A Better Vitamin?

January 10, 2005 5:56 PM

VitaminFilter: I am a reasonably healthy male in my twenties, and I take a regular old Centrum multivitamin every day. My current huge container is almost empty, and before I buy another one, I'm wondering if there's something better. Is there really any difference between the various brands of multivitamins? Is there a brand better suited for someone my age? I have access to Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Trader Joes, etc., if that helps.
posted by jed to health & fitness (25 comments total)

Um, this is going to come across as being snide, which is unfortunate because I do genuinely mean this to be helpful: have you considered a balanced diet? Multivitamins aren't really necessary in most cases -- which makes for some pretty expensive urine.
posted by aramaic at 6:06 PM on January 10, 2005

Every doctor I've had has suggested a multivitamin. It's loading up on specific vitamins that is a waste of $.

I would go for a reputable store brand, rather than a brand name like Centrum.
posted by stonerose at 6:34 PM on January 10, 2005

If you follow a healthy diet, they're not necessary. You don't need a designer name-brand all-natural vitamin. A standard store-brand is fine, especially if meets the standards of the United States Pharmacopeia.

There isn't any agreement on their health effects, but taking a multivitamin (has minimal doses of many) is cheap insurance ($10 for 250 vitamins = 4 cents a day).

Think of it as insurance, not a substitute.

Research courtesy of Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter C. Willett, M.D. Great read, by the way. He's a proponent of evolving nutrition research. In particular: the benefits of unsaturated fats, overmarketing calcium, the importance of what you drink and good sources of protein (high in unsaturated fats, low in saturated).
posted by pedantic at 6:41 PM on January 10, 2005

Sometimes I know I'm not getting a balanced diet, especially in iron, as I don't eat beef, and I don't eat enough leafy greens or other plant sources of iron. I know, I know. But all the multivitamins generally have the same ingredients; go for a name brand, if only because supplements aren't regulated by the FDA.
posted by gramcracker at 6:45 PM on January 10, 2005

Postscript: One can of Mountain Dew a day is 30 cent pee.

I'd say that makes more expensive urine. ;)
posted by pedantic at 6:46 PM on January 10, 2005

I have long been a skeptic of the overmarketing of vitamins, but more and more would agree that a MVT is just common sense. And an inexpensive store brand at that, to echo an earlier post, since most vitamins are produced at one of only a few factories. Most of what is in them may be redundant, but things like folate, vitamin D (especially in climates with longer winters or low sunlight) and B6 are all reasons to take one periodically, if not daily.
posted by docpops at 6:52 PM on January 10, 2005

Take them with food. Just because 100% of a given nutrient is in the pill doesn't mean you will absorb it efficiently. Taking your vitamin with food increases that efficiency. And bear in mind that the USDA recommended percentages are a really vague average. They may be excessive or insufficient depending on your size, physiology, diet, environment, condition, etc. And even if 100% really is what you need, the pill probably needs to have a little more than that to account for absorption. It's doubtful you'll ever absorb absolutely all of what's in the pill, so it's kind of misleading when they say it has 100% of what you need.

Most doctors will recommend a multivitamin because most people's diets are shit. But it is honestly better to take a look at your diet, learn which foods are rich in what vitamins, and eat a healthy, balanced meal. A multivitamin will help fill in the gaps. You can't ever get enough bannanas, broccoli, garlic, blueberries, and greens. You can live to 110 on stir frys and smoothies.
posted by scarabic at 6:53 PM on January 10, 2005

Incidentally, Bukowski said "take vitamins but don't lift weights" and, despite a horrendous liftstyle, lived to a ripe old age.
posted by scarabic at 6:55 PM on January 10, 2005

I'm also a consumer of supermarket vitamins, my container of Centrum finished, I purchased a container of Jamieson. I bought this current batch at a natural foods store. There wasn't much of a price difference between the Centrum and the Jamieson and the quantities of each mineral and vitamin are about the same.

I wonder whether anyone here has experience with the vitamins that are marketed by Usana. A friend was trying to get me to buy them, use them and resell them (yes, they are a MLM). The uninteresting MLM angle aside - are Usana vitamins really that much better than the 'commodity' vitamins one finds at the supermarket or pharmacy? The price of the Usana vitamins is MUCH higher
posted by seawallrunner at 7:13 PM on January 10, 2005

If someone tries to involve you in a MLM scheme I'm pretty sure it's a federal statute that you must kill them on sight.
posted by docpops at 7:17 PM on January 10, 2005

Center for Science in the Public Interest : How to Pick a Multivitamin (.pdf file)
posted by invisible ink at 7:30 PM on January 10, 2005

What about Children's vitamins...except, eaten by an adult?

....I like the pretty colours...
posted by stray at 8:13 PM on January 10, 2005

Thanks for the CSPI link, invisible — looks like I'll be getting a nice CVS generic. As for the diet comments, I realize that a healthy diet is the best source of nutrients. That said, I do eat a healthy diet, and my doctor recommended taking a vitamin at my last physical.
posted by jed at 8:26 PM on January 10, 2005

docpops - I wouldn't want to /work/ for them as a reseller or distributor, just askin' about the quality of the product. the price per bottle is outrageous even after factoring in distribution 'costs'.

stray- do the math on the side of the label, eat away! might take a number of colorful capsules to even reach your daily recommended minimum. kids' vitamins are adjusted for the needs of young growing bodies
posted by seawallrunner at 8:28 PM on January 10, 2005

buy them, use them and resell them

No one is going to want your used vitamins, swr.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:25 PM on January 10, 2005

I get the Trader Joe's childrens gummy bear vitamins. I figure that my diet is healthy enough to only supplement a little. I hate swallowing pills, and the gummy bears are good.
posted by kamikazegopher at 9:41 PM on January 10, 2005

>How to Pick a Multivitamin (.pdf file)

While that article is full of excellent advice, I think dismissing ginseng out of hand like they do is a bit premature. Its makes me almost crazy in large doses and is a stimulant, to me and others I know who use it, on par with caffeine. Two 200mg panax ginseng pills feel like a shot of espresso and will easily add a bit of time to my cardio workouts.

Of course the larger issue is how these studies were performed, but I find it hard to believe its the placebo effect at work here.
posted by skallas at 10:40 PM on January 10, 2005

One-a-Day (brand) multivitamin isn't coated very well, so you have to wash it down quickly with a lot of liquid or it'll get sticky and leave a bad taste in your mouth.
posted by shoos at 2:13 AM on January 11, 2005

gramcracker, you're probably aware of this, but men shouldn't take supplements with iron unless directed to by a doctor.
posted by Mayor Curley at 4:21 AM on January 11, 2005

I use the Exact brand you can get at Zellers. I figure, hey, the Exact ibuprofen works just as well as Advil.

I have to take it with food though - otherwise it comes right back up.
posted by orange swan at 5:05 AM on January 11, 2005

There's a big difference between a healthy diet and a full balanced diet. I primarily eat vegetables, pasta, and rice. For all purposes, this is very healthy, though it lacks certain nutrients, which is why a multivitamin works for me.

I consider certain foods with these 'missing' nutrients to be too expensive or distasteful. For example, I can't afford lots of fruit or organic juices.. and the cheap juices are 99% water and sugar with some fruit flavor thrown in.

Taking multivitamins can be a very good idea if your diet is healthy, but not full.
posted by wackybrit at 6:51 AM on January 11, 2005

I primarily eat vegetables, pasta, and rice.

Not to derail, but a diet heavy in pasta is not healthy. All those empty carbohydrates aren't good for you.
posted by mkultra at 7:28 AM on January 11, 2005

I prefer the ones designed "for men". They typically leave out iron, which you really don't need and can actually be harmful if you get too much.
posted by electroboy at 8:03 AM on January 11, 2005

I get the supermarket brand comparable to Centrum - same dosage, half the price. Expensive pee? See what pedantic said. Better safe than sorry. Also, be careful of iron supplements - good if you're enemic, bad if you have too much iron (hemochromotosis sp?) like my brother.
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 9:53 AM on January 11, 2005

Not to derail, but a diet heavy in pasta is not healthy.

Of course not, but my diet isn't 'heavy' in pasta. Pasta just happens to be one of my main staples. I tend to overload on the vegetables then have something like pasta as a base, but vegetables probably outnumber the pasta or rice by 2:1.

Besides, I don't subscribe to with the modern Western thought on carbs.
posted by wackybrit at 4:21 PM on January 11, 2005