Can vitamins boost your energy level? What do the ‘USP’ initials on supplement bottles stand for? Test your vitamin knowledge with our Everwell Challenge.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
It seems simple enough: just pop a pill to get the nutrients you need. But all the information we get about vitamins and minerals can be hard to digest. To find out how much you really know, here’s an Everwell Challenge.
1. True or false: Vitamins are a good source of energy.
2. In most brands of multivitamins, you won’t get 100 percent of the recommended daily dosage of which of the following:
A. Calcium
B. Vitamin A
C. Vitamin C
D. Niacin
3. Vitamin D along with calcium is crucial for strong healthy bones. Which of the following causes your body to make vitamin D?
A. Sleep
B. Sunshine
C. Exercise
4. Let’s march through the vitamin alphabet to one that’s not as well known, vitamin K. Vitamin K helps:
A. Skin to tan
B. Blood to clot
C. Nails to grow
5. Ever notice these initials on supplements? What is USP?
Answers:
To see who’s right, we turned to nutrition expert Dr. Thomas Ziegler.
1. False. Vitamins are not a source of energy themselves. They do help the body convert the food you eat into energy, but they’re not the source of energy themselves.
2. The answer is A, calcium. The requirements for calcium are far too large to put in a single multivitamin so you need a separate calcium supplement or dairy rich products.
3. B, sunshine. A lot of people don’t know that sunshine is very important for vitamin D production. Depending on the location and season, all it can take is a few minutes of sunshine two or three times a week to keep our bodies stocked with vitamin D. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe to sunbathe – too much sun exposure can be harmful.
4. B. Helps blood to clot. It’s critically important for the liver to make the clotting factors that are important to stop bleeding if you cut yourself. In addition, vitamin K may help keep bones strong. It’s an essential nutrient, it’s actually made by bacteria in your intestine but it’s also required in the diet. Fruits and vegetables particularly dark green leafy vegetables are the best sources.
5. That stands for united states Pharmacopoeia. And what it is, it’s an official designation that indicates that the particular vitamin or mineral supplement you’re purchasing is actually been tested and contains what it says it does.
It also indicates that the product will dissolve effectively and won’t just wash through your system. What USP designation does not do is indicate that the supplement is safe or effective.