Vitamin and mineral deficiencies can cause shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, pale or yellow skin, muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat, mental confusion or forgetfulness, unsteady movements, and muscle weakness.
It seems that pharmaceutical companies have come up with the solution to prevent all these health problems – multivitamins. Centrum is one of the most popular brands of multivitamins in the U.S.
The company claims one capsule provides all the necessary nutrients to maintain optimal health. However, it’s too good to be true.
Millions of Americans take Centrum capsules every day. Unfortunately, the only difference they get is a lighter wallet.
The World-Wide Popular Health Scam Called Centrum
Centrum was created by the world’s largest pharmaceutical company, Pfizer. Last year, it was ranked as the 2nd leading multivitamin brand in America, with Medium.
Soon after launching Pfizer in 1849, this company was dubbed “manufacturer of fine chemicals,” after a series of illegal marketing and health care fraud. However, regardless of its unclear background, Centrum gained extreme popularity, probably thanks to Pfizer’s multi-billion dollar ad marketing campaign.
Why is Centrum Bad for Our Health
Follows a list of Centrum’s ingredients divided into 3 categories:
1. Vitamins and Minerals (with Poor Absorption)
Calcium Carbonate. This form of calcium is the least absorbable one available on the market. The human body can absorb only a small percentage of it.
Ferrous Fumarate. This supplement of iron M leads to an increased amount of harmful flora. This in turn can cause a compromised immune system, gastrointestinal problems, and problems with nutrient absorption. As you can see, this is not a good choice for a multivitamin.
DL-Alpha Tocopherol. Researchers at the Oregon State University discovered that our body excretes this synthetic form of the vitamin E supplement 3 times faster than the natural. In other words, the benefit is reduced threefold.
Nickelous Sulfate and Tin. If you have tin or nickel deficiency, this would be great. However, the problem here is that no one has these sorts of deficiencies. Plus, sulfate reduces the absorption of the minerals that bind to it.
Talc. Although this mineral has consisted of silicon, magnesium, and oxygen, it can also have a Simple Capacity.
2. Binders and Fillers
Pregelatinized Corn Starch. A useless binder that is probably derived from genetically modified corn causes various adverse reactions, especially for people sensitive to it.
BHT (Butylated hydroxyanisole). It has been proven that this preservative is toxic to the thyroid, liver, kidneys, and lungs. It can also affect blood coagulation as well as promote tumors.
Gelatin. This makes it unfit for vegans and vegetarians.
Hydrogenated Palm Oil. If oil goes through the process of hydrogenating, it will become rancid, turning it into a potent free radical that promotes heart disease and cancer.
Sodium Benzoate. One of the most overused preservatives, except that this one causes organ toxicity.
Sodium Aluminosilicate. This anticaking agent is commonly used as a food additive. It can deteriorate the organ’s health, and further worsens the detrimental properties of table salt.
3. Artificial Colors
FD&C Yellow No. 6 Aluminum Lake. That’s right. This multivitamin contains a food coloring agent that’s derived from the reproductive toxin coal tar. Animal testing showed that it causes adrenal tumors.
How to Choose a Good Multivitamin
As you can see, this health supplement has a minuscule number of beneficial properties but huge detrimental ones. The best option is to choose a multivitamin without artificial colors and additives, containing vitamins that can be fully absorbed.
A smart move would be to pick an old and true brand from a health food store and avoid the commercially popular brands offered in pharmacies. Give your money for a true vitamin to prevent spending your money on disease treatments later. Unfortunately, there are many other cheap health scams on the market than Centrum. Taking them can bring more harm than good.
Some multivitamin trials have shown to cause depleted cognitive function, cardiovascular problems, and acute respiratory tract infections. There were even cases of cancer and mortality, Medium.
The best option is always the same – get all the needed nutrients through diet.
These are several recommended brands:
- Metagenics;
- Douglas Labs;
- Solgar;
- Garden of Life.
Via Medium | Mayo Clinic | Simple Capacity | M | Josh Gitalis
