Choosing a Multivitamin

When you go to choose a multivitamin, the selection can be overwhelming. You’ll find dozens of different brands, several different forms (tablets, capsules, powders, liquids, chewables, etc), widely varying ingredients, and a hug range of prices. But don’t despair. The following section provides the basic information you’ll need to select a high-quality multivitamin that suits your needs and fits your budget.

Where to Purchase

Multivitamin are available in health food stores, grocery stores, drug stores and warehouse stores, as well as from Web sites and mail-order retailers. When first selecting a multivitamin, visit a reputable health food store in your area. Most health food stores offer a wide range of products to meet individual needs, are staffed by well-trained and knowledgeable employees, and have good product turnover to ensure that the supplements they sell are fresh. Also, health food stores value their customers and will be willing to work with you if you purchase products that for some reason don’t meet your needs.

If you purchase supplements from drug stores or pharmacies, you will typically find a more limited selection, but many pharmacists are knowledgeable enough about supplements to help steer you in the right direction.

How Much to Spend

Consider various factors when deciding how much to spend on a multivitamin. Do a little research and compare the prices of the products you’re considering. If most supplements cost more than 10 dollars and you find one that sells for only three dollars, you may want to pass on the cheaper one. But remember, more expensive doesn’t always mean better, and cheaper doesn’t always mean less effective.

For those whose primary concern is price, warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club offer multivitamins at substantial discounts, as do various Web Sites. You may want to visit a health food store and talk to the staff to determine the right multivitamin for you, and then buy a starter package of the product. If you can’t afford to continue buying that particular supplement from the health food store, you may be able to find the same product online at a substantial discount.

Determining Quality

Look for multivitamins from manufactures that conduct quality control tests. It’s comforting to know that a manufacturer verifies and tests raw materials. Also look for products that have been tested fro purity and potency. This means that if a label says that a product contains 500 milligrams of vitamin C, the company has actually tested that product batch instead of relying on other calculations. Most manufactures provide their Web address or phone number on their labels, and you may want to contact the company to learn more about the specific quality control test they perform. Try USANA Vitamins manufactured by USANA Health Sciences.

USP Approved

Look for products that bear the USP logo. USP is the abbreviation for United States Pharmacopeia, an official public standard – setting authority for health care products in the United States. Their seal tells nutrient absorption. While many excellent products aren’t tested by the USP, the USP logo is one indicator that your product will dissolve and be absorbed properly.

Labels and Packaging

Examine the packaging of the multivitamin you’re considering. Choose a product with legible labels: the front panel should provide the name and quantity of the product, and the side panels should provide nutritional information and an ingredient list with the exact quantity of each ingredient. Also, look for products that provide the manufacturer’s contact information, a lot number, an expiration date and clear instructions.

Recommendations from Store Staff

If you’re not sure about which product to choose, don’t be afraid to ask! Staff members at reputable health food stores are well trained and knowledgeable about the products they sell. Pay attention to their recommendations, which re often based on positive feedback from other customers.

Alpha-lipoic Acid

Alpha-lipoic acid is a naturally occurring substance found throughout the human body and in a variety of foods. While alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) performs several vitamin-like functions, scientists do not classify it as a vitamin because the body can manufacture enough for its own needs. Alpha-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that protects cells against damage caused by free radicals, which can bind to and destroy cellular material in the body, including DNA. In addition to its own antioxidant activity, ALA helps to recycle other antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E and glutathione, a substance that is essential for intercellular health. While most bioactive compounds are soluble in either water or fat, alpha-lipoic acid is soluble in both, making it especially useful for protecting against free radical damage both inside and outside the body’s cells.

Because of its impressive antioxidant properties, researchers have investigated alpha-lipoic acid for its role in preventing and treating conditions believed to be related to oxidative stress, including diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, cataracts and radiation injury. Studies have also shown that ALA may help to protect the brain from damage after a stroke and may even be beneficial for people with AIDS.

Because the body’s production of alpha-lipoic acid decreases as we age, some experts believe that a daily ALA supplement may be beneficial for promoting health and preventing disease in middle-aged and elderly adults. Alpha-lipoic acid may also help reverse the decline of mitochondrial energy production that occurs during the normal aging process.

The “Ideal” Antioxidant?

From a therapeutic viewpoint, few natural antioxidants are ideal. An ideal therapeutic antioxidant would fulfill several criteria. These include absorption from the diet, conversion in cells and tissues into usable form, a variety of antioxidant actions (including interactions with other antioxidants) in both membrane and aqueous phases, and low toxicity. Alpha-lipoic acid is unique among natural antioxidants in its ability to fulfill all of these requirements, making it a potentially highly effective therapeutic agent in a number of conditions in which oxidative stress has been implicated.

Diabetes and Diabetic Neuropathy

Alpha-lipoic acid, in conjunction with other antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C, may be doubly helpful for people with diabetes. By promoting the conversion of sugar into energy in the mitochondria (the energy factory in cells), ALA can help remove excess glucose form the bloodstream and improve insulin function, resulting in decreased insulin resistance. Additionally, researchers have found that patients with diabetic neuropathy – ac condition that causes pain, tingling, and numbness in the hands and feet – benefitted significantly from ALA supplementation.

Several research studies support the effectiveness of alpha-lipoic acid in treating diabetic neuropathy. In other double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, scientists assigned 328 participants with type 2 diabetes and diabetic neuropathy to receive either an intravenous infusion of alpha-lipoic acid or a placebo for three weeks. Patients scored their neuropathy symptoms at baseline and throughout the study with the Hamburg Pain Adjective List and the Neuropathy Symptom and Disability Score. The Total Symptom Score was significantly lower in participants taking ALA than in those taking the placebo.

In another study, the SYDNEY trial, 120 participants, with diabetic sensorimotor polyneuropathy were randomly assigned to receive either 600 milligrams of intravenous alpha-lipoic acid or a placebo five days per week for 14 treatments. The ALA group’s Total Symptom Score was significantly reduced compared with those receiving the placebo. Finally, a meta-analysis that combined data from the ALADIN I, ALADIN III, SYDNEY and NATHAN II trials showed that patients who used 600 milligrams of intravenous alpha-lipoic acid for three weeks showed a 24.1 percent reduction in Total Symptom Score and a 16 percent reduction in the Neuropathy Impairment Score.

Please note that the studies cited above used intravenous alpha-lipoic acid supplements. The long-term benefits of oral ALA supplements for diabetic neuropathy have not yet been fully established; however, evidence does suggest that 600 milligrams per day of an oral alpha-lipoic acid supplement may help relieve diabetic neuropathy. Responding to the positive news about ALA’s role in diabetes and its complications, the American Diabetes Association has stated that alpha-lipoic acid and vitamin E supplements may be helpful in some of the health complications associated with diabetes, including kidney disease, vision problems, heart disease and nerve damage. ALA is a potentially vital supplement for the one in 20 Americans who live with diabetes.

Bottom Line

While many antioxidant supplements are available, ALA is unique in its ability to function as both a water- and fat-soluble antioxidant, as well as its role in recycling vitamin C, vitamin E and glutathione. For diabetics, people with other health conditions and even middle aged and elderly adults who want to maintain optimal health, alpha-lipoic acid is showing great promise.

Sources, Benefits and Risks of Vitamins

Here is a list of the sources, benefits, and potential risks of vitamins:

Vitamin A: Beta-Carotene; Retinol

Supplemental vitamin A should be consumed as beta-carotene, which is a precursor (manufacturer) of vitamin A.

Best sources: Sunflower green sprouts, green leafy vegetables, chia sprouts, sea vegetables, and cruciferous vegetables.

Major symptoms of vitamin A deficiency: Night blindness, dryness of various parts of the eye, and blindness.

Major symptoms of vitamin A toxicity: Liver damage, irritability, weakness, diminished menstrual bleeding, and psychiatric disorders.

Vitamin B1: Thiamin; Thiamine

Best sources: Wheatgrass, sprouted sweet potato, sprouted peas, sprouted corn, and raw sauerkraut.

Major symptoms of B1 deficiency: Beriberi, headaches, irritability, fatigue, lethargy, and neurological diseases.

Major symptoms of B1 toxicity: Allergic reactions.

Vitamin B2: Riboflavin (Formerly Cited as Vitamin G)

Best sources: Cabbage sprouts, kamut grass, raw corn, buckwheat-green sprouts, and corn sprouts.

Major symptoms of vitamin B2 deficiency: Soreness of the mouth and tongue, dermal and genital rashes, neuropathy, and anemia.

Major symptoms of vitamin B2 toxicity: Possible increase of tumor growth (and possible additional complications therefore).

Vitamin B3: Niacin (Nicontinamide; Nicontinic Acid)

Best sources: Sprouted wheat, spelt, kamut grasses, sea kelp, and dulse.

Major symptoms of vitamin B3 deficiency: Circulatory and cardiovascular disease.

Major symptoms of vitamin B3 toxicity: Burning, itching, headache, nausea, vomiting, duodenal ulcers, and liver failure.

Vitamin B5: Pantothenic Acid; Calcium Panthothenate

Best sources: Pecans, sprouted sesame seeds, avocado, organic apples, and apricot seeds.

Major symptoms of vitamin B5 deficiency: Respiratory infection, fatigue, cardiac irregularities, gastrointestinal complications, rashes, staggering, muscle cramps, and disorientation.

Major symptoms of vitamin B5 toxicity: Diarrhea and water retention.

Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine; Pyridoxal; Pyridoxamine

Best sources: Sprouted sweet potato, cabbage, sprouts, wheagrass, sprouted mango seed, and Brussels sprouts.

Major symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency: Rashes, seizures, carpal tunnel syndrome, and anemia.

Major symptoms of vitamin B6 toxicity: Unsteadiness, muscle weakness, and systemic weakness.

Vitamin B12 (Considered a probiotic): Cobalamine; Cobalamin; Cyanocobalamine; hydroxocobalamin

Best sources: Blue-green algae, raw tempeh, raw sauerkraut, organic green vegetable juice, and wheatgrass. Supplement is needed daily.

Major symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency: Pernicious anemia, sometimes causing unpleasant internal electrical impulses permeating the lips, nose, and extremities; susceptibility to colds and other infections; bruising; and impaired blood clotting.

Major symptoms of vitamin B12 toxicity: Allergic reactions and rashes.

Vitamin Development History

You may be wondering what exactly a vitamin is and how we initially became aware of how important they are to our health. A concise answer to the first part of that question is that vitamins are organic micro-nutrients essential to normal human metabolism. Unlike fats, carbohydrates, and some proteins, vitamins are not metabolized to provide energy. Most are not manufactured by the body but are present in minute quantities in natural foodstuffs. Each of these naturally occurring organic compounds performs a specific vital function and is required by the body for disease prevention and good health.

The known vitamins are divided into four fat-soluble types (A, D, E, and K) and nine water-soluble types (eight B vitamins and vitamin C). The fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the body and do not need to be ingested every day. Because the fat-soluble vitamins are not eliminated from the body through the urine, ingesting too much of them can create toxicities. The water-soluble vitamins are more easily eliminated and can be taken in larger amounts without much danger of toxicity. Vitamin C and the eight B vitamins (except for vitamin B12 and folic acid) are water soluble. They cannot be stored and must be consumed frequently for optimal health.

As an initial convention, vitamins were given letters to go with their chemically defined names. Not many people may know about the form of vitamin E d-alpha tocopheryl succinate, but most people know what “vitamin E” is and how it can be used. Some nutritional factors were originally given “B” names but turned out not to act as vitamins at all. You may not have heard of vitamin B4, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, which were ultimately rejected as vitamin factors.

Although our knowledge and awareness of vitamins as important nutrients came about relatively recently, most of the ancient healing traditions dating back 5,000 years demonstrated some recognition that certain herbs and vegetables contained an invisible substance with an energy or life force that could reverse serious health conditions.

In both ancient Egypt and Greece, for instance, it was known that night blindness could often be successfully treated with carrots. Today we know this old remedy works because of the naturally occurring vitamin A found in that vegetable. Whether by common sense, by the power of observation, or by intuition alone, these ancient cultures understood the principle that a life force within the foods of nature could maintain human health and even restore it.

Our understanding of this principle took a quantum leap forward in 1747, when a Scottish naval surgeon, James Lind, discovered that an unknown substance in lemons, limes, and several other fruits and vegetables prevented scurvy, which was a serious problem for sailors of that period. This nutrient would eventually be identified as vitamin C.

Scurvy is a serious hemorrhagic disease that cause lack of energy, immune deficiency, and spontaneous bleeding, often leading to death. Although those who used citrus fruits or chickpea sprouts to prevent scurvy had no concept of “vitamins” as we do today, they did know that there was something in the citrus fruit or vegetables that prevented scurvy. Because limes traveled well, they were the common choice of sea captains, who distributed them to the sailors and crew. The use of limes by the British Navy and other British commercial shipping companies created the slang term “limeys”, referring to British sailors and citizens of the British Isles. It was also discovered that raw potatoes, which contain small amounts of vitamin C, could also prevent scurvy.

Vitamin K

Not all vitamins were discovered as a cure for deficiency. Vitamin K’s existence was suspected in 1929, but it was discovered, identified, and isolated later, and has been used widely since 1939. Vitamin K was initially unveiled in experiments on chickens. It was found that with certain diets chickens lost their blood-clotting ability. It was observed that the blood of chickens coagulated faster on diets that contained sprouted soybeans containing naturally occurring vitamin K. We now understand that vitamin K has excellent blood-clotting ability.

Healthy bacteria in the intestines normally produce vitamin K. Much of the population lacks healthy levels of intestinal “flora” and would be advised to supplement vitamin K through naturally occurring sources. Vitamin K is most readily found in leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale, and to a lesser extent in sprouts and algae, olive oil, and green tea.

Vitamin K is essential for synthesizing the liver protein that controls clotting. It is involved in creating prothrombin, the precursor to thrombin, an important factor for blood clotting, assisting in the production of six of the 13 known proteins needed for clotting. People taking anticoagulants must be careful to keep their vitamin K intake stable. This vitamin is also important to bone formation.

Consuming low levels of vitamin K has been linked with poor boon density, while supplementation with vitamin K has shown improvements in biochemical measures of bone health. A report suggests that women who get at least 110 micrograms of vitamin K a day are 30 percent less likely to break a hip as women who receive any amount less than 110 micrograms.

Other reports showed that those eating a daily serving of lettuce or other green leafy vegetable cut the risk of hip fracture in half when compared with eating one serving a week. Data from the Framingham Heart Study also shows an association between high vitamin K intake and reduced risk of hip fracture.

Dietary fat is necessary for the absorption of vitamin K. According to a survey in 1996, a substantial number of people, particularly children and young adults, are not getting the vitamin K they require. A deficiency of vitamin K may result in internal hemorrhaging or nose-bleeds. In newborn children a deficiency of vitamin K can result in hemorrhagic disease, as well as postoperative bleeding. As a result, mothers who are breastfeeding need to consume foods that are rich in vitamin K so that the infant is properly nourished.

Toxicity does not easily occur with a normal dietary intake of naturally occurring vitamin K, but synthetic vitamin K can cause a serious toxic reaction. High uptake of synthetic vitamin K in the range of 10,000 mgs or more has been seen to cause flushing and sweating, jaundice, and anemia. Vitamin K-3 (menadione) supplements have been banned by the FDA because of their high toxicity. If you are taking any anti-coagulant (to prevent blood clotting) medication you must consult your medical practitioner before taking a vitamin K-rich supplement of any kind.

Dietary deficiency is rare, but can occur when the body does not absorb fat properly, as in gall-bladder disease. Major sources of vitamin K include spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, sprouts (specifically onion sprouts), and raw sauerkraut. As a dietary supplement, we recommend a full-spectrum botanical source of vitamin K such as spinach or kale extract.