Formula Evaluation Criteria

Criteria for Formula considerations

• Science support for composition          
• Effectiveness of nutrient forms
• Nutrient dosage validity
• impact on nutrient ratios when coupled with food sources 
• Label presentation facts (FDA analysis for over under label amounts*)
• Delivery method
• Excipents (filler materials) profile
• Disintegration time
• Absorption percentages
• Nutrient on nutrient interference

The Accumulation Affect

There are over 20 vitamin issues plus numerous base element issues that could impact the multiple vitamin mineral supplement quality and safety. Issues about disintegration, absorption, and nutrient on nutrient interference are also factors often overlooked. People may take a number of different products that contain the same nutrient and fail to consider nutrient amounts added together.  This can push dosages up into potential adverse amounts or put them in an unbalanced ratio with other supplemented or food source nutrients. 

If tablets fail to disintegrate, there is a greater likelihood for reduced absorption percentages. The evaluation of the ingredients and formula would be nullified. Some formulas have nutrients that interact and hinder the absorption of other nutrients. Vitamin E over vitamin K, Calcium over iron, zinc over copper, etc. Sometimes these actions are little more than just rhetoric, but at larger dosages they can have adverse effects. Unfortunately, the results for some of these effects may not be discovered for many years.

OBSERVATION: If you see an evaluation for multiple vitamins that recommends Centrumtm or One-A-Daytm multiple vitamins, that website is simply expressing the current mainstream status quo ignorance of significant scientific vitamin research. Some of which are recent discoveries but some go back around the 1940's to the birth of natural isolated and synthetic vitamins. A little bit of true facts with a lot of fluff. When you know the reality, it is difficult to imagine how professionals today are accepting and holding onto such antiquated vitamin theories. The newly developed vitamin criteria offered by this website allows one to jump ahead of faulty mainstream nutritional recommendations to safeguard health.  

Perhaps  this picture will illustrate what is happening with controversal vitamin study results. Study researchers can pick and choose different criteria to arrive at seemingly any conclusion they want to prove. Just about any result can be manipulated into reality with just the right light direction, or choice of subjects, vitamin forms, and dosages, plus nutrient synergism. 

Vitamin D produced osteocalcin does not add minerals to bone until it is activated by vitamin K2. Vitamin K2 is now in many bone formulas for this function, but this fact about K2 is not mentioned by the osteoporosis society. Why not?

* Label amounts of listed nutrients. Percent above or below. This government analysis reveals that the most serious differences in accrual amounts compared to label amount exist for vitamin A and vitamin D at a range that included a 40% overage. For minerals, chromium and selenium, both minor minerals, at up to 25-30% overage. This is one reason the new criteria amounts are lower. The other is related to how the body processes nutrients at different intake amounts, and any possible interactions and/or interferences with other nutrients.

Nature's Way Alive Multiple System Analysis

Nature's Way has an updated and improved formula, a 3 tablets a day formula

(YES, Alive Multiples do contain some synthetic vitamins)

Serving Size: 3 Tablets	Amount/Serving	%DV
--Synthetic source for Beta carotene                                  --Retinol at max	AMOUNT in               3, 2 & 1 TABLETS
Vitamin A (33% [5,000 IU] as retinol palmitate and 67% [10,000 IU] as beta carotene)(synthetic since no source listed, plus a little bit of natural from included foods)	15,000,  10,000, 5000
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) (from corn starch and sugars)(while synthesized in a lab from natural ingredients, it is nearly or the same structure as natrual C in food,with slight differences only in a few studies, could be from family members)	1,000mg   667,  333
Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol)    Newly CHANGED TO Preferred D3 Form	1,000IU    667,  333
Vitamin E (as d-alpha tocopheryl succinate)   --NO FAMILY MEMBERS	200IU       134,  67
Vitamin K (as phytonadione)(synthetic, 75% same molecule as natural, but includes 2 extra verisons not found in nature)	80mcg     53,  27
Thiamin (as thiamin mononitrate)(synthetic)	25mg     16.7.  8.3
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) (synthetic)	25mg
Niacin (as niacinamide) (synthetic)	125mg
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCl/pyridoxal 5-phosphate)(synthetic, co-enzyme form)	50mg
Folic Acid (synthetic)	400mcg	100%
Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin)(semi or part-synthetic)	200mcg	3333%
Biotin (synthetic)	325mcg	108%
Pantothenic Acid (as d-calcium pantothenate) (synthetic)	125mg	1250%
Calcium (as citrate/carbonate)	250mg	25%
Iron (as amino acid chelate)	18mg	100%
Iodine (from pacific kelp powder, as potassium iodide)	150mcg	100%
Magnesium (as citrate/oxide)	125mg	31%
Zinc (as amino acid chelate)	15mg	100%
Selenium (as L-selenomethionine)     --ONLY TAKE 1-2 TO LOWER AMOUNT*	200mcg	286%
Copper (as amino acid chelate)	2mg	100%
Manganese (as amino acid chelate)	5mg	250%
Chromium (as chromium picolinate)(same as for Selenium, take only 1-2, not serving size of 3.)	250mcg	208%
Molybdenum	75mcg	100%
Sodium	15mg	1%
Potassium (as amino acid chelate)	50mg	1%
Green Food/Spirulina Blend     --Potential SOURCE of LEAD CONTAMINATION Spirulina (microalgae): Kelp (whole thallus); Alfalfa (leaf, stem); Barley Grass (grass); Dandelion (leaf); Wheat Grass (grass); Melissa (leaf); Lemon Grass (grass); Nettle (leaf); Blessed Thistle (stem, leaf, flower); Chlorella (broken-cell microalgae); Plantain (leaf); Blue Green Algae (microalgae); Cilantro (leaf);	400mg	*
Cardiovascular Blend with Resveratrol Hawthorn (berry); Japanese Knotweed standardized to 50% resveratrol; Coenzyme Q10 (ubiquinone)	100mg	*
Orchard Fruits™ Blend Pomegranate (seed); Acai Extract (whole palm fruit); Juice Powders; Grape; Plum; Cranberry; Blueberry; Strawberry; Blackberry; Bilberry; Cherry; Apricot; Papaya; Orange; Pineapple	100mg	*
Garden Veggies™ Juice Powder Blend:  Parsley; Kale; Spinach; Wheat Grass; Brussels Sprout; Asparagus; Broccoli; Cauliflower; Beet; Carrot; Cabbage; Garlic	100mg	*
Organic Mushroom Defense Blend  Cordyceps; Reishi; Shiitake; Hiratake; Maitake; Yamabushitake; Himematsutake; Kawaratake; Chaga; Zhu Ling; Agarikon; Mesima	100mg	*
Digestive Enzyme Blend:  Concentrated Enzyme formula: (Protease I, Protease II, Peptizyme SP, Amylase, Lactase, Invertase, Lipase, Cellulase, Alpha Galactosidase); Betaine HCl; Bromelain (from pineapple); Papain (from papaya)	100mg	*
Omega 3/6/9 Fatty Acid Seed Blend: Flax Seed Powder (dry, cold pressed); Sunflower Seed Powder (dry, cold pressed)	100mg	*
Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex (from lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, tangerine) providing; Hesperidin, Naringin, Narirutin, Eriocitrin, Flavonols and Flavones (vitamin C family members increase effectiveness of C plus have own functions) --LOW DOSAGE, SHOULD BE > 100 mg.	60mg	*
Siberian Eleuthero (root)	50mg	*
Inositol	50mg	*
Choline (as choline bitartrate)	30mg	*
Rutin	25mg	*
Boron (as amino acid chelate)	1mg	*
Lutein (from marigold)    --LITTLE VALUE AT THIS LEVEL.  NEED >2 mg.	500mcg	*

This product does not contain

• artificial coloring
• artificial flavoring
• dairy products
• preservativeS
• wheat
• yeast

 Warning

Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6.Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

Other Ingredients

Vegetable modified cellulose, Vegetable cellulose, Vegetable stearic acid, Vegetable modified cellulose gum, Silica, Vegetable magnesium stearate, Vegetable glycerin 

*Selenium amount might be adverse for those already at a higher natural intake level and benifical for those low. 100 mcg prudent amount for general population.

New Chapter vs Garden of Life vs MegaFood Multiples

Head to head multiple vitamin comparisons of the Women's Formulas for these 3 food form vitamin companies..

1. Megafood (MF),

2. (tie) New Chapter (NC), and MyKind Organic Multiple (GOL)

3. Garden of Life Vitamin Code (GOL).

Since the formulas are very similar, small but significant differences decided rankings. All dosages should be cut to half of suggeted. See below pictures. 

They all have some advantages, see below.  But, they also have major short-comings in that they exhibit most of the major vitamin flaws presented on this website. For review, here are the major flaws:

1. Cannot verify from box label if contains natural beta carotene with both forms, all-trans and 9-cis.

2. Does not mention vitamin E family members or list amounts on label,

3. Does not list vitamin C family (bioflavonoids, ruitn) and any amounts

4. Contains non significant amounts of major minerals and lacks appropriate ratios.

5. MegaFood and New Chapter now list synthetic vitamin forms on their labels, while for Garden of Life Code Multiples, this is only found in their literature for the MyKind Organics introduction. For the MyKind form, there is only a mention in the patent description that synthetics may be added to standardize amounts. article

First product for comparison: Women's Multiple (find and click on supplement facts for labels)

MegaFood Women's label 
New Chapter Women's label

 Garden of Life Vittamin Code Women's Multiple Label

Since Garden of Lfie has a new Muliple line, it gets included as well 

Garden of Life MyKind Women's Multiple

 Analysis: All 4 products are very close in doses and at half dosage slightly better than at full suggested serving size, all four are acceptable. After factoring in the above negatives, MF is just a little bit better with lower Selenium and proper folate form. Not sufficient data to determine if beta carotene includes both forms, but have to assume not at significant amounts if both are present.

Since these are women formulas, iron is included. BUT, iron is a negative in these formulas since it oxidizes some vitamins. Better to take separately if a diagnosis of anemia. Iron containing foods best source for daily use.

GOL Code Multiple lost out with higher folate and selenium amounts.

Caution: The label reads folate, the natural food form in the ingredient box, but GOL has already admitted that this product had synthetics added to growing yeast cells during production. It may be possible for the yeast cells to convert the synthetic folic acid into the natural form folate just like what happens in the human liver, but this is not generally acknowledged. The natural may or may not have the same adverse effects as the synthetic at higher levels to stimulate cancer growth. This issue is still under study. MF has the correct form listed while NC admits the synthetic form folic acid is added to yeast, but it is at a lower amount that the body may be able to convert completely. Another reason MF gets the nod.  

Just because these are whole food formulas, well but not exactly, one cannot assume that the added foods are at a significant amount to offer meaningful nutrition. The MyKind Women's Multiple is rather unique. The claim is that only foods are used to supply most of the vitamins, but see here for the reality.