Women's Multivitamins

Best multivitamin for premenopausal women

Premenopausal women lose iron during menstruation, so experts recommend that women in this age group take a multivitamin with 18 mg of iron, such as One-A-Day Women's (*Est. $11.50 for 100 tablets). This multivitamin also contains 400 mcg of folic acid, which is recommended for all women of childbearing age to prevent potential neural tube defects like spina bifida. Women's One-A-Day contains 1,000 IU of vitamin D, which is slightly above current recommendations -- the National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends 400 to 800 IU of vitamin D per day, while the newest recommendation from the Institute of Medicine is 600 IU. The safe upper limit is 4,000 IU per day.

Women's One-A-Day is approved by ConsumerLab.com in its latest round of testing, and it is one of the few women's multivitamins tested that contains accurate amounts of the nutrients on its label. Five women's multivitamins tested contain more niacin (vitamin B3) than stated on their labels. ConsumerLab.com says that niacin in high doses is usually harmless, but it can cause skin flushing and tingling. In addition, Women's Health magazine says One-A-Day Women's is the best multivitamin for women. "This classic brand's formulation adheres to the updated DRIs more closely than most other multis," writes Richard Laliberte.

One-A-Day Women's also fares well in recent FDA testing. In August 2008, the FDA tested 324 multivitamins for lead, finding that 320 contained at least some trace of lead. All of the multivitamins are far below the provisional total tolerable intake levels (PTTI) for lead. However, some vitamins -- even though they were well under the safe/tolerable level -- contained more lead than others. Women's One-A-Day had lower amounts of lead than many other women's multis tested, and it did not exceed lead limits in ConsumerLab.com testing. User reviews at Amazon.com say women are generally happy with this One-A-Day multivitamin, but several users complain of nausea if they don't take the pill with a substantial meal. Vegans and vegetarians should note that One-A-Day Women's contains fish ingredients and gelatin, which is sourced from beef or pork, according to the company's website.

Centrum A to Zinc (*Est. $8.50 for 100 tablets) is another popular, well-reviewed multivitamin that passes one recent independent test. In a 2010 survey by Pharmacy Times, 60 percent of pharmacists said they recommend Centrum A to Zinc to shoppers. This formula has 18 mg of iron, but it contains less calcium and vitamin D than One-A-Day Women's. Centrum A to Zinc contains 400 IU of vitamin D and 200 mg of calcium, compared to 1,000 IU of vitamin D and 500 mg of calcium in the One-A-Day multivitamin. If you prefer more of these nutrients, the Centrum Ultra Women's (*Est. $12 for 100 tablets) contains 800 IU of vitamin D and 500 mg of calcium. Both Centrum and Centrum Ultra Women's contain gelatin, which is sourced from pork and poultry products, according to the manufacturer. We saw several complaints at Amazon.com that, like One-A-Day Women's, the Centrum multivitamins can cause a stomachache -- especially when taken on an empty stomach.

If you're on a budget, experts say store-brand vitamins work just as well, and they're typically less expensive. Several brands pass muster in a recent independent test, including Costco's Kirkland Signature, Wal-Mart's Equate, Rite Aid's Central-Vite and CVS's Spectravite. "We found that store brands did just as well in our tests as national brands, at a lower price. The biggest winner: Costco's Kirkland Signature, whose regular, 'mature,' and children's multis cost a nickel or less a day," says ConsumerReports.org. The formula included in ConsumerReports.org's latest test, Kirkland Signature Daily Multi (*Est. $13 for 500 tablets), contains 18 mg of iron and 500 mcg of folic acid. However, it contains less calcium and vitamin D than recommended for premenopausal women -- only 200 mg and 400 IU, respectively. The Kirkland Signature Daily Multi contains fish ingredients and gelatin, so it's not suitable for vegetarians or vegans.

The CVS Pharmacy Daily Multiple for Women (*Est. $8 for 200 tablets) also performs well in independent testing. It's approved by ConsumerLab.com, and it is one of the few multis tested that doesn't contain more niacin than stated on the label. The CVS Daily Multiple for Women contains fish ingredients and gelatin.

If you don't like swallowing pills, VitaFusion Multi Vites (*Est. $7 for 70 gummies) earn several recommendations. These gummy vitamins for adults come in a variety of flavors, including berry, peach and orange. Two gummies provide 800 IU of vitamin D, 400 mcg of folic acid, 12 mcg of vitamin B12 and other vitamins and minerals. However, VitaFusion Multi Vites don't contain any calcium or iron. Although these multivitamins are not included any recent independent tests, they get high marks at both Amazon.com and Drugstore.com. Reviewers say they taste great and are perfect for those who can't (or won't) swallow pills or tablets. However, some users are disappointed that the VitaFusion Multi Vites lack nutrients like calcium.

Vegetarian multivitamins

Vegetarians and vegans have fewer options for multivitamins, largely because many of the top brands contain animal-derived gelatin or fish products. ConsumerLab.com tests several vegetable-based multivitamins in its latest report, including Pure Encapsulations Multi t/d (*Est. $33 for 120 capsules). The Pure Encapsulations Multi is expensive compared to other multivitamins, but it does not contain gelatin or fish products. However, it's not completely vegan -- the vitamin D comes from lanolin, which is derived from wool fibers. According to the manufacturer, the Multi t/d is hypoallergenic and contains no artificial colors or fragrances. It passes ConsumerLab.com's latest independent test, although it provides more niacin than listed on the label.

The Pure Encapsulations Multi contains 800 IU of vitamin D and 800 mcg of folic acid, but because this multi is designed for adults in general, it doesn't contain calcium or iron -- two essential nutrients for premenopausal women. The company does offer Pure Encapsulations Nutrient 950 (*Est. $38 for 180 capsules), a vegetarian multivitamin with 10 mg of iron and 300 mg of calcium, but we don't have any testing details on this multivitamin supplement.

Another vegetarian multivitamin tested by ConsumerLab.com, Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw One for Women (*Est. $26 for 75 capsules) is not approved because it does not contain the listed amount of vitamin A. This multi contains 1,000 IU of vitamin D and 800 mcg of folic acid. However, the Garden of Life Raw One multi contains only 6 mg of iron (33 percent of DV) and 16 mg of calcium (2 percent of DV).

Nature's Way Alive Multi-Vitamin Vcap (*Est. $19 for 60 capsules) comes in a plant-derived capsule without gelatin, and it contains 100 percent of most essential vitamins and nutrients, including 400 mcg of folic acid and 18 mg of iron. The multivitamin contains only 400 IU of vitamin D (current guidelines recommend 600 IU) and 250 mg of calcium. Nature's Way Alive also includes a variety of fruit and vegetable powders, including alfalfa, wheat grass, kale, parsley, carrot, plum, cherry and more. There's no concrete evidence that these green food blends are necessary, but they are showing up in more and more multivitamins.

Nature's Way Alive Vcap hasn't been included in recent independent tests, but it gets high marks from more than 55 reviewers at Amazon.com. Users say the vitamins are easy on the stomach and some report great feelings of energy throughout the day. However, some users are annoyed that they have to take six capsules daily, especially since the cost can add up quickly.

Organic multivitamins

Organic multivitamins are popping up on store shelves to meet the demands of those who eat organically and want a supplement that follows suit. The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) warns that many multivitamins marketed as natural still contain chemicals and synthetic vitamins, not to mention fillers or dyes. The OCA recommends food-based multivitamins that do not contain synthetic forms of vitamins. For example, food-based organic vitamins obtain B vitamins from brewer's yeast rather than synthetic riboflavin, and vitamin C from citrus fruits or rose hips instead of ascorbic acid. The companies that meet the OCA's requirements for food-based, organic ingredients include MetaOrganics and Raw Source Organics. Raw Source Organics makes a Daily Multiple (*Est. $35 for 90 capsules), but we haven't seen it evaluated in any independent tests. In addition, this organic multivitamin has low amounts of calcium and lacks vitamin D and iron altogether. It does contain 400 mcg of folic acid, in addition to vitamin C, vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and more.

The New Chapter Organics brand isn't recommended by the Organic Consumers Association, but the Every Woman's One Daily multivitamin (*Est. $16.50 for 60 tablets) earns several recommendations. The one-a-day vegetarian tablets contain 1,000 IU of vitamin D, 400 mcg of folate and 60 mg of vitamin C. However, the New Chapter Organics Every Woman's One Daily has only 3 mg of iron (17 percent of DV) and 25 mg of calcium (2.5 percent of DV). Better Nutrition magazine says the New Chapter Organics multi is one of the best multivitamins of 2010. "These are not your average multis," the editors say, and they like that the multivitamin focuses on organic food-based ingredients.

New Chapter Organics also gets high ratings at Amazon.com, where users rave about the organic ingredients. They also like that they only have to take one tablet a day, but some say the pills are large and hard to swallow. Unlike the one-a-day multivitamin, New Chapter Organics Every Woman (*Est. $16.50 for 60 tablets) requires two tablets a day, but it contains 9 mg of iron, half of what is recommended for premenopausal women.