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Hello and welcome to 3 Scoops of Broscience #4, the information based on 30 years of expertise, and a little (a lot) of scientific studies.
Today, we're talking about vitamins.
I hope you missed me, at least a little bit, well, I hope so! I told you I'd see you in September (sorry 🥺).
Tell me its story
Vitamins, everyone knows about vitamins. And they're not a new thing ☂️.
In fact, just like collagen, they have always been present in food. Hunter-gatherers certainly consumed a lot of them.
But the best-known story remains that of sailors, with scurvy. A sad story, by the way, but one that led to some discoveries.
Imagine a group of sailors, on a ship, on a very long journey, without fruits and vegetables (logical, or they would rot after a few weeks).
You're going to tell me it's not that 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 collagen formation.
And that's not all, they could have poor wound healing, infections, and even die (in terrible pain).
Since then, scurvy has been recognized as a nutritional deficiency disease, and is treated with vitamin C (nowadays, we're so scared 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", made up of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that provide the necessary energy for the whole body. They are the ones that provide calories.
But we also have "micronutrients", mainly made up of vitamins and minerals that 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 fat, 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 actually not really anymore. In modern nutrition, with current farming and cultivation methods, they are scarce. So scarce that deficiencies appear in many people.
And even more particularly in athletes, who have higher micronutrient needs, especially due to sweating (sweat isn't just water).
Vitamins as food supplements
Fortunately for us, vitamins can be synthesized. For the record, it was in the early 1910s that the first vitamin was identified by a Polish researcher (even if his discovery may be controversial). We can call him Mr. B1.
Vitamin complexes have existed for a long time. Last century, they could be bought through magazines, and everyone extolled their virtues in their own way.
Today they can be found in all forms. In 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's vital. Hence its name vitamin.
Here is the main role of each vitamin:
👁️ Vitamin A helps maintain good vision.
🩸 B vitamins promote protein assimilation and contribute to red blood cell formation.
🦠 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 as vitamin B4, which plays a very important role in health, especially on cell membranes.
But also coenzyme Q10, considered as vitamin Q, which plays a role in energy production and acts as an antioxidant.
All these letters still have a huge number of functions for the body. They even have an impact on performance and recovery. All the more reason to include them when you're an athlete.
Oh yes, your urine may be fluorescent after taking multivitamins. Nothing to worry about, it's because of the B vitamins which 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 needs for vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) will increase in winter. Although in France, apart from summer (and even then), vitamin D deficiencies are very common without supplementation (you'll see below).
In this case, you can opt for a single vitamin supplement.
But if you want to be sure to make up for every deficiency, take a vitamin complex.
A well-dosed multivitamin is very practical. It's even a plus (like our Multivitamines C+ 😉). Or to be at the maximum, our Multivitamines Max. That's a lot of repetitions.
Also, make sure to take quality vitamins and trust suppliers like DSM, for example 😉 (a Swiss leader in vitamin manufacturing for over 80 years, after all).
💧 How is it taken?
With water, in powder or in capsules.
I advise you to store them in the fridge and away from light, as some vitamins are a little sensitive to oxidation.
And by the way, it's better to take them all year round. The most common misconception is vitamin D only in winter. Unless the sun shines 365 days a year, all year round is the best option. And it's much better to take a dose of 2000 IU every day, rather than once every 6 months at a very high dose (yet, that's what some health professionals recommend). By doing that, you will disrupt your body with mega doses and that will serve you more badly than anything else.
⌛ When to take it?
At breakfast, it's ideal. A full dose of vitamins for the day to be in shape!
Afterwards, like any supplement, it must be adapted to each individual. For some, vitamin C produces a small boost, for others, it can cause slight drowsiness. So in the evening before sleeping if it makes you sleepy. But it can also have diuretic effects, so not very cool if you have to get up at night.
It's a whole science, supplements 👨⚕️!
🎯 Can I take it?
Of course 🙂
It is even highly recommended with modern food, and even more so if your meals are not balanced, and icing on the cake if you are an athlete.
And if you are part of the "morning multivitamin juice does the trick!" 🤡 team, then yes, you should take it.
Studies that revolutionized vitamins
I mentioned earlier the extinction of vitamins and minerals in modern food. Well, I'm exaggerating of course, but some interesting studies highlight this fact (1-2). Hence the importance of trying to eat a varied, balanced diet, and supplementing.
A 2012 study already showed significant vitamin deficiencies in the French population (3): 82% do not meet their minimum vitamin D needs (and they are not very high 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, Consommation de compléments alimentaires en France : profil des consommateurs et contribution à l’équilibre nutritionnel, Cahiers de Nutrition et de Diététique, Volume 47, Issue 3, 2012, Pages 147-155, ISSN 0007-9960.