Whether you are new to wellness or not, you may have noticed a common theme among doctors and health magazines alike: you should be taking a multivitamin. But, what exactly is a liquid multivitamin? And, more importantly, what can it do for you? Let’s explore some of the positive effects you may experience when taking a liquid multivitamin regularly.

Before we get into the effects, however, we should first discuss what types of ingredients you will typically find in a multivitamin. The purpose of a multivitamin is to fill in the nutritional gaps that form in a person’s diet. These gaps may be caused by a variety of circumstances, such as food quality decline, picky eating, allergies, or even hectic schedules making it difficult to plan balanced meals. To this purpose, most multivitamins will contain a blend of essential nutrients, usually both vitamins and minerals. Some common ingredients may include vitamins A, D, E, and K, the B complex vitamins, and minerals like zinc, selenium, calcium, magnesium, and more. 

Boost Your Immune System

The immune system is a complex machine, operating with two subsystems (the innate immune systems and the adaptive immune system) that work together to fight off harmful outside pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi (1). In the wake of a global pandemic, many people may find it more important than ever to make sure their immune system is firing on all cylinders and fully prepared to combat any illnesses they encounter. Your multivitamin can provide a few different nutrients to help your immune system run smoothly, but one of the most common immune-boosting ingredients you will find is zinc.

Zinc plays a key role in the growth and development of cells throughout your entire body, including the cells of your immune system. In fact, it affects cells in both the innate and adaptive immune subsystems, helping them develop fully while also stabilizing their functions (2). Zinc supports wound healing as well and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, calming skin irritation when applied topically and even reducing the symptoms of chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer.

Promote Health Throughout Your Body

Aside from the immune system, your multivitamin will also provide support to various other systems throughout your body. This, of course, depends on the unique blend of ingredients that your multivitamin contains, but let’s take a look at a few areas of the body that are most notably assisted by a multivitamin.

Eye Health

Multivitamins often contain vitamin A, which is an important contributor to the health of your eyes. Vitamin A is made up of a group of antioxidants known as retinol, retinal, and retinyl esters. These antioxidants work together to promote normal vision as well as help your eyes to function in low light and see colors. Vitamin A’s benefits also extend to the physical aspects of the eye, protecting both the outermost part of the eye (the cornea) and the membrane that covers its surface (the conjunctiva) (2). Without healthy amounts of vitamin A, your vision may start to suffer, especially as old age causes it to naturally deteriorate. A multivitamin can help you boost your vitamin A levels back to where they need to be.

Bone Health

Your multivitamin will also likely provide you with both vitamin D and calcium. These two vital nutrients work hand in hand to support the health of your bones. Vitamin D is needed in order for your body to properly absorb calcium. Since calcium makes up the overall structure of your skeleton, it is essential that your body absorbs healthy amounts of it to build strong bones and maintain that strength over the years (3). For that reason, a multivitamin containing vitamin D and calcium may become even more important later in life when your bones need a bit of extra support after experiencing a lot of wear and tear.

Brain Function

A good multivitamin should contain all of the B complex vitamins as well. The 8 vitamins in this group contribute to a variety of daily functions in the body, but one of the most important is neurological activity. Vitamin B12 is particularly helpful in a number of ways. Not only does it lower levels of homocysteine, an amino acid associated with cognitive decline when present in high amounts, but it also assists with the creation of mood-regulating hormones such as serotonin and dopamine (4). For that reason, B12 and the other B complex vitamins may be useful in preventing declines in cognitive function throughout the years and combating the symptoms of mental illnesses like depression.

Resources

1. “The Immune System.” John Hopkins Medicine, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/the-immune-system.
2. Kubala, Jillian. “Vitamin A: Benefits, Deficiency, Toxicity and More.” healthline, 4 October 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-a.
3. “Osteoporosis: Prevention With Calcium Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic, 29 November 2020, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15049-osteoporosis-prevention-with-calcium-treatment.
4. “The Nutrition Source: Vitamin B12.” Harvard School of Public Health, 2021, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/vitamin-b12.