How to Choose a Multivitamin

Doctors tell us that we need multi-vitamins. With all the different types of multi-vitamins out there, how can one choose which one to buy?

In this article, I will present tidbits of information that was gleaned from books and other sources to help you chose the right multi-vitamin.   Personally, the multi-vitamin that I have chosen take myself is Doctor Andrew Weil's Daily Multi-vitamin shown on the right.

Dr. Andrew Weil is author and speaker on integrative health who has written books such as "Natural Health, Natural Medicine" and "Eight Weeks to Optimum Health".

In his book "Natural Health, Natural Medicine", Dr. Weil has a section on vitamins and supplements which he writes ...

"shopping for these products has become more complicated. You must do some homework and read labels to make sure they provide the doses and forms of vitamins you need." [page 234]

Dr. Oz in a YouTube video says that he takes an multivitamin with at least the five letters A, B, C, D, and E.

So let's start with vitamin A. Dr. Weil writes in his book ...

"Vitamin A toxicity is a real problem, however, so much so that I discourage you from taking it. Instead, give your body the much safer precursor, beta-carotene, which is water-solube, and let it make vitamin A from it as it needs." [page 239]

Dr. Weil also mentions same in a Today show video to get A in the form of beta-carotene instead of retinal. Let the body make its vitamin a from beta-carotene.

In the video, Dr. Weil says to look for natural vitamin E with all four natural tocopherol (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). Look for "mixed natural tocopherol". If you see "dl" as in dl-alpha tocopherol, that is the synthetic form and is not as good since the body can only use half of that. Read more about Vitamin E Supplements here.

Dr. Weil mentions that everyone above the age of 5 should be taking vitamins. Other doctors also recommend taking vitamins as mentioned here.

Make sure the multivitamin as good amounts of vitamin D (in particular D3). Read about the importance of vitamin D here. Vitamin D is considered the most important vitamin to take. Many doctors recommend 1000 IU of vitamin D for most people. 2000 IU of vitamin D is still considered safe.

For the B vitamins, make sure it has B6, B12, and folic acid (folic acid is the synthetic form of natural folate found in food). They play a role in the methylation process and beneficial to brain health.

Get a multi-vitamin with magnesium in it. Many people are deficient in this mineral and don't even know it. Read about the importance of magnesium here.

Dr. Mark Hyman says ...

"The most absorbable forms are magnesium citrate, glycinate taurate, or aspartate, although magnesium bound to Kreb cycle chelates (malate, succinate, fumarate) are also good.  Avoid magnesium carbonate, sulfate, gluconate, and oxide. They are poorly absorbed (and the cheapest and most common forms found in supplements)." [reference]

Chromium helps balance blood sugar.

Other minerals that you might want to look for are zinc. As mentioned in the book The Ultramind Solution (shown above) by Dr. Hyman, zinc plays an important role in immunity and helps control inflammation. It also helps eliminate heavy metal toxins such as mercury from the body. It does this by helping the enzyme metallothionein do its work.

Zinc boosts immunity in moderate doses. However, excessive amount will adversely affect immunity. Do not take more than 100 milligram of zinc in supplement form per day.

For, selenium you do not want to take more than 200 microgram of selenium per day according to Dr. Weil on page 245. WebMd.com says "Selenium is LIKELY SAFE for most people when taken by mouth in doses less than 400 mcg per day, short-term." But that "Higher doses are POSSIBLY UNSAFE." and "There is concern that taking selenium for a long time might not be safe."

Iron is something you do not want to see in an multi-vitamin. The only way the body can eliminate iron is through blood loss. Avoid getting any multi-vitamin, vitamin, or supplement with iron in it (unless specifically prescribed by a physician that has done tests that documented your iron deficiency).

You also don't need sodium in a multi-vitamin. Many people eat too much salt in their foods already.

Some multi-vitamins have vitamin K. Others (including Weil Multi-vitamin) do not.  Do you need it? Probably not.   WebMd says ...

"Unlike many other vitamins, vitamin K is not typically used as a dietary supplement. ... While vitamin K deficiencies are rare in adults, they are very common in newborn infants."

Vitamin K plays a role in blot clotting. Do not take vitamin K in combination with Warfarin (Coumadin).

If for some reason you need vitamin K, eat kale instead. Kale has over 10 times the daily value of vitamin K and it is natural food.

Weil Daily Multi-vitamin does not have iron, selenium, nor vitamin K.

Omega-3 is an important supplement. But no one has figured out how to put omega-3 into the same pill with a multi-vitamin yet. So you just have to take omega-3 as a separate pill.  Dr. Oz mentions this in his YouTube video here.  Doctor Oz also mentions that many manufactures of multi-vitamin do not put enough vitamin D in it.  And if that is the case (must read the label), one may need to take an additional vitamin D pill in addition to the multi-vitamin giving a combined total of at least 1000 IU and up to 2000 IU. However, if you are taking Dr. Weil's Daily Multivitamin, then you do not need to take additional vitamin D supplements because Weil multi-vitamin already has a large dose of 2000 IU of vitamin D in it.

Other supplements that you might want to consider taking separately are Co-Q10 and alpha-lopic acid.

Since much of the information above is based on Dr. Weil's book "Natural Health, Natural Medicine" it is likely that his own multi-vitamin would follow his own recommendations.

Let's see. I'm looking at the label on Dr. Weil's Daily Multi-vitamin. And yes, it has A, B, C, D, and E. The A is in the form of beta carotene. The E is in the form of natural d-alpha tocopherol and mixed tocopherols. And the most important vitamin, vitamin D is in the form D3 at a good large dose of 2000 IU. The vitamin B includes B6, B12, folic acid. The multi-vitamin has the relaxation mineral magnesium in one of the most absorable form ("magnesium citrate"). It has zinc at 15 mg (which is 100% daily recommended value) -- making sure it does not have too much. Its zinc content is well below the max of 100 mg. It has some chromium. And definately it has no iron (as it should not).

The label also says that ...

"Andrew Weil, M.D., donates all of his after-tax profits from royalties from the sale of Weil Nutritional Supplements to the Weil foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting integrative medicine through training, education, and research."

I must say that the pill is a relatively massive one. If you have a hard time swallowing it, use a pill cutter. And if you do, it is not a bad idea to take half a pill in the morning and half a pill at night (known as split-dosing).

Understandably different individuals may have different needs. Any one particular multivitamin may not satisfies the particular need of everyone.

For that reason, some people alternate between two multivitamins -- taking one pill one day and another type of multivitamin pill the next day.

Although larger bottles with large number of pills may be more economical, buying smaller bottles may keep your pills fresher due to the freshness seal on the bottle. Your multi-vitamin bottle should have a freshness seal and it should also have a expiration date (which you should check).

Not all vitamins are suitable for all individuals. Some vitamins may have interactions with medications or other physical conditions. Consult with your doctor (especially if you are pregnant) for your individual case before taking vitamins and supplements.

For example, on page 236 of Natural Health, Natural Medicine, Dr. Weil warns ...

"Do not take high doses of niacin if you are pregnant or if you have ulcers, gout, diabetes, gallbladder disease, liver disease, or have had a recent heart attack."

The Weil Daily Multi-vitamin has 50 mg of niacin (as niacinamide), which is at 250% DV.

People with Graves disease or thyroid conditions or taking thyroid medications need to be careful with iodine and need to check with their doctor about it first. The Weil Daily Multi-vitamin has 150 mcg of iodine (from sea kelp) which is 100% DV.

Article was written April 2011 and is opinion at the time of writing. Author of this article is not a medical profession and may receive revenue from display ads and links within article.  The book "Natural health, Natural Medicine" has a copyright date of 1995, 1998, 2004 by Andrew Weil M.D.

The values mentioned we're taken from the label of Weil Daily Multi-vitamin bottle with a lot that has an expiration date of September 2012.  Formula for multi-vitamins can change and the value mentioned may not be the same value in the formula by the time you are reading this.