A well-formulated multivitamin fills common dietary gaps without excess. Most adults don't need megadose multis, but targeted micronutrient support does have evidence for deficient populations.
- Methylated B vitamins: Methylfolate (5-MTHF) and methylcobalamin (B12) for people with MTHFR variants (affects ~40% of the population).
- Vitamin D3 (1000β2000 IU): Most adults, especially in temperate latitudes, are deficient.
- Magnesium glycinate or citrate (100β200 mg elemental): Underdosed in most multivitamins; consider separate supplementation if needed.
- Vitamin K2 (MK-7, 90β180 mcg): Balances vitamin D's calcium-directing effects toward bones rather than arteries.
- Iron: Only if deficient and recommended by labs β excess iron is prooxidant.
- Iodine (150 mcg): RDA; thyroid-critical.
- Mega-dose vitamin A retinol (>5000 IU chronically)
- High-dose iron without confirmed deficiency
- Synthetic folic acid over methylfolate (though folic acid is still better than nothing)
- "Food-based" multivitamins with sub-RDA levels of key nutrients
- Gender- and age-targeted marketing without real formulation differences
Vitamin/mineral forms (methylated > cyanocobalamin, D3 > D2, magnesium glycinate > oxide), dose adequacy without excess, third-party testing, and transparent labeling. We penalize proprietary "superfood blends" that replace actual vitamins with unstandardized herbal powders.