Buyer's Note: Not all Multivitamins Are Created Equal

Multivitamins, which are classified as supplements by the FDA, can have varying quality and be easy to find a product that's less effective.

Because the multivitamin label claims are not managed by a regulatory body, it is impossible to take them at face price. You can find out if the supplement has passed any tests for quality, safety, or contamination by looking at seals from approved non-governmental organizations.

These seals of endorsement prove that the supplement was correctly manufactured and actually contains the ingredients indicated on the label. (This is critical considering that supplement labeling fraud is common. They also test for harmful substances. Here are two methods that can give you reasonable assurance that the contents of your bottle match its label.

U.S. Pharmacopeia – USP test a supplement on four P’s: Performance, Potency and Purity. Positive Identity indicates that the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients listed on the supplement's label are actually contained in it. Potency indicates that the listed micronutrients have been present in the right amounts. Many supplements are sold with too many, too small, or none. Purity indicates that the supplement does not contain undesirable ingredients. This could mean it doesn't have heavy metals, pesticides (or even banned substances) or pharmaceuticals. Finally, performance is the ability of the supplement to be broken down and absorbed. Because a supplement that doesn't dissolve easily in your stomach won't be of much benefit to you.

NSF- NSF is an International Health and Safety Organization that monitors many different products such as kitchen appliances. They also monitor water filtration systems and plumbing fixtures. NSF's "Certified for Sport” label on supplements is especially useful for those who are athletes. The NSF "Certified for Sport" label means that any product with this label has been tested to ensure it is free of banned substances.

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The label on your multivitamin should contain both of these seals. If it does, and the RDAs are met for the listed doses, it will indicate that the multivitamin has a higher quality than the average. It is worth visiting the website for each vitamin manufacturer. This website will provide more details about the production and testing methods used to assure quality. (If you don’t, you have a warning signal.

Labdoor offers another method to assess the quality of a product. Labdoor is unique in that it buys supplements directly from the retail store and tests them in an FDA registered lab. They then rank the supplements by their performance. Labdoor is not able to test all products on the markets, and some ratings (like taste) are more subjective. However you can view a breakdown of all multivitamins that Labdoor has tested.

Are more expensive multivitamins actually better?

Multivitamins don't always come with the advertised price. Some of these less-expensive options are actually quite good.

Full disclosure: Born Fitness does NOT have any financial agreements with any of these companies. We are including them solely on the basis what we know about them via their reviews, reputation, or other information.

Thorne Research in the supplement space is a highly-respected firm. They are known for maintaining high standards of purity, precision, and quality. Thorne stocks a variety NSF Certified for Sport vitamins and has partnered to the Mayo Clinic for randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled clinical studies investigating the effects on various nutritional supplements. Thorne's multivitamins include adequate amounts of vitamins D and K. To make it easier for people with sensitive stomachs, certain formulations may have copper, iron or even iodine removed. Thorne multivitamins can be purchased in 60 or 180 capsules starting at $26.99 and ending at $44.85 for the 180-caps version.

Labdoor tests have shown that Garden Of Life offers high-quality multivitamins. Garden of Life supplied three of five top-ranked supplements according to Labdoor. All multivitamins manufactured by Garden of Life are USP certified. Garden of Life's products can be used for a variety of purposes, including prenatal, women, and men. Garden of Life multivitamins can be purchased in 120 capsules starting at $34.54 and going up to $60.52 for the 240 capsules.