MULTIPLE CHOICE: HOW TO PICK A MULTIVITAMIN.

If the people who design the aisles in drug stores or health food stores had any sense, they'd put the vitamins next to the headache medicines. Whether you're shopping on foot or by mouse, sizing up the thousands of multivitamins/minerals is about as easy as sorting through your life insurance options.

Ironically, what makes it so tough to distinguish one multivitamin from another is that, at their core, they're largely the same. there are only so many vitamins and minerals, and except for some (mostly B) vitamins, their doses stay within a narrow range.

To differentiate one brand from another, marketers target some at men, women, or seniors. They use words like "high potency," "ultra," "mega," and "maximum." And they add ingredients like alfalfa, pumpkin seed, barley grass, and watercress.

Most of the differences are just for show. But some of them matter.

10 MULTIVITAMIN TRICKS

Not sure which multi to take? Supplement makers will try just about anything to boost profits or give their products an edge. Here are some common tricks to watch out for.

1 Missing Minerals

One A Day Essential High Potency Multivitamins are "complete with 100% U.S. RDA of 11 essential vitamins you need to feel your best," says the company's Web site. But where are the essential minerals you need to feel your best? One A Day Women's High Potency Multivitamin/Multimineral has the same vitamins as the Essential, plus just three minerals (calcium, iron, and zinc). In contrast, One A Day Men's, 50 Plus, and Maximum have at least eight.

It's not just One A Day. AARP, NatureMade, YourLife, and many others sell vitamins-only or vitamins-plus-a-few-minerals. There's no reason why you'd be more likely to run short on vitamins than minerals. A complete set of minerals is one feature that separates the best multis from the so-so ones. Look for chromium, copper, magnesium, zinc, and (for children and premenopausal women) iron.

2 No Daily Values

Almost all supplement labels now list %DVs, or Daily Values, to tell you how much of a day's worth of each vitamin or mineral you're getting. (Some labels still call them USRDAs, or U.S. Recommended Daily Allowances.) But there are exceptions. The Vitamin Shoppe One Daily with Iron and Country Life Chewable Adult's Multi have no DVs. Some Web sites--CVS and Solgar, for example--don't disclose DVs either. Without them, you're lost.

For example, how many people would realize that the five milligrams of potassium in Twinlab Daily One Caps with Iron is only one-tenth of one percent of the DV? Unless you've memorized the Daily Values of more than a dozen nutrients, you need those DVs.

3 Bumped Up Bs

Solgar Formula VM-75 supplies 75 mg each of vitamins B-1 (thiamin), B-2 (riboflavin), B-6, and niacin (sometimes called B-3). Nature Made Mega 2000 has 50 mg of each.

There's no reason why you would need such large--and equal--amounts of those nutrients. The Daily Values (1.5 mg for B-1, 1.7 mg for B-2, 20 mg for niacin, and 2 mg for B-6) aren't identical. Companies often jack up the B-vitamins to a round but irrelevant number because it's cheap and relatively safe. Translation: a clever marketing tool.

4 The Kitchen Sink

Some companies throw in everything but the kitchen sink to make their products look better. It doesn't matter that some of those ingredients are worthless, at least according to current research. For example, there is little evidence that the ginseng, alfalfa, cayenne, RNA, coenzyme Q-10, and bee pollen in some supplements do much of anything.

5 Just for Show

A variation on the "kitchen sink" gambit is to add ingredients in such minuscule quantities that they're worthless. For instance, KAL adds 10 mg each of dehydrated broccoli, spinach, bell pepper, and parsley (among a long list of other ingredients) to its Enhanced Energy-S. Add back the water and that still works out to no more than a thimbleful of all four vegetables combined.

GNC Men's Live Well has 50 mg of oat bran powder. You'd need more than 10,000 mg a day to lower your cholesterol significantly. Country Life Chewable Adult's Multi has 5 mg of ginkgo biloba. Studies on Alzheimer's patients typically use at least 120 mg a day.

There are no DVs for herbs, carotenoids, flavonoids, isoflavones, and other phytochemicals. Supplement makers know that while many consumers check to see if an ingredient is listed, they have no idea if the quantity is enough to matter.

6 Unit Switch

If you want to impress someone from another country, tell them your salary in pennies. That's the strategy vitamin makers sometimes use to make it look like they're adding lots of something. Instead of listing the amount of some nutrient in milligrams (mg), they list it in micrograms (mcg). Since there are 1,000 micrograms in one milligram, an amount expressed in micrograms looks a thousand times larger than the same amount expressed in milligrams.

For example, Solgar Ciplex, Naturvite, and Solovite tablets have 180 mcg of zinc. That's 0.18 mg ... just one percent of the DV. Schiff Double Day has 14 mcg of copper. That's less than one percent of the DV. And Solovite has 388 mcg of magnesium. That's one-tenth of one percent of the DV.

7 High Potency High Shmotency

One A Day Essential High Potency Multivitamin has 100 percent of the DV for 11 vitamins. What's "high potency" about that?

The FDA says that a multi can call itself "high potency" if at least two-thirds of its nutrients have at least 100 percent of the DV. To most people, "high potency" means considerably more than the DVs.

And in practice, "high potency" may mean pumped up Bs and C but not enough minerals. Some examples: "Super High Potency" Puritan's Pride Ultra Vita-Min has less than 15 percent of the DV for chromium, copper, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. And "High Potency" Solgar Multi II Caps have no more than 17 percent of the DV for chromium, magnesium, selenium, or zinc.

In contrast, pick up a bottle of Centrum (which could call itself "high potency" but doesn't) and you'll get 100 percent of a day's chromium and zinc. The same probably goes for store-brand copies ("knock offs") of Centrum.

8 Not So Special

Most companies sell "specialized formulas" for women, men, seniors, etc. But those claims aren't regulated, so it's up to each company to decide what each group needs. And sometimes they decide wrong.

For example, AARP Seniors Multivitamin With Minerals has only 3 mcg of vitamin B-12. That's half the DV, but it's only a fraction of the 25 mcg that some experts recommend for anyone over 50 (see "How to Read a Vitamin Label," p. 8). Given AARP's older membership, all of its 21 multivitamins should have 25 mcg of B-12. Yet only four do.

Women's and men's formulas are also not always based on the best science. Most women's formulas have extra calcium, but some--like GNC Women's Multiple--have only half the DV for vitamin D, which helps the body absorb calcium.

And Safeway--one of the largest supermarket chains--has a Women's Daily Pack with only half the Daily Value for folic acid, the B-vitamin that can help prevent birth defects and may cut the risk of heart disease.

9 Name Claims

KAL sells Hair Force and Enhanced Energy-S. Futurebiotics sells PMS Forte. Schiff sells Dr. Susan M. Lark's Menopause Nutritional System Kit. Inverness Medical distributes StressTabs.

Multivitamin labels don't usually make blatant promises to grow hair, curt) the symptoms of menopause, control stress, or whatever. But multivitamin names often do. (You're unlikely to see claims that a multi can cure cancer, heart disease, or other illnesses. That would require the manufacturer to prove that its product is safe and effective, like a drug.)

Unfortunately, most name claims--like those above--aren't backed by good evidence. The bottom line: Companies are on their own when it comes to making name claims ... and consumers are on their own when it comes to judging them.

10 Structure - or - functions Claims

Not all claims are part of a supplement's name. What inside-the-Beltway types call "structure-or-function claims'--which can appear anywhere on the label--are also loosely regulated. These claims describe how something affects the structure or function of the body. But they're often misleading.

For example, some imply that what helps someone who is severely deficient would help the problems facing average Americans. Take GNC MultiGel. It claims that vitamin A is "essential for normal vision." Yes, millions of people in developing countries go blind because they get too little vitamin A. But no, vitamin A won't lessen the vision problems facing typical Americans.

The Vitamin Shoppe Mature Female is also misleading. It has 18 amino acids that are "the building blocks of growth," according to the label. Amino acids are the building blocks of muscles, skin, and many other body parts that are made of protein. But all 18 of The Vitamin Shoppe's amino acids add up to less than half a gram of protein. Compared to the 50-gram DV, that's trivial.

You know you're looking at a structure-or-function claim when the label says: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."

In contrast, some label claims--what the lawyers call "health claims"--are approved by the FDA. For example, the folate in supplements really does help prevent neural-tube birth defects, and the calcium really does help prevent osteoporosis.

HOW TO READ A VITAMIN LABEL

Here's part of the label of the best-selling multivitamin, Centrum, which is often imitated by cheaper "store brands" with names like "Central-Vite" or "Sentury-Vite." Centrum is a Best Bite for premenopausal women, but probably has too much iron for men and postmenopausal women. We use the Centrum label to explain what to look for (or avoid) in your multi.

Vitamin A. There's no need to get more than the Daily Value (5,000 IU) of vitamin A palmitate or acetate. Multis don't go above 10,000 IU to avoid increasing the risk of birth defects. Many multis also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. While beta-carotene isn't toxic and doesn't cause birth defects, high doses (33,000 to 50,000 IU a day) may raise the risk of cancer in smokers. Our advice: Don't get more than 15,000 IU of beta-carotene from a pill. Instead, load up on beta-carotene-rich fruits and vegetables like cantaloupe, carrots, and sweet potatoes, which may help prevent cancer.

Vitamin D. It helps you absorb calcium. Yet many older people get too little D from their food--the major sources are milk, fatty fish (like salmon), and fortified cereals--or from sunshine, especially in the winter. The National Academy of Sciences recommends 200 IU a day for adults under 51,400 IU for those aged 51 to 70; and 600 IU for anyone over 70. Look for a multi with at least 400 IU (the DV).

Folic Acid. Look for the Daily Value (400 mcg, or 0.4 mg), to reduce the risk of birth defects (for women who could become pregnant) and possibly heart disease, stroke, or colon cancer (for everyone).

Biotin and Pantothenic Acid. Ignore. You'd have to eat a bizarre diet to run short of either.

Iron. Many children and premenopausal women are deficient, but too much can cause overload (hemochromatosis) in susceptible people. To play it safe, men and postmenopausal women should look for zero to 10 mg of iron in their multis. The DV (18 mg) is okay for children and premenopausal women, but nobody should take more unless their doctor says so. Iron supplements can also cause constipation.

Phosphorus. Unnecessary. Look for no more than 100 mg; the less, the better. Too much may impair calcium absorption, and we already get more phosphorus than we need from our food.

Zinc and Copper. Look for about 15 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper--that's the DV of each--just for insurance. Too much zinc can impair the absorption of copper, so don't take a multi that only has zinc. More than 50 mg of zinc a day (on top of the 15 mg you get from food) may depress your immune system. Sucking on zinc gluconate lozenges may shorten a cold (possibly by killing cold viruses in the mouth), but taking high daily doses of a zinc supplement won't.

Iodine, Manganese, Molybdenum, Chloride, and Boron. Ignore. There's no evidence that people need more than what they get from their food.

Nickel, Silicon, Tin, and Vanadium. Ignore. It's not clear that they're needed by humans at all.

Lutein. Ignore. In one study, people who consumed roughly 14,000 mcg a day of lutein (and its cousin zeaxanthin), largely from leafy green vegetables, had a lower risk of cataracts than people who consumed roughly 2,000 mcg. But it's not clear that the lutein--rather than something else in the vegetables--is responsible ... or that 250 mcg is enough to matter. Best bet: Eat your spinach.

% Daily Value. It's often written as "%DV." It means the same as "% USRDA" (U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance). Labels use them interchangeably.

Vitamin C. While the DV is 60 mg, most people need 250 to 500 mg to saturate their bodies' tissues. If you follow the National Cancer Institute's advice to eat at least five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, you should get that much. To try to get over a cold sooner, you'll need 1,000 mg to 3,000 mg a day--from a separate pill. Taking more than 1,000 mg at one time may cause diarrhea.

Vitamin E. Studies are under way to see if 100 IU to 400 IU a day reduces the risk of cancer and cataracts. In the best study so far, vitamin E didn't protect against heart attacks or strokes (see Quick Studies, p. 4). Some studies suggest that vitamin E (about 50 IU a day) lowers the risk of prostate cancer, but only in smokers. It's tough to get more than the DV (30 IU) from food.

Vitamin K. Vitamin K may help strengthen bones. Women should get 65 mcg a day, while men need 80 mcg. If you eat lots of vegetables, especially leafy greens, you should get enough.

Thiamin (B-1), Riboflavin (B-2), Niacin, and Vitamin B-6. While there's no reason to get more than the DV for these B-vitamins, the high doses found in some multis are harmless. Fortunately, few multis come close to the super-high doses of niacin (about 500 mg a day) that may cause liver damage or the high doses of B-6 (more than 200 mg a day) that can cause (reversible) neurological problems.

Vitamin B-12. To play it safe, people older than 50 should take a multi with at least 25 mcg because they may lack the stomach acid needed to extract B-12 from food. Others should get at least the DV (6 mcg). A B-12 deficiency can cause irreversible nerve damage.

Calcium. To reduce the risk of osteoporosis (and possibly colon cancer), shoot for these daily doses: 1,000 mg (if you're 19 through 50), 1,200 mg (51 through 70), and 1,500 mg (over 70). If you don't consume three or four servings of low-fat milk, yogurt, or cheese every day, take a 300-mg calcium supplement for each one you miss.

Magnesium. Americans may get too little from food (among the best sources: whole grains and beans), which may raise the risk of diabetes. Look for at least 100 mg, just for insurance (the DV is 400 mg).

Selenium. In a landmark trial, people from the (selenium-poor) U.S. Southeast were half as likely to get prostate, lung, and colon cancers if they were given 200 mcg a day of a yeast-based selenium supplement. Studies are under way to confirm the finding. Our advice: consider taking 200 mcg a day separately. (Natrol, Solgar, and YourLife use SelenoExcell--the kind used in the trial--in their selenium supplements. Natrol says that it will start adding 200 mcg of SelenoExcell to its line of My Favorite Multiples this summer. Other kinds of selenium may be as effective, but it's too early to say.) If you take 200 mcg separately, look for a multi with no more than the DV (70 mcg). Selenium is toxic, possibly in doses as low as 1,000 mcg.

Chromium, Look for the DV--120 mcg--to (possibly) reduce your risk of diabetes. There's no need to get more than 200 mcg a day.

Potassium. Ignore. Amounts in multis are trivial (the DV is 3,500 mg). Instead, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, which are good sources. That's a better way to help keep your blood pressure from rising with age.

Expiration Date. Make sure that it's at least a few months away.

HOW TO PICK A MULTI

Who says Americans can't think for themselves?

For decades, health experts have issued platitudes like "you don't need vitamins if you eat a balanced diet." Yet an estimated 40 percent of Americans take a supplement, and it's most likely to be a multivitamin/mineral. They're no fools.

It makes sense to get roughly the Daily Values for most vitamins and minerals just in case you don't get them from food. That's especially true for women because, on average, they eat less food than men.

What's more, many people run short on some key nutrients, possibly raising their risk of heart disease or birth defects (folic acid), weakened bones (vitamin D), or irreversible nerve damage (vitamin B-12). (See p. 8.)

Of course, you can't expect a supplement to make up for a lousy diet. Vitamins or no vitamins, you still have to eat enough fruits and vegetables, beans, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, poultry, and fish. And you still have to limit fatty meats and dairy products, pastries, commercially fried foods, and sweets.

But a healthy diet and a supplement may be the best of both worlds. The question is which supplement ... or supplements?

It's not as simple as taking 100 percent of the DV for everything. We already get too much of some nutrients, and some others won't fit into a multi (unless you have to take six a day). Here's how to sort out the good from the not-so-good multis.

1. Look for 100 percent of ten vitamins plus some vitamin K. Our Best Bites had at least 100 percent of the DV for vitamins A, B-1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B-6, B-12, C, D, E, folic acid, and niacin. The over-50 crowd should look for a multi with 25 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin B-12, which is about four times the DV.

Those minimums shouldn't be hard to find. But many supplements--including most by brands like KAL, Natrol, Puritan's Pride, Schiff, and Solaray--supply little or no vitamin K, which may help strengthen bones. Our Best Bites had more than 30 percent of the DV for K. If your diet is rich in vegetables--especially leafy green ones--you don't need vitamin K in your multi. (Note: if you take blood-thinners like Coumadin, tell your doctor before taking any vitamin K. It may alter the dose of Coumadin you need.)

2. Get a minimum of minerals. Our Best Bites had 100 percent of the DV for zinc and copper (fairly easy to find) and chromium (tougher to find) because there is some evidence that Americans don't get enough of those minerals.

We didn't require 100 percent of the DV for magnesium for one good reason: it wouldn't fit into a single pill. (More-than-one-a-days may appeal to some, but they're typically more expensive.) Best Bites could get by with only 25 percent of the DV for magnesium.

3. Consider taking calcium and selenium separately. We didn't require the DV for calcium or selenium. Like magnesium, that much calcium wouldn't fit into a single pill, and it's easy to find a separate calcium supplement that has the right dose (see p. 8).

It's worth taking selenium separately because we couldn't find a multi with 200 mcg of the same high-yeast selenium that appeared to reduce the risk of lung, colon, and prostate cancer (so far, in only a single--but compelling--study). Any form of selenium may turn out to be as good, but so far, no one knows. The form of selenium used in the study is SelenoExcell (see p. 8).

4. Avoid excesses. Our Best Bites had no more than 500 mg of phosphorus (we already get too much from our food), 200 mg of vitamin B-6 (higher doses may cause reversible nerve damage), and 15,000 IU of beta-carotene (more may raise the risk of lung cancer in smokers).

Iron is more complicated, because there is no amount that's right (or wrong) for everyone. No Best Bite had more than the DV (18 mg). But many people--men and postmenopausal women, who don't menstruate--should look for zero to 10 mg to lower the risk of iron overload and (although the evidence is still weak) possibly heart disease and cancer. Iron in supplements may also cause constipation.

MULTI V. MULTI

Every multi in this chart (we didn't look at prenatal or kids' formulas) provides at least 100 percent of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamins A, B-1, B-2, niacin, B-6, B-12, C, D, E, and folic acid. Each also has no more than 15,000 IU of beta-carotene, 18 mg of iron, 500 mg of phosphorus, and 200 mg of vitamin B-6.

To be a Best Bite, the multi also has to provide at least 25 mcg of vitamin K, 120 mcg of chromium, 100 mg of magnesium, 2 mg of copper, and 15 mg of zinc. Our circles show which multis had enough of each.

If a section is shaded, the multi has at least:

25 mcg of vitamin K

120 mcg of chromium

100 mg of magnesium

2 mg of copper and 15 mg of zinc

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

In addition, Best Bites for women under 50 (W) have 8 to 18 mg of iron, for men under 50 (M) have no more than 10 mg of iron, and for men and women 50 or older (S) have at least 24 mcg of vitamin B-12 but no more than 10 mg of iron.

The number of pills or capsules the label says to take every day is in parentheses following each multi's name. The last column gives a rough estimate of price, based on the cost direct from the manufacturer (if that's the only way it's sold, like AARP or GNC) or at drugstore.com: $ (less than $5 for a month's supply), $$ ($5 to $10 a month), $$$ ($1 I to $15 a month), or $$$$ (more than $15 a month).

Multivitamin (# per day)                             B-12 (mcg)

AARP Activitamins (2)                                   100
AARP Alphabet II Multivitamins & Minerals (1)            25
AARP High Potency Multivitamins With
 Minerals (1)                                             9
AARP Maturity Formula (1)                                10
AARP Megavitamin (2)                                     50
AARP Multivitamins and Minerals (1)                       6
AARP U.S. RDA Formula Without Iron (1)                    6
Amway Nutrilite Daily (1)                                 9
(W) Centrum (1)                                           6
Centrum Silver (1)                                       25
CVS Mega Multi (1)                                       50
CVS Spectravite (1)                                       6
CVS Spectravite Senior (1)                               25
(W,M,S) Dr. Art Ulene Nutrition Boost Formula
 for Men & Women (2)                                    100
(M,S) Eckerd Daily Impact Senior (1)                     24
Eckerd Vitamin A Day with Minerals (1)                    6
Flintstones Complete (1)                                  6
Futurebiotics MultiVitamin Energy Plus
 for Women (2)                                           30
Futurebiotics Vegetarian Super Multi (3)                100
Geritol Complete (1)                                    6.7
GNC Platinum Years (2)                                   30
GNC Preventron (4)                                       30
GNC Solotron without Iron (1)                            30
GNC Ultra Mega (1)                                       75
GNC Ultra Mega Green (3)                                250
GNC Women's Live Well (2)                                25
KAL Body Defense (3)                                    200
KAL Enhanced-75 (1)                                      75
KAL Enhanced Energy-S without Iron (5)                  250
KAL High Potency Soft Multiple (2)                       50
KAL Multiple Energy (4)                                  50
KAL Vitality for Women (2)                              100
(W) Kroger Complete Extra (1)                            18
Kroger One Daily Men's (1)                                9
Kroger One Daily Multiple Vitamins &
 Minerals (1)                                             6
Life Essentials (2)                                       6
Longs Central-Vite (1)                                    6
Longs Central-Vite Select (1)                            25
Longs Multi Vitamin (1)                                  12
Myadec (1)                                                6
Natrol My Favorite Multiple Take One
 Without Iron (1)                                        50
Natrol My Favorite Multiple Without Iron,
 tablets (4) or capsules (6)                             50
Nature Made Essential Balance (1)                         6
Nature Made Essential Multi Plus Heart
 Health (2)                                               6
Nature Made Mature Balance (1)                           25
Nature Made Mega 2000 (1)                                50
Nature's Bounty Multi-Day Plus Minerals (1)               6
Nature's Bounty Time Release Radiance (1)                 9
One A Day 50 Plus (1)                                    30
One A Day Essential (1)                                   6
One A Day Maximum (1)                                     6
One A Day Men's (1)                                       9
(W) OneSource (1)                                        18
OneSource Mature (1)                                     30
Puritan's Pride Advanced Geri-Max (1)                    50
Puritan's Pride Green Source (3)                         25
Puritan's Pride One (1)                                  50
Puritan's Pride Super VM (1)                             75
Puritan's Pride Women's Exclusive Formula (2)           100
Rite Aid One Daily With Minerals (1)                      6
(W) Rite Aid Whole Source (1)                            18
(M,S) Rite Aid Whole Source Mature Adult (1)             24
Safeway Select Iron Free (1)                              6
(W) Safeway Select OmniSource (1)                        18
(M,S) Safeway Select OmniSource Senior (1)               24
Schiff Double Day (2)                                    25
Schiff Sustained Release Single Day (1)                  75
(M) Shaklee Vita-Lea without iron (2)                     6
Solaray Iron-Free Spectro Multi-Vita-Min (6)            100
Solaray Men's Golden Multi-Vita-Min (3)                 200
Solaray Multi-Vita Mega-Mineral (4)                      60
Solaray Once Daily High Energy
 Multi-Vita-Min (1)                                      25
Solaray Once Daily Iron-Free Multi-Vita-Min (1)          25
Solaray Twice Daily Multi-Energy Iron Free (2)           50
Solaray Women's Golden Multi-Vita-Min (3)               200
Solgar Earth Source (3)                                 250
Solgar Iron Free Formula VM-75 (1)                       75
(W) Spring Valley Advantage (1)                          18
Spring Valley Maximum One Daily (1)                       6
Spring Valley Men's One Daily (1)                         9
(W) Summit Complete (1)                                  18
Theragran Heart Right (2)                                30
Theragran-M (1)                                           9
Theragran-M Advanced (1)                                 12
Twinlab Daily One Caps without Iron (1)                 100
(W,M,S) Twinlab Dualtabs (4)                            100
Twinlab Mega 6 Caps (6)                                 100
UnicapM (1)                                               6
Vita-Smart Century Senior With Beta
 Carotene (1)                                            25
Vita-Smart Maximum Formula With Beta
 Carotene (1)                                             6
Vita-Smart Men's Formula With Beta
 Carotene (1)                                             9
Vita-Smart Men's Multi Plus (1)                          10
(W) Walgreens Ultra Choice (1)                           18
YourLife Complete (1)                                    35
YourLife One Daily 50+ (1)                               30
YourLife One Daily Plus Minerals (1)                      6
(W,M) YourLife Super Multi-Vitamin (1)                   12

Multivitamin (# per day)                          Iron (mg)   Price

AARP Activitamins (2)                               15          $
AARP Alphabet II Multivitamins & Minerals (1)        4          $
AARP High Potency Multivitamins With
 Minerals (1)                                       18          $
AARP Maturity Formula (1)                           15          $
AARP Megavitamin (2)                                10         $$
AARP Multivitamins and Minerals (1)                 18          $
AARP U.S. RDA Formula Without Iron (1)               0(*)       $
Amway Nutrilite Daily (1)                           18          $
(W) Centrum (1)                                     18          $
Centrum Silver (1)                                   0          $
CVS Mega Multi (1)                                  18          $
CVS Spectravite (1)                                 18          $
CVS Spectravite Senior (1)                           4          $
(W,M,S) Dr. Art Ulene Nutrition Boost Formula
 for Men & Women (2)                                 8          $
(M,S) Eckerd Daily Impact Senior (1)               3.6          $
Eckerd Vitamin A Day with Minerals (1)              18          $
Flintstones Complete (1)                            18          $
Futurebiotics MultiVitamin Energy Plus
 for Women (2)                                       8         $$
Futurebiotics Vegetarian Super Multi (3)             8         $$
Geritol Complete (1)                                16          $
GNC Platinum Years (2)                              10         $$
GNC Preventron (4)                                  18        $$$
GNC Solotron without Iron (1)                        0(*)       $
GNC Ultra Mega (1)                                  18         $$
GNC Ultra Mega Green (3)                            10       $$$$
GNC Women's Live Well (2)                           18        $$$
KAL Body Defense (3)                                 0       $$$$
KAL Enhanced-75 (1)                                1.2         $$
KAL Enhanced Energy-S without Iron (5)               0(*)    $$$$
KAL High Potency Soft Multiple (2)                  15       $$$$
KAL Multiple Energy (4)                             18       $$$$
KAL Vitality for Women (2)                          18       $$$$
(W) Kroger Complete Extra (1)                       18          $
Kroger One Daily Men's (1)                           0          $
Kroger One Daily Multiple Vitamins &
 Minerals (1)                                       18          $
Life Essentials (2)                                  3       $$$$
Longs Central-Vite (1)                              18          $
Longs Central-Vite Select (1)                        4          $
Longs Multi Vitamin (1)                             18          $
Myadec (1)                                          18          $
Natrol My Favorite Multiple Take One
 Without Iron (1)                                    0(*)      $$
Natrol My Favorite Multiple Without Iron,
 tablets (4) or capsules (6)                         0(*)    $$$$
Nature Made Essential Balance (1)                   18          $
Nature Made Essential Multi Plus Heart
 Health (2)                                          0         $$
Nature Made Mature Balance (1)                       0          $
Nature Made Mega 2000 (1)                           18         $$
Nature's Bounty Multi-Day Plus Minerals (1)         18          $
Nature's Bounty Time Release Radiance (1)           18          $
One A Day 50 Plus (1)                                0          $
One A Day Essential (1)                              0          $
One A Day Maximum (1)                               18          $
One A Day Men's (1)                                  0          $
(W) OneSource (1)                                   18          $
OneSource Mature (1)                                 0          $
Puritan's Pride Advanced Geri-Max (1)                1         $$
Puritan's Pride Green Source (3)                    15       $$$$
Puritan's Pride One (1)                             10         $$
Puritan's Pride Super VM (1)                        10         $$
Puritan's Pride Women's Exclusive Formula (2)       15        $$$
Rite Aid One Daily With Minerals (1)                18          $
(W) Rite Aid Whole Source (1)                       18          $
(M,S) Rite Aid Whole Source Mature Adult (1)       3.6          $
Safeway Select Iron Free (1)                         0          $
(W) Safeway Select OmniSource (1)                   18          $
(M,S) Safeway Select OmniSource Senior (1)         3.6          $
Schiff Double Day (2)                               18         $$
Schiff Sustained Release Single Day (1)              9         $$
(M) Shaklee Vita-Lea without iron (2)                0(*)      $$
Solaray Iron-Free Spectro Multi-Vita-Min (6)         0(*)    $$$$
Solaray Men's Golden Multi-Vita-Min (3)              0        $$$
Solaray Multi-Vita Mega-Mineral (4)                 18       $$$$
Solaray Once Daily High Energy
 Multi-Vita-Min (1)                                1.8         $$
Solaray Once Daily Iron-Free Multi-Vita-Min (1)      0         $$
Solaray Twice Daily Multi-Energy Iron Free (2)       0(*)     $$$
Solaray Women's Golden Multi-Vita-Min (3)            0        $$$
Solgar Earth Source (3)                             18       $$$$
Solgar Iron Free Formula VM-75 (1)                   0         $$
(W) Spring Valley Advantage (1)                     18          $
Spring Valley Maximum One Daily (1)                 18          $
Spring Valley Men's One Daily (1)                    0          $
(W) Summit Complete (1)                             18          $
Theragran Heart Right (2)                            4         $$
Theragran-M (1)                                     18          $
Theragran-M Advanced (1)                             9          $
Twinlab Daily One Caps without Iron (1)              0         $$
(W,M,S) Twinlab Dualtabs (4)                        10       $$$$
Twinlab Mega 6 Caps (6)                             10       $$$$
UnicapM (1)                                         18          $
Vita-Smart Century Senior With Beta
 Carotene (1)                                        4          $
Vita-Smart Maximum Formula With Beta
 Carotene (1)                                       18          $
Vita-Smart Men's Formula With Beta
 Carotene (1)                                        0          $
Vita-Smart Men's Multi Plus (1)                      0          $
(w)Walgreens Ultra Choice (1)                       18          $
YourLife Complete (1)                               18         $$
YourLife One Daily 50+ (1)                           0          $
YourLife One Daily Plus Minerals (1)                18          $
(W,M) YourLife Super Multi-Vitamin (1)               9          $

(W) best Bite for women under 50.

(M) Best Bite for men under 50.

(S) Best Bite for women or men 50 or older.

(*) Also available with 18 mg of iron.

The use of information from this article for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited without written permission from CSPI.

Source: manufacturers

MULTIVITAMIN Questions & Answers

Still have questions about supplements? Here are the answers to a handful of the most common ones.

Q: Where should I buy my vitamins?

A: It doesn't matter. Whether you shop at a health food store, supermarket, drug store, through the mail, or online, you get essentially the same ingredients. That's because most companies buy their vitamins and minerals from the same small group of multinational manufacturers.

What varies is how much of each nutrient you get, whether the tablet is properly made, and which extra non-vitamin ingredients like coenzyme Q10, bioflavonoids, and herbs it has. Since the amounts are usually tiny and the evidence that they make you healthier is inconclusive, consider them optional "frills."

Q: How do I know if my supplement is well-made?

A: There are no federal standards that tell companies precisely how to manufacture supplements. So you're probably safer with a major brand.

Some of the best bargains are "store" brands that carry the names of large drug chains or retailers like Wal-Mart or Kmart. They're big enough to demand top quality from vitamin makers. The letters "USP" on a supplement label mean that the tablets meet the voluntary standards of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, and that they dissolve in a lab test designed to mimic what happens in your gut.

Another way to make sure that your vitamins disintegrate is to get a chewable brand. If you can't find one for adults, try a children's multivitamin. The extra sugar or aspartame they contain is negligible.

Q: Does it matter when I take my multivitamin?

A: There isn't much evidence one way or the other, but most experts recommend taking vitamins with meals. That's because some nutrients are better absorbed when your digestive tract is geared up to handle food.

Another timing tip: High doses of calcium can impair your ability to absorb iron. So if you're taking calcium and a multi with iron, take them at two different meals.

And unless your doctor says otherwise, it's a good rule of thumb to wait a few hours between taking any prescription medication and taking a multivitamin, since some nutrients in the multi could interfere with the drug, and vice versa.

Q: Are "natural" vitamins better?

A: In general, no. The one exception is natural vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol), which appears to be slightly better retained and used by the body than synthetic E (dl-alpha tocopherol). As long as the E is labeled in International Units (IU), you needn't worry--100 IU (or any amount) of synthetic E will be as potent as the same amount of natural E.

Q: Should I buy "chelated" minerals?

A: Chelate [KEY-late] means clawlike. In theory, if a mineral is chelated (it sits inside an amino acid "claw"), it may be better absorbed because it's protected from things in food (like the phytic acid in grains or the oxalates in spinach) that can bind it.

In practice, it may not be worth the extra cost. Chelated calcium, for example, is absorbed five to ten percent better than ordinary calcium, but it costs five times as much.

Q: What multis should kids take?

A: Children aged four and older can take the same multivitamin-mineral supplements that adults take (though it might be worth looking for ones without food dyes, which may worsen the behavior of some children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder--ADHD--or other behavioral problems). In fact, if you check a CentrumKids Complete, you'll notice that its vitamins and minerals are similar to Centrum for adults. Children's multis are often scored for easy breaking because children aged one to three need only half a pill each day.

Q: How much should I pay for my multivitamins?

A: A 30-day supply of one of our Best Bites can cost as little as $1.00 to $4.00. Designer brands can run $15 or more. Unless you want the extra calcium and selenium that they sometimes have, there's no reason to pay that much.

--David Schardt