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Multivitamins

Multivitamin Review

Multivitamins : Full Report Updated August 2009

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TOP 5 Best Reviewed

What To Look For

Full Report

Introduction

Choosing a Multivitamin

Men's Multivitamins

Women's Multivitamins

Prenatal Vitamins

Multivitamins for Seniors

Children's Multivitamins

Useful Links

Our Sources

Page: 1 of 9 In this report

Introduction{1 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}

Choosing a Multivitamin

Men's Multivitamins{2 mentions}{1 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}{1
 mention}

Women's Multivitamins{5 mentions}{1 mention}{1 mention}{3
 mentions}{1 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}

Prenatal Vitamins{2 mentions}{2 mentions}{1 mention}{1 mention}

Multivitamins for Seniors{3 mentions}{1 mention}{2 mentions}{1
 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}

Children's Multivitamins{1 mention}{1 mention}{5 mentions}{1
 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}{1 mention}

Useful Links

Our Sources

Highlight product mentions:

Centrum from A to Zinc

Centrum Kids Complete

Centrum Silver

Centrum Ultra Women's

Equate Mature Multivitamin 50+

Flintstones Childrens Complete Chewable Vitamins

Flintstones Gummies

Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw One for Women

GNC Mega Men Multivitamin

GNC Women's Prenatal Formula with Iron

Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears Multi-Vitamin and Minerals

Kirkland Signature Mature Multi 50+

Member's Mark Mature Multi Adults 50+

Nature's Plus Animal Parade Shake

Nature's Plus Animal Parade tablets

Nature's Plus Prenatal Liquid

Now Foods Adam Superior Men's Multiple Vitamin

Ola Loa Kids

One-A-Day Kids Scooby Doo! Gummies

One-A-Day Men's 50+ Advantage

One-A-Day Men's Health Formula

One-A-Day Women's

One-A-Day Women's 50+ Advantage

Optimum Nutrition's Opti-Men

Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Multi

Pure Encapsulations Multi t/d

Pure Encapsulations Nutrient 950

Rainbow Light Men's One Multivitamin

Rite Aid Prenatal Tablets with Folic Acid

Superior Multi Age

Viactiv Soft Calcium Chews

Walgreens Advanced Formula A Thru Z

Highlight Product{Reset}

Centrum from A to Zinc

Centrum Kids Complete

Centrum Silver

Centrum Ultra Women's

Equate Mature Multivitamin 50+

Flintstones Childrens Complete Chewable Vitamins

Flintstones Gummies

Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw One for Women

GNC Mega Men Multivitamin

GNC Women's Prenatal Formula with Iron

Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears Multi-Vitamin and Minerals

Kirkland Signature Mature Multi 50+

Member's Mark Mature Multi Adults 50+

Nature's Plus Animal Parade Shake

Nature's Plus Animal Parade tablets

Nature's Plus Prenatal Liquid

Now Foods Adam Superior Men's Multiple Vitamin

Ola Loa Kids

One-A-Day Kids Scooby Doo! Gummies

One-A-Day Men's 50+ Advantage

One-A-Day Men's Health Formula

One-A-Day Women's

One-A-Day Women's 50+ Advantage

Optimum Nutrition's Opti-Men

Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Multi

Pure Encapsulations Multi t/d

Pure Encapsulations Nutrient 950

Rainbow Light Men's One Multivitamin

Rite Aid Prenatal Tablets with Folic Acid

Superior Multi Age

Viactiv Soft Calcium Chews

Walgreens Advanced Formula A Thru Z

 

See Also

Diet Pills

Weight Loss Programs

Multivitamin Review
===================

Do you really need a multivitamin?
----------------------------------

Consumers are bombarded by advertising for vitamins that purportedly
help you lose weight, make your skin glow, lower cholesterol or give
you energy. However, none of that advertising answers the essential
question: Do you really need a multivitamin? Health experts agree that
certain groups of people can clearly benefit from a multivitamin,
especially pregnant or breastfeeding women. Multivitamins are also
recommended for people with nutrient-depleting diseases of the
gastrointestinal system, such as diabetes and cancer. Strict vegans
and vegetarians and people on restricted diets should also consider a
multivitamin to replace nutrients that they may not be getting through
diet alone.

However, for most people, getting vitamins and minerals from food is
best. Many Americans don't eat enough healthy foods to get all of the
recommended vitamins and minerals, which is where a multivitamin can
help fill the gaps. Just don't expect miracles from your multi. In a
recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine,
researchers tracked more than 160,000 postmenopausal women and found
that multivitamin use had "little or no influence" on rates of cancer
and heart disease. In 2002, the Journal of the American Medical
Association recommended that all adults supplement their diets with a
multivitamin, but a review by a federal panel in May 2006 concluded
that there's no evidence to recommend multivitamins for people who
don't fall into one of the risk groups mentioned above. This leaves
the decision squarely in consumers' laps. Like all over-the-counter
supplements, it's best to get your doctor's recommendation.

Choosing a multivitamin can be as difficult as swallowing a horse
pill, especially with the multitude of options available. Fortunately,
several sources provide good coverage of multivitamins to help you
narrow down the options. ConsumerLab.com is the best reviewer of
multivitamins; they test dozens of multis to ensure that they dissolve
properly, contain the ingredients listed on the label and are not
contaminated with lead or other toxins. Based on their testing, each
of the multivitamins receives an "approved" or "not approved" rating.
Few sources can compare to ConsumerLab.com; ConsumerReports.org and
the Center for Science in the Public Interest review vitamins, but
their reports are several years old. Because multivitamin formulas
change all the time, recent reviews are more helpful.

Are multivitamins safe?
-----------------------

Because multivitamins are not regulated by the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), consumers rely on manufacturers to ensure that
supplements are safe and contain the nutrients listed on the label.
ConsumerLab.com's excellent testing shows that consumers should be
concerned about multivitamin quality -- among 45 multivitamins, seven
fail at least one test. One is contaminated with lead, and many others
have levels of nutrients that exceed upper tolerable intake levels.
Even more worrisome, three out of four of the children have higher
levels of vitamin A as retinol than the label states.

Lead contamination is a real concern, and FDA tests of multivitamins
in 2008 indicate that most multivitamins probably contain small traces
of lead. Of 324 multivitamins, 320 contain small amounts of lead. None
of the multivitamins exceeds the upper intake for lead, but some
multis contain more lead than others. Among multivitamins for
children, two vitamin powders contain the highest amount of lead --
Nature's Plus Animal Parade Shake (Est. $18 for 1.3 pounds) with 2.88
micrograms (mcg) of lead per daily dose and Superior Multi Age (Est.
$24) with 2.24 mcg of lead in a daily dose. Even though these
multivitamins have the highest lead content among children's
multivitamins, they are still below the provisional total tolerable
intake levels (PTTI) of 6 mcg of lead per day for children less than
6. Several prenatal vitamins also contain higher lead levels compared
to others on the list, although all were under the PTTI of 25 mcg a
day for pregnant women. Even though these multivitamins don't exceed
the safe/tolerable levels for lead, ConsumerLab.com recommends
avoiding any unnecessary lead exposure, and multis with lower levels
of lead in the FDA test may be a better choice. See the Our Sources
section for a link to the full list of multivitamins tested by the
FDA.

Some multivitamins contain too little rather than too much.
ConsumerReports.org warns about buying ultra-cheap off-brand vitamins
from closeout and dollar stores. In testing several years ago, half
the tested vitamins do not contain the claimed amount of at least one
nutrient, and several don't dissolve enough for the nutrients to be
absorbed. However, store brands from well-known retailers such as
Wal-Mart, Walgreens, CVS and Eckerd can be a good choice. In fact,
many generic and store-brand vitamins from major retailers perform as
well as well-known brands like Centrum and One-A-Day in analysis by
the Nutrition Action Healthletter.

Consumers should also be skeptical about the health claims listed on
multivitamin labels. Some multivitamin manufacturers are facing
scrutiny over claims they make about their products.. In June 2009,
the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) announced that it
intended to sue Bayer Healthcare over claims the company made about
One-A-Day Men's 50+ Advantage (Est. $26 for 150 tablets) and
One-A-Day Men's Health Formula (Est. $22 for 250 tablets)
multivitamins. In advertisements, Bayer touted the positive effects of
the selenium in these men's multivitamins. CSPI says that multiple
studies have shown that selenium does not prevent prostate problems,
and David Schardt at CSPI says that Bayer is "exploiting men's fears
of prostate cancer just to sell more pills." Bayer says it plans to
change its ads. Bayer has faced issues like this before: In 2007, it
was fined $3.2 million in connection with weight-loss claims regarding
One-A-Day WeightSmart. The makers of Airborne were fined in 2008 in
connection with their claims about their vitamin tablets and the
common cold.

Choosing a Multivitamin

imageOne-A-Day Mens Health Formula Multivitamin-250 TabsBuy from Amazon.comfrom
Amazon.comNew: $27.35 $14.99 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

imageOne A Day Men's 50+ Plus Advantage Multivitamin/Multimineral
Supplement - 150 TabletsBuy from Amazon.comfrom Amazon.comNew: $16.56In
Stock. Average Customer Review:

imageNature's Plus - Animal Parade Shake Berry, 1.3 lb powderBuy from Amazon.comfrom
Amazon.comNew: $19.85 $14.74 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

imageSuperior Multi AgeTM 17.88 OuncesBuy from Amazon.comfrom
Amazon.comNew: $31.99 $25.59 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

Sponsored Links

Back to top

Multivitamins

Explore Multivitamins:

Top 5 Best Reviewed

What To Look For

Compare Multivitamins

Full Report

Introduction

Choosing a Multivitamin

Men's Multivitamins

Women's Multivitamins

Prenatal Vitamins

Multivitamins for Seniors

Children's Multivitamins

Useful Links

Our Sources

Products Mentioned on this Page:

Nature's Plus Animal Parade Shake

One-A-Day Men's 50+ Advantage

One-A-Day Men's Health Formula

Superior Multi Age

imageNature's Plus - Animal Parade Shake Berry, 1.3 lb powderBuy from Amazon.comfrom
Amazon.comNew: $19.85 $14.74 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

imageOne A Day Men's 50+ Plus Advantage Multivitamin/Multimineral
Supplement - 150 TabletsBuy from Amazon.comfrom Amazon.comNew: $16.56In
Stock. Average Customer Review:

imageOne-A-Day Mens Health Formula Multivitamin-250 TabsBuy from Amazon.comfrom
Amazon.comNew: $27.35 $14.99 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

imageSuperior Multi AgeTM 17.88 OuncesBuy from Amazon.comfrom
Amazon.comNew: $31.99 $25.59 In Stock. Average Customer Review:

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Mezotrace Balanced-Formula Multivitamins - 120 TabletsMezotrace
Balanced-Formula Multivitamins - 120 Tablets$17-$265
Wyeth Consumer Centrum Kids Complete MultiVitamins, Chewable Tablets - 100 eaWyeth
Consumer Centrum Kids Complete MultiVitamins, Chewable Tablets - 100
ea$9-$26

Multivitamins by Price Range

Below $10 (821)

$10 - $20 (1512)

$20 - $30 (1078)

$30 - $50 (700)

Above $50 (452)

See All Stores Powered by Shopping.com
Mezotrace Balanced-Formula Multivitamins - 120 TabletsMezotrace
Balanced-Formula Multivitamins - 120 Tablets$17-$265
Wyeth Consumer Centrum Kids Complete MultiVitamins, Chewable Tablets - 100 eaWyeth
Consumer Centrum Kids Complete MultiVitamins, Chewable Tablets - 100
ea$9-$26
Multivitamins: Carlson Aces Vitamins A C E Plus Selenium - 90 Soft GelsMultivitamins:
Carlson Aces Vitamins A C E Plus Selenium - 90 Soft Gels$11-$174
Multivitamins: Carlson Aces + Zn - 120 SoftgelsMultivitamins: Carlson
Aces + Zn - 120 Softgels$16-$142
Multivitamins And Minerals: Maxi Health Kosher Maxi Two Complete Without Iron - 120 CapsulesMultivitamins
And Minerals: Maxi Health Kosher Maxi Two Complete Without Iron - 120
Capsules$25-$31

Multivitamins by Price Range

Below $10 (821)

$10 - $20 (1512)

$20 - $30 (1078)

$30 - $50 (700)

Above $50 (452)

See All Stores Powered by Shopping.com

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