Personalised Vitamins – Breakthrough or Fad?

Recently, there has been an uptake in new brands which offer personalised vitamin services. These services administer a quiz which is meant to determine what vitamins and minerals your genetics dictate you have a higher propensity to be lacking in. These companies claim to be tailoring the correct supplements to your exact body needs from the findings of these quizzes. However, some health professionals believe these personalized quizzes are just a clever marketing strategy without a ton of substance.

These online questionnaires are a good starting point; however, nothing replaces micronutrient testing and a consultation with a registered dietitian. Micronutrient labs can be drawn like any routine blood test and can provide accurate markers for levels of certain micronutrients and vitamins. Depending on the provider ordering it, these tests can be costly.

It is great that these supplement companies are using recent research for micronutrient recommendations specifically for women's issues, but the recommendations are being generalized. In other words, these companies will only recommend products that they sell, and therefore the "free" evaluation is more often a marketing plan. However, there is an argument that it is better than randomly ordering supplements online with no knowledge base of what is needed.

Also, as with most purchases in the 21^st Century, one should really do your own research into the products you are purchasing and the companies behind the products. Look past the Instagram-ready marketing techniques and dig into the research, testing, and quality behind the brand's products instead. Make sure they disclose all purity, safety, and testing methods, and look for what is listed at the bottom of the label as other ingredients.

This being said, there is obvious differences between age, gender, diets, and other factors which do mean that people would need to supplement differently. Rather than a blanket shotgun shot, which each pellet being a different vitamin, hoping that you may need one of around 15, these personalised vitamin companies can be much more targeted. This is a clever and creative strategy that is beneficial because nutrient needs are impacted by differing factors.

Gender plays a part too, since women have unique nutrient needs, especially in different stages of life. For instance, women need more iron than men do, since they lose iron during their menstrual cycles each month, as well as during pregnancies. Women also have a greater need for calcium, since they have a faster cell turnover rate than men. The requirements are different during the key reproductive years too. Folate, in particular, is a must for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive, and it can be the case that there may not be enough within a generic multi-vitamin.

As a rule, look into the background of the company and make an assessment yourself. Is this a marketing ploy? Do they know their stuff and are actually giving me helpful supplementation advice? And other similar questions, so that you can be sure that you are actually getting what you pay for and aren’t falling for the rabbit in a hat trick.