There are thousands of multivitamin supplement products on the market and choosing the best one can be confusing. One option is to have several different ones and to alternate their use. Buy a product that is balanced: not too high on some nutrients and low on others. It is impossible to tell which is best suited for you until you try them and see which one you like or which one makes you feel your best over the long run. Also, take a break from use at least 1 or 2 days a week.

How do I know which is the best multivitamin for me that I can purchase online or in a health food store?
    It is nearly impossible to know exactly what vitamins and minerals your body is marginally lacking or which is the best multivitamin for you. Since it is nearly impossible to tell which is the best multivitamin for you to purchase, you may consider alternating 2 or 3 different ones.

MultiVit Rx - A one source high potency multivitamin supplement for most of your needs
High Quality Daily Multivitamins and Minerals
Developed by Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D.
This high potency multivitamin formula is manufactured by a FDA-approved and GMP-certified facility.

Unless you are very sensitive, you probably will not notice any major effects from most products. However, there are certain multivitamin supplements that are potent and you will notice certain effects. Feedback from MultiVit Rx users indicates the majority notice having more energy, a sense of wellbeing, mental sharpness, more motivation, being more alert, and having clearer vision.

Click here for more information regarding this MultiVit Rx multivitamin supplement, Mind Power Rx, Passion Rx This website also carries a children's multivitamin.

This natural nutrient-filled product is appropriate for any age. Older individuals need only one or two capsules a day.

Benefits of MultiVit Rx multi vitamin nutritional supplement:
1. This multi vitamin supplement supplies the whole list of essential vitamins including vitamins A, B complex, C, D, and E in a natural form.
2. Supplies the important minerals including calcium, magnesium, chromium, potassium, selenium, zinc, manganese, and others.
3. Physical Energy support - you will feel more energized, motivated, and perhaps get more work done during the day.
4. Mental Energy support - most users will feel more mentally alert and focused with better mood. You may also consider Mind Power Rx.
5. Powerful antioxidant support with zeaxanthin, astaxanthin, beta carotene, acetylcysteine, green tea extract, and flavonoids.
6. Immune support herbs and nutrients.
7. This multivitamin supplement has vision support nutrients with lutein, carotene, zeaxanthin, and citrus bioflavonoids. For a potent vision support formula, consider Eyesight Rx.
8. Extra: Highly Beneficial nutrients and extracts such as green tea, octacosanol, rutin, lycopene, and others.

There have been reports that high intake of beta carotene by smokers increases the risk for lung cancer. I had been taking 2 Multi Vit Rx tablets, which contain small amounts of beta carotene and lutein, per day. I'm not sure what constitutes a "high" dose and I'm not sure whether I should continue taking the MultiVit Rx tablets at the 2/day level or reduce. I'm a lean, healthy 51 year old who exercises regularly, and gets plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables.
   Most people find one MultiVit Rx capsule taken four or five days a week suits their needs.

Liquid multivitamins
This form may be appropriate for those who have difficulty swallowing pills or those who prefer to put a few drops in their shake or other drinks. As far as health reasons, we don't see the advantage of a liquid multivitamin supplement over a capsule unless a person has serious issues with absorption. Furthermore, since many good multivitamin supplements have several times the RDA of nutrients, even if absorption is not perfect, one still would get enough of the important vitamins and minerals. Some products have too high doses anyway, so absorbing less is actually better.

I am looking for a liquid multivitamin product but I have acid reflux so need to avoid citric acid or other types of acid.
    You could open a capsule of the MultiVit Rx and empty the contents in an ounce or two of juice and drink it at the end of your breakfast. Multivitamins in capsule form are more stable than liquid products.

Influence on longevity and anti-aging - multiple points of view
This article was written by Dr. Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Although it is tempting to cite statistics regarding the hundreds of studies done over the years to determine whether taking a multivitamin is beneficial or harmful, I will spare you all the boring numbers and details. "The majority of the studies that have been done to date regarding the influence of multivitamins on health and disease are worthless." Why? Because many of the epidemiological studies evaluating millions of multivitamin users did not bother to differentiate the fact that there are thousands of different multivitamin products and each has a different composition and dosage of vitamins and minerals. It's like grouping all wine drinkers together whether they drink white wine, rose, red wine, or whether they drink an ounce a day or a bottle a day.
   Most of the studies do not differentiate the type of vitamin E present in the supplement products. Vitamin E comes in a synthetic version and in a natural version, i.e, dl-alpha tocopherol or d-alpha tocopherol. Just this difference alone could have an effect on health. Plus, there are many other forms of tocopherols, including alpha, delta, gamma, etc. The majority of multivitamin products only have the synthetic dl-alpha tocopherol version of vitamin E. It is possible that taking a high dose of a synthetic form of vitamin E could be harmful whereas taking a vitamin E complex that includes the full range of tocopherols could be beneficial. One additional point to keep in mind is dosage. It is possible that low amounts of vitamin E complex could have a beneficial effect on longevity whereas very high dosages could have the reverse effect.
   Multivitamin and mineral supplements also contain vitamins A, B, C, D, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chromium, selenium, etc. Over the past few years more multivitamin products now include a number of other nutrients and herbal extracts such as CoQ10, choline, bioflavonoids, green tea, etc. Therefore, a researcher who does a study lumping together all types of multivitamin products even though each product is different does not really understand supplements that well.
   One additional point I would like to make is the role of selenium. In the April 2008 issue of the newsletter I briefly mentioned that some early reports indicate that having a too low intake of selenium or taking too high a dosage of selenium could reduce longevity whereas having a normal intake was optimal. Here is another reason why these multivitamin studies could be flawed. Perhaps some of the multivitamin products people were taking had too much selenium.
   Bottom line: I personally take MultiVit Rx on days when I wish to have more energy. I take MultiVit Rx 2 or 3 days a week since it provides me with a sense of vitality and wellbeing. I feel more motivated and can get more work done. I have no idea how it influences longevity but I don't take it for that purpose. I don't think we are going to find out about the risks and benefits of multivitamins until several different formulas, developed by experienced nutritional experts, are tested for at least 10 to 20 years on a large group of people.

Influence on heart disease and cancer
People who take a multivitamin and vitamin E nearly every day for 10 years seem to have a slightly lower risk of death from heart disease. Those who take vitamin E and C supplements may also have a lower risk of death overall in a five-year period, while those who take vitamin C may have a lower risk of death from cancer. Dr. Gaia Pocobelli, at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington says that while the findings of the current study back earlier studies, many of the decreased risks are small, and may have more to do with other healthy behaviors in which people who take vitamins are likely to take part. Researchers surveyed 77,719 men and women in Washington State who were between 50 and 76 years old. Overall 67, 47, and 48 percent of the study group had ever used multivitamins, vitamin C, and vitamin E supplements. Overall, there were 3,577 deaths in the group over five years. Among those who did not use vitamins, there were 350 deaths from heart disease, while there were 519 deaths among those who used vitamins between a few days and seven days per week. After adjusting for gender and age, lifestyle, diet, and medical conditions, the researchers saw no differences between non-users and those who used multivitamins for zero to 2 days, 3 to 5 days, or 6 to 7 days per week on average over 10 years. By contrast, they saw slightly decreased risk for death from heart disease among those reporting the most frequent multivitamin use. When the researchers looked at vitamin C use, those who took more than 322 milligrams per day had a slightly decreased overall and cancer-related risk of death within five years, compared with non-users. Those with a history of heart disease who took this level of vitamin C had slightly decreased risk for death from heart disease. Compared with non-users, men and women reporting more than 215 milligrams per day of vitamin E per day - roughly the amount found in a typical supplement -- had slightly decreased total and heart disease-related risk of death. American Journal of Epidemiology, August 15, 2009.

Male and female, for a man or woman
Does a multivitamin supplement for a man differ from one for a woman?
   Not as much as one thinks. There may be differences in iron, calcium and a few other nutrients, but there are more in common than there are differences. Women's multivitamin need is therefore not too different from a man's. If a man is large, he may need a higher dosage than a petite woman.

Natural versus synthetic, whole food
I see promotions for a natural multivitamin. Is this better than a synthetic?
   For certain nutrients, natural is better. For instance, we prefer a natural vitamin E complex as opposed to synthetic vitamin E. We also prefer vitamin C with bioflavonoids to simple vitamin C by itself. Most of the B vitamins are made synthetically and we don't see much difference in how they are ingested in supplement form.

Are whole food multivitamins any better than regular pharmaceutical multivitamins? Are whole food vitamins better absorbed than synthetic ones?
   As a general rule, multivitamins from whole foods may carry additional beneficial substances such as carotenoids and flavonoids, but it is not easy to give a simple answers. There are many variables that are involved. Much depends on the dosage of the vitamins within the multivitamin products, the ratio of the vitamins, other ingredients that are included, and the quality of the manufacturing process. Furthermore, there may be some people who respond better to a whole food multivitamin whereas others may respond better to a synthetic formulation. There are countless whole food multivitamin and synthetic multivitamin products on the market and it is not easy to give generalizations that would apply to all.

Supplying everything in one pill?
Is there any such thing as an all inclusive multivitamin or supplement that will eliminate the need for, and inconvenience of a cabinet full of varied tablets? There is no such formula. The human body is too complicated and so much depends on diet and the person's individual body chemistry and many, many other factors.

Multivitamin review sites, comparison and rating
Since each person is unique in their requirement, it is difficult to know which multivitamin is ideal for each individual. Plus, the review sites that compare theirs to other formulas and products may have their own agenda.

Combining with other dietary nutraceuticals
Do I need to take an antioxidant and multivitamin together or is the latter alone enough?
   Since there are countless multivitamin bottles out there, it depends which one you are taking. As a rule, though, it would probably be okay to take additional antioxidants if your multi is weak.

Could you please tell me the difference between the ingredients in multivitamins I am comparing below. Is one better than the other? Better performance? Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) and Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) with Rose hips. Vitamin D and Vitamin D-3. Vitamin E (Natural Mixed tocopherols) and Vitamin E Natural d-alpha tocopherols Acetate. B1 Thiamine HCL and B1 (Thiamine mononitrate). Niacin (As Niacin and Niacinamide) and just Niacinamide. Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). Vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) and B12 (cyanocobalamin). Calcium (Citrate) and calcium (Calcium Carbonate). Iodine (Kelp) and Iodine as Potassium Iodide. Zinc and Zinc Oxide. Selenium (Amino Acid Chelate) and Selenium (Hydrolized protein chelate). Copper (Amino Acid chelate) and Copper (Copper gluconate). Manganese (Carbonate) and Manganese (Manganese Sulfate). Chromium (amino acid chelate) and chromium (Hydrolyzed protein chelate). Molybdenum (Amino Acid chelate) and molybdenum (Sodium Molybdate).
   For practical purposes, all of these options are fine. If we were to choose two that would be preferable in a good multivitamin formula, we would say mixed tocopherols for vitamin E and vitamin C with rose hips would be better options.

I have been searching for a high potency complete multivitamin. How do I know a product is a complete multivitamin and not lacking crucial elements?
   There is no such thing as a complete multivitamin. The human body required countless substances for optimum daily functioning. No single multivitamin pill can provide that. As a general rule, look for a multivitamin that has all the standard vitamins, A, B, C, D, and E. Make sure the B vitamins are not out of balance too much. We prefer the daily intake of B vitamins in a good multivitamin formula not to exceed 10 mg a day of B1, B2, and B6. Make sure the vitamin E is natural and is a complex as opposed to alpha tocopherol by itself.  In addition to the basic vitamins, any other nutrients included could be helpful. However, the best way to tell is how this product makes you feel.

Q. I've been a supplement addict. I was wondering, what is your position on the "Living Multi multivitamin" versus the typical more artificial multi-vitamin products. Living multi is claimed to contain naturally occurring forms of the vitamins, which makes sense to be more easily absorbed and generally better for us. I've come across information that taking too much antioxidants can be as harmful as not taking enough and that the naturally occurring form of the vitamins might not pose such a problem. What are your views on this statement?

There is a lot of controversy over whether whole food multivitamins are better absorbed than synthetic vitamins.
    We have not seen such head to head comparisons. Furthermore, most multivitamins have a much higher amounts of vitamins than the body needs so practically speaking it makes no major difference.

Myomin is a Chinese herbal formula promoted to regulate female hormone levels
Myrica rubra is known as yumberry and has been used by Chinese health practitioners for centuries
Myristic acid is a fatty acid found in coconut and dairy.
Neem bark powder supplement
Nelumbo nucifera has a substance called neferine that can relax smooth muscle in corpus cavernosum
Nopal cactus blood sugar nalance from prickly pear cactus
Novasoy Soy Isoflavone Powder supplement

Other multivitamin formulas
Elan Vital Multiple on sale by Source Naturals