Choosing a Multivitamin

Choosing a multivitamin can be difficult as there are products of every kind all making a claim to be the best. There are liquid vitamins, multivitamins, herbal vitamins, and so on. Not surprisingly, many consumers don't know where to turn, nor do many know how to distinguish between marketing fact and marketing fiction, between the reality and the razzle dazzle. And that is the purpose of this page. There are key things you need to look for when choosing the best multivitamin and they are:

• Synergistic and diversified nutrients
• GMP compliant facilities to ensure the highest quality multivitamin possible
• Male & female customized formulas

Let's take these points in depth.

Multivitamin Reviews

How To Choose The Best Vitamin Supplement

Clearly, when choosing a multivitamin, you want to make the best choice possible. We suggest you consider first, though, the ingredient quality of the supplements. There is a new term you should be aware of -- GMP certified facility supplements -- nutraceuticals.

Nutraceuticals are a combination of nutrition and pharmaceutical, and that is what they are -- prescription quality, nutritional pharmaceuticals. Most, if not all, multivitamins are made from the cheapest ingredients possible even including fillers, additives, and dyes. Some multivitamins actually have sand in them!

Silica is sand yet you'll see the term "silica" on the label. If unhealthy even dangerous ingredients is not bad enough, many supplements don't even have the proclaimed ingredients as stated on the label. Multivitamin fraud is rampant. When choosing a multivitamin, remember: The importance of nutraceuticals is established only in part by the rigorous standards they must meet before they can be sold.

Their contents is also part of the mix. Many vendors choose not only inferior grade substances, but the binding agents are usually inferior as well. Why? It's expensive to use the best ingredients and materials. Here's an example: Beta Carotene is a form of Vitamin A and can vary incredibly in potency.

It can be synthetic or natural. The active ingredient present may just be a few percent or up to 98% of the weight. And the cost difference? Synthetic Beta Carotene (3% active) costs around $60 per kilo, whereas natural pure pharmaceutical grade (98% active) costs around US$2,400 per kilo (98% active). Another key component of rating of multiple vitamins should be is the manufacturing process.

There are three main areas of manufacturing that are relevant here, i.e., scientific formulation, potency of ingredients (we just talked about that), type of facility, and verification of ingredients on label.

Scientific Formulation

When doing a vitamin supplement comparison, the ideal supplement should be scientifically formulated. It's critical that in a multivitamin with many nutrients be formed with scientific knowledge at the cellular level. Some vitamins cancel each other out and some need other minerals to do their job.

Type of Facility to Look For

When comparing vitamin potency, look for GMP certified facilities that are regularly inspected by government authorities. Do you think this irrelevant? Here's one example. As reported by Medscape 1/24/2000, "High levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been identified in five brands of shark liver oil capsules that are available internationally over-the-counter." PCBs are toxic to the body.

 In another study done by Time Magazine as reported July 31, 2000, eight of 21 brands tested were found to have pesticides and lead. This dovetails into our next point, verification of ingredients.

Pharmaceutical GMP compliant facilities verify not only purity and potency of ingredients, but they also validate the existence of label proclaimed ingredients. Regarding potency of ingredients, look for all raw ingredients supported with a COA (Certificate of Analysis), which guarantees their potency and safety.

Key Nutrients to Look For in Nutritional Supplements

When engaging in the rating of multiple vitamins, consider this: Optimum multivitamins need more than just basic vitamins and minerals. Look for other specialty nutrients that include:

• Potent herbal standardized extracts
• Antioxidant combinations
• Preventative ingredients
• Broad spectrum combinations of nutrients -- important for creating a synergistic effect in the body.

It is only in the last 10 years or so that herbals have begun to be more accepted by the public. They've long been demonized by an entrenched Western medical establishment who wanted to maintain the status quo as well as their profit margins.

Did you know, for example, that the cholesterol lowering drug industry is a $20 billion dollar a year industry? If you came on their turf with herbal medicine interventions that not only lower your cholesterol but do it safely with no side effects at a literal fraction of the cost, that was and is most disconcerting to them. It's still egregious but progress has been made. Herbals like ginger, olive leaf, and red clover have potent compounds that improve blood pressure, thin the blood, and strengthen the immune system.

Bio-Availability Delivery System

When comparing differing vitamins, and when seeking to obtain the best multivitamin, remember that the biological delivery system is just as important as the manufacturing process. The truth is that as most dietary supplements use synthetic ingredients and are destroyed by gastric acids. Experts say that 90% of most supplements are excreted out as they're unassimilable! Ideally, the nutrients of the supplements make their way through the stomach intact where they can then be assimilated in the upper intestine. Is there a solution that makes this possible? There is -- enteric coating.

Enteric coating is expensive and sophisticated technology, which is why most manufacturers don't have it. Enteric coating protects the active compounds of the vitamins and minerals where it then dissolves in the upper intestines for assimilation into the blood stream. Another important consideration are the binding agents for the tablets themselves, called excipients.

Again, they're expensive and most manufacturers seek to avoid them. Consequently, they substitute cheap binders that cause the supplement to go through the system unused. We know this wasn't always the case as we've been studying herbal medicine for over 24 years including homeopathic and nutritional supplementation as well.

Getting The Best Multivitamin

In looking for the best multivitamin for our own use, I came across a company called based in New Zealand that meets this criteria. Imention New Zealand deliberately as their government has stricter regulatory manufacturing standards for dietary supplements than the US has for prescription medications -- they even surpass FDA standards.

Their vitamin supplement product meets the criteria discussed on this webpage. In addition, it has over 99nutrients including vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts, amino acids, trace nutrients, etc. In our own rating of multiple vitamins, we found it superior. I also have been using it for over two years and am eased with the results. They have a version specifically designed for women and one designed just for men as well.

The female version has female-specific ingredients like Black Cohosh, Dong Quai, Sage extract and Wild Yam that are help women age 21 to post-menopause age, helping with both pre and post menopausal health related issues. For the men's version (they also have a unisex version as well) has male-specific substances like Saw Palmetto, lycopene, Beta Sitosterol, which help contribute to prostate health.

If you want more than just a basic vitamin supplement comparison, or a basic multivitamin, you may want to check out this world class  multivitamin supplement further. I personally believe it is the best multivitamin on the market today and I've been using it for over seven years now.

This is an opinion formed after literally spending more than 25 plus years researching and thousands of dollars spent trying differnet brands in my own search in finding the best vitamin supplement.

Yours in health, hope, and harmony,
Nutritional-Supplement-Bible.com