Vitamins....
Posted by Di on Jul 22, 2007 · Member since Nov 2006 · 1343 posts
A few months ago, there was a thread about testing our multivitamins. Mine failed the dissolving in vinegar? test. Maybe it was in water. I don't remember.
Which women's multivitamins passed and do you know if they are available in Canada?
I would like to find a good multivitamin. I would also preferably like to find one catered to a woman's body although a good multivitamin in general would be better than mine as it didn't dissolve in a very long time.
ConsumerLabs would be the best place to find the information, but unfortunately you have to pay a fee in order to get the results of their tests. Here is their website and it does give you a list of which vitamins were tested.
http://www.consumerlab.com/results/multivit.asp
I also found a website that had partial information on the testing, including a few of the recommended brands which did not fail.
http://www.wellnessandbeyond.typepad.com/wellness_and_beyond/2007/01/index.html
I cut and pasted a small piece from the article below.
ConsumerLab.com was kind enough to give us a list of six brands that we should avoid and the reasons why. For a small fee, they'll give us the rest of the list. Hmmmm! Here is the short list that they released of the failed brands:
1. Nature's Plus Especially Yours Women's Multivitamin ... may not fully be absorbed.
2. AARP Maturity formula ... may not fully be absorbed.
3. Now Adam Superior Men's Multivitamin ... may not fully be absorbed.
4. Vitamin Shoppe Multivitamins Especially For Women ... contains 15.3 micrograms of lead per serving.
5. Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears ... contains a high percentage of Vitamin A which can weaken bones and cause liver damage.
6. Eniva Vibe ... contains only 54% of claimed Vitamin A.
Among those supplements that passed the test are One-A-Day Women's, Flintstones Complete, Centrum Silver, Member's Mark Complete Multi (distributed by Sam's Club), Puritan's Pride Children's Multivitamin, Kirkland Signature Daily Multi (distributed by Costco).
I was horrified to discover that my supplement (Vitamin Shoppe) contains lead!!! I guess I'm going home and pitching those in the trash! >:(
After reading the China Study I became convinced that vitamins are really unnecessary and its best to get your vitamins from food. The only one T.Colin Campbell suggests is possibly a low dose B12 once per week. Possibly vitamin D if you don't live in a sunny place. I haven't taken any for a couple of years and I feel just fine!
Don't get a tablet. Get something in a veggie capsule and you won't have to worry about whether or not it breaks down. There are also liquids.
I don't take any. Personally, I think they've been very cleverly marketed. But, the reality is that you never absorb 100% of the stuff that's in the vitamin. The difference in taking one and not taking one is negligible, IMO. Unless, you're getting them in shot form, i.e. like iron shots ... vitamins in pills are pointless, I think.
It's better to just eat the right foods instead. It can be overwhelming to do it by a daily basis. So, just make sure that in one WEEK, you get all the vitamins, nutrients, amino's, protein, etc. that you need.