Multivitamins – latest test - What CL Found:
Among twenty-one products for adults and children that ConsumerLab.com independently selected and tested, only ten met their claims and other quality standards.

General (Adult):

• Eniva® VIBE™, a liquid sold in packets, had only 54% of its claimed 5,000 IU of vitamin A.
• Healthy Moments™ Mint Cream Flavor Vitamin Strips contained none of its claimed vitamin A. It also contained 180% of its claimed 2 mg of niacin per strip.
• Swanson® Daily Multi-Vitamin & Mineral had only 77.5% of its claimed 400 mcg of folate per capsule.
• The Greatest Vitamin in the World had only 85% of its claimed 800 mcg of folate in its suggested nine capsules per day — although this still meets the adult RDA.
• WEIL™ Andrew Weil, M.D. Daily Multivitamin for Optimum Health had only 73% of its claimed 10,000 IU of vitamin A (as beta-carotene) per tablet — although this still meets the adult RDA. It also had 251% of it claimed 60 mg of calcium — possibly an oversight of the calcium contributed by di-calcium phosphate, a binding agent listed among its inactive ingredients.

Women's:

• Nature's Plus® Especially Yours® Women's Multi-Vitamin failed to break apart properly, requiring more than one hour to disintegrate rather than the 30 minute limit established by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP). Such products may pass through the body without being fully utilized. It also contained 292% of its claimed 50 mg/tablet of calcium — possibly due to an oversight of the calcium contributed by the di-calcium phosphate in the product.
• The Vitamin Shoppe® Multivitamins Especially for Women was contaminated with 15.3 micrograms of lead per daily serving. This is more than ten times the amount of lead permitted without a warning label in California — the only state to regulate lead in supplements — and several times the normal daily exposure to lead. Lead at this level may not in itself be toxic to adults, but lead is stored in the body and unnecessary exposure should be avoided. This product should not be shared with children, as they are susceptible to lead poisoning at levels as low as 6 micrograms per day. This product also contained only 54% of its claimed 200 mg of calcium in its suggested daily dose of two tablets.

Men's:

• Now® Adam™ Superior Men's Multi failed to break apart properly, taking 40 minutes to disintegrate rather than the 30 minutes set by the USP.
• Win™ Fuel Men's Formula had only 81% of its claimed 4,000 IU of vitamin (although this is still above the RDA of 3,000 IU for men) and only 75% of it claimed 400 mcg of folate.

Seniors:

• AARP Maturity Formula failed to break apart properly, taking 50 minutes to disintegrate rather than the 30 minutes set by the USP.

Children's:

• Hero Nutritionals™ Yummi ® Bears contained 216% of its labeled amount of vitamin A, potentially delivering amounts in excess of those tolerable in children up to eight years old. The product contained 5,400 IU of vitamin A in the retinol form in a daily serving of three bears. The upper tolerable level (UL) set by the Institute of Medicine is 2,000 IU for children one to three years of age and 3,000 IU for those four to eight years old. Children of these ages only need to get 1,000 to 1,333 IU of vitamin A (see RDAs for Vitamin A in the ConsumerTips™ section). Excess vitamin A in the retinol form is of concern as it may lead to bone weakening and other problems.

- 01/02/2007