Multivitamins for Seniors

Best multivitamin for men and women over 50

Like the other groups mentioned, people over 50 also have unique needs from their multivitamin. As we age, we lose the ability to absorb vitamin B12 from food. According to the Institute of Medicine, seniors may not absorb between 10 and 30 percent of the vitamin B12 in their food. Although the official DVI for vitamin B12 remains at 2.4 mcg throughout adulthood, some experts advise people over 50 to look for 25 mcg of B12 in their multivitamin. The Institute of Medicine has not set a UL for vitamin B12 because there's a low risk for toxicity.

Based on the latest guidelines, the Institute of Medicine recommends 1,200 mg of calcium per day for women over 50 and men over 70. Both men and women over the age of 70 are advised to get 800 IU of vitamin D on a daily basis. Other nutrient needs are largely the same, although women over the age of 50 can reduce their daily intake of iron from 18 mg to 8 mg per day, an amount that is usually easy to get from food.

Seniors should note that the vitamin K in multivitamins might interfere with blood-thinning medications like Warfarin, according to the National Institutes of Health. If you take a blood thinner, talk to your doctor about your vitamin K needs before you start taking a multivitamin. The Institute of Medicine has set the adequate intake of vitamin K at 90 mcg for adult females and 120 mcg for adult males.

Two respected testing organizations -- ConsumerReports.org and ConsumerLab.com -- recommend Centrum Silver (*Est. $11 for 100 tablets). It passes both tests with flying colors. Centrum Silver contains 25 mcg of vitamin B12 and no iron. The 220 mg of calcium is only a fraction of what's recommended for seniors, and 500 IU of vitamin D also falls short of current recommendations. Talk to your doctor about whether or not you need additional supplements in this area. Centrum Silver also contains 30 mcg of vitamin K.

Centrum Silver gets good reviews from users at Amazon.com, with most saying the tablets are easy to take (only one pill per day) and cause no noticeable stomach upset or other side effects. "This product covers all the bases to make sure you get at least the minimum required for health," says one user. "I highly suggest it to anyone looking for a simple multivitamin to help meet your basic needs," says another.  

Testing shows that store-brand multivitamins work just as well as the more expensive name brands -- at a cheaper price. Kirkland Signature Mature Adults 50+ Multi (*Est. $11.50 for 400 tablets) is another senior multivitamin that passes tests at both ConsumerReports.org and ConsumerLab.com. Kirkland Signature is Costco's store brand, but nonmembers can purchase the multivitamin at Costco.com for a small additional fee (the surcharge was 57 cents at the time of our visit).

Based on recommendations that seniors should get more vitamin B12 in supplement form, the Kirkland Signature Mature Adults 50+ Multi contains 25 mcg of B12. The multivitamin also contains 2,500 IU of vitamin A with 40 percent as beta-carotene, 500 IU of vitamin D and 220 mg of calcium. The Kirkland Signature Mature Multi does not contain iron, but it has 30 mcg of vitamin K. The few user reviews at Costco.com are positive, with users saying that the Kirkland Signature brand doesn't contain excess amounts of vitamins and minerals like some multivitamins. ConsumerReports.org also likes this multi because it's inexpensive and contains "reasonable amounts" of essential nutrients.

Other store brands also do well in recent independent tests of multivitamins. Member's Mark Mature Multi Adults 50+ (*Est. $13 for 400 tablets) -- sold at Sam's Club -- wins approval from the vitamin-testing organization ConsumerLab.com. Tests show that the multi contains the ingredients listed on the label and dissolves properly. Member's Mark senior multivitamin contains 25 mcg of vitamin B12, 500 IU of vitamin D, 2,500 IU of vitamin A and 220 mg of calcium. It is free of iron. We didn't find any user reviews of this multivitamin, but ConsumerLab.com's approval is a good sign. Wal-Mart's Equate Mature Multivitamin 50+ (*Est. $6 for 100 tablets) passes tests at both ConsumerLab.com and ConsumerReports.org. Nutrient amounts are similar to the Member's Mark multivitamin, including 500 IU of vitamin D, 30 mcg of vitamin K, 220 mg of calcium and 25 mcg of vitamin B12.

Spectravite Senior Multivitamin/Multimineral (*Est. $10 for 260 tablets), sold at CVS, is another store brand that earns a nod in recent testing. The one-a-day tablet contains 25 mcg of vitamin B12, 400 IU of vitamin D, 200 mg of calcium and 30 mcg of vitamin K.

The name brand One-A-Day multivitamins are solid picks as well, although more expensive than the store brands from Costco or Wal-Mart. One-A-Day Women's 50+ Advantage (*Est. $17 for 150 tablets) and One-A-Day Men's 50+ Advantage (*Est. $22 for 150 tablets) are one of the few senior multivitamins that meet or exceed the current recommendations for vitamin D. The Institute of Medicine recommends 600 IU of vitamin D for those over 50 and 800 IU for seniors over 70 years old. The One-A-Day Women's multivitamin contains 1,000 IU of vitamin D, while the men's version contains 700 IU. Other nutrients in the men's formula include 20 mcg of vitamin K and 25 mcg of vitamin B12. The women's version contains 500 mg of calcium, compared to 120 mg in the men's multivitamin. The men's formula also has 157 percent of the DV of selenium, although Bayer can no longer claim in its advertising that this nutrient may help prevent prostate cancer. (The company paid a settlement last year for advertising a link between selenium and prostate cancer that isn't supported by scientific evidence.)