The best multivitamin for you -- and 11 to steer clear of

CNN & Health Magazine ^ | August 22, 2007 | Valerie Kramer Davis

[decimon]

You've been told for years that popping a multivitamin every day might help you live longer. But the daily multi habit has been getting a bit of bad press lately.

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Longtime vitamin experts at Tufts University and the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University continue to say multis aren't dangerous and the paper's findings are wrong. The paper analyzed previous studies, including many with people who were sick before taking vitamins, so there's a good chance vitamins weren't responsible for shortening their lives. Experts say the paper also ignored two major studies that found vitamins reduced the risk of death.

At the same time, the study from ConsumerLab.com shows that you can't assume just any vitamin is safe. Because there are no uniform manufacturing rules for supplements, a multi may not contain what the bottle claims, could be contaminated with something from the manufacturing plant, or might have tainted ingredients. Health.com: 20 antioxidant powerhouses

Your best bet: Avoid the vitamins singled out by ConsumerLab.com (see 11 Multis to Avoid), and stick with mainstream names such as Centrum Silver and One-A-Day Women's, which were found to be free of impurities and accurately labeled. Also, check vitamin bottles for the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), NSF International (NSF), or ConsumerLab.com (CL) seals. The USP and NSF are nonprofit groups that verify whether companies offer contamination-free products and use good manufacturing practices. Not every brand has the seals -- some don't want to submit to testing--but those that do (Kirkland and Nature Made carry the USP seal, for instance) are reliable.

Cont...

[decimon]

Do but don't.

[Red Badger]

Do but don’t what?...........

[decimon]

Do but don’t what?..........

Take your vitamins.

[JoyjoyfromNJ]

We should probably avoid any manufactured in China, especially in the toy and dogfood factories :-) But seriously, they’re putting so many vitamins into so many different products (including Coca Cola for crying out loud!!!) that I worry about toxic levels of some vitamins being consumed.

[kellynla]

With all the Chicom food poisoning in the news lately, I found it very interesting to learn that 80% of all the vitamin C in the world is exported from China.

[Red Badger]

I don’t use any of those “health store” brands...........

[decimon]

Anyone read the .pdf of brands to avoid?

[martin_fierro]

Vitamins? I scoff!

[coop71]

“Experts say the paper also ignored two major studies that found vitamins reduced the risk of death.”

Awesome! I had no idea I can become immortal just by taking a vitamin.

[traviskicks]

ping?

[Yo-Yo]

Here ya go:

11 Multivitamins to Avoid

These multivitamins were flagged for problems in a recent ConsumerLab.com analysis. After the findings were published, The Vitamin Shoppe and AARP voluntarily withdrew their products, and Hero Nutritionals began offering consumers a replacement. The other manufacturers haven’t responded publicly to the findings.

For Adults
Product/ Problem
Eniva VIBE, a liquid sold in packets/ Falls short of listed vitamin A
Healthy Moments Mint Cream Flavor Vitamin Strips/ Contains no vitamin A and exceeds listed amount of niacin
Swanson Daily Multivitamin & Mineral/ Short of listed folate
The Greatest Vitamin in the World/ Short of listed folate
Weil, Andrew Weil, MD, Daily Multivitamin for Optimum Health/Short of listed vitamin A and exceeds the amount of calcium

For Women
Product/ Problem
Nature’s Plus Especially Yours Women’s Multivitamin/ Doesn’t disintegrate properly and exceeds listed calcium
The Vitamin Shoppe Multivitamins Especially for Women/ Contaminated with 15.3 micrograms of lead per serving—10 times amount permitted without a warning label in California— and short of listed calcium

For Men
Produc/t Problem
Now Adam Superior Men’s Multi/ Takes too long to disintegrate
Win Fuel Men’s Formula/ Short of listed vitamin A and folate

For Seniors
Product/ Problem
AARP Maturity Formula/ Takes too long to disintegrate

For Kids
Product/ Problem
Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears/ Contains twice as much vitamin A as listed, which may lead to weak bones

[Yardstick]

I’ve heard the “mainstream” multis — Centrum, One-A-Day, etc — just go through your system without dissolving and are therefore virtually worthless. On the other hand, the “healthfood store” multis readily dissolve and so are absorbed better. Anyone know if there’s any truth to this?

[Sloth]

Sounds like a (false) sales pitch.

[Yardstick]

How so?

[mikrofon]

Confucius say, "For no side effect, make sure take Vitamin B9."

[nevergore]

BS...the USP and NSF ratings ensure disolvability

[decimon]

“Do you suffer the embarrassment of Viagra lag? Aichen Beauty may be for you.”

[Yardstick]

If true, it sounds like check mate for Centrum on that point. The healthfood crowd’s fallback argument would be that Centrum type vitamins are derived from artificial chemical sources that aren’t easily absorbed by the body. Healthfood vitamins on the other hand are derived from natural food-based sources that are easily absorbed (maybe assimilated would be the better word). Any thoughts on that?

[Poser]

” Healthfood vitamins on the other hand are derived from natural food-based sources that are easily absorbed (maybe assimilated would be the better word). Any thoughts on that?”

Sounds like bullsh*t to me.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I just checked my multi vitamin —Equaline —from Albertsons and it carries the USP seal....thanks...

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[nevergore]

And range farmed chickens are healthier than regular chicken.....

Marketing hype from the Health food stores that prey on both peoples vanity and illness.

The major pharmaceutical shops produce quality products....

[decimon]

I live to serve.

[SamAdams76]

If you eat a balanced whole-food diet, you simply do not need to pop vitamin tablets.

Stay away from processed foods. High Fructose Corn Syrup and Hydrogenated Anything - just say no! Say yes to whole, real food such as eggs, olive oil, nuts, meats, fishes, fruits, vegetables, wine, beer, yogurt and REAL butter!

What more do you need? Margarine? No! Margarine is nothing but a stick of toxicity. A poison to your body.

Eat only what is natural and wholesome. Stay away from the processed crap and you need not take vitamins. You might even live longer than Marvin Gaye!

[decimon]

Say yes to whole, real food such as eggs, olive oil, nuts, meats, fishes, fruits, vegetables, wine, beer, yogurt and REAL butter!

Wine? Okay.

You might even live longer than Marvin Gaye!

Or Andy Kaufman.

[Aggie Mama]

I think the problem with the RDA allowances is that they are the minimum that the body requires to operate. I think that the Centrum type products cater to the minimum RDA thresholds. I think a good health food store can provide you a wealth of information.

I personally get the majority of vitamins from here. http://www.physicianspreference.com/ The owner is a big-time conservative, so I don’t mind paying a bit more than the Target-brand stuff.

[SamAdams76]

Well wine is about as close to "whole food" as you can get.

Grapes. Stomped on. Left to sit around for a while. Then put in a bottle and corked.

[andyssister]

Happy (early) Birthday!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Wine ph is just wrong for my stomach...beer sits better....

[Yardstick]

I think that the Centrum type products cater to the minimum RDA thresholds.

No doubt about that. A lot of them are pegged precisely to the minimum daily requirements right down the list. Thanks for the link. I'm really kind of torn about all this health stuff these days. I'm skeptical of both the establishment and the alternative health scenes. One is too conservative and the other is prone to quackery. I guess like everything it's about keeping your eyes open and finding the balance.

[goodnesswins]

I actually asked the health section person at our local Fred Meyer for the origin of the pills I was buying....she actually called the mfg.....none were China. Course, I wonder where they got their individual ingredients.

[Quix]

Thanks.

Ping to Joya.

[sweetiepiezer]

Thanks, ping to JACKRUSSELL

[SunkenCiv]

Also, check vitamin bottles for the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), NSF International (NSF), or ConsumerLab.com (CL) seals. The USP and NSF are nonprofit groups that verify whether companies offer contamination-free products and use good manufacturing practices. Not every brand has the seals -- some don't want to submit to testing--but those that do (Kirkland and Nature Made carry the USP seal, for instance) are reliable.

...except for the counterfeits made in China. Those are made of drywall treated with flame retardant chemicals and coated with sugared animal feces. ;')

[SunkenCiv]

http://www.consumerlab.com/results/multivit.asp

[Coleus]

...except for the counterfeits made in China. Those are made of drywall treated with flame retardant chemicals and coated with sugared animal feces. ;’)

lol, i bet they are. thanks for the ping. don’t forget, that about 80% of vitamin c is made in china

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1875551/posts?page=18#18

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, as long as it’s not made *of* china...

[Salvation]

And if you want a multivitamin made entirely in the United States and not in China, you can FReepmail me and I will send you to the website.

[Salvation]

It’s true. Try dissolving one of those in a cup of warm water. It won’t dissolve. The ones I take dissolve completely. (Made In the U. S. A.)

[decimon]

And if you want a multivitamin made entirely in the United States and not in China, you can FReepmail me and I will send you to the website.

That can't be done in the forum?

[Salvation]

I would rather do it in the FReepmail.

[SamAdams76]

I guess you figured that out because Marvin Gaye died the day before his birthday! Well now that I’ve outlived Marvin, I’m targeting Freddy Mercury for the longevity sweepstakes and I’m going to do it without the benefit of multivitamins.

[NittanyLion]

It’s true. Try dissolving one of those in a cup of warm water. It won’t dissolve. The ones I take dissolve completely. (Made In the U. S. A.)

I'm not totally refuting your claim (because I have no evidence to offer), but I must point out that your stomach does not contain warm water. If you tried dissolving the vitamin in a liquid with a 2 pH and found that it stayed intact you'd have a valid point.

[Sloth]

OK, I just tossed one (a store brand Centrum knock-off) in a cup or so of plain old room temperature pH 7 tap water and it disappeared in about 12 minutes with some moderate agitation. Granted, not all the material is actually in solution at that point — there’s a fair amount of sandy-looking sediment in the bottom — but the pill disappeared readily.

[Yardstick]

Interesting. I wonder if the sediment would dissolve in stomach acid -- and it may not have to totally dissolve in order to deliver the RDA requirement. Or the sediment could just be some kind of filler.