Feel down and more tired than you think you should be? Lacking energy? Experiencing brain fog? 

 

As physicians our patients often ask us which vitamins they can take to help boost energy levels. Many people are unsure what is safe and useful to take. These are great questions, given the overwhelming  number of vitamins and supplements on the market today. 

 

It turns out that we all have different vitamin needs. Treating our individual vitamin deficiencies is the one of the best ways to feel better and boost your energy. For example, the person who is a vegetarian and eats no red meat, may be iron deficient and repeating this essential nutrient may be a helpful for vitamin for their energy.  Someone else may be vitamin D deficient because they live in a temperate climate and have minimal sun exposure. Replacing their vitamin D may be helpful in boosting energy. 

 

Or perhaps for many of us, a combination of important nutrients in varied doses depending on our needs, may be the answer.  Figuring out which vitamins are safe and useful to take for each person is the challenge.   A custom multivitamin is a great way to determine the best vitamins to take for your needs. A vitamin quiz can help figure out individual needs based on who you are, your diet and your health concerns. 

 

Many people who want to take vitamins for energy find benefit from a variety of vitamins including but not limited to vitamin D, iron, B12 , iodine and magnesium.  Iron is essential to energy and feeling our best as it is a key element of red blood cells. These are the cells that transport oxygen all over our bodies and allow every body system to function optimally. Women especially tend to be low in iron after a lifetime of having periods, pregnancies and nursing. 

 

Likewise magnesium is an elemental electrolyte that helps all our cells fire the way the should, powering our muscles and other aspects of bodily regulation that are key for energy.  We lose it in sweat, urine and through our GI tract. Many of us are lacking. Repleting this vital electrolyte helps your muscles fire better including those in the heart, blood vessels and GI tract.

 

Iodine is also an important supplement for maintaining energy because it helps support the thyroid. The thyroid is a key part of our maintaining our metabolism. Taking a safe and proper amount of iodine as a part of a custom daily vitamin helps to support the thyroid to do it’s important work in regulating your metabolism. 

 

B12 is an important vitamin that helps with nerve function. When we are lacking in this nutrient our nerves are sluggish and can send signals of discontent to our bodies— sensations of pain, “pins and needles”or numbness. Sleep is suboptimal and energy is influenced. B12 deficiency should be corrected to help both your brain and other nerves operate effectively. 

 

So you might ask, “I eat a balanced diet, how would I be deficient in vitamins?”.  It turns out that it’s hard to get enough of all of the nutrients we need to feel our best. The vegetarian may lack iron and the meat eater may lack magnesium, iodine and vitamin D. Some of these deficiencies are due to the fact that our food supply is not as nutritious as it once was. The soil has been demineralized and our food does not contain the levels of nutrients that it did decades ago. Likewise sometimes our efforts to eat more healthfully back fire and cause nutrient deficiencies. Those who avoid salt may lack iodine since it is mainly found in table salt and processed foods (not in Kosher or sea salt).  Our efforts to protect ourselves from the sun (as we should to avoid skin cancer) has lowered our vitamin D levels to the point that almost everyone is deficient to some degree.

 

The best way to figure out exactly what you need to feel your best is took take a vitamin survey and obtain a custom multivitamin. You may not need the same nutrients in the same amounts as your friend or neighbor. Finding the right custom daily blend is the way to safely taking the right vitamins to boost your energy levels. 

 

Remember, this does not happen overnight. Your energy levels decrease gradually overtime, sometimes due a life time of vitamin deficiencies. It can take several months to build up your nutrient stores. So get started now, but have some patience. Hopefully a few months from now you can look back and realize how much better your feel. Taking the right vitamins for your needs is just one part of a healthy lifestyle that should also include good sleep habits, regular exercise and of course, a nutritious diet.  Find a custom multivitamin that is tailored to your needs to help boost your energy and read more about ways to lead a healthier life at vousvitamin.com/blog/.  

Arielle Levitan M.D.

Co-founder Vous Vitamin LLC

Author of The Vitamin Solution:Two Doctors Clear the Confusion About Vitamins and Your Health