Choosing A Multivitamin - How Does Your Multi-Vitamin Stack Up?

A 10 point checklist for quality supplementation

When choosing a multivitamin you need a checklist of important key factors. According to a new report from The Journal of American College of Nutrition(1) , since 1950 there is a significant vitamin drain in America's fruits and vegetables. Everyone should be taking a high potency multivitamin to supplement this loss in nutrients.

You need a system of checks and balances to evaluate the maze of different supplements on the market today. Not all vitamins are manufactured the same way. How can you evaluate your vitamin for potency, purity and bio availability? With the help of Lyle MacWilliam's 4th Edition Nutrisearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements use this checklist when choosing a multivitamin or compare your current supplement.

When choosing a multivitamin ask yourself these questions:

Is my vitamin delivered in a single dose? (a one-a-day type supplement simply cannot provide the level of potency needed for optimal nutrition without being to large to even swallow)

Are the potency levels of the nutrients listed high enough to provide optimal nutrition without compromising safety?

Are the ingredients listed provided in their most bio-available form? (mineral salts are not absorbed as well as chelated minerals)

Is the safety of each ingredient thoroughly researched and evaluated?

Does your vitamin manufacturer meet US and Canadian pharmaceutical-grade guidelines - not food-grade guidelines - for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)? Most all vitamins found in your local grocery store are only food-grade.

Is my vitamin potency guaranteed for a specified shelf life?

Is my vitamin formulated to meet pharmaceutical standards for full disintegration and dissolution?

Is my vitamin independently tested and guaranteed for potency and safety?

Is my vitamin manufactured in house?(scientist/manufacturer) or farmed out to the lowest bidder?(marketer/contractor)

Is my vitamin free of ingredients that may have toxic effects (pre-formed vitamin A and iron)?

If you answered yes to all the questions on this checklist, good job! You have an exceptional multi-vitamin and are receiving immense health benefits from it. If not, you should study this website often.

For most of us consumers it’s just not practical to consider all of these points simply from the product label. When choosing a multivitamin you need a comprehensive guide like The Nutrisearch Comparative Guide To Nutritional Supplements by Lyle MacWilliam.

Taking 6 years to compile and now in it’s soon to be released 4th edition, The Comparative Guide To Nutritional Supplements compares over 1500 nutritional supplements on the market today in the US and Canada. This guide is the only comprehensive, unbiased, independent, fully updated guide on nutritional supplements available to consumers.

Of the 1500 supplements meeting review qualifications only 4 received the Nutrisearch Gold Medal of Achievement. Of those, 3 you can only get from a physician or health/exercise professional. The 4th is the one I recommend and it’s at a price lower than the other three!

You should reference this guide often when choosing a multivitamin.

Please click here for a printable PDF document of this page for choosing a multivitamin.

For more information on the highly regarded supplement I recommend please contact me using the support form.

1)Donald R. Davis, PhD, FACN, Melvin D. Epp, PhD and Hugh D. Riordan, MD Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999 Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 6, 669-682 (2004)

• Warnings
  Take caution with manufacturers of liquid or spray types of delivery methods. Different vitamins and minerals have different absorption rates no matter if they come from tablet, liquid, powder, or food. For example Calcium has a pretty standard absorption rate around 25-35%. The form does not generally make a significant difference. The bottom line; a well — made tablet provides a very effective delivery system for pharmaceutical medications. Most medications come in a tablet form. This is because they have been found to be the easiest and most efficient delivery system for medications. Why would vitamin supplements be any different? Does anybody doubt that an aspirin tablet is less effective because it comes in a tablet? Tableted products can be more advantageous to take, simply because more active ingredients can be taken in one tablet (almost 3 times as much as a capsule and much more than liquid or spray). The stability is generally much better.
• Generally time-released supplements are not beneficial and not necessary. In fact many time-released supplements contain coatings that decrease the absorption rate of fat-soluble vitamins. Nutrient deficiencies do not develop by the hour or overnight.