Vitamin D, often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin” since the body produces it after being exposed to sunlight, is a fat soluble vitamin that plays an important role in the body’s absoption of calcium.

Benefits of Vitamin D

• Healthy bones and teeth
• May reduce cancer risk
• Helps the absorption of calcium phosphorus and magnesium
• Plays a role in immunity

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Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms

Some studies have shown that up to 1 in 7 adults are deficient in Vitamin D. The number is generally believed to be higher among the elderly. Signs of Vitamin D deficiency include:

• Softening of Bones
• Causes Rickets in Children
• Osteoporosis

Potential Side Effects

Vitamin toxicity is very low, but if excessive amounts of Vitamin D are taken, side effects can occur. Some of the side effects of Vitamin D overdose are:

• Vomiting
• Weight loss
• Kidney Stones

Recommended Doses

In general, people who get plenty of sunlight should not need Vitamin D supplementation. However, sun-deprived people as well as the eldergly should get 600 – 1000 IUs, according to many health specialists. 

Government Agencies: The recommended dose is 200 IU per day.

Alternative Recommendations: Common recommendations are for 400 IUs in supplementation daily, although the number should be adjusted according to age and how much sun someone gets.

Vitamin B, once thought to be a single nutrient, is actually 8 different vitamins that play an important role in cell metabolism. Vitamin B benefits the body in many ways, and each B Vitamin plays a unique role. The benefits of Vitamin B include:

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List of B Vitamins

Vitamin B Deficiency Symptoms

Symptoms can vary according to which Vitamin B you are deficient in. However, here are some symptoms that may occur if you are deficient in one or more types of Vitamin B:

• Weight loss
• Emotional imbalance
• Cracked lips
• Insomnia
• Diarrhea
• Acne
• Depression
• Skin problems
• High blood pressure
• Anemia
• Birth defects

Vitamin B Side Effects

Vitamin B is water soluble, which means that the body gets rid of it regularly, and toxicity is relatively rare. However, if one takes excessive amount of Vitamin B, side effects can occur, which include:

• Skin problems
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Itching

Recommended Dose:

Government agencies tend to recommend amounts of Vitamin B that many health experts believe to be insufficient. It is not uncommon for multivitamins or B-complex vitamins to contain 1000% of the daily value or more.

A multivitamin is a great way to get the essential vitamins and supplements you need without having to take numerous individual vitamins tablets. However, there is a problem with most multivitamins: They simply don’t give you enough of what you need. 

Why Most Multivitamins Do Not Work

There are many multivitamins out there that simply provide 100% of the daily recommended value of each vitamin. This may sound great, however, such vitamins are often not very helpful. 

Why?

Studies have shown that people benefit greatly from taking way more than the USRDA (US Recommended Daily Allowance) of many vitamins such as Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Vitamin E, and Vitamin D. So what does taking a mere 100% do for you? 100% of the daily value for some vitamins is sufficient, but for many others, 100% is woefully lacking. For some B-complexes, a good multivitamin will provide 1000 – 2000%, if not more.

Think of the USRDA as a bare minimum for many (but not all) vitamins, and you’ll be on the right track.

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What it should ideally contain:

So what should a good multivitamin contain? Assuming you are not using any other supplements, here is our general guideline. 

• At least 100 mg of Vitamin C (preferably much more)
• 1000% of Daily Value or more for Vitamin B1, B2, B6
• 833% or more of Daily Value of B12
• At least 100 IUs of Vitamin E
• At least 400 IUs of Vitamin D
• 5000 IUs or more of Vitamin A, preferably as Beta-Carotene
• At least 100% of Daily Value of Niacin (B2)

 The following should also be included: 

• Folic Acid
• Selenium
• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Iodine
• Copper
• Zinc
• Biotin

These are only guidelines, and you should consult your doctor about your own specific requirements as they may vary for each individual.

Along with multivitamins, you should consider taking Vitamin C supplements since we have not found that most multivitamins do not contain enough Vitamin C. A good amount to supplement would be 250 – 500 mg of extra Vitamin C daily.

Multivitamins also do not have sufficient calcium because the pill would otherwise become too large to swallow. So you may want to consider calcium supplements if you do not get enough from food sources.

With or Without Iron?

There is some debate over whether or not one should take Multivitamins with Iron. Too much iron is not good for you and can increase the risk of disease, so this is something you want to watch out for.  

Most people get sufficient iron from food sources, so extra iron should not be necessary unless you are known to have an iron deficiency, in which case you should consult a physician.

Our Favorites:

We like “Mega Multivitamin” by Botanic Choice as it has plenty of all the essential vitamins and minerals at an attractive price point. Make sure you get the “Mega” and not the regular “High Potency” one since the High Potency version is not sufficient in our opinion, despite the name.

Also, Vitamin Shoppe brand multivitamins are also great choices for the price. However, we found they usually do not contain enough Vitamin C.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant found in many citrus fruits, and is one of the most popular vitamins in the world. It is commonly believed to help fight the common cold and boost the immune system, however, Vitamin C actually has a numerous other benefits as well, which are listed below:

• Promotes healthy skin and teeth
• Boosts immune system
• May prevent Colds or further complications from cold and flu
• Performs a crucial role in tissue repair and growth
• Reduces chance of stroke or heart disease
• Helps form collagen, which makes skin, tissue, tendons, blood vessels, and ligaments.
• Plays an essential role in healing, by repairing wounds, cartilage, bones, and teeth.
• As an Antioxidant, reduces damange caused by free radicals
• Fights the aging process
• Lowers blood pressure by improving nitric oxide activity

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Vitamin C Deficiency Symptoms:

In our opinion this is not a Vitamin you want to skimp on. Lack of Vitamin C can lead to a whole host of problems, which may include: 

• Slower metabolism
• possible weight gain
• Decreased healing rate for wounds
• Dry, splitting hair
• Gum disease
• Bleeding gums
• Rough, dry skin
• Easy bruising
• Nosebleeds
• Weakened tooth enamel
• Joint pains
• Anemia
• Decreased infection-fighting ability

Potential Side Effects:

Vitamin C has a low toxicity, and is water soluble, so overdose is rare, but it does happen. Very high doses above 3000 milligrams or above can cause problems such as:

• Indigestion
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Back Pain
• Itching Skin
• Fever

Recommended Dose:

Government agencies: 50 – 100 milligrams daily is what most goverment agencies recommend. The USRDA is 60 mg. However, it should be noted that many nutritional experts strongly believe that the numbers recommended by governments are way too low.

Alternative recommendations: There is no universal agreement on how much to take, but most experts’ recommendations fall in the  range of 500 – 1000 milligrams a day. Many notable Vitamin C researchers such as Linus Pauling have recommend an even higher intake.

Vitamin A is fat soluble vitamin and antioxidant that performs many critical functions related to vision and reproduction. Its benefits are listed below:

• Promotes good vision
• Helps cells with reproduction and breastfeeding
• Promotes healthy skin
• As an antioxidant, it protects the body from damage by free radicals

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Vitamin A Deficiency Symptoms:

• Poor vision (especially night vision)
• Decreased immune system
• Bumps on the skin (chicken skin)
• Changes to lining on organs (Squamous metaplasia)

Potential Side Effects

Being a fat soluble vitamin, chances of overdose are higher than for other vitamins.  Symptoms are usually seen in people taking over 100,000 IU, but some people have symptoms at over 25,000 IU and can include:

• Dry skin
• Yellow skin
• Joint pain
• Vomiting
• Head ache
• Fatigue

Recommended Dose:

Government agencies:  The USRDA for Vitamin A is 5000 IUs per day. Depending on age, the recommendation by government agencies fluctuates between 300-900 mg, with 700- 900 mcg recommended for adults.

Alternative recommendations: Due to lower chances of overdose, it is often recommended that Vitamin A be taken in beta-carotene form (a substance that converts to Vitamin A in the body).  Typical alternative recommendations are for 10,000 IUs of beta-caroetene a day.