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CNN Saturday Morning News

Feeling Fit: Do You Need a Gender-Specific Multivitamin?

Aired September 08, 2001 - 08:38   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: The debate in our house every evening is is it going to be "Flintstones" or "Pokemon." We're talking about...

COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Vitamins, I hope.

SAVIDGE: Vitamins, you know, the multivitamin pills not only for children, but also for adults. It used to be it took only one to cover the bases. Things have changed. Today you find multivitamins for women, for men, for people over 50, even vegetarians.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, and don't forget the ones that are supposed to help your memory and do this and do that.

SAVIDGE: I forgot about that.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, right. Very good. You need to take your vitamin.

Well, are all of these specialized vitamins really that necessary? Dietitian Liz Weiss tackles that question for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LIZ WEISS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If the multitude of multivitamins in the supplement aisle seems confusing, you're not alone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I figured it says it's for women so why not take it?

WEISS: Dietitian Ronan Cohen (ph) believes a basic multivitamin is fine for most people but doesn't think a vitamin tailor made for specific ages or genders is right for everyone.

(on camera): What makes this so special? Why would a woman need to buy this, for example?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Certain women may want to consider this product because it has extra calcium. There's 450 milligrams of calcium in the product and for women who either don't eat dairy products or cannot tolerate them, there may be a real need to increase calcium. WEISS (voice-over): Female formulations also have extra iron, something you won't find in the multis for men because too much iron may actually increase a man's risk for heart disease. As for all those senior supplements...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Typically they have more B12, more zinc, more chromium. The B12 for mental health, neurological function; zinc for immune function, chromium for blood sugar control.

WEISS: Some multivitamins even come with extra antioxidants and herbs. Cohen's advice? If you're confused, talk to a trained nutrition expert to find out what's right for you. And remember, the best source of vitamins is a well balanced diet.

For "Feeling Fit," I'm Liz Weiss.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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