Recommendations for a multi-vitamin?

Or should I be taking different kinds of vitamins? I've read lots of information but I wanted to know if anyone here had an opinion.

Thu. Jan 19, 5:40pm

Lifepak

I've been taking Lifepak vitamins by NuSkin. NuSkin is one of those multi-level marketing companies, but they make truly wonderful, natural products. And no, I don't work for them.

Thursday, January 19, 2006, 6:03 PM

I like Centrum -- reasonable amounts of all the basics, and when they are independently reviewed, they actually have all the stuff they say they do (many don't). Plus, I figure its a big company, so if something goes wrong, it will get figured out by someone before me. :)

I also add a little extra D ever since I read this article... but don't go crazy, you can cause more harm than good if you overdo vitamins (esp D, E, A, and K).

Link

Friday, January 20, 2006, 1:53 AM

I am using the mega men sport vitamins from GNC. Guy told me these are better to use for weight loss purposes and then switch to another brand after you are done loosing weight.

Friday, January 20, 2006, 5:02 AM

The Women's Fitness Pak from Universal Nutrition

Friday, January 20, 2006, 8:01 AM

I've heard that the supplement industry isn't regulated, and the only "rule" a supplement/vitamin has to pass is that it must break down. Can someone verify this information?
Must vitamins get absorbed in the intestines for them to be beneficial? Is it possible that we don't absorb 100% of the product and are therefore wasting a lot of money on products that don't provide much benefit?

Friday, January 20, 2006, 10:26 AM

A non-scientific way to figure this out is look at your pee when you go to the restroom. Is it florescent yellow? If so you are not absorbing the vitamins and you need to switch. If not your good to go.

Friday, January 20, 2006, 4:24 PM

does that still hold true if you're drinking lots of water?

Friday, January 20, 2006, 4:46 PM

No supplement / natural food products including vitamins are subject to testing for safety or efficacy. Because they are considered food supplements, they fall under separate requirements than say over the counter medications.
Multivitamins should be taken with food when possible. This increases the GI absorption by slowing the rate that they pass through the gut, etc.
Really, no vitamin is probably absorbed 100%. There are just too many variables. Of course, this is why they are supplements to a diet, and not a complete nutrient replacement. Research does seem to indicate that nutrients obtain from food are utilized by the body more effectively than when taken in pill form. Though, I still recommend a multivitamin because everyone has occasional gaps in nutrition.
If you do to the bathroom and see discolored urine, these are the water soluble vitamins like B and C. If these are taken in large doses and are not needed they will be excreted in this manner.
Finally, I would just go for the Centrum, or even whatever generic centrum in available at the grocery. Most of them are pretty good if all you are looking for is a general multivitamin, no sense in spending a ton of money when you don't even know if you are getting what you paid for (ie...not regulated, manufacturers don't have to prove that what is on the label, is what is actually in the product).
Also, just a note on calcium, make sure you are taking calcium several times a day if you are lacking in dietary sources. You can only absorb 500mg or so calcium at a time, so if you take more than this at 1 time it is just excreted out. To get to say a 1500mg a day requirement in supplement form, you would need to take one dose three times a day.
Hope this helps.
Lisa, pharmacy student

Friday, January 20, 2006, 5:48 PM

Lisa, thank you for taking the time to tell all about it! This was very helpful.

Friday, January 20, 2006, 5:57 PM

Twinlab vitamins are usually outstanding because they use real food to make up the vitamins so that they are easier to digest. The poster 2 above is right, they are a supplement but an important one. Rarely do I see a person get all of their nutritional needs in for the day, especially as the poster noted, calcium. I've read that osteoporosis is entirely preventable with calcium intake.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 8:24 AM

Definitely Kirkland Multivitamins which you can find at Costco. They have the most variety and amount of vitamins in any multivitamin I have seen. Pretty cheap too. About $13 for a bottle of 500.

Saturday, January 21, 2006, 10:04 PM

I use the Viactiv multi-vitamin chews. I have a hard time taking pills unless they are really small tablets, and have not found a multi-vitamin that small....

In addition to the multi-vitamin chews, I also take the Viactiv calcium chews and am thinking about getting the Benefiber chews.

Sunday, January 22, 2006, 4:47 PM

my greatest concern today with multivitamin of GNC for active women, is the brighteness of urine ( bright yellow as if has jaundice), I freaked out and thought what have I gotten into. Searched on internet, and found out if some of vitamins are not well absorbed then, they are excreted just the same way as taken, so with little food I took with it , wonder if there is solution out there. I take four tabs a day at one time, need also, to resume the color of my pee.

Link

Saturday, September 15, 2007, 1:47 AM

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