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Why You Need Omega 3 & a Multivitamin

If you eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly, you may feel it's unnecessary to take a multivitamin or omega-3 supplement. But both provide a number of health benefits, and since few multivitamins include omega-3s, it may be worthwhile to add each to your daily regimen.

  1. Vitamin D

    • By boosting the immune system, a multivitamin with vitamin D makes it easier for your body to fight off infection and disease. If you get adequate sunlight, your body will synthesize vitamin D from the sun; but sunlight exposure decreases during winter months and the use of sunscreen minimizes the amount of vitamin D your body synthesizes naturally.

    Folic Acid

    • Folic acid, a common ingredient in most multivitamins, is well known for its role in preventing fetal abnormalities, but it isn't just beneficial to pregnant women. Folic acid (or folate) also aids the development of red and white blood cells and, in appropriate amounts, can protect against cancer, according to a spring 2009 article on ScienceDaily.com.

    Selenium

    • The mineral selenium is found in nearly every cell in the body and is especially important in protecting the heart against disease. A common component in multivitamins, it also works as an antioxidant, cleansing the system of toxins.

    Omega-3s

    • Omega-3 fatty acids, which are most commonly found in fish, provide a host of health benefits. They aid brain function, act as an anti-inflammatory, alleviate symptoms of depression and lower cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides. Dietitians recommend one gram of omega-3s per day, which would be the equivalent of one to two servings of salmon, four to seven servings of cod, or four servings of shrimp. Most people don't consume that much fish, so a supplement makes it far easier to get the recommended amount of omega-3s.

    Key supplements

    • A truly healthy diet should provide you with sufficient amounts of many vitamins and minerals, including calcium and iron. But the average diet rarely includes enough of all the nutrients your body needs. A good multivitamin should include B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, A, C, D and E. Because most multivitamins do not include omega-3s, you need a separate supplement for them.

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