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"An apple a day keeps the doctor away." But then, you also need a banana, an orange, a pear, a handful of carrots, some avocado, a head of lettuce, some tomatoes ... the list goes on. Did you make sure to get your five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables today? How about yesterday and the day before that? Chances are, even if you are the most diligent of nutritional fiends, you still don't get your daily requirement of vitamins and minerals.

Nowadays, it's nearly impossible to find the necessary level of nutrients in our food alone. The mineral content in our soils has diminished over the years due to increases in pollution and pesticides, and the hormones in our meat and poultry supply lower the food's overall nutritional value. Just a century ago, our food contained all of the nutrients that our bodies required to perform at optimal level. But today, that is no longer a fact. Today, it has become necessary to supplement your diet with a multivitamin.

The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for vitamins was established during the First World War when food supplies were limited and concerns about vitamin deficiency-related diseases ran high. RDIs were established to ensure that Americans received the minimum vitamins necessary to ward off diseases such as scurvy. Today, such diseases are relatively unheard of, and medical researchers have begun to focus their attention on the role that vitamins play in preventing degenerative diseases.

Cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes are serious diseases that thrive on our nation's poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle. A lack of the necessary vitamins and minerals triggers a cascade of events within the body that ultimately lead to these degenerative diseases. But with a multivitamin, your body is armed with the necessary weapons needed to fend off life-threatening illnesses.

Lower your risk of cardiovascular disease

C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced in the liver and helps the body heal wounds and fight off infection. The presence of CRP in the blood is an indication of an underlying infection or inflammation. Chronic inflammation is associated with a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular disease and stroke.

CRP levels may be elevated many years prior to a coronary event and can be a significant predictor of new coronary events in apparently healthy men and women. Studies indicate that the higher the CRP level, the higher the risk of developing a heart attack. Elevated CRP levels present in the blood after a stroke or heart attack can be indicative of a repeated coronary event with a lower survival rate.

A study printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2003 found that multivitamins can significantly lower CRP levels, with an observed average drop of 14 percent.

As a matter of fact, authors of a similar study reported in JAMA stated that the simple act of taking a daily multivitamin, "could prevent tens of thousands of cases of cardiovascular disease each year at very low cost and with few (if any) adverse effects."

Lower your risk of cancer

Multivitamins also contain several antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene, which serve to fight off potentially dangerous molecules in the body called free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that search the body for healthy molecules to complete them. When a free radical encounters a healthy molecule, it takes what it needs from the healthy molecule to stabilize itself, rendering the formerly healthy molecule damaged. Free radicals leave behind them a wake of destruction, altering DNA and oxidizing the body from the inside out. Left unchecked, free radicals can cause cancer as well as heart disease and other degenerative diseases. Antioxidants seek out free radicals in order to neutralize them, stopping them before their damage leads to a deadly outcome.

Lower your risk of diabetes

Multivitamins level the playing field of good health. A food-based multivitamin will contain all of the vitamins and minerals that should be a part of your regular diet and fill in the gaps where your diet falls short. Multivitamins do not replace healthy eating, but rather they supplement an already healthy diet. As a matter of fact, the healthier your diet, the better your multivitamin will work for you.

Dr. Connealy, M.D., M.P.H., began private practice in 1986. In 1992, she founded South Coast Medical Center for New Medicine, where she serves as medical director. Her practice is firmly based in the belief that strictly treating health problems with medications does not find the root cause of the illness. Dr. Connealy writes monthly columns for Coast and OC Health magazines, and is a biweekly guest on Frank Jordan's "Healthy" radio show. She routinely lectures and educates the public on health issues.

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