| The Nutrient Secret | Buyer’s Guide | Choosing Guidelines | General List | Vegetarian Choices | Vegan Choices | Women Adaptation To Any Supplement | Comparison List (Worst & Misrepresented Multivitamins) | Final Words |
While it may be a bit too early for a list of the best multivitamin supplements in 2021, I expect the scenery not to change much if at all. And then, if it does change, we can always do an update.
Generally speaking, it really goes without saying that there are incredible amounts of different multivitamins out there. Thus, often making it a pretty hard and even overwhelming task when it comes to finding the ones that can contribute to our health in the most meaningful and side-effect-free way.
Therefore, this article is solely focused on listing and helping you identify the best multivitamin supplements.
We’ll also explore the vegetarian and vegan options, the single necessary addition to make any supplement on this list 100% women compatible.
Then, we’ll look into hugely misrepresented supplements that other sources commonly list as the best ones but that are actually none of that.
However, it’s never only about listing them. I want you to have all the tools necessary to make that assessment for yourself. Hence, you would never be lured into buying a supplement you don’t actually need.
Moreover, I’m adding guidelines that will provide ideas about how to effectively choose the most appropriate multivitamin option of the best ones for you, specifically.
Over the course of research for this article, I went over every single multivitamin I could possibly find online. Thus, I’m very confident that it will not only be very insightful but also a huge time-saver.
Here’s A Little Secret That Most People Are 100% Oblivious To
Regardless of your decision to purchase a multivitamin today or not, here’s what you absolutely need to know and fully realize.
Many people intuitively know and understand that they should have a proper multivitamin in their daily regimen, but very few of them truly comprehend why. It’s like a globally well-hidden secret that by far most people don’t know as almost no one talks about it.
So, here’s that why.
In 2003, there was a study that evaluated how many nutritional contents there are in various vegetables, fruits, and meat. To properly assess that, they looked at the available nutritional data from the year 1940 all the way up to 1991 [R].
So, to paraphrase, they looked at the food that we typically associate with a healthy diet. Namely, what many people typically refer to “good food” or “healthy food” over a stretch of 51 years.
What they discovered was concerning, to say the least.
It turns out that the nutritional contents of vegetables, fruit, and meat have been steadily and consistently declining over the estimated period. Or in other words, broccoli or an avocado people ate in 1940 was much more nutritious than that in 1991. Or to be absolutely precise, on average vegetables, fruits, and meat were 39.7%, 21.6%, and 29.0% less nutritious, respectively.
Thus, so-called healthy food in 1991 on average was 30.1% less nurturing.
But it’s 2020 now. And I believe we can be sure that another 29 years later the overall situation is even worse. I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if we had fallen slightly below 50% of the original nutritiousness of vegetables, fruits, and meat as compared to the 1940 or 80 years ago. Moreover, there is another study that approves this trend also over other food categories, like cheese and dairy [R].
In this regard, many know that fast food and processed food are almost devoid of any meaningful amounts of nutrients, but what they don’t realize is that also the healthy food – vegetables, fruit, and meat (cheese, dairy) – are significantly less nurturing.
SIGNIFICANTLY LESS nurturing than they used to be.
But all of these diminishes would be fine if it wouldn’t affect our health. But it does.
A huge number of studies link nutritional deficiencies to chronic diseases (and new studies do so consistently), like Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer, and an amazing variety of other. Not enough vitamin D, here’s your dementia. Not enough Zinc or Copper, have ADHD. Not enough Selenium or Vanadium, here’s to anxiety and depression. Oh, no Magnesium, how about some schizophrenia or bipolar disorder [R, R, R, R]?
The problem is even more concerning when we consider the so-called long-latency aspect of these diseases. You may think that if you don’t have rickets (deficiency disease typically associated with lack of vitamin D), you’re not short of vitamin D. Or if there are no illnesses like amenia or birth defects for a baby (deficiency diseases typically associated with lack of vitamin B9), there’s no lack of vitamin B9 [R].
But in that, many people couldn’t be more wrong.
Sure, these typical deficiency-associated conditions you’ll likely encounter in a short time if you’re seriously deficient. But what in the case of having just enough nutrients to avoid that but not enough to ensure optimal cellular function for many, many years on end?
I mean, an individual (which may be you) could never experience any symptom associated with the lack of Folic Acid (vitamin B9). And yet over a long stretch of time develop Alzheimer’s disease [R].
And then blame God or whatever else he or she believes in (or just blame other people in general) as to why it happened to him or her. But there’s really no “unfair” there.
It’s just an appropriate, logical, in science predictable outcome based on eating habits, lifestyle habits, and the long unaddressed actual semi-deficiency in one or many nutrients. Cancer or dementia is never “unlucky”; they’re a product of your long-term choices.
In our time, people are eating so much that they become obese, yet malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies are at an all-time high. Now, I’m not saying this is people’s (or your) fault by any means. Food manufacturers have learned to engineer food in a way that preys on and takes advantage of our evolutionary biases for sugar, salt, and fat making the perfect food that we always crave more (even though it’s not nutritious).
There’s no amount of willpower that can resist that. The only real solution is not to expose yourself to those foods.
But let’s be real, that’s pretty damn hard, to say the least, if not almost impossible.
But remember those studies? Even if you are a full-time healthy eater, you might still be deficient in certain nutrients and thus, over a long period of time unknowingly and unintentionally develop a chronic disease, like cancer or whatever else of the widely considered incurable kind.
Hence, forgive me for being so raw, but I don’t believe there’s any better time than now to make that $1-2 (or $30-60 a month) investment for your long-term health. That’s what a high-quality multivitamin supplement costs these days.
Now, if this is ultimately not for you, I get that. It’s your life; it’s your choice. If you just leave this website, that’s fine.
All I wanted was to let you know that maybe for this decade it’s time to make a different choice. And so, get a different outcome. And be confident in the fact that you’re not low on nutrients consistently and years, decades on end. But instead, have all the nutrients you’ll need to give yourself the chance to thrive and become your best self.
Buyer’s Guide – The Qualities Of The Most Superior Multivitamins In 2021
The Paramount Nutrients Must Be Present In Abundance
The first incredibly important aspect of any multivitamin is how much nutrients (vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial substances) it actually provides.
Many will try to tell you that 100% of Daily Value (DV) represents how much you need of certain nutrients daily to be healthy (same applies for other percentage values typically shown on the labels).
However, this is a common misconception of what these values actually stand for.
In essence, these values represent the absolute minimum of how much you must consume daily in order to not get sick. Or in other words, to not develop a short-term deficiency disease.
In that regard, they have nothing to do with making sure your body and mind have all the nutrients they need to run optimally and at their best (and actually meaningfully contribute to avoiding chronic diseases).
So, it only makes sense that for determining the very best of the very best multivitamin supplements we are not guided by such values.
Instead, we opt for what time and time again have been proven to be the better approach for making sure you’re meeting all your nutritional needs.
These are the values that have been developed by one of the leading and most respected doctors in the space of functional medicine. The same values that have assisted critically in curing many kinds of ailments and even disease that traditional medicine deems incurable, like dementia, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and a plethora of others.
The Nutrient Forms Must Be As Beneficial As Possible
I feel many people are completely unaware of the fact that vitamins and minerals are not delivered to our bodies in a pure form. Rather they come in all kinds of various compounds (that I simply refer to as forms).
Why is this exactly important?
Well, not all nutrient forms the human body can absorb well or even good.
Thus, how much value you’re getting out of a supplement is largely dependant on the kind of forms that are used.
For example, there are nutrient forms that are absorbed extremely poorly (like Magnesium Oxide) or ones that are absorbed remarkably well (like Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate).
Then there’s also the kind of forms that are not absorbable at all but are used in multivitamins still (like Cupric Oxide) and even forms that are harmful and are linked to cancer or other negative effects (like Sodium Metavanadate).
Therefore, as I mentioned, it is extremely important to be very aware of what the nutrient forms are and if they can benefit you effectively.
In that regard, it really goes without saying that the best kinds of multivitamins will, of course, have only the most beneficial forms.
When It Comes To Additives, They Must Be Harmless
Many think out of ignorance that it does not matter what kind of additives there are in a supplement and, therefore, they do not pay attention to that.
Others assume that all additives are bad. And thus, try and find a way to supposedly debunk every single one of them.
But neither of these approaches can be considered mindful.
I feel in this regard the famous 19th-century philosopher Nietzsche has said it best. He said, “Convictions are greater enemies to truth than lies”.
Sure, for some select few people even the most harmless additives of all will prove harmful due to known or completely random allergies. This possibility can never be ruled out. And it’s nothing extraordinary in any way.
I mean, people experience negative consequences consuming some of the healthiest foods on the Planet. All due to allergies. But are these foods because of those select few people considered harmful?
No. Thus, it only makes sense that we don’t condemn every single additive as bad either.
That said, we shouldn’t also be so naive to believe that every single additive that gets approved by the Food & Drug Administration (or any similar authority) and gets recognized as Generally Recognized As Safe, is good for you.
Quite to the contrary. Many high-profile doctors have spoken and written many books about this, many studies have been done, and many of the additives used in supplements and processed foods have been confirmed to be harmful.
Despite this, they are not and will not be removed. The reality is that Food Industries’ interests are just too prevalent and, thus, will prevail (yet most of them, especially fast-foods, think only about their own gain and revenue).
Basically, think of it this way. If there is a substance (additive) after the consumption of which a person doesn’t drop dead immediately or the next day, that substance will more than likely get approved as “Generally Recognized As Safe” (same for most other countries as well).
Regardless of the existing epidemics of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and every other possible chronic disease you can think of. They don’t care (whereas just 100-200 years ago we didn’t have this, nor did we have most of those nasty additives).
This is exactly why assessing additives is so incredibly important and should never be left out due to ignorance, negligence, greed, or any combination of the three.
Quality And Manufacturing Practices Have To Be Absolutely Solid
This is again something that I feel not enough people are actually paying their attention to. It is incredibly important how the multivitamin is being manufactured and what practices are used.
This is the stuff that they do not put on the labels, yet again, it’s one of the key factors in determining the best quality supplements.
Low-quality multivitamins can potentially offer quite an unpredictable variety of side effects and therefore be extremely harmful. This is because various incidental substances can be added to the supplement (or created) unintentionally during the manufacturing processes if appropriate care is not taken.
So, it’s a must that they are absolutely solid.
Various Beneficial Substances Will Only Add To The Benefits
As already discussed earlier, having the right kinds of vitamins and minerals are paramount to providing our bodies and minds with everything they need to work optimally.
Yet there are all kinds of other substances that have the potential to improve our well-being even further.
It’s not rare that these kinds of substances also get added to multivitamins to, in a sense, magnify their positive impact. And for sure, at the end of the day, they can amount to quite a difference.
So, be that as it may, the added beneficial substances are something that has to be taken into account. However, I feel it’s important to not go crazy with this. Meaning, it is significant, but it’s not our primary focus.
And even more so because no matter how overall useful these additions may be not all human groups need them. For example, for pregnant and lactating women, it’s better to roll without.
The Price Of The Multivitamin Supplement Must Be Reasonable
I mean, even great multivitamin supplements are sometimes overpriced. That said, it’s not common at all.
It’s way more common for the lower end to be overpriced. And that can go ridiculous lengths. Meaning, it’s so amazingly typical for supplements to be superficially reasonably priced.
Whereas if really looking at the value you’re actually getting, by far most of the time it tends to be way more than just miserable. It’s not rare to encounter supplements that due to their content value should easily cost at least 10-50 times less.
Still, on the surface, it’s barely noticeable and masked by skillful marketing practices.
On that note, truly great multivitamin supplements tend to be about 3-5 times more expensive than mediocre or poor ones. However, you are getting a much higher bang for your buck as these supplements also tend to be about 100-500 times more beneficial.
In that sense, they outclass the poor end of multivitamins in every single aspect by far.
Guidelines For Making The Best Choice
I have been told that the list that’s about to come is quite overwhelming. Mostly, in terms of the options and tweaks, it offers within any given multivitamin.
But that’s really no surprise as despite the market being flooded with terrible, poor, and mediocre supplements, there still are manufacturers that truly care. Manufacturers that put profound emphasis on delivering true value over revenue.
And to be fair many of the supplements throughout the list are only very incrementally better than the next. Hence, here are general guidelines for choosing the best and most appropriate option for whoever you may be.
For Men’s General Health and Well-Being. When it comes to this I believe there are no better options than the obvious No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 on the list, especially since Pure Encapsulations and Douglas Laboratories have been taken out of the picture (at least for the time being).
What I love most about at least two of these three is that they are also very available internationally. Which is something thoroughly thanks to iHerb and their extremely cheap international shipping.
I currently reside in Europe and I haven’t paid the shipping once when ordering the multivitamin. As far as I can tell, it’s very likely you won’t have to either, even if you reside in China, Australia, Southamerica, or Africa. Most places on the planet anyway.
Plus, there’s that additional factor of what I feel is Amazon being a bad source for supplements in general. Be it because they’re plagued by potential fakes or be it due to messing up the quality and integrity of the supplements due to the less than ideal conditions in their warehouses for them. It’s just not a place recommend for getting supplements (learn more).
For Women’s General Health and Well-Being: This one is very much like what we just discussed in the section for men’s well-being. There is a small addition to this, though.
Most supplements on this list do not contain Iron. This is for a couple of reasons. Men (unless vegan or vegetarian) will typically acquire all the necessary Iron from their diet alone. Whereas that’s not exactly possible for women in their reproductive age [R, R].
Apart from that, it’s not rare that Iron-containing multivitamins contain harmful or otherwise suboptimal additives. So, it’s much less struggle to simply add that essential thing through an added singular mineral-containing supplement.
To sum it up, the ideal choice here is a multivitamin (no Iron) with a singular Iron-containing supplement or a multivitamin that does have Iron (some of the supplements on the list have viable Iron-containing alternatives).
For Vegetarian Men: For vegetarians, the supplement options are slightly more limited than what we’ve otherwise seen. On that note, however, there is still plenty to choose from.
The highest vegetarian multivitamin on the general list is No. 3. It’s also something that I’ve done myself for a number of months in the past. Alternatively, you could also shoot for what is my top recommendation for vegans. Other than that, within this article, you will also find a separate list specifically containing the best vegetarian multivitamins.
Depending on your specific diet and lifestyle you might also benefit from regular additional Iron. Hence, if that’s something that might concern you, do look into the list of Iron-only-containing supplements.
For Vegetarian Women: What applies to men vegetarians also applies to women. However, the addition of a singular Iron-containing supplement is essentially mandatory.
Moreover, depending on your exact diet and lifestyle you might benefit from a higher daily dosage than that recommended below by the singular Iron-containing supplement list. In this regard, it’s probably best to decide on a starting point and adjust based on once-a-month blood tests. More info in the section on Iron-only supplements.
For Vegan Men: Generally, it’s a pretty impossible task to find a proper multivitamin that is vegan suitable and that doesn’t contain any of the undesirable additives. But it’s doable.
Arguably the best brand for this is through the options that we see as high as No. 4 and No. 5 on the list. One obvious drawback that they have is they don’t offer any vitamin A (just Beta-Carotene is not enough!!). But that’s an easy fix with the vegan option of a separate vitamin A supplement on this list I’ve created.
But as far as multivitamins, there are certainly other options as well which I’ll in time elaborate more on in the section for the vegan supplements.
For vegan men, applies also that what I wrote in the section for vegetarian men and Iron.
For Vegan Women: Essentially this section is very much like the one for vegan men. Primarily, it will be about the No. 4 and No. 5 of the general list. And then, the same applies to additional only-Iron-containing supplements as what we discussed in the section for vegetarian women. Or in other words, more than very likely something very necessary.
For Pregnant Women: I used to have a supplement of this kind on this list. However, from what I can tell, not a lot of pregnant women managed to find it here. And I don’t blame them. It was essentially buried under a plethora of other products that had nothing to do with pregnancy. And so, I imagine it was terribly confusing, to say the least.
To fix that, I will be adding a pregnancy-devoted multivitamin best-of list at some point.
But for the time being, there are actually a few unconventional options people can take away from the general list below.
You see, typically, when we speak of a multivitamin during pregnancy, what we ideally want is one without any added extra substances, just the vitamins and minerals. This is basically because there are a lot of extra substances that have not been studied well enough to confidently tell whether or not they can be harmful at this very important time.
But the problem with typically not being studied is not because they are necessarily bad. And so, it’s not that we can’t take supplements with certain added substances. It’s just that it’s more on the safe side to not do so. And so, it’s kind of what I consider an unconventional approach for pregnancy.
I am reasonably confident that the No. 1 and No. 2 should work well to that end. Couple it with an additional only-Iron-containing supplement to the mix and you should be all set (that Iron supplement will most likely be the double strength option).
For Lactating Women: Generally, the exact same applies to these people what applies to pregnant women. Conventionally, it’s best to seek out supplements without any additional substances. However, also here I believe the unconventional approach I touched upon in the section for pregnant women can be easily applied.
And so, it would be those same options No. 1 and No. 2. Whereas the need for additional Iron may vary from person to person and from diet/lifestyle to diet/lifestyle. Generally, picking up something from the additional only-Iron-containing supplements is probably a good idea (monitor your ferritin and hemoglobin levels to not overdo it or underdo it, modify accordingly).
Other than that, I will be likely at some point creating a separate list for specifically these ones, too.
For Women After Reproductive Age: For women in this period of life, any men’s multivitamin will work wonders. And definitely make sure that you go without any Iron if a supplement is labeled “women’s.”
The main difference between women after reproductive age and before that is the menstruation part. Which really is the only reason why women otherwise should regularly get some additional Iron through supplements. But as there is no longer that requirement for women after reproductive age (as there never is such requirement for men, generally), there’s no need for it anymore [R, R].
Indeed, supplementing it (unless you’re vegan or vegetarian) can actually lead to negative outcomes. Thus, the best approach I feel is to go with what I suggested in the section for men’s general health and well-being (see above).
For Professional Athletes & Sports Enthusiasts: The honest truth is that for professional athletes and sports enthusiasts, it’s either what we went over in all the sections before (depending on the appropriate section for you) or an improved dosage of any of those.
To that end, I believe that, generally, we can’t go wrong with what the No. 1 offers. Alternatively, the No. 2 and No. 3 can work really well as well
But definitely reach beyond the recommended doses when you feel the need to. With that in mind, another worthy alternative might be No. 13. So, have a look at that option as well.
Of course, add any other proper Whey Protein supplement or MCT oil, or whatever else you seem fit or feel the need for. If you need any further guidance or there are any ideas you want to run by me, be sure to ask in the comments.
For Battling Chronic Diseases: I truly believe that having a badass multivitamin (one like in the lists below) is the path to ultimately defeating any chronic disease.
But don’t get me wrong. This is not to say that a proper multivitamin can miraculously heal you on its own. No, my friend, far from that. However, it’s a good place to start.
Be that as it may, different conditions may have different limitations as to what kind of specific minerals or vitamins you should not supplement. So read up on that, and then choose the best fit.
If additional guidance is needed, let me know in the comments.
25 Best Multivitamin Supplements 2021 – Listing The Absolute Best
No. 1 | Thorne Research Advanced Nutrients (Review) – My Supplement Of Choice
Formerly, known as Thorne Research Extra Nutrients, this is something that has been in the upper echelon of multivitamins for quite some time. Now, with Douglas Laboratories and Pure Encapsulations falling prey to Nestle, this is, again, what I believe is the very best multivitamin on the market.
Thorne Research is a supplement manufacturer, which I’ve been really passionate about purely out of their dedication to creating the highest quality supplements out there. And they truly live up to that.
This manufacturer is known for doing insane amounts of testing. Absolutely no compromises made in making the supplements. Everything to make it as high of a quality as it can be with the most up-to-date technology available. All to ultimately, fulfill and exceed many of the quality standards set, like the impossible TGA and the well-known NSF and cGMP. They are also the only supplement company to collaborate with the universally known Mayo Clinic.
In its very essence, Advanced Nutrients is an extremely abundant and comprehensive multivitamin supplement that is augmented by some interesting twists and tweaks people typically very enjoy when it comes to additional beneficial substances.
Thus, characteristically you’ll find within it every single one of the 13 essential vitamins, plus vitamin K2 for a total of 14 vitamins. On top of that, you also get all 11 fundamental minerals, plus the optional Potassium. Hence, providing an incredible value when it comes to the basic nutrients. In that sense, you can definitely forget about any risks of deficiencies.
In the supplement, there’s also the addition of decent amounts of Carotenoids, as well as some amounts of Choline.
But as for the drawbacks, it doesn’t offer any the brain performance-boosting substance Inositol. Which, by no means, is the end of the world given the beneficial substances, however, as I said, still a drawback.
Here are some of the likely benefits you may get from those additions.
They’ll help you fight cancer, heart disease, diabetes, high cholesterol, viral infections, joint pain, as well as any other condition that stems from inflammation (thus, essentially, any chronic disease) [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].
On top of that, they’ll also protect the brain and liver, promote healthy aging, anti-aging, and healthy vision, improve longevity, cognitive function, skin, and heart health, reduce allergies, support the immune system, as well as help in numerous other ways [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].
Whereas the story with its additives is very the same that it was with the Meta-Fem. Not only are they all harmless, but also some of them are actually beneficial.
Lastly, a comprehensive study on all reviews I could find of the Thorne Research Advanced Nutrients revealed, that among people who’ve used it, it’s of solid above 91% success rate.
This is the exact supplement I buy monthly and use daily.
No. 2 | Klaire Labs Multithera 1 Plus Vitamin K (Review) – Primary Nutrients & Immune System
The Multithera 1 Capsule Formula Plus Vitamin K has always been an incredible piece of addition to one’s well-being. And this is both in regards to when it was under the brand of Prothera and after the rebranding when it became directly of Klaire Labs.
It is this wondrous supplement that goes out of its way to provide all of the primary necessary nutrients. There certainly are also some beneficial substances to the blend, however, the main emphasis really is on the primary nutrients.
Klaire Labs was founded with the idea in mind that “clean, pharmaceutical-grade formulations should be the model for nutritional supplements”. And they have lived up to that for about 50 years now through their consistent emphasis on purity, potency, performance, and cGMP approach to manufacturing.
In the Multithera 1 Capsule Formula Plus Vitamin K you’ll get all of the 13 crucial vitamins without any exceptions. That will be complemented by all of the essential minerals, as well as Choline and Inositol. Which is then rounded off by only harmless and beneficial additives to make it as hypoallergenic of a substance to your health as possible.
While the supplement does also add some beneficial substances, it’s very reserved in that regard. It has only two, thus, the added benefits will be quite limited.
That said, we’re still looking at potential benefits to skin, hair, blood vessel and heart health, a wide range of antioxidative abilities, thus, also improving your immune system’s function, while also providing brain-protecting capabilities and depressive behavior, as well as memory impairment preventing capacity [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].
Still, solid value for the price. Whereas as far as the global success of this still feels too early to tell for sure. However, I personally wasn’t able to find anyone complaining about it. I’ve also done this myself in the past, and I loved it.
This is the exact supplement I would go for regularly if none of the others before it would exist.
No. 3 | Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold (Review) – A Whole Food & Extra-Substances-Filled Marvel
Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold is definitely a supplement, which lives up to its name through its Golden quality. It is the single most abundant supplement on this list in terms of various beneficial substances that it adds to the table.
I would even say that this exceptional supplement is a true pinnacle of how resourceful and diverse a supplement can be.
It’s a resourceful whole food supplement, which while being hypoallergenic, Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, also offers rich amounts of the essential nutrients needed for health and the obliteration of deficiencies.
Nature’s Plus is a manufacturer, which goes pretty hard after embracing all of the natural and organic that is in existence. They are NSF and cGMP certified, as well as they have a pretty long history of providing supplements.
But to even further attest to the quality they embody, they also offer the 100% Consumer Satisfaction Guarantee, which basically means that they will refund, credit or replace any product you’re not fully satisfied with. All to guarantee your satisfaction.
Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold offers 11 of the crucial vitamins directly. Sadly, it leaves out the preformed vitamin A. As for vitamin K1, it does not provide the raw amounts of it. However, you will acquire some through the various diverse blends of the supplement. Additionally, the supplement adds also vitamin K2 [R, R, R].
When it comes to minerals, we see a similar situation. The supplement offers 9 of the crucial and 1 of the optional minerals. Additionally the two of the missing minerals – Vanadium and Molybdenum – will likely be present through the Mineral Complex blend of the Source of Life Gold [R, R, R].
To augment that, you are also getting amazing amounts of Carotenoids and Inositol, as well as somewhat okay amounts of Choline. Then there are the additional beneficial substances that to me, feels as if are exactly what the supplement is mainly about. It’s completely busted that way.
15 blends, 10 beneficial substances, over 120 different whole foods. Which will do everything from supporting digestive health and immune system’s function to improving brain function and anti-aging to helping in cancer and other chronic disease prevention.
While some may prefer that here the serving size is only 3 tablets, from my own experience I can say that they’re rather large. And so, I experienced it first hand that they don’t always go down painlessly. To that end, personally, I much rather prefer 6-8 capsules over 3 rather large tablets. Still, I wouldn’t consider it a deal-breaker.
This is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before it would exist.
No. 4 | Pure Essence LifeEssence (Review) – Superfoods, Bioflavonoids & Even Digestive Enzymes
At its core, the Pure Essence LifeEssence is yet again a remarkably resourceful supplement, which then is only further amplified by many various beneficial substances. All to make it a very diverse, comprehensive, helpful piece of a multivitamin.
Pure Essence as a manufacturer is all about combining decades of experience in formulating nutritional supplements using the ancient wisdom of holistic health and the philosophy of pure ingredients. And in that, they are not only dedicated to providing awesome supplements, but they have also shown a clear commitment to the longevity of the planet.
Although GMP is the only official standard they adhere to, their philosophy and their purpose are ones to die for. Furthermore, they offer a 60-day unconditional 100% money-back guarantee. Which I feel expresses the amount of confidence they have in their production perfectly.
To that end, it would not be wrong to say that they truly care about the value they deliver. And if for some reason a supplement has not lived up to that promise, they’re willing to essentially buy it back.
Pure Essence LifeEssence offers 11 of the crucial vitamins, lacking the preformed retinol (vitamin A which can be easily made up for through a separate supplement) and vitamin K1. The latter vitamin will, however, be made up for through one of the blends that the supplement employs. Whereas, as for the state of minerals in it – it has them all.
Additionally, the LifeEssence also offers some amounts of Carotenoids, as well as the brain function improving substances of Choline and Inositol are there, too. On top of that, it comes with various blends that will improve digestive health, sexual well-being (for both genders), antioxidant presence in your body, brain health, as well as a bunch of other things (a ton of blends).
This is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before it would exist or if I were a vegan.
No. 5 | Pure Essence ProFema (Review) – Superfoods, Co-Nutrients & Bioflavonoids
Here’s essentially a twin sister for the just discussed Pure Essence LifeEssence. On the surface, it’s a supplement for women in and after menopause. But at its essence, it’s so much more.
Although all aspects considered, I do see this as a very slightly less powerful version, some may find it to be the better alternative. I mean, they’re that close apart.
Or to be more precise, Pure Essence ProFema offers much of the same nutrients that its labeled LifeEssence counterpart does. Much of the time the amounts are also the exact same. Only a few minute aspects differ.
For the vitamins, in this one, we see lower amounts for both vitamin E and vitamin B5. Over the LifeEssence version, it has more vitamin K. But there’s also less Beta-Carotene, Selenium, Molybdenum, and Potassium. The only real lackluster for it is our typical minerals what most multivitamins struggle with (in efforts to keep the capsule and tablet amount per serving down). Namely, Calcium and Magnesium. As for the rest, they’re all there.
As for why I feel the Pure Essence LifeEssence is the slightly better variation, it’s because of the added benefits of two additional blends. Or in other words, it has all the same substances but Antioxidant Blend and Fruit Extracts blend.
Other than that, there are a lot of other Pure Essence supplements that are very similar to these. And if I were to be completely honest, another 5-8 multivitamins of the brand should come after them. So, to not make this whole list largely dominated by Pure Essence, I’ve refrained from adding more than two for the time being.
Just know that very many of them are very capable and viable options. Even if you end up not choosing one of the two listed here, but stick with some of the vegan-compatible choices.
Anyways, as for the supplement of this section, this is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before would exist.
No. 6 | Super Nutrition Perfect Family Energizing Multi (Review) – Solid Extra Stuff & Nutrients
Super Nutrition Perfect Family Energizing Multi is a very straightforward, hypoallergenic vegetarian supplement that shines in both the raw nutritional side and the beneficial substance side of things.
With all that it offers, it’s pretty extraordinary. It definitely keeps up with the rest of the supplements on this list.
On that same note, however, it is essentially twice less the price. So, it offers incredible overall value for money.
In fact, Super Nutrition is a manufacturer that actually promises that – the unequaled value for what it offers. Their promise is to always be offering comprehensive, antioxidant-rich full potency multivitamins that include formulas to support energy, immunity, strong bones, and a healthy heart.
I absolutely love the fact they have a specific section only dedicated to the Science, which I do find very educational myself. On top of that, they also do offer a full money-back guarantee if after 30 days of using the multivitamin you do not feel a significant improvement in your health and well-being. So, if anything, they’re truly committed to improving their customers’ well-being.
The Perfect Family Energizing Multi offers every single one of the 13 essential vitamins. When it comes to minerals – it’s very abundant as well – only the Vanadium is missing. And every single one of them comes in very solid abundance.
The supplement also provides sufficient amounts of Choline and Inositol, while also offering high amounts of Beta Carotene and some amounts of other Carotenoids. Yet, in terms of additional beneficial substances, it has a lot to offer to digestion, brain health, and anti-inflammatory response.
The only real superficially red flags are the Citrus and Vanilla Flavoring that are added to it as additives. And these can really ruin an otherwise solid supplement if they’re not made through quality manufacturing. Which in the case of Super Nutrition Perfect Family, is I feel nothing to worry about. Hence, much to gain, nothing to lose.
This is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before it would exist.
No. 7 | Source Naturals Life Force Multiple No Iron (Review) – Detox, Carotenoids & Bunch Of Other
While the Source Naturals Life Force Multiple No Iron should not be considered vegetarian, in its very essence, it is quite similar to the supplement we just discussed.
Meaning, it is an extremely resourceful multivitamin supplement that also offers quite a couple of additional beneficial substances, as well as incredible value for the price.
Source Naturals adheres to the guiding principle of providing safe and superior quality products in everything that they do. In that, their utmost priority and aspiration are, as far as I can tell, to enhance customers’ health and well-being.
Whereas while their quality control and laboratories seem to go the extra mile to ensure quality, there are, however, no third-party assertions. Which generally simply gives less credibility to what they themselves are implying.
The supplement provides all of the 13 fundamental vitamins, as well as all of the minerals but the Vanadium. There are also considerable amounts of Carotenoids, as well as the strongest of all of them – Astaxanthin. Then there’s also the brain-boosting substances – Choline and Inositol – present.
On top of that, as I already noted, it’s quite augmented by the bunch of additional beneficial substances. These will provide very capable anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as aid in anti-aging, detoxification, joint health, brain health, and provide additional support with a number of other things.
So, essentially, a truly useful piece of supplementation.
This is the exact supplement I would buy if none of the others before it would exist.
No. 8 – No. 25 | The Rest Of Awesome Multivitamins
Given that people usually are not that interested in the bottom end of the complete list, for the time being, I have not added the descriptions for the remainder of the list. That said I feel there is at least one highlight that I must mention.
The No. 9 | Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men. This is an absolutely marvelous option for anyone who is strictly on a budget.
In essence, while it costs only one-third of what its higher-ranked competitors do, it’s still a pretty close rival to them. Slightly less balanced but arguably a supplement that offers the most value for the price on the list.
Other than that, if at any time you’d love to have more insights on any of the supplements mentioned in this section, just let me know in the comments. I’ll provide the key info.
Here’s the full No. 8 to No. 25.
No. 8 | Brain MD NeuroVite Plus
No. 9 | Optimum Nutrition Opti-Men
No. 10 | Source Naturals, Men’s Life Force Multiple
No. 11 | Ketolabs Core Basics
No. 12 | Metagenics PhytoMulti Capsules
No. 13 | Thorne Research Multi-Vitamin Elite
No. 14 | Super Nutrition Perfect Family Iron-Free
No. 15 | NutraBio Labs MultiSport Men’s Formula
No. 16 | Controlled Labs Orange Triad
No. 17 | Nature’s Plus Source of Life Men Iron-Free
No. 18 | Source Naturals Elan Vital Multiple
No. 19 | Klaire Labs VitaSpectrum
No. 20 | Metabolic Maintenance The Big One without Iron
No. 21 | Life Extension Mix Tablets
No. 22 | Nutricology OcuDyne II
No. 23 | Enzymatic Therapy Doctor’s Choice Multivitamins
No. 24 | Ortho Alpha Base With Or Without Iron
No. 25 | Life Enhancement Personal Radical Shield
3 Best Multivitamins For Vegetarians 2021
The thing about the best multivitamins for vegetarians in 2021 is that the list can be completely derived from the general list talked over earlier in the article.
In that sense, the overall guidelines (went over in the section of Buyer’s Guide) for choosing such supplements remain the same. In other words, nothing changes in regards to the nutritional standard, nutrient forms, harmless additives, quality manufacturing, additional substances, and reasonable price.
But as for any other additional things, I feel you might benefit from adding what I already mentioned in the guidelines for choosing your supplement. Meaning, as a vegetarian depending on your diet and lifestyle you might benefit greatly from an additional Iron-containing supplement.
This is a section that will be an absolute equivalent to this one below.
Lastly, as for the list of those best vegetarian multivitamin supplements, click on any of the following to take you to the appropriate section.
No. 1 | Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold
No. 2 | Pure Essence LifeEssence
No. 3 | Pure Essence ProFema
5 Best Multivitamins For Vegans 2021
While we can find a bunch of options in the general list for vegetarians, that’s not the case at all when looking at the best multivitamins for vegans for 2021.
The main issue, as I’ve come to know it quite well, is the fact that many vegan supplements do struggle profoundly with additives. As it seems, it’s truly a challenge to develop a proper multivitamin supplement that is at the same time vegan compatible.
But it’s not impossible.
While below you’ll see what I believe is the 5 best options currently out there, the No. 1 is arguably the better option by far when compared to all the rest.
And above all, what I mentioned in both the guidelines for choosing and vegetarian supplements, based on your exact diet and lifestyle, you might benefit profoundly from an additional only-Iron-containing supplement. For the section of those, click here or scroll below.
No. 1 | Pure Essence Supplements – LifeEssence, ProFema, One ‘n’ Only, Mother to Be, and Other
No. 2 | Country Life Max For Vegans
No. 3 | Solgar Formula VM-2000
No. 4 | Pure Vegan Advanced Vegan
No. 5 | Now Foods Special Two (Vegetarian Capsules or Tablets)
Woman Adaptation of Any Supplement: Adding Iron
The only real difference, when it comes to comparing the best practices for nutrient amounts between the genders, is the idea that women must also ideally regularly supplement Iron.
As mentioned in the Guidelines for Choosing, this is due to the fact that women need that extra Iron for making up for the blood loss during menstruation. Whereas vegans and vegetarians, based on their exact diet and lifestyle, may simply not accumulate enough Iron. Thus, it may be required for them to pick up some extra, too.
While the general list of the very best of the best multivitamins are those ideally suited for men (where supplements don’t contain Iron), they are also ideal to women apart from the fact that you need to add that extra Iron (because most supplements on the general list do not have that).
So, here are three awesome singular Iron-containing supplements that will do just that. Couple them with a multivitamin of your choice from the general list. Whereas if the supplement already adds Iron, there’s no need for the extra through one of the Iron-containing ones on this list.
For this approach, I feel rather common misconceptions exist that men’s and women’s nutritional needs differ profoundly, thus, one or the other should never use supplements labeled for the other gender.
However, while small, tiny, very minute differences may exist, they are not significant enough to actively pursue. Moreover, the actual, perfect nutritional needs more rely on your exact microbiome and genetics. Both of which can be just as similar between two people of the opposite sex as in two people of the same.
To that end, the most crucial aspect to comprehend is that labeling is mostly just marketing. Men’s multivitamins do not contain vitamins and minerals women’s bodies won’t absorb, and vice-versa. Neither do additional beneficial substances benefit only one specific gender. In all of my research, a haven’t found a single one for which that is the case.
As for why the general list typically does not contain multivitamins with Iron is due to the harmful additives that often accompany such an addition. So it’s generally always easier to find a proper no Iron-containing multi and then add that extra Iron through one of those below.
One additional thing, as singular Iron supplements do not contain low enough mineral amounts to abide by the best practices, unless you’re pregnant or lactating, you generally do not need to take them daily. Take every two or three days to on average adhere to the 8-12 mg per day recommendation.
For example, if the supplement contains 18 mg, take it every other day (as to fit the mold of 9 mg a day). If the supplement contains 27 mg, take one capsule every three days (again, as to fit the average of 9 mg a day).
This may differ for vegetarians and vegans, based on their diet and lifestyle. A single capsule of 18 mg a day might be the perfect approach.
No. 1 | Thorne Research Iron Bisglycinate
No. 2 | Now Foods Iron (18 mg)
No. 3 | Doctor’s Best High Absorption Iron With Ferrochel
Alternative | Now Foods Double Strength Iron (36 mg)
Comparison List: The Absolute Worst & Most Misrepresented
This section is all about uncovering and exposing multivitamin supplements that are claimed to be the best out there by other lists and websites, but, in reality, they are nowhere close to that category.
A bunch of ravings if you ask me. However, this is not to say that I have all the answers. We seek the best truth, and so please be my guest in searching for that, too. And use this information as your guide as I feel there is a lot of misinformation out there.
So be very wise when choosing your supplements.
Misrepresented | *** Douglas Laboratories Ultra Preventive X – Owner Is The Problem
I used to be a huge fan of the Douglas Laboratories Ultra Preventive X. I used to have this listed as the No. 1 of the very best multivitamins list above. Sadly, no more.
The problem is not with the beneficial ingredients or the added extra substances. The problem is not with even the additives. The problem might not even be with the manufacturing and quality practices in place (maybe). The problem is with the company that has taken over the wheel of Douglas Laboratories.
Nestle. A company truly profit-driven. A company more concerned with its own gain and wealth than anything else. Whereas if we really want to hit the nail on the head, here’s what I believe is the best summary. “Nestle is a company that is a known global bully for their laundry list of crimes against humanity and deception on the quality of their products.” There’s just a ton of terrible and unspeakable about them [R, R, R, R, R, R, R].
I don’t want to support such approach to things. And so, because of that I no longer believe this deserves to be named as the No. 1. At least for the time being.
Misrepresented | *** Pure Encapsulations Ultra Nutrient – Owner Is The Problem, Again
Pure Encapsulations is another top-quality brand fallen prey to Nestle. Which is so incredibly heart-breaking, but nothing we can do about it. And then, it’s even more disheartening because there were quite a few entries by this brand on the very best-of list for multivitamins above. It was a true quality brand which I’m not so sure of anymore.
I mean, sure, the Pure Encapsulations devotion to quality might still be on the same level (emphasis on “might”). But that we can’t know, for sure. They sure themselves originally claimed that it will stay the same. But I feel I can’t vouch for that, especially given that another brand acquired by Nestle Garden of Life (which was something I was a huge fan of) has possibly undergone a fall in that aspect [R, R, R, R, R, R, R].
More on Nestle in the previous section and in the references.
All in all, while the Pure Encapsulations Ultra Nutrient was previously a confident No. 2 on the very best-of list above, I would steer clear of it for the time being. At least for as long as we need to again be confident in the quality that this brand is displaying.
Other Pure Encapsulations multivitamins previously on the very best multivitamins list but now removed include their Polyphenol Nutrients, Nutrient 950® with Iron, Nutrient 950® without Iron, and Nutrient 950® with Vitamin K.
For the time being, I have refrained from adding any other misrepresented supplements to this particle article as I already have other two that do go into a lot of detail in this regard.
Or to be more exact, the article on the best multivitamins for men based solely on 100% Daily Values covers these highly misrepresented supplements that show up on other lists throughout the internet as the very best ones but in reality are none of that:
Misrepresented | *** Rainbow Light Men’s One Multivitamin
Worst | *** SmartyPants Men’s Complete (Formula)
Misrepresented | *** Nature’s Way Alive! Once Daily Men’s Ultra
Misrepresented | *** GNC Mega Men
Misrepresented | *** NOW ADAM Men’s Multiple Vitamin
Worst | *** Centrum Silver Men
Misrepresented | *** Source Naturals Men’s Life Force
Worst | *** Vitafusion Men’s Multivitamin
Worst | *** One A Day Men’s Health Formula
Misrepresented | *** Universal Nutrition Animal Pak Training Supplement
Misrepresented | *** Controlled Labs Orange Triad
Worst | *** Muscletech Essential Series Platinum Multivitamin
And here’s another shot at the misleadingly, supposedly very best multivitamins that those other lists mention and the exact reasons as to why they are truly not the case (in the article on the best multivitamins for women based solely on 100% Daily Values):
Worst | *** One A Day Women’s VitaCraves
Worst | *** Ritual Essential for Women
Worst | *** Vitafusion Women’s Gummy Vitamins
Worst | *** SugarBearHair Women’s Multi Vegan MultiVitamin
Misrepresented | *** Optimum Nutrition Opti-Women
Misrepresented | *** GNC Women’s Ultra Mega 50+
Misrepresented | *** Rainbow Light Women’s One
Worst | *** SmartyPants Women’s Complete (Formula)
Worst | *** Centrum Women
Misrepresented | *** NOW Foods Eve Softgels
Worst | *** One A Day Women’s Formula
Awesome Health, Well-Being & High Performance
There are many different approaches and opinions out there. But I believe multivitamins are kind crucial for awesome health, well-being, and high performance.
More so than any other type of supplement out there.
These supplements generally offer a great variety of nutrients and beneficial substances, ultimately making them a hard nut to crack. This in a sense that, there are just so incredibly huge amounts of different ones. One can easily get lost, and be exploited by effective marketing.
This article was created with the idea in mind to change that. To put you in the place of power knowing what is actually good and what is only marketed that way.
Above all, I hope this article on the best multivitamin supplements for 2021 helped you find the information you were looking for.
This article was last updated on October 31, 2020.
Hi,
What would you recommend for teens (17 and 13 years of age) that have Adhd. Have been tested. (Never done this before).
Thanx
Hey, Mar!
I’m sorry for not managing to get back to you sooner! I hope you’re doing really.
If those were my kids, I would most likely (99.9%) go for the Klaire Labs Multithera 1 Capsule Formula Plus Vitamin K. And then just adjust the dosage accordingly. For example, (given that the full dose is 8 capsules) I would do 6-8 for the 17-year-old and 4-6 for the one of age 13.
I hope that makes sense.
Cheers, and have a Great One!
Matiss
Hello,
I don’t see Meta-Fem as an available option on Thorne website. Have the changed the name or the formula?
Thank you
Karen
Hey, Karen!
Yeah, as far as I can tell, they won’t be making Meta-Fem anymore. We’ll see what we get instead.
For now, probably default to other ones. There will be an update coming for the whole article.
Cheers, and have a Great One!
Matiss
Thanks so much for the information!!! It is very informative.
I have a question about some of the multivitamins. Could you please tell me what do you think of
1. Thorne basic prenatal
2. Thorne basic nutrients 2/day
3. Pure encapsulations junier nutrients
4. Seeking health kids optimal multivitamin.
Thank you for your time 😊
Hey, Oksana!
Sure, I’m always an open book. :)
Thorne Basic Prenatal. I believe there’s inherently nothing wrong with it. Great variety of vitamins and minerals in amazing and effective nutrient forms. And no other added substances for extra safety. Plus, great quality. However, I’m just not a fan of the 100% (or reasonably above) Daily Values.
Definitely better to have this than to go without but personally, I’m a huge advocate for the Thorne Research Basic Nutrients IV. But as far as I can tell, they won’t mostly be making the Basic Nutrient line anymore. We’ll see what we get instead.
Thorne Basic Nutrients 2/day. I believe this one is one of the best multivitamins if the emphasis is really on having as few capsules/tablets as possible. Everything about it screams quality. My only somewhat concern is that it kind of over forces on Chromium. That being said, the amount doesn’t seem to be harmful in the long-term [R].
Pure Encapsulations Junior Nutrients. I’d say this one is a great supplement for kids. High-quality nutrient forms, decent amounts, and no added substances. Plus, plenty of both Carotenoids and Retinoids. Yeah, this is something I would definitely consider for my own kids once they become older.
However, personally, I would probably do at least four capsules instead of two for the ages of 4-13. Whereas beyond that age group I believe it’s a must to rather consider something a bit more at least half of what the best practices for nutrient amounts recommend. One thing that I believe sucks about the supplement is that it doesn’t add Iron. But that we can always have from a separate standalone one.
Seeking Health Kids Optimal Multivitamin. This one really sounds like my kind of supplement. Quite honestly, I would much prefer this over the previous one for my children. Furthermore, I’d say, it’s pretty much the ideal choice. Awesome amounts, great, really quality nutrient forms. Great additives. Just everything about it seems robust. The only drawback, again, that Iron part. Which I would add through a standalone supplement.
I hope that helps!
Cheers, and have a Great One!
Matiss
Thank you, Matiss, for your thorough response:))) I have been reading your articles for a few days, and must admit that most of the medical professionals would not give a third of this information.
However, by reading so many online articles, maybe even too many☺️,
I cannot find the answer to which form of folate is better for pregnant women (metafolin, quatrafolic, folinic acid, or the old folic acid.) If you can, please give your opinion regarding these articles.
Thank you again for your extensive work. :)))
https://methyl-life.com/pages/methylfolate-types
https://eatfor.life/methylfolate-vs-folic-acid-facts-myths
Hey, Oksana!
I would definitely bet on L-Methylfolate (5-MTHF or L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate or (6S)-5-MTHF). As I have researched myself, it’s the natural form of the vitamin immediately available to our bodies for use and does not need to undergo certain conversions as the synthetic folic acid does. Whereas Metafolin is a patented calcium-salt-based version of that, supposedly less capable but still a great form (and Quatrefolic – a very similar thing, different patent, slightly different properties).
I hope that clears it up. :)))
As for those articles, loved the first one. I will probably refer to it in my future articles as well. Whereas that second one. Not sure. It gives some interesting ideas about the whole Methylfolate vs Folic Acid. But it doesn’t use any references whatsoever. I mean, it may as well be just a random interpretation. But either way, the way I see it, there is at least one reason why it doesn’t really ever make sense to prefer Folic Acid over Methylfolate.
There’s a thing called MTHFR mutation. This basically refers to people not having the gene to convert Folic Acid into a usable form of vitamin B9. Meaning, for those people, no matter how much Folic Acid you’ll consume, they won’t find any benefit. Quite the contrary, it can, in fact, turn out to be harmful. Whereas with L-Methylfolate we don’t get that. Ever.
Cheers, and have a Great One, Oksana!
Matiss
Hi Matiss,
Im George from Greece and I am new in your site. First of all, I would like to thank you for this amazing website. Honestly, as you should know, this is very rare in the global community.
What is your opinion for VitaminIQ brand? https://www.vitaminiq.com/
In addition, I was confused regarding some of your lists. For instance, what is the difference between the first multivitamin in that list, Ultra Preventive X and lets say the first multivitamin, Garden of Life Vitamin Code Men, in the Men list? Is there any difference in the quality maybe?
Also, is it better to prefer one brand like Pure Synergy or Megafood that all of the ingredients are organic, instead of multivitamins for instance of Douglas and Pure Encapsulations?
Thanks and keep up the AMAZING job. We need you!!!!!!
Hey, George!
I’m sorry for not managing to get back to you sooner. I hope you’re doing truly awesome. And I really appreciate the kind-hearted message. It means a ton. <3
Uuu-uu, I looked into the VitaminIQ, really awesome stuff. Yeah, I guess one can't cover everything even when one has every intention to. They definitely feel like something I might be adding to the update for the best of conventional multivitamins.
Speaking of that, the difference between the lists. It lies in the nutrient amount standard applied. Here’s what I mean.
The best multivitamins for men and women are created based on 100% Daily Values (or reasonably above that). These I often refer to as conventional multivitamins. Whereas this very best-of list (this article) was created based on what I believe are the best practices for nutrient amounts. Supplements that I tend to call the unconventional ones.
Many lists don’t recognize the difference. And so, they typically fill their tops with multivitamins interchangeably as if there was no contrast. But that I feel would be like pinning against each other a 160 lbs MMA fighter versus a 260 lbs one. Not a fair fight at all (mesmerizingly in favor of the 260 lbs guy or girl). So, to me, it only makes sense to have at least two different lists.
That said, there are other standards as well according to which I will be creating other best-of lists of multivitamins sometime in the future.
Personally, I believe there is not that much to gain from all organic (when it comes to multivitamins, specifically) if the amounts are not sufficient enough. And hence, with supplements according to 100% Daily Values, I don’t believe there is. So, the way I see it, it’s always better, 10 times out of 10, to just roll with what the unconventional multivitamins have to offer.
But not everyone agrees with that. Not everyone is ready or far along enough in their journey to agree with that. And that’s okay. No judgment at all. Pursue the option that feels more right to you.
Last of all, just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate you bringing my attention to VitaminIQ supplements, George!
Cheers, and have a Great One!
Matiss
Seriously, no AOR in this list?
Hey, again, Telstar!
Yes, my man! That’s correct.
For AOR multivitamins, the additives they use didn’t sit well with me. Sucrose, Dextrin, Maltodextrin, Corn Starch, Talcum, Talc.
That said, I love that they add stuff like Tocopherols and Tocotrienols, Inositol, Quercetin, N-Acetylcysteine, and a few others. However, they are also typically low on B1, B2, Retinol (preformed vitamin A), vitamin C, Chromium, Selenium, and few others given the standard set for these kinds of multivitamin supplements.
I hope that makes sense.
Cheers, and have a Great One!
Matiss
Ouch, I didn’t remember the additives list was that awful. I suppose you didnt include LEF mix (the powder version) for the same reason.
In the end I went for Garden of Life RAW men, but the version without minerals, one a day. I must dose calcium and magnesium separately. It lacks some of the superfoods mix but overall seems a solid foundation. Added retinol, which is super cheap, and I take already D3/K2 separately.
What I’m looking for now is to add tocotrienols, instead of all 8 vit E forms since they have an astounding literature. The tiny amount in the multi should not harm.
Hey, again, Telstar!
Yeap, not fond of Maltodextrin being in the mix of things (cause LEF mix, haha). But if I’m completely honest, I would close my eyes to that. It’s a really great supplement. I mean, it might not be truly worth in terms of putting it on a best-of list. But if I was presented with the option, I wouldn’t hesitate to try it.
Doctor’s Best Tocotrienols with EVNol SupraBio? The only somewhat not superb ingredient there is the Sorbitol. But whatever the case, it’s still much better what the alternatives seem to be. I mean, from a quick look, this is something I would go for if I was after Tocotrienols specifically.
Cheers, and have a Great One, Telstar!
Matiss
Hey, thank you for all the information!
I have a question, for someone whose diet is lacking variety, would the number 6 (Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold) in this list be the best supplement to buy?
For stomach problems I mainly consume dairy producs (I assimilate casein and lactose just fine), very very few meats, and zero vegetables, fruit, grains, etc. ocassionaly white rice because his low allergenic status, but very rarely.
I was thinking in Thorne because that lab has a very good reputation but I am afraid I am missing some unknown nutrients that the body actually need or at least benefit a lot from them, that other multivitamins have because different herbs/fruits blends.
What do you think about combining two multivitamins, the Thorne one with the number six Nature’s Plus, for example?
Thank you very much!
Hey, Kryzpo!
I’m sorry I haven’t managed to get back to you sooner. I take forever, haha. I hope you’re doing well. :)
Let me just first say, I absolutely love the questions. Fascinating aspects to think about.
As for the first… Maybe. Or rather… Likely. I mean, one can’t really ever replace proper diet with supplements alone. But if I had to at least try, then, yeah, it might probably be the best choice. What I’m trying to say is that I could make a case for each of the ones before it even if your diet is currently lacking in variety.
But the emphasis being of fruit and vegetable blends, as I see it, there is truly no better.
As for the second (combining stuff), I haven’t really contemplated that before. But it could definitely work. I mean, if that was the case we shouldn’t generally use the recommended dosage of both in a single day. Because that would go quite high on certain nutrients. However, in your case specifically when you’re fully aware of the fact that your diet lacks in variety that may not actually apply. Which could mean that it might be fine even for the long-term.
Obviously, I might be wrong and I’m just speculating here. I mean, there’s a lot of variables and a good amount of grey area as well. So, I would refrain from recommending that. But if you’re up for some experimentation and you don’t have any pre-existing conditions, you could definitely try that.
That said, I can do you one better.
Instead of potentially going with two different multivitamins at the same, choose one. And then go out and find a fruit/vegetable/superfood powder (supplement). I can’t recommend a particular one as I haven’t really done the research on them yet. However, I do remember having come across some and thinking, “This is absolutely busted!”
I hope that helps, Kryzpo!
Cheers, carpe minutam/seize the moment,
Matiss
Hey Matiss, how would you compare the Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold but 2 daily tablets instead of 3 vs Natural Factors, Whole Earth & Sea, Men’s Multivitamin & Mineral 2 tablets( both would come to the same price) would taking 2 of Nature’s Plus still be better overall vs Natural Factors?
I’ll also be taking Solgar, Dry Vitamin A, 1,500 mcg for the missing preformed vitamin A.
Hey, James!
Sorry, I haven’t managed to get back to you sooner. I hope your well and staying healthy.
Personally, in that case, I would prefer Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold every single time. I do strongly believe it will be a much better option at the end of the day. I’ve never been a believer in following 100% Daily Values. As you can probably tell.
Cheers, and have a Great One!
Matiss
Hi Matiss,
Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. Your site is the most helpful out there with the amount of research you put into each supplement. I found your site while looking to find the best multivitamins out there.
Background: Female. 33 Years Old. Trouble with Sleep that I can associate with depression. Currently taking supplements such as Magnesium L-Threonate, Radiance Cherry Tart Sleep, and Vitamin C. I have trouble concentrating at work probably due to lack of sleep even during this Coronavirus lockdown. I am looking for Multivitamins that can help me to sleep and get more energy the next day. I am inclined to buy your number 1 suggestion but I am hoping you can look into Xtend Life TOTAL BALANCE WOMEN’s PREMIUM if you get the chance. Here is the link.
It seems to provide all that I need but there is not much review about the product as it is only available online.
Hey, Jamie!
Sorry I haven’t managed to get back to you sooner. I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe.
I feel you! These truly are pretty challenging times. I would highly recommend getting into mindfulness and ensuring that you do exercise even if it’s just a daily 4-minute Tabata. Exercise is known to be one of the most profound & powerful remedies when battling depression (ideally, do it in the morning). Similarly, sitting down 8-15 minutes a day to slow down and just breathe is far more important than many realize. Personally, I think I would have lost my mind already if not for both of these tools.
I’m recently getting quite a lot of questions about Xtend Life Total Balance supplements. I think I will just add them to the Bull*hit section of my multivitamin lists.
Generally, they truly have high-value beneficial ingredients. But what I’m not so keen on (and the exact reason why I think they don’t deserve to be among the very best), it’s the kind of additives they use. In particular, I’m not a fan of Dextrose, Talc, and Maltodextrin.
You can find a section on each of these ingredients with references throughout other articles on Health Knight (for example, just type into the search “Talc”). But here’s briefly.
Dextrose is hidden sugar. Which is the kind of ingredient I have zero tolerance for, given we typically consume too much-processed sugar daily already and that a proper multivitamin should be something we can consume daily for the rest of our lives without concern (or a very, very minor one, mostly associated with allergies) for side-effects. Which Dextrose doesn’t exactly subscribe to, given how detrimental sugar can be.
Maltodextrin is another one of the hidden sugars. But it can come with a variety of other side-effects like sudden headaches and a bunch of other stuff. Whereas Talc is something that has been a long debate over whether or not it causes cancer. In regards to which, at the moment, it seems that more evidence suggests it does. But that’s hard to say for sure. Either way, for the time being, I do recommend avoiding that.
I hope this sheds some light on it. And I hope it helps.
Lastly, I sincerely appreciate the kind words, they truly mean a lot. I appreciate you, Jamie! <3
Carpe minutam/Seize the moment,
Matiss
Hi Matiss,
Thank you so much for this very important information that you shared.
And yes, it does shed a light and it helps a lot.
I will continue to read more on your site. Unfortunately, eVitamins and Amazon has not been able to ship to New Zealand since the Covid situation.
I will go through your other suggestion and see if I can find alternatives that can be sourced from iHerb or locally.
Again, from the very bottom of my heart, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Regards,
Jamie
Hey, Jamie!
I somehow missed your comment! I’m so sorry. I hope you’re doing really well in these crazy times.
Just wanted to let you know that I’m happy to help. Awesome that I managed to shed some light. I’m really happy about that. <3
And no worries, use the options most relevant and appropriate to you. You don't have to buy from links or from the sellers I tend to list. But if you do, I will always appreciate that a ton. It helps just immensely. <3
I appreciate you, Jamie!
Carpe minutam/Seize the moment,
Matiss
Hi Matiss,
I’ve noticed that multivitamins often don’t contain much calcium. Do you think it’s important to add a calcium supplement to the mix?
Thank you,
Michelle
Hey, again, Michelle!
The short answer is yes. But the long one is not necessarily that.
I’d say it’s not something paramount. Meaning, while it is important, that’s not something I would consider primary nutrition.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, ideally, we would want to add an additional Calcium supplement. But before we do, there are things far more important to add like Fish Oil, Probiotics, or Magnesium. And only about then I’d say it’s worth looking into Calcium.
Cheers, and All the Best, Michelle!
Matiss
Hi, just want to say thanks=) You’ve done a real great job with your research. I haven’t found anything even close to this anywhere.
So I went for Nature’s Plus Source of Life Gold. Now it’s been several weeks I’m taking the pills and I feel the difference, really feel)) I felt good before, but now I wake up a lot more easily and the overall vitality is better/higher.
I’ve tried taking multivitamins before and some good ones (conventional) such as Garden of Life Vitamin Code Men, but because some of the vitamins and minerals were several hundred % of DV, I took 1/2 or even less of the day serving. So no wonder I felt no effect or difference at all. And how was I to know what DV actually stands for?! So you’ve opened my eyes ;))
Hey, Kirill!
I’m truly happy for you! Like beyond truly happy!!! And it totally made my day. :)
Whereas above all, thank you for letting me know and for the kind words you dropped. I sincerely appreciate you! <3
Other than that, I totally feel you. The misinformation about DV (and other similar values) is just beyond ridiculously massive out there. At the same time, we have people (including many doctors) who are constantly trying to put this notion forth of if you exceed DV, you'll overdose on the vitamins and minerals. Or they're in this mindset of and constantly spreading the message of "Don't ever go over 100% Daily Values or you may die (or some similar BS)".
And I wanted to (in the moment of inspiration) expand on this a bit other than what was mentioned in this article and what I've talked about in the article on Prime Daily Values. I mean, there are at least two additional things that are fundamentally wrong with that (and people really have to think for themselves here instead of mindlessly following the recommendations of ignorant doctors/professionals/gurus/influencers).
First, there are certain nutrients, which if you’ll actually try to get in the amounts of 100% Daily Values, you’re for sure to end up in the hospital. That is certainly the case with minerals like Calcium and Potassium.
Second, the notion of Upper Tolerable Intake Levels (ULs for short, learn more on this here). (If unfamiliar with them) these define the absolute maximum amount of any single nutrient that you can consume daily for long periods of time and not experience any adverse effects. So, based on these, supposedly you shouldn’t ever consume more than, for example, 100 mg of vitamin B6 daily (according to US standards).
However, the interesting thing about this is that all of these studies (that have been evaluated to establish ULs) have been done on one nutrient at a time basis. Meaning, they supplement high amounts of only vitamin B6 to assess this standard for it. Or vitamin B12 or C, or whatever vitamin or mineral you can think of.
So, if you were to only take vitamin B6 through supplements, you shouldn’t go over 100 mg according to US standards.
But here’s the rub.
Sure, vitamins and minerals also carry out functions within our bodies individually (like vitamin A for that thing, vitamin D for another, etc.). But primarily, vitamins and minerals carry out most of those functions in conjunction with each other. Whereas when one or multiple of them are missing to execute a function that asks for multiple vitamins to be present, the body can’t expend also the one vitamin that is available in abundance (like in the example with 100 mg vitamin B6 daily).
For example, there’s this process called methylation. In essence, it’s one of the most important processes within our bodies. What it needs is at least 3 vitamins – vitamin B6, B9, and B12. But it can’t be carried out in full if you have an abundance of vitamin B6 and an absolute lack of vitamin B9 and B12.
My point being, none of those studies (to assess ULs) are done with multiple vitamins or minerals and take into account the various interactions they have with each other. All they show is that if you take a single vitamin or mineral in certain amounts for a long period of time, you’ll experience negative side-effects. Because ultimately, yes, our bodies have a certain capacity for how much unusable vitamins they can excrete.
But what if you supplemented every single crucial vitamin and mineral your body needs? What if no vitamin or mineral could build-up as an unusable vitamin or mineral just because there are every single other nutrient present to facilitate carrying out of those functions that ask for multiple ones?
Then there’s no telling really how much is the upper limit (if you supplement all of the vitamins and minerals). For all, we know there may not be a limit (or at least it’s certainly much higher than the ULs).
This is something I didn’t quite understand for a long time. And it’s also why some of my articles like this are fundamentally wrong (I promise to change it soon).
Ultimately, in this regard, I’m all an open book. If you, Kirill, or anyone else crave any further explanation, just let me know. But apart from that, in time I’ll likely do an article on this as well.
Just wanted to add those thoughts too to the response I provided earlier.
Cheers, Kirill, have a Great One!
Carpe minutam/Seize the moment,
Matiss
Hey, Matiss!
Thank you for your reply and your thoughts and insights=)
I totally agree with your point. Most people around me (aged 30+) think that before taking any vitamins you should do some blood tests to see if there’s any deficit or excess. Now, this seems weird to me. I guess the tests will just show the current-moment state of the matter. And what do they mean by excess?! =) Don’t think it’s UL concentration.
Or another popular misconception that vitamins from supplements don’t assimilate in our bodies unlike the vitamins from the food. Oh-oh=(
And I find your thoughts about ULs very very interesting.
I’ll continue taking multivitamin supplements, probiotics, and omega-3 and oversee my feelings.
You couldn’t be more spot-on, Kirill!
And you’ve no idea how much criticism has come my way and HealthKnight’s way just plainly due to this “vitamins through supplements don’t assimilate” misconception. I have written about it quite a bit. But I feel a few more points to understand and contemplate for anyone still debating this can’t hurt (more in this article).
First, if vitamins through supplements don’t assimilate, why do doctors prescribe medications daily?
In this regard, people have to realize that huge number of medications often tend to only consist of a large dose of a single vitamin or mineral. And every medication to become one has to be approved by clinical studies to be effective in battling the symptoms of certain ailments.
So, if we assume vitamins through supplements don’t assimilate, such medications shouldn’t work. But clearly, in studies, they have been proven to work.
I mean, furthermore, the exact same forms of vitamins and minerals are often in medications as in supplements. Moreover, oftentimes the ones you find in supplements are the proven more effective counterparts of that vitamin or mineral. A typical example of this is Iron and its forms. Many medications offer quite ineffective forms (ones that you need very much of to find a benefit), whereas brands like NOW Foods and Thorne Research offer considerably more effective forms through capsules.
Second, if vitamins and minerals don’t assimilate, why can we overdose them through supplements as shown by the studies when evaluating ULs (Upper Tolerable Intake Levels)? It shouldn’t be possible then, yet it is.
But the biggest issue in all of this is the media.
They absolutely love to position themselves as the watchdogs, as the truth-seekers that do not care about anything else other than the truth. Still, they are 99% of the time purely revenue-driven. But the only real revenue source for them is through advertising. Hence, it’s not exactly far off to say that they are primarily advertising-driven.
Whereas to sell that advertising space they have to create clicks and make sure that people are reading their articles. But what creates most clicks and ensures people are reading their content and staying on their pages longest?
Controversy.
And this is exactly the problem!!
They are rarely interested in truth if it means somewhat disrupting and throwing a huge shadow on an industry aka creating controversy (because that drives profits).
A perfect example of this is the huge controversy created by media in the US on the idea that supposedly multivitamins don’t work some 5 years ago.
What happened was a few scientists published a somewhat of a meta-analysis looking at a number of studies done on multivitamins and their effects on human well-being. Obviously, they concluded that they don’t work and media went nuts about this (because it created so much controversy about the supplement industry as a whole, referring to it as essentially a fake industry that only takes people’s money).
So, watchdogs, these truth-seekers – media – took the bait and created a huge deal about it. None of these watchdogs actually looked at the study and the studies evaluated within the study, none of them asked any questions, they only promoted the controversy creating conclusions of that study as a whole.
But if they would ask any proper professional to help them better understand the study, they would have found a number of interesting things about it.
For example, this study based their conclusions on primarily studies that were about supplements that contain 2-3 vitamins and/or minerals (as far as I remember, pretty much all studies were like that). Hence, they called them multivitamins (multi standing for multiple aka at least two minerals and/or vitamins).
But are they multivitamins really?
I mean, a proper multivitamin contains upwards of 25 different vitamins, minerals, and other essential substances. Still, they somehow managed to conclude that ALL multivitamins don’t work.
Which to me is absolutely bizarre. And really shows the true nature of media and the news/content they tend to provide.
I mean, to make matters even more interesting.
That larger study (if I remember correctly, maybe I read it somewhere else) also contained a study among the reviewed ones which included trials on proper upwards of 25 nutrient multivitamins. And that study for some reason showed something of a 20% increase in overall well-being. Still, somehow in the context of all those studies, this result in that larger study was considered insignificant. Hence, it wasn’t taken into account at all.
There are numerous studies out there on proper multivitamins (25 nutrients with amounts along the lines of what we discussed in the article above) that largely prove this same trend. And then studies on, what I refer to as conventional multivitamins, show that there’s no increase in well-being whatsoever (and I’m advocating exactly that).
But still, people put all of this into the same bucket. And people are not comfortable with proper multivitamins due to unfounded fears of overdosing. And they are so incredibly fixated on what media tells them, it’s beyond frustrating.
It’s like people are constantly refusing to think for themselves. And thus, lured into thinking whatever stupid shit media feeds them (sorry for my directness).
This is not to say that media always share hugely biased stuff (though everyone has to understand that they often write about matters in industries they have zero knowledge and overall awareness about). Neither is this to say that multivitamins are this magic pill that will solve all your problems.
For some, it may work and for others, it may not.
There is a ridiculous number of factors that go into this. Including the fact that good health and amazing well-being has never been about just supplements.
Whereas a fascinating aspect of when it comes to Omega-3, leading neuroscientists persist on the fact that this is arguably the most important piece of supplementation (that no one on the face of the earth should be ignorant about or neglect). The impact they have on brain health is just beyond important and absolutely necessary.
Also, they’re literally something that is impossible to acquire just through the diet and, in fact, are absolutely unhealthy if attempted to. This is due to the pollution that accumulates in the fatty tissues of the fish (best source for Omega-3) and the fact that they are in no way purified if you consume them just raw or cooked.
And I’m a huge believer in probiotics too.
A solid approach, my friend! In time, if you get a chance, let me know how it goes.
Cheers, and have a Great One, Kirill!
Carpe minutam/Seize the moment,
Matiss
Thanks for sharing your thoughts=)
“It’s like people are constantly refusing to think for themselves. And thus, lured into thinking whatever stupid shit media feeds them (sorry for my directness).” – that’s the point! And media are helping people not to think, they’re “enlightening” people just about everything on those medical talk-shows so you end up knowing just “the right” things=(
I myself prefer to question every “known” truth ’cause I’ve happened to discover some of them aren’t so true. And I’m glad when I can find people with the similar mindset, seeking and trying to discover what’s really what.
Yeah, I’ll be in touch=)
Yeah, I couldn’t possibly agree more, Kirill!
I love that approach – to question every “known” truth. I feel it’s the only real way how to get to the actual truth. And thus, in everything that I do (especially on this website), I am doing my best to get to that truth. No matter how inconvenient, no matter how unpleasant or anti-intuitive it may seem to be.
And same for me, always happy to get in touch with people like you, Kirill. People truly about truth. Truth-Seekers.
Cheers, my friend, have an Awesome Day, ahead!
Carpe minutam/Seize the moment,
Matiss
Just want to add that I completely agree that multivitamins can’t be some kind of magic pills. Our bodies are very complicated systems to say the least and health and well-being depend on so many factors. If one sleeps too little, eats unhealthy, treats their body badly – guess multivitamins are like a drop in the ocean (just an extreme example). But one can’t conclude on this that supplements don’t work, however, some people do make this conclusion and make it a loud one =( Also, some poorly made or balanced supplements really don’t help to disapprove the misconception.
Sad that people don’t even try for themselves, they “know” beforehand. But there always are other people who seeks for better ways and try new things. Maybe if everyone was right from the beginning it would be less interesting to live and explore the world.
Kirill, you truly are my kind of guy!
Again, I couldn’t agree with you more.
And, indeed, if everyone was right from the beginning it would be likely a less of an interesting place to live in and to explore what the world has for us.
Cheers, and, again, have an Amazing Day!
Carpe minutam/Seize the moment,
Matiss
Hi, what about the Naturelo brand? Where do they rank?
Hey, Aurelio!
I appreciate the question. I feel it’s such a good one.
I haven’t included Naturelo here because the nutrient amounts they base their supplements on do not fall in line with what I see as the best practices for nutrients amounts. Meaning, they do fall short for that standard. Which, to be honest, at the end of the day is kind of an unconventional approach to supplementation.
Hence, there’s a huge paradigm shift happening on this website at the moment. I will be adding and also considering in any future posts what I refer to as the conventional approach for supplementation that revolves around 100% Daily Values (and values alike that typically get labeled on supplements).
That said, in the following couple of weeks there will be a number of changes and updates to most all supplement reviews. Plus, I’m also currently developing the list for the best 100% Daily Values based multivitamins both for men and for women. Which will feature Naturelo brand as well.
The truth is that the list I have already created (ranked the supplements), it’s just the writing part that takes time. The ones I will list as the number ones you can get more insights for here – for men & for women.
If at any time any other questions cross your mind I’m here to help. :)
Cheers, and have a Great One!
Carpe minutam/Seize the moment,
Matiss
Awesome list, I am a litte confused about which one to choose. I am a bit scare about two things, first, mega doses, and second, overload of antioxidants. Some studies link high dosages of antioxidants to even protect cancer cells. What do you think about that matter and antioxidants in multivitamins overall? Thank you!
Hey, I feel you, Kryzpo!
Indeed, I too have come across such studies in my research. And within them, at least to me, it always feels like this notion of antioxidants being these incredible helpers that help prevent DNA and cell damage while also impeding cancer development. But then this sadly being only the case until cancer establishes itself, from which point on it seems that antioxidants may be actually doing more harm than good (in a sense that they help that cancer rather than inhibit it).
If we assume the mentioned is true and there’s no “may” in it (though at this time there are many), then you should rather make damn sure that you provide those antioxidants to your body before there’s a tumor in your system. And this definitely adds to the notion of “easier to prevent than cure”.
That said would I personally stop taking extra antioxidants if I was diagnosed with cancer tomorrow or in a few days from now, I doubt that. I feel there’s too much positive happening within your body that is too valuable to pass up and, who knows, that would maybe even play a key role in the recovery. Whereas if I would pass away due to the condition at least I would know I did absolutely everything possible to give all that my body needs to heal itself. I wouldn’t feel that way if I were to give in to the opposite approach.
Other than that, I would probably fast a ton. But on the off days, I would go for all the necessary nutrients possible.
Though it has to be noted that there are a few compelling ideas and mechanisms that may take place that would deem this approach stupid. We don’t know what we don’t know. Moreover, there’s no telling on how the remainder of the nutrients would react to and play out with cancer given it’s well known that most vitamins and minerals work in conjunction with each other.
Meaning, if antioxidants were the only stuff you consumed additionally (supplemented), you’re likely doomed for sure. But if there’s a bunch of antioxidants along with every other possible necessary micronutrient (and macronutrient) at play, I feel you have a good chance even without chemotherapy (the outcome of which, by the way, can be 100% predicted based on your respective micro-biome).
Other than that, my biased opinion is that these called “mega-doses” is something that is actually necessary. In that regard, there are actually studies that prove such supplements being able to improve your overall well-being. Whereas there are no such studies that support the use of conventional doses with about or slightly above 100% Daily Values [R].
That said, sure, the mega doses can also be harmful. But I feel it can only be the case if both of the following prerequisites come true. First, the supplement provides one or multiple nutrients in doses higher than Upper Tolerable Intake Levels. Second, the other nutrients present in the supplement does not balance out the higher dosed ones.
Because the Upper Tolerable Intake Levels, in reality, does not represent the breaking points after which any respective nutrient becomes harmful.
No, they represent those breaking points only when those nutrients are in complete isolation (see my discussion with Kirill in this same comment thread). But when they’re all provided together to work in conjunction there is no telling if such a breaking point actually exists (again, nutrients typically work together with each other).
On that note, ultimately, I feel it’s hard to argue with the fact that there’s beyond just an extremely higher chance to develop issues, problems, and conditions (like cancer) when you’re body lacks nutrients than when it has them in abundance.
Thus, as I see it, the so-called mega doses are actually the safer way to nutrition.
Meaning, they are not the risk. If anything, going with supplements that barely satisfy 100% Daily Values (or the so-called minimal daily requirements) is the risk.
Cheers, and have a Great One!
Carpe minutam/Seize the moment,
Matiss
Thanks for the information that you provide on multivitamins. It can get confusing with everything on the internet. Is labdoor.com a trustworthy site? If so, could that information effect your rankings on multivitamins?
Thanks
Erick
Hey, Erick!
You’re are very welcome!
I can only agree, it can get rather confusing.
I do consider labdoor.com a trustworthy site. And I do take it into account to some extent. However, I do not list supplements according to their quality rankings.
This is because I feel they are more concerned with the actual quality testing and not multivitamin potency as such. Furthermore, many of what I feel are the top-notch multivitamins they do not test. For whatever reasons.
I hope that helps! If you have any further questions, just let me know, Erick.
Cheers and Have a Great One!
Matiss
I’ve always viewed supplements as a way of keeping me and others healthy. Our health is so incredibly important. Without it you can’t do anything properly and your performance can suffer because of that.
I found this list very helpful! So, thank you for making the effort and putting it together.
Hey, EmmaJ!
It’s my pleasure! And I’m glad you found it helpful. :)
I also 100% agree that our health is in direct correlation with our performance, mental capabilities, energy levels, productivity and a whole list of other factors, which help us to feel better, live better and just overall be better in our very essence!
Sorry, that I didn’t manage to schedule time to get back to you sooner. :)
Cheers and Have an Awesome Day!
Matiss
Hey,
Thanks for the information on these supplements!
I particularly like how you list out the pros and cons of these products. Easy to read and digest!
One thing I am wondering is that I have heard that you actually can’t store some types of vitamins in your body over a day, so you have to take the supplements every day. Just want to ask is this condition limited to certain vitamins or it applies to everything?
Also, because my mum is a vegan, so I guess she needs to take some vitamin B12. But one thing that confuses me is that is every manmade vitamin B12 vegan-friendly? If yes, do you know how exactly they are extracting those B12? Are the processes vegan-friendly as well?
Sorry for asking so many questions at once, but would really like to hear!
Regards,
Crystal
Hey, Crystal!
Awesome that you liked the article!
To answer your first question – yes. Certain types of vitamins our bodies are not able to save up, so to say. In fact, they have to be consumed at least every 12 hours. From what I’ve heard that is the approximate amount of time, in which all of what’s accumulated is either used or excreted.
This generally applies to all the vitamins that are water soluble (B and C vitamins). The fat soluble ones (A – retinol specifically, D, E and K vitamins) our bodies are able to store effectively and to those the 12 hour rule does not apply.
As far as B12 vitamins go – it is abundant in products of animal kingdom, this is also why it’s generally widely known and considered as common knowledge that vegans have to pay more attention to this vitamin than the general population.
Very rarely do a vitamin B12 supplement is vegan-friendly. If I recall this correctly, this is mostly because of the additives used in the supplement. However, every once in a while there you’ll encounter a vegan certified supplement.
Yet, be wary. A lot of times there are other additives in those supplements that although are vegan-friendly, yet can be of health concern.
And no need to apologize – I love your curiosity!
Regards,
Matiss
I really like how much research you put into your site. You break things down so clearly. I do have a question about taking a multivitamin compared to taking single vitamins. Are there any problems with the vitamins absorbing into the bloodstream if you take them all at once? I am a big fan of getting the best bang for my buck but want to make sure what I take into my body is absorbed efficiently.
Hey, Michael!
I totally get where you’re coming from. For me this is really important as well.
Okay, so this may seem a little contra-intuitive, but it is actually better to take multivitamins, especially if you will be taking those particular singular vitamins anyway.
The thing is that vitamins themselves do not compete over absorption with one another. Our body can efficiently absorb them all at the same time. As for minerals, there are some, which in poor forms may be competing over each other. However, from what I know this does not happen with minerals that are in form of chelates. Nonetheless, some vitamins actually improve the absorption of certain minerals.
Therefore, in terms of what your body is ultimately getting, you get more than if you were to consume those particular vitamins and minerals separately.
Furthermore, there are professionals, who advocate that (and I agree with this 100%) that it is very important to consume either most vitamins and minerals through supplements or none as supplementing any singular vitamin or few vitamins can throw your body in a disbalance.
And this will more than just likely bring more harm than good over a period of time. There are also studies, which support this. But do keep in mind that this does not apply to instances when one is seriously deficient regarding a specific vitamin or mineral.
All in all vitamins and minerals always do work better in conjunction with each other.
Stay healthy!
Cheers!
Great article. I like how you broke it down into a summary with a link to show your sources for each one. I have tried multivitamins in the past and haven’t felt much of a difference. I know each of our bodies are different and need different amounts at different stages of our lives
A question I have is it better to take a multi vitamin or is it better to take them as individual vitamins?
Hey, Michael!
Sorry that I couldn’t get back to you sooner.
There is actually many reasons, why one may not feel any benefit from using multivitamin supplements. Don’t take it for a fact that they do not work, cause many people after trying some random supplements deem this as a placebo industry. But not all supplements are bad like that.
I have a new article, in which I’ve summarised reasons, why most people that have used multivitamin supplements, does not feel any benefit. This is the article geared towards not using the proper kind of multivitamin. In the near future I’ll be publishing also an article on, why they might not work (you may not feel any benefit), if you are using a proper multivitamin (aka one of the best multivitamin supplements out there).
As for our bodies being different, I may have came across in the article above as if nobody really knows, how much we need. But that was not my point. Cause we do know. (I’ll definitely need to make some adjustments to the article.)
It is defined by the Prime Daily Values. The sense of us all being different is in the fact that some people regarding specific nutrients may need a bit more than Prime Daily Values, but some may need less. But for none will the 100% of Daily Value (the value percentage that is shown on a supplement label) be enough. I can’t stress this enough! Or you might have a percentage of NRV or some other system depending on where you live. I do go into detail on this in the article on Prime Daily Values.
Okay, regarding your question. So, here’s the thing.
On the top of my head I can think of only two reasons where taking individual vitamins would be better. Obviously, there might be some other more insignificant ones. So, here’s the two reasons.
Do you know how few vitamins are water soluble (for example, B vitamins) and few are fat soluble (for example, D vitamins)? So, essentially when you’re taking a vitamin D you have to consume it together with fat for better absorption. Therefore, most vitamin D supplements as one of the additives contain some kind of oil. And this is also the reason, why D vitamin supplements can be taken any time of the day.
On the other hand, multivitamins are recommended to take with the biggest meals of the day as usually these meals will on their own contain some sort of fat.
Thus, if you were to take a multivitamin that does not have some sort of fat in it not with your meal, then the singular vitamin D supplement would be better.
The other reason is that usually minerals do compete with one another for absorption (for example, Magnesium and Calcium). Therefore, using an multivitamin that has poor forms of these kinds of minerals in a way make them to cancel each other out. So, it’s extremely important in what forms they come. Thus, if they come in that multivitamin supplement in the wrong forms so to say, it’s much, much better to use them separately.
Regarding the best multivitamin supplements here, you need not worry about this as I do take that into account.
All in all it’s much, much, much better to take multivitamins. There certainly are many reasons for this, but I guess the most important reason is regarding additives.
The thing is that when you buy an individual vitamin supplement it usually has 3-4, sometimes 2 additives that are in there. On the other hand, we have the best multivitamin supplements that usually have like 3-5 additives (this is, however, not the case with typical multivitamins as they have way more additives).
So, we have 27 nutrients that we need daily (28 for menstruating women). If you were to have all your vitamins each in a separate supplement that has on average 3-4 additives, you’ll end up with consuming 81-108 additives a day. They may all not be different, but either way it’s way too much and essentially it burdens your body way too much (with which can come also other problems long-term wise or even short-term).
Have a Great Day, Michael!
Cheers!
Hi there,
This is a really interesting and informative article. It’s great that there is some information out there to give guidance on this confusing topic. I have some questions:
– if you have a healthy diet, is there any need to take vitamin supplements?
I am vegan – It is recognised that Vitamin B12 should be taken as a supplement – what would you recommend?
Thank you !
Best wishes
Amanda
Hey, Amanda!
Let me just say that these are some awesome questions! And that I really appreciate your input!
So, should one take vitamin supplements, if that one has a healthy diet?
I like how Dr. Mark Hyman puts this and I agree with this 100%:
“I don’t think people need vitamins and they are a waste of money. . . That is only if they eat wild, fresh, whole, organic, local, nongenetically modified food grown in virgin mineral- and nutrient-rich soils and not transported across vast distances and stored for months before being eaten. And if they work and live outside, breathe only fresh unpolluted air, drink only pure, clean water, sleep nine hours a night, move their bodies every day, and are free from chronic stressors and exposure to environmental toxins.
Then we don’t need vitamins.
But, of course, I have described absolutely no one on the planet. In reality we all need vitamins.
Most people don’t understand the role of vitamins and minerals in our bodies. I certainly didn’t when I finished medical training.”
Therefore, yes! Even if you do promote a very healthy diet, you need vitamins. However, I do feel like it should be extensively explained as to why exactly the answer to the question is “Yes”. Hence, it must be further clarified and explained.
This is also, why I’m currently working on an article specifically regarding this matter. I hope to publish it sometime next week.
As regards to vegan friendly B12 – MegaFood Methyl B12 is a pretty viable choice. There are also other options that I would recommend over this one regarding the B12 specifically, but I found that although harmless, some of their additives may be produced from sources that can’t be considered vegan. It’s not necessarily that way, but the possibility can’t be disregarded.
Nonetheless, this option not only will provide with Vitamin B12, but will also promote Methylation & Sulfation process within the body, which is extremely good. It will work great as an addition to any one of the best multivitamin supplements listed here, as well as on its own.
Have a Great Day & Take Care!
Cheers!
I like the charts for every three supplements, as they help us compare the advantages and disadvantages of each multivitamin.
I personally haven’t been taking one, but I’m not entirely closed to the idea of adding one to my regimen.
However, I have a question on MVI (multivitamins), as there seems to be some kind of controversy around them. I was listening to an interview the other day, done by Ty Bollinger (a natural alternative treatment advocate) who was, with a certain Dr. Nuzum, saying that MVIs are not as beneficial as one may think. They were basically saying that most MVIs go inside of the body through our digestive system, to finally end up at the end of this system, untouched….
Hence, I’ve always thought MVI were little miracle cures in a pill…but I wanted to know your opinion on that matter. You seem to have good options here, would know how much we’re getting absorbed per pill?
Thanks for your answer!
Hey, RN Didi!
Were they implying that multivitamins only make our urine more expensive?
If so, there is actually no way to easily refute this. What I mean is that it’s in my opinion certainly not enough, if I only subjectively challenge any such assertions. However, I myself truly believe that this is not true. It can be true giving certain circumstances, but it’s not something that should typically happen. Inflammation within digestive system, poor vitamin forms, hardly possible to digest additives – are just some of the possible reasons, which come to mind.
Right now I am working on an article to as objectively as possible refute this. But the thing is that it is something that doctors have disputed about for pretty much as long as supplements exist.
But be that as it may, that how much we are actually absorbing per pill is very highly dependent on the health of each individual’s digestive system. And along with many other factors extremely important are the forms that vitamins come in.
If there are huge problems within the digestive system even the best and the easiest forms to absorb (most bioavailable forms) won’t help to acquire that vitamin in one’s system. And vice-versa, if the digestive system is healthy, having the absolute worst forms of vitamins will also have very little benefit. Hence, it highly depends from person to person.
There are, for example, studies that suggest that typically Riboflavin (B2 in its free form) is 95% absorbable or that Biotin (B7 in its free form) is 99% absorbable. But this also may vary from a person to a person, for example, there can be a vitamin form that a particular person can’t absorb because of some unique way of how that person’s body absorbs that vitamin. Because we all are different.
Therefore, it’s quite impossible to give a single percentage as to how much of the pill is absorbed.
However, I can assure that the list of multivitamin supplements here are the best at actually making a positive difference within our bodies. This is because essentially I put a lot of emphasis on how well the nutrients will be absorbed when I’m doing the full reviews on the multivitamin supplements.
One last thing, I truly appreciate your input, RN Didi! And I’m also glad you found the charts helpful.
Hope this helps!
Have a Great Day!
Cheers!
Thanks for your review on these multivitamins! I’ve been looking for some good ones recently, for both myself and my husband.
It really looks like your #1 choice has the best positives and fewest negatives. Do you have any suggestions for filling up those few things the multivitamin may not get? Are there good foods or activities that would help fill those needs in humans?
Thanks,
Lizzie
Hey, Lizzie!
Thank you for your questions, all questions are always welcome! :)
Few days ago as I started to reply, I realised that it will take up too much of the comment section just to post the full answer here. Therefore, I did a separate article on how to round off supplementation according to Prime Daily Values.
From the article I linked here it is already evident that in my opinion the best way to deal with any nutrients that a specific multivitamin does not provide (or provides too less of) is to supplement those with additional supplements. This is mainly because, Prime Daily Values are the amounts of nutrients you should get daily with supplements. Therefore, all of the nutrients from our diet are in theory already accounted for.
Nonetheless, supposedly you could also make a simple big green cocktail with spinach, kiwis and some apple juice, which should cover the magnesium and calcium that, for example, Multithera lacks. For some extra calcium also oranges would help.
And this may seem like a good idea, however, keep in mind that such a cocktail should be taken every day preferably for the rest of one’s life. Whereas, such a cocktail preferably should be taken each day anyway. In fact, it is advisable that a person daily obtains 1200 – 1500 mg of calcium from the diet alone.
As for Vitamin B12, it’s really impossible to pick up 300 mcg through diet alone. Therefore, it should preferably be supplemented. Therefore, if you want to obtain the full amounts of what’s defined by Prime Daily Values, do it through supplements. In the article I linked previously, I have listed few viable options.
As for foods and activities – whatever your typical diet is, eat no less than 8 medium-sized fruits or vegetables a day, exercise, take time to relax, improve your sleep patterns (which in my experience doesn’t always mean to sleep more) and challenge your brain every day.
All of this will help you to strengthen your health and mind!
Have a Great Day!
Cheers
Are any of the supplements you’ve mentioned in this post FDA approved? I’ve been seeing commercials about some supplements starting to be FDA approved.
I really enjoy how you broke down the positives and negatives and gave me a much clearer idea of which one I’m going to further research.
Hey!
I did research quite a bit, yet I didn’t find any supplements that are FDA approved or starting to become FDA approved. FDA themselves claim to not approve supplements, because this is above their authority. Also no such thing exists as an approved FDA laboratory or facility. [R] [R] [R] [R]
Therefore, I do believe that any such commercials are simply some kind of misleading practice.
If you’re wondering about the safety of the nutrient doses (for quite some people this might be the case), they are more than safe to intake. And not only that, but they are absolutely necessary in order to achieve optimal health. More on this in the article on Prime Daily Values and individually in each of the full reviews.
Other than that, I’m very, very glad you found this helpful!
Have a great day!
Cheers!
Matiss