with subtly different roles, they play a part in digestion and releasing the energy contained in macronutrients from the food we eat. Some of them have other distinct roles, B2 supports good vision and immunity, B3 supports the nervous system, and B6 helps to manufacture haemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen around the body.
Vitamin B9, also known as folic acid, is important for helping to reduce the risk of an unborn baby developing neural tube defects such as spina bifida. For this reason, pregnant women and those trying to become pregnant are advised to take folic acid supplements.
Vitamin B12 is essential for manufacturing red blood cells and the health of the central nervous system. This vitamin is generally only found in animal-based products such as meat, eggs, and dairy. Therefore, if you avoid eating animal products, whether you’re a vegetarian or vegan, it’s advised that you take a B12 supplement.
Aside from B12, foods including wholegrain bread and cereals, nuts, dairy products, mushrooms, oats, bananas, peas, and green leafy vegetables are all good sources of B vitamins.
A vitamin B complex supplement, such as Bioactive vitamin B complex capsules from G&G Vitamins, contains all of the B vitamins. This supplement contains bioactive forms of B vitamins which make them more easily absorbed than other types of vitamin B.
They’re suitable for vegans and contain no artificial fillers or binders, gluten, soy, lactose, sugar, or GMOs.
Vitamin C is essential for the health of the immune system, cells, skin, blood vessels, cartilage, muscles, and bones. It also assists with healing wounds. Other benefits of vitamin C include aiding the body to absorb iron and assisting in the production of collagen, an important protein for the skin and joints.
A water-soluble vitamin, it’s found in citrus fruits, berries, potatoes (with the skins still on), brussels sprouts and broccoli. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant vitamin which means that it helps to neutralise free radicals, and unstable molecules of oxygen that can cause damage to the cells, immune system, and DNA.
Vitamin C calcium ascorbate capsules from G&G Vitamins contain vitamin C in the form of calcium ascorbate, which is a buffered type of vitamin C. Buffered vitamin C is non-acidic and is therefore well tolerated, even by those with a sensitive stomach.
Free from sugar, gluten, soy, lactose, GMOs, artificial additives, fillers, and binders, these vitamin C capsules are also suitable for vegans.
The most well-known role that vitamin D plays in the body is keeping the teeth, bones, and muscles healthy. It does this by helping to regulate the levels of calcium and phosphate flowing in and out of the cells that make up the teeth, bones and muscles.
Vitamin D also helps to support good immunity and mental well-being, a deficiency linked to SAD, aka seasonal affective disorder.
For this reason, it’s recommended that adults take a 10mcg vitamin D supplement each day, especially during the autumn and winter months.
Vitamin D3 and K2 capsules from G&G Vitamins contain a high-quality form of vitamin D along with vitamins C, K, and calcium, that work in unison to support the health of the bones and immune system. We also feature a liquid Vitamin D3 and K2 with hemp oil by Austrian brand BioBloom.
They’re both suitable for vegans and are free from gluten, soy, lactose, artificial binders, and fillers. As with any fat-soluble vitamin, they’re best taken with foods that contain healthy fats.
A multivitamin supplement usually contains a wide variety of different vitamins, most often, all of them, both water and fat-soluble, that we need for a healthy body and mind. Despite their name, they often also contain other micronutrients such as the minerals iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc as well as antioxidants and other phytonutrients.
Although a multivitamin supplement may sound like the ideal solution to back up an unhealthy diet, it’s still most advantageous to get most of our nutrition from our food. However, multivitamins provide useful nutrition when we are unwell, recovering from an illness or when we’re unable to eat a balanced diet for a long time, such as when travelling or during seasonal changes to the food supply.
Vegan multivitamin capsules from G&G Vitamins are ideally suited to anyone on a plant-based diet (and anyone in need of a multivitamin) and contain various vitamins and minerals.
Like all the other products in the G&G Vitamins range, their vegan multivitamins are free from soy, lactose, animal products, sugar, gluten, and artificial excipients. They also offer a Kids multivitamin capsule that provides 12 vitamins and 11 minerals and is ideal for growing children who might not always eat a balanced diet.
At for the Ageless, we believe in taking vitamin supplements that contain no artificial additives, fillers, or binders. The vitamin supplements we stock are produced by ethical brands that use high-quality ingredients for maximum health benefits.
When it comes to your health, a vitamin supplement can be beneficial but should be taken as part of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle that includes plenty of self-care. If you would like to find out more, please contact a member of the team and we can answer any questions you may have.
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We are a small but mighty team of experienced natural health researchers. We follow strict selection criteria and test everything we retail: from ground-breaking food supplements to natural skincare products. Our main area of expertise is CBD.