Make sure the multivitamin/multimineral you take passed our test and is best for you!
Isn't your health worth it?

More about this report

If you're worried that you don't get enough nutrients from your diet, you might want to hedge your bets with a multivitamin/multimineral supplement. But what's really in that pill, powder, or liquid? If you're not careful, you might not get what you bargained for. In this latest review and quality rating of multis, ConsumerLab.com discovered defects in 32% of products. including:

• 14 multivitamins contained either too little (as low as 8%) or too much (as high as 226%) of claimed amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, or calcium. These include vitamins for women, men, seniors, children, and pets.
• Tablets of a men's multi failed to break apart within the required time — suggesting that it may not release all of its ingredients properly for maximum absorption.
• A range of multivitamins contained more than the upper tolerable limits of niacin, vitamin A, folate, and magnesium.

Supplements were checked for potential contamination with arsenic, cadmium and lead if they listed large amounts of minerals and/or herbs. "Gluten-free" supplements were checked for gluten.

ConsumerLab.com found that some of the best quality multivitamins can be purchased for just pennies a day.

Avoid problems and find the best multivitamin at the best price using ConsumerLab.com's reviews and recommendations. In this comprehensive report, covering more than 60 products. you'll discover:

• Which multivitamins failed testing and which passed, earning top quality ratings -- and why
• Which multivitamins exceed tolerable upper limits for certain nutrients
• Which low cost multivitamins give you the same nutrients as more expensive popular brands
• Head-to-head comparisons of all multivitamins reviewed and rated
• Daily vitamin and mineral intake recommendations by age and gender to find what's best for you
• Concerns, cautions and potential side-effects with multivitamins

Several months after release of this Review, the FDA released changes to the Daily Values for vitamins and minerals and labeling rules which will make it easier for consumers to know when they are getting too much or too little of these nutrients. The changes highlight the fact that many multivitamins provide much more folic acid than required -- often above the tolerable upper intake levels. For more about this, see the Update near the top of the full Review.