Are multi-vitamins beneficial, or just compeling?

All adults should take a daily multivitamin to help stave off heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis, according to the Journal of American Medical Association in a complete reversal of the prestigious journal's policy on nutritional supplements. What's more, these new recommendations published in June 2002 suggest that women in their childbearing years should consider adding folate, and the elderly might add vitamins B12 and D to their daily multivitamin.

More news on this topic:

http://health.ivillage.com/eating/evitamins/0,,mmn...

Omega-3's are a hot item these days. Heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish, may give a boost to behavior, mood and personality, new research suggests.

University of Pittsburgh researchers found that volunteers with lower blood levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were more likely than others to be impulsive, to have a more negative outlook, and to report mild or moderate symptoms of depression.

More! http://heart.health.ivillage.com/newsstories/omega...

There are dangers to taking a daily multi-vitamin if you take more than one kind, because you might end up getting more than the recommended amount of certain vitamins, and some vitamins can be toxic in too high of doses.

Vitamin supplements are only beneficial if you are deficient to begin with. Otherwise, you're just throwing away your money, because your body is just going to excrete them. So if you have a poor diet, like you don't eat alot of vegetables and eat fast food alot like me, yes, take vitamin supplements. But if you eat very healthy, you are probably wasting your time with most vitamin supplements.

As far as things like Omega-3, if you aren't eating foods that contain them and you feel they would be beneficial to you, then yes, go ahead and take them.

The recommended daily intake of vitamins is the minimum intake that is thought to promote good health. It is very hard for most people to get even the minimum amount of each vitamin daily in their diet, so I think a multi-vitamin a day is good. While you can take in too many vitamins, you would probably need to try hard to do so.

Just take a look at the food you eat and tally up the vitamins you're getting. Unless you're eating a vitamin fortified cereal (probably loaded with corn syrup) you won't get enough.

Overharvesting of fields resulting in nutrient depleted soils, fruits and vegetables not allowed to fully ripen on the vine, and over-processing of foods have all combined over the last century to rob our diets of many life-giving nutrients. Experts in the field of brain nutrition all agree that it is virtually impossible to get the necessary supply of the specific amino acids from our diet that our brain needs to create enough of the neurotransmitters that keep us feeling balanced and happy.

As for omega3: Low levels of DHA have been linked to suicide, violence and an increased tendency towards depression.