Anyone who thinks the typical American diet provides all the required nutritional elements to stay healthy is seriously misguided. Don’t bother asking most doctors for nutritional guidance. You will likely be told: “Just eat a balanced diet, and you will be fine. Don’t waste your money on vitamins.” Overlook that he was probably not taught about nutrition in medical school. Very few medical schools teach about nutrition. That ignores the reality that, over time, we become what we eat.

Have you had a bowl of sugary, artificially colored, and nutritionally worthless “cereal” this morning????  If you did, that’s not part of a well-balanced diet—it’s junk.

Here’s a study from 2003: “New Study Finds Increased Vitamin Use By The Elderly Could Save Medicare $1.6 Billion.” (Please read the report for yourself. It’s easy to read – three double-spaced pages.)

Fast forward to 2024: “Taking a daily multivitamin may improve memory and slow cognitive decline in older adults, according to a third major study on the topic” (COSMOS-Mind: Daily Multivitamin Improves Cognition in Older Adults). So much research points to the effectiveness of taking a multivitamin every day. Why aren’t seniors, in particular, not taking a supplement to help themselves?

Here are a few reasons:

1. Vitamins cost too much, and I’m on a fixed income. (Everything is expensive. Prioritize. Do you need that box of Snickerdoodle cookies ? Or a box of Fruit Loops? Or that bottle of Johnnie Walker?)
2. My doctor says I shouldn’t bother. (He had two sugar doughnuts and Coke for breakfast).
3. I don’t believe in taking vitamins. (Your loss).
4. They made my neighbor sick (Ignorance is bliss. Think for yourself).
5. Drug store vitamins are cheaply made in back alley labs (Centrum, is an excellent vitamin supplement from Pfizer, also the manufacturer of a COVID-19 vaccine — hardly a “back alley lab.”
6. Bad press. There is always somebody with an axe to grind that will badmouth ANYTHING.

When I go to a doctor for anything, the first question I am asked is:

MD: What medications do you take?
Me: None
MD: NONE?? (He’s fresh out of med school, so he is horrified)
Me: Correct. I do not take medications, but I do take vitamins. Would you like to know what they are?
MD. Sure. Tell me what you take. ( He prepares to write them down.)
ME: Well, I take a super high-potency multivitamin called Occudyne II every morning. Also,  I’ve been taking resveratrol for a long time. ( He smirks.)
MD: What is resveratrol? Never heard of it. (I spell it for him)
ME: I also have been taking Sirolomus for the past year
MD: Spell it, please. I’ve never heard of that one either.
Me: It’s also known as Rapamycin. It’s usually given to organ transplant patients to prevent rejection. I’ve learned much about its anti-aging benefits from my friend Dr. Ross Pelton, who wrote a book about it.
MD: Exasperated, he mutters, “Okay—okay. Let’s move on. So why are you here?”
Me: I was trying to open a jar of pickles with a wrench, but it slipped and slammed into my finger. I might have broken it.

Be kind to yourself and proactive about your health. If nothing else, research shows that taking a good multivitamin daily is a wise decision — even if your neighbor or doctor disagrees!