An often-heard recommendation by physicians and nutrition experts is that a person should try and get as much nutrition as possible from the foods he eats in his daily diet. However, for some people, taking a multivitamin may be beneficial. The Centrum multivitamin supplement, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, contains a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that are needed for normal and healthy body functions.
Vitamin A
The product information available from Centrum's website informs would-be Centrum users that 3500 IU of Vitamin A -- 29 percent as beta carotene -- are included in each tablet. According to Medline Plus, vitamin A is considered to be an antioxidant, which means that it may have protective effects against certain types of damage-causing molecules called free radicals. Besides this important function, this fat-soluble vitamin is involved in many other functions. It plays a role in vision, especially in situations of low lighting; it is also involved in normal immune system function and bone growth. Vitamin A may be found in a variety of foods including eggs, meat, and whole milk. In addition, certain colorful fruits and vegetables, such as cantaloupe, carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach, contain a precursor to vitamin A called beta carotene. The more intensely-colored the food, the higher the beta carotene content. However, patients who are concerned about their intake of vitamin A may benefit from a supplemental multivitamin such as Centrum.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is critical for several functions, including iron absorption, healing and, as an antioxidant for protection against damage caused by free radicals. It can be found in citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits, as well as broccoli, green pepper and fortified cereals. Furthermore, one Centrum multivitamin tablet provides 60 mg of vitamin C. Interestingly, though the makers of Centrum state that this is 100 percent the recommended daily amount, within the last few years, there has been an increase in the amount recommended. According to the Institutes of Medicine Food and Nutrition Boards, the current daily reference intake, or DRI, of vitamin C is 90 mg for adult men and 75 mg for adult women. Using these updated values, Centrum provides 66 percent of the DRI for men and 80 percent of the DRI for women.
Vitamin E
The Institutes of Medicine's DRI of vitamin E for adult men and women is 15 mg daily, which is about 22 IU of this antioxidant vitamin. Besides protecting the body from free radical damage, this fat-soluble vitamin is involved in red blood cell formation. Food sources of vitamin E include vegetable oils, almonds, peanut butter, wheat germ, and corn. Centrum provides 30 IU of this important vitamin and thus provides more than 100 percent of the recommended amount. Within the last several years, there has been concern that taking large amounts of vitamin E may cause health problems from vitamin E toxicity. The Food and Nutrition Board has established tolerable upper intake levels, or ULs, which are the highest daily intake amounts that are unlikely to cause health problems. For vitamin E, the UL for men and women is 1000 mg or 1,500 IU -- much higher than the amount in a multivitamin such as Centrum. As with any such recommendations, the exact UL for each person may vary; however, patients may be reassured that taking one multivitamin daily is not likely to cause vitamin E toxicity.
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