Multivitamins

The health and wellness industry is a trillion dollar industry and hence there is huge demand and supply for health related products. A frequent question on people’s mind seems to be "What’s the best multivitamins on the market today?" "Should we go for natural or synthetic version?". "How much do I really need?". And so on and on.

Before we begin to discuss that, we need to know what is a vitamin first. Vitamins are bio-molecules that acts as catalysts and substrates for essential metabolic reactions in the human body. We shall not go into detail how vitamins help in bodily functions but rest assured that they are essential for the body. Along with vitamins, dietary minerals are also important for the maintenance of good health.

 

Multivitamins Buying Guide

1) Essential Vitamins

Vitamin B complex such as B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B6 (Pyridoxine), B7 (Biotin), B9 (Folic Acid) and B12 (Cyanocobalamin) are essential vitamins and must be included in any multivitamin supplements that you intend to purchase.

Fat soluble vitamins such as A (Retinol), D (Calciferol), E (Tocopherol) and K. Water soluble vitamins such as C (Ascorbic Acid).

For best use, they should not be more that the required amounts as proposed by FDA because most of these multivitamins can be found in the foods we eat and we need these vitamins just to "top up" the deficiency. As vitamins B-complex and C are not stored in the body but excreted out if in excess, there is no use for too high amounts.

2) Essential Dietary Minerals

Calcium, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Phosphorus, Selenium and Zinc are required for normal bodily functions but since they are readily available in foods, make sure that their concentrations are not too high in the vitamin supplements that you take in as higher dosage could endanger the health. A good approximate is 35% required FDA.

 

Multivitamins Ratings & Reviews

Best Multivitamin Supplements

Now that we have discussed which vitamins and dietary minerals you need, let us explain how to choose the best possible multivitamin supplements so that you get the best bang for your money. They are:

  • Choose multivitamin supplements that contain no artificial coloring or flavoring.
  • If possible the ingredients for these multivitamins and minerals should be from natural, organic sources.
  • Look out for products that are fresh (recently manufactured) with long expiration date.
  • Since multivitamin supplements are not regulated by FDA, always insist on Certificate Of Analysis to make sure that what is present on the labels matches what is being included in the pills.
  • Go for branded version such as GNC if possible as they are usually manufactured under strictest control in an FDA GMP factories.