Best multivitamins for us???

[Farmboy]

Rather than having a bottle of this and a bottle of that, what is the best mutivitamin we can buy to meet our nutritional needs?

 

[tim1985]

i like multi pro 32, but i still have to use other things with it so i guess this isn't much help

 

[T-Bone]

NOW Adam is the best deal and has everything you need to meet your nutritional needs. I am just finishing up my last bottle of Orange Triad. I've used it for the last 4-5 months, but I really don't think it is worth the price anymore. Plus I can't afford it this month, so I'm switching back to Nows Adam which I previously used.

 

[tim1985]

ive heard alot of good things about NOWs adam, i'm thinking of ordering some the next time need a multi

 

[Ev52]

I think the MST MVP/ZMK stack is the best on the market but if you are on a budget it is hard to beat Now Adam and a traditional ZMA supplement.

 

[sp33dkillz]

I like NOW Adam too, and not JUST cause my names on the bottle.

 

[djl]

There's always a counter-point, this time from Harvard Medical School:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/multivitamin-and-cancer-risk.htm

Not against multis, specifically, but worth a quick read and an open mind.

 

[SilentBob187]

Multivitamins are giving us cancer now too? Is there anything that hasn't been linked to cancer? Maybe thinking about cancer too much can be linked to cancer by creating a self-fulfilling prophecy in which the individual gets cancer.

The sky is falling!

 

[djl]

Multivitamins are giving us cancer now too? Is there anything that hasn't been linked to cancer? Maybe thinking about cancer too much can be linked to cancer by creating a self-fulfilling prophecy in which the individual gets cancer.

The sky is falling!

I don't believe sex has been.

But I'm sure it will, and since I'm married I'm also future-proof.

 

[bigpoppapump2]

I just use Men's One-A-Day

 

[djbombsquad]

I used the time/ph released ones that relase over 12 hours. Best bang for your buck.

 

[djbombsquad]

There's been about other threads on this topic, which is okay with me because now I can make another attempt at getting a clear answer after I address a few things concerning multiples.

I'm not so interested in brands, but more so, what exactly makes a multivitamin "good", "quality", or the best for that matter. Where's the proof that any multivitamin is any of the preceding?

Another thing, how do you know your multivitamin is absorbing? Throwing ingredients into a matrix in the form of a tablet or capsule does not ensure in any way, shape, or form, that they will reach their specified destination in the gastrointestinal tract to deliver maximum benefit. One good example could be calcium products that are compressed into a tablet: most of them simply pass all the way through your digestive tract intact like a pebble. It's difficult to achieve bioavailability in a supplement if you have don't have the technology and the know-how (aka research) to do so.

There's been rigorous analytical testing done on vitamin B-complex supplements. In one test, 13 brands were tested and found 9 failed to dissolve folic acid. Amongst the many errors in the tested brands, the main problem lay in the formulation of the product in which the folic acid is incorporated in the core, or the inside, of the pill. Unfortunately, when this is the case, the folic acid gets caught up in the matrix (not with Keanu Reeves ) and fails to achieve absorption. In turn, the expected health benefits are not attained by the consumer. This is just one example and it may not seem like much of an issue now, but it will at one point in our lives, especially in the lives of pregnant woman in which folic acid is crucial in the prevention of neural defects. A multi should be able to absorb efficiently regardless of how many comprise one serving (i.e. 100% of every essential nutrient). Logically speaking, the chances of high bioavailability in a one-a-day vs. a two-a-day are slim. It would also be more convenient to split a 2 tablet daily serving than having to perform surgery on 1 tablet in order to split up your daily dosage! A good multiple is going to contain all the vital nutrients the body requires to function efficiently and it will contain them in ratios that will allow them to be utilized by the body. If you're looking at a product that has 1333% of Riboflavin and 13% of Biotin--we have a problem. In that particular case, more so because the company is shorting you on Biotin, which is a very important (and expensive) B vitamin.

Some multiples even contain delivery systems to ensure you are absorbing certain vitamins that are typically caught up in the digestion matrix (e.g. folic acid). We're not taking into account, of course, that a good multiple will be clinically proven to be bioavailable. My reasoning is on the basis that we're talking about a 2+ a day multiple, not one-a-days, in which case you can definitely split the servings into 1/morning and 1/evening. I personally don't supplement abiding by the RDAs but by the ODIs (Optimal Daily Intake). The problem with most one-a-day multi-vitamins is that they contain too many components, some of which are not needed, some of which may interfere with each other.

 

[djbombsquad]

ODI is not a widespread teaching in the vast majority of the health world but to answer your question, no, they are not found on the nutrition labels. What's found on those labels are RDAs which provide the bare minimum required to ward off vitamin deficiency diseases (i.e. scurvy, beri beri). RDAs don't account for what's need to maintain a maximum health status, as opposed to a borderline health status. ODIs identify the amounts needed for optimal and vibrant health, hence, the "optimum" in "optimum daily intakes". ODIs are obviously going to be higher than the RDIs but scientific studies have shown these amounts allow to body to function better. So, not only are you preventing what pirates used to get back in the day but you're also enhancing your health

I also wanted to add on to my previous post regarding balance in multiples. Research has shown that isolated vitamins/minerals, when consumed in excess, will actually create identical symptoms to those of a typical vitamin/mineral deficiency. Take B vitamins, for example. When you consume high doses of B vitamins, they just happen to cause the depleted of other B vitamins. The same can be applied to overconsumption of zinc, which will creates a deficiency zinc. Up to 100 mg of zinc has been shown to enhance immune function but anything in excess of that figure can actually suppress, or harm immune function. Keep in mind also, those with medical conditions will be able to take anywhere from 5 to even 25 times the RDIs.