How Do Multivitamins Cleanse?

How Do Multivitamins Cleanse?
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Multivitamins provide a quick method to increase your intake of antioxidants and minerals that your diet may lack. They contain elements that cleanse your body by improving liver function and assisting digestive health. Often used as part of a detoxification program, multivitamins help to improve overall health and may reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, osteoporosis and cancer, according to the June 2002 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association."

Benefits

Multivitamins offer several benefits, including helping your body to carry out regular internal cleansing. They also act as a nutritional insurance policy, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, and help fill possible nutritional deficiencies. Regimens such as multivitamin supplementation and fasting assist your body with the elimination of internal toxins, reports WholehealthMD.com. Other benefits of using a multivitamin include improved immune system function and enhanced nutrient status, according to Tufts University.

Supporting the Liver and Digestive System

As parts of your digestive system, your liver and colon work to assimilate nutrients and remove toxins. Multivitamins assist internal cleansing by providing nutrients that improve liver and digestive system function. For example, B vitamins help initiate the liver's detoxification process. Taking B vitamins together, such as in a multivitamin, creates synergistic function, according to the Environmental Illness Resource, or EIR. Multivitamins containing vitamin D improve colon health and decrease the risk of colon cancer, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants found in multivitamins also aid cleansing by neutralizing damaging free radicals and protecting cell membranes, reports the EIR. Fat-soluble vitamins A and E, which act as antioxidants, help repair your intestinal tract and protect your liver. Vitamin C, another antioxidant found in multivitamins, helps protect your body from free radicals and improves immune system function, promoting overall health and efficient protein metabolism.

Protocol

Supplement your diet with a multivitamin to reduce nutrient deficiencies and certain diseases. Select a multivitamin that offers 100 percent of the recommended daily value for each nutrient for safe supplementation, recommends Tufts University. Look for a multivitamin that contains essential fatty acids, meets FDA regulations, contains no preservatives and has been laboratory tested, recommends Women to Women, a Maine medical clinic.

Considerations

While multivitamins provide safe nutrient supplementation, insufficient evidence exists to verify their efficacy in internal cleansing. Adhere to recommended values for vitamins to avoid over-supplementation, which can negatively impact health. Concentrate on eating a healthy diet, performing regular exercise and getting adequate water intake to best promote internal cleansing, recommends Harvard Medical School.

References

Article reviewed by MER Last updated on: Feb 1, 2011

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