Do multivitamins have all the vitamins you need?

This page looks specifically at the use of multivitamins, which typically contain around 26 different vitamins and minerals and often provide 100% of the recommended daily amount of these micronutrients. You probably won't find a multivitamin that contains only the recommended daily vitamins and minerals; that is, if you did, you probably shouldn't take it anyway, because you shouldn't get 100% of certain nutrients (especially magnesium and calcium) from a supplement.

Do multivitamins have all the vitamins you need?

This page looks specifically at the use of multivitamins, which typically contain around 26 different vitamins and minerals and often provide 100% of the recommended daily amount of these micronutrients. You probably won't find a multivitamin that contains only the recommended daily vitamins and minerals; that is, if you did, you probably shouldn't take it anyway, because you shouldn't get 100% of certain nutrients (especially magnesium and calcium) from a supplement. Some, if not all, of your daily needs should come from your diet. You can skip vitamins altogether if you eat a very balanced diet and don't have problems absorbing any nutrients (such as vitamin B12, which many older people have trouble absorbing from food).

For those of us who don't eat as well as we should, there are definitely multiple supplements that provide every essential vitamin and mineral in quantities that should get them safely to where they need to be. Our best choices among multivitamins are usually these conservative products, as opposed to multiple megadoses multivitamins. To be one of ConsumerLab's best options, each of them also had to pass our rigorous laboratory tests and review the labels (something that about 30% of multivitamins don't approve of) and be reasonably priced. We identified the best options in our multivitamin review by category, which includes adults in general, women, women over 50, men, people over 50 in general (older people) and children.

You can also use the ingredient tables in the Multivitamin Review magazine to compare the amounts of vitamins and minerals contained in these supplements. Keep in mind that multivitamin gummies, while tasty and popular, generally do not provide iron and this should be of particular concern for children, adolescents and younger women. We also tend to find more problems (such as excess folic acid) with the quality of vitamins in gummies than with tablets. If you're not sure about your daily vitamin and mineral needs, which vary by age, gender, and pregnancy and breastfeeding, you can check the most recent nutritional needs, as well as the tolerable maximum intake levels.

They also noted that, in previous studies, vitamin E and beta-carotene supplements appear to be harmful, especially at high doses. If you're concerned about the quality of your diet, you can consider a multivitamin as an insurance policy, although it's worth making sure that your vitamin and mineral needs are covered. The best-known vitamins are vitamins with the letter “vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. Multivitamins come in many different forms and are marketed to different age groups and genders.”.

The majority of the U.S. population is deficient in vitamin D, so vitamin D supplements are often sold without a prescription or are prescribed by doctors in a weekly dose. Since multivitamins and supplements aren't strictly regulated in the United States, manufacturers can freely choose which vitamins and minerals to include in their products, as well as their quantities. Iron in multivitamins: Find out why many multivitamins don't contain iron and how to find a quality multivitamin that does.

Vegans or vegetarians are prone to vitamin B-12 deficiency because most food sources are of animal origin, such as meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. But do multivitamins really provide health and wellness benefits, or are they just empty promises and expensive urine? Find out how to choose the best multivitamin for you and your family, based on diet, price and effectiveness. Some vitamin supplements are fortified with three or four times the recommended amount of the daily value and, as such, are labeled “supervitamins” or “fortified vitamins”. The researchers concluded that multivitamins do not reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, cognitive impairment (such as memory loss and slowness of thinking) or premature death.

This vitamin is also difficult to find in foods, so Taub-Dix recommends looking for this ingredient in your multivitamin...

Ernie Levitt
Ernie Levitt

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