Who needs them? Well the number of people that can say that every day they honestly eat a well-balanced diet of containing lots of fruits, nuts and vegetables, whole grains, dairy, along with chicken and fish is not just low, it is merely non-existent. Of the people who think they are doing well, most do not realize the sheer quantities that have to be consumed to maintain that 'well-balanced diet'.
Okay, so almost everyone needs a multivitamin, but which one to choose? Having 30,000+ vitamins on the market presents so much choice it normally is a case of finding the bottle you think looks the nicest ... or the cheapest. After all, a vitamin is a vitamin right?
Fortunately, 7 Canadian and American biochemists have come to rescue us from our ignorance. They looked at and compared what is in each of these multivitamins by separating and measuring each ingredient - that is, vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and other components.
They put together the 'perfect' multivitamin, which actually does not exist as some vitamins needs to be taken separately and it would be the size of large chestnut, and rather difficult to swallow!
They examined how absorbable the vitamins were, whether they were in the right amounts/form and the variety of vitamins and minerals. Also looked at was having the vitamins in the right combinations for the body's needs. The score was how close each one was to that perfect multivitamin out of 100%.
In order of importance;
Nutritional Supplements %
USANA Health Sciences Essentials...................................... 73.7
Solgar Omnium ........................................................ 56.5
Thorne Research Al's Formula ......................................... 46.9
Clinicians Vitamin and Mineral Boost.................................. 45.1
NFS Nutraceuticals Ultimate Sports Multi ............................. 44.5
Thorne Research Basic Nutrients V .................................... 44.4
Thorne Research Basic Nutrients III .................................. 38.7
A staggering 50 out of the total 110 multivitamins did not even reach 10% and only the top 11 multivitamins were above 25% of what the human body needs on a daily basis.
The popular supermarket brands all featured below 10% possibly due to being forced to compete on price with other supermarkets. The downside for you, means the product you take every day is a hugely inferior supplement.
In other words, you get what you pay for. In some cases ignorance is bliss, in others it is a big wakeup call. My father has taken supplements for many years before and after he developed cancer and never once questioned the quality of what he was consuming. After reading this, he too, wondered why he ever thought not to research something so important to his health, when he did such a great job of researching anything else that he bought.
My advice, choose a multivitamin that is backed by a great company with a good reputation and do not just buy any old vitamin because of the price. You would be better off spending the money on something else.
Daniel Tolmie has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cancer Prostate, Affiliate Programs and Asthma. If you would like help with your health personally call me on 011 642 167 7041 or 0064 2167 7041. Email me at toodaniel@gmail.comDANIEL TO. Daniel Tolmie's top article generates over 135000 views. Bookmark Daniel Tolmie to your Favourites.