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Hello and welcome to 3 scoops from Broscience #4, the information based on 30 years of expertise, and a little (a lot) of scientific studies.
Today we are talking about vitamins.
I hope you missed me, at least a little bit, well I hope! I had made an appointment to see you in September (sorry 🥺 ).
Tell me his story
Vitamins, everyone knows vitamins. And they're not new ☂️.
In fact, just like collagen, they have always been present in the diet. Hunter-gatherers certainly consumed a lot of them.
But the most famous story remains that of the sailors, with scurvy. A sad story indeed, but which allowed us to discover certain things.
Imagine a group of sailors, on a boat, setting off on a very long journey, without fruit and vegetables (logical, otherwise they would rot after a few weeks).
You're going to tell me, it's not so dramatic. Except that after a certain time, their teeth fell out 🦷 (and they weren't baby teeth).
Why? Because the lack of vitamin C prevented the formation of collagen.
And that's not all, they could have poor wound healing, infections, and even die (in excruciating pain).
Since then, scurvy has been recognized as a nutritional deficiency disease, and is treated with vitamin C (now, we are so afraid that on TV they say “eat 5 fruits and vegetables a day”).
You understand why collagen is often associated with vitamin C. It's thanks to sailors. Imagine if Christopher Columbus... no actually don't imagine.
But what exactly is it?
We have what are called “macronutrients”, composed of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins that provide the energy needed by the whole body. They are the ones that provide calories.
But we also have “micronutrients”, composed mainly of vitamins and minerals which are essential for the proper functioning of the body.
But here, we're talking about vitamins. There are two types: fat-soluble and water-soluble. Basically, they are either stored in fats or they dissolve in water. They also come in different forms called “vitamer” (I'm not insulting you 🤭).
Vitamins are everywhere! In fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, oils, offal,......
Everywhere, but not really anymore. In modern food, with current breeding and cultivation methods, they are becoming rare. So rare that deficiencies appear in many people.
And even more particularly among athletes, who have greater micronutrient needs, particularly because of sweating (there is not only water in sweat).
Vitamins as a food supplement
Luckily for us, vitamins can be synthesized. As a little anecdote, it was in the early 1910s that the first vitamin was identified by a Polish researcher (even if his discovery can be controversial). We can call him Mr. B1.
Vitamin complexes have been around for a long time. In the last century, they could be bought through magazines, and everyone praised their merits in their own way.
Today, it comes in all forms: powder, capsules, tablets, with minerals, with other nutrients, isolated, with other vitamins, etc.
What does it do?
Concretely, what does it do?
Everything! In fact, it is vital. Hence its name vita mine.
Here is the main role of each vitamin:
👁 ️ Vitamin A helps maintain good vision.
🩸B vitamins promote the assimilation of proteins and contribute to the formation of red blood cells.
🦠 Vitamin C is an immune booster.
🦴 Vitamin D allows the proper use of calcium and magnesium for bone health.
☢️ Vitamin E is a very powerful antioxidant against free radicals.
🫀Vitamin K plays a very important role in cardiovascular function and bone function.
We can also talk about choline, considered vitamin B4, which plays a very important role in health, particularly on cell membranes.
But also coenzyme Q10, considered vitamin Q, which plays a role in energy production and acts as an antioxidant.
All these letters still have a lot of functions for the body. They even have an impact on performance and recovery. All the more reason to integrate them when you are an athlete.
Oh yeah, your urine may be fluorescent after taking multivitamins. Nothing to worry about, it's because of the B vitamins that can color your pee.
🤔 Which one to take?
All vitamins are important. Some more than others, depending on your diet, your needs, or the season.
For example, vegans will have a greater need for vitamin B12. And if you move to Norway, your need for vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) will increase in winter. Although in France, apart from summer (and even then), vitamin D deficiencies are very significant without supplementation (you will see below).
In this case, you can opt for a single vitamin supplement.
But if you want to be sure to fill every deficiency, take a vitamin complex.
A well-dosed multivitamin is very practical. It's even a + (like our Multivitamin C+ 😉). Or to be at the max, our Multivitamin Max . That's a lot of repetitions.
Also make sure to take quality vitamins and trust suppliers like DSM, for example 😉 (Swiss leader in the manufacture of vitamins for over 80 years all the same).
💧 How do you take it?
With water, in powder or capsules.
I advise you to keep them in the fridge and away from light, because some vitamins are a little sensitive to oxidation.
And besides, it is better to take them all year round. The most well-known misconception is that vitamin D is only in winter. Unless the sun shines 365 days a year, all year round is still the best option. And it is much better to take a dose of 2000 IU every day, rather than once every 6 months at a very high dose (however, this is what some health professionals recommend). By doing this, you will disrupt your body with mega doses and this will do you more harm than good.
⌛ When is it taken?
It's ideal for breakfast. A full supply of vitamins for the day to be in shape!
Afterwards, like any supplement, it must be adapted to each person. For some, vitamin C produces a small boost, for others, it can cause slight drowsiness. So in the evening before going to sleep if it makes you nod off. But it can also have diuretic effects, so not very cool if you have to get up at night.
Supplements are a whole science 👨⚕️!
🎯 Can I take some?
Of course 🙂
It is even highly recommended with modern diets, and even more so if your meals are not balanced, and the icing on the cake if you are athletic.
And if you're on the team "Multivitamin juice in the morning works great!" 🤡, then yes, you should take some.
The studies that revolutionized collagen
I was talking to you a little earlier about the extinction of vitamins and minerals in the modern diet. Well, I'm obviously exaggerating but some interesting studies highlight this fact (1-2). Hence the importance of trying to eat a varied, balanced diet and to supplement.
A 2012 study already demonstrated the significant vitamin deficiencies of the French (3): 82% do not cover their minimum vitamin D requirements (and they are not well brought up either), 32% are deficient in vitamin C, 25% in vitamin E, 21% in vitamin B9, etc.
Bibliography
- Thomas D. A study on the mineral depletion of the foods available to us as a nation over the period 1940 to 1991. Nutr Health. 2003;17(2):85-115. doi:10.1177/026010600301700201. PMID: 14653505.
- Mayer AB, Trenchard L, Rayns F. Historical changes in the mineral content of fruit and vegetables in the UK from 1940 to 2019: a concern for human nutrition and agriculture. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2022 May;73(3):315-326. doi:10.1080/09637486.2021.1981831. Epub 2021 Oct 15. PMID: 34651542.
- Thomas Pilorin, Pascale Hébel, Consumption of food supplements in France: consumer profile and contribution to nutritional balance, Cahiers de Nutrition et de Diététique, Volume 47, Issue 3, 2012, Pages 147-155, ISSN 0007-9960.
