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Vitamin Info

Posted On: October 11, 2010 by Wesley Rainey

Vitamin Labels The Recommended Daily Allowance is the basic amount of a nutrient needed daily to meet basic needs of healthy people. Daily Values are the amounts recommended to help prevent against disease (these amounts are often higher than the RDA). DV is what’s presented on food labels. RDA is mainly used by health professionals. Experts say you should look for a multivitamin that provides 100% of the DV for most of the essential vitamins and minerals in one pill. Multivitamin ingredients are measured in terms of the Daily Value (DV). The recommended amount of each vitamin and mineral is established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Vitamin ingredients is based in part on the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA)

Best Multivitamin for Men

  • One-A-Day Men’s Health Formula.
    • Contains no iron. Men receive recommended amounts from diet usually.
    • Has 150% of selenium and Vitamin E, both of which may help prevent prostate problems.

Best Multivitamin for Premenopausal Women

  • Centrum from A to Zinc.
    • Women lose iron during menstruation. In this age group 18 milligrams of iron is suggested.
    • The Centrum Formula also contains 500 micrograms of folic acid, which is essential for preventing neural tube defects (like spina bifida) in babies.
    • The Centrum formula vitamin A is 29% beta-carotene.
    • Experts say the higher percentage of beta-carotene, the better since too much Vitamin A in the form of retinol palmitate or acetate can contribute to birth defects

    Best Multivitamin for Pregnant and Lactating Women

  • Century Prenatal formula.
    • Increased folic acid and a slightly higher percentage of vitamin A in the safer form of beta-carotene to prevent birth defects are recommended.
    • Century has 800 micrograms of folic acid and 4,000 micrograms of vitamin A (50% in the form of beta-carotene)

    Best Multivitamin for Men and Women Over 50

  • One-A-Day Women’s and (OAD) Men’s 50+ Advantage.
    • Women need more calcium to fight against osteoporosis. Osteoporosis can be prevented with lifestyle changes and sometimes medication
    • Ageing causes a decrease in our ability to absorb B12. Higher amounts are recommended after 50.
    • People taking blood thinners should consult physician.
    • Increased selenium if you’re a male at risk for prostate cancer.
    • Vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene.

    Things to Consider

  • Multivitamins can interfere with prescription medications. Consult physician first.
  • Steer clear of dollar store or ultra-cheap discount brands. In testing, many did not contain claimed amounts, or didn’t dissolve properly.
  • Choose a multivitamin that contains 100% DV of most essential vitamins and minerals. Greater than 100%; at best, you’ll just expel the excess through urine.
  • All women of childbearing age should take 400 micrograms of folic acid (folate) to prevent neural tube birth defects. Women also need to take a calcium supplement to fight against osteoporosis.
  • Don’t assume that all forms of a multivitamin have the same ingredients. Chewable and liquid multivitamins may not contain same amount of nutrients.
  • Always buy a children’s formula for children. Children have different nutritional needs than adults.


Basically get a good quality multivitamin and continue to eat well and exercise. For the adults out there still eating flintstone vitamins its time to grow up and get a good multivitamin. Get out and be active!

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