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Multivitamins are one of the most popular supplements in the world, and should be at the core of anyone’s supplement stack. However, there are a few things that you should look out for in order to know you are maximising value and efficacy from your multivitamin. This article will break them down.
This question doesn’t afford a blanket yes or no answer. Whilst a multivitamin may not be 100% necessary for everyone, there are specific use cases where it can be beneficial. This can include -
As with any supplement, if you have any concerns or questions, then you should seek advice from a medical professional.
There are a number of issues with multivitamins on the market, here are some of the main problems to look out for:
When you see a single capsule which claims to provide everything your body needs, you should be wary because it is probably underdosed. For example, to get 200mg of elemental magnesium, you need about 1g of magnesium power. Many of the ‘one tablet per day’ multivitamins can not deliver the minimal adequate doses of the nutrients you need due to lack of space in the pill. The issue is that unless companies are truly transparent about what they put in you cannot know for sure.
Many brands actually lack transparency throughout their whole product ranges, including their multivitamins, not specifying their specific forms of ingredients. This is a red flag as it means that you cannot assess their bioavailability based on the form.
Furthermore, some multivitamins will use poor forms of ingredients such as cyanocobalamin (synthetic vitamin B12) instead of methylcobalamin (a natural, active form of vitamin B12). Another example of poorer ingredients being used is magnesium oxide, a cheap and commonly used form of magnesium which is poorly absorbed compared to bisglycinate or malate.
Keep an eye out for the forms of ingredients being clearly listed.
The values of minerals on packaging should refer to elemental content (the active part that your body uses). If the product does not specify this, it might not be providing much of the micronutrient.
You should also bear in mind that some nutrients interact with each other. Certain minerals compete for absorption, which reduces their effectiveness. For example, calcium can interfere with iron, zinc and magnesium absorption. Iron can reduce the absorption of zinc, copper and magnesium when taken in high doses. And magnesium can reduce calcium absorption and may also interfere with iron uptake.
In order to mitigate this issue, look for products which separate competing nutrients into different capsules or recommend taking them at a different time of the day.
Bioavailability refers to the degree to which your body can absorb and use a nutrient. Even if the multivitamin contains the right nutrients in the right qualities, poor bioavailability makes them less effective. Here are some of the main ones.
When evaluating the best multivitamin, look specifically for the following things:
High quality multivitamins often require more than one capsule per day in order to provide sufficient doses of all the essential nutrients.
Look out for the clearest information on each ingredient form and elemental values.
The most reputable bands often go under 3rd party testing which verifies their claims of drug free and correctly labelled products.
A high quality multivitamin should be at the core of anyone’s supplement stack, especially if you have an active lifestyle, experience a lot of workplace stress, or struggle to consistently have a diverse diet. You must choose wisely and avoid products that cut corners with underdosed products or poor-quality ingredients.
