Women's Multivitamin

A multivitamin's one of the few things almost everyone can take safely, which is exactly why it gets oversold. Here's the triage our naturopaths run.

A good fit if

• Your eating is patchy and you want a floor under it
• You're vegan, or eat very little animal food
• You're pregnant or planning to be, and want the folic acid covered
• You're over 60 and want the formula the memory trials actually used
• You'd rather buy at RDI level than chase potency

Check with us first if

• You're pregnant or might be, because of the vitamin A cap and its birth defect warning.
• You're taking B6 from more than one product, because they add up and the upper level is 50 mg a day.
• You smoke or used to, because of the beta-carotene signal.
• You take a statin and the formula contains nicotinic acid.
• You're buying for a child, because iron, B6 and several others are age-capped.
• You already take single nutrients, so we can check nothing doubles up.

• Standard adult one-a-day. Best known for: General nutritional insurance. Absorption: Not separately tested. The trials measured outcomes, not absorption. Typical use: Around 100% RDI of most nutrients; the format used in the cognition trials.
• 50+ or senior formula. Best known for: The closest match to the trial product. Absorption: Not separately tested. Typical use: Usually more B12 and vitamin D, iron removed.
• Prenatal. Best known for: Folic acid before and during pregnancy. Absorption: Not separately tested. Typical use: 400 to 500 micrograms folic acid, iodine to the pregnancy RDI, retinol restricted or replaced.
• High-potency or multi-tablet. Best known for: Higher B-vitamin amounts across two or three tablets. Absorption: Not tested. Typical use: Seven small trials on stress and vigour, without correction for multiple comparisons.
• Gummies. Best known for: Actually taking it. Absorption: Single nutrients only: a vitamin C gummy matched a caplet on plasma AUC, and a vitamin D3 gummy beat a tablet (1,474 vs 774 ng·h/mL). Typical use: Usually leave iron out and reduce minerals for taste; no full gummy multi has been trialled.
• Iron-free. Best known for: Men and post-menopausal women. Absorption: Not applicable. Typical use: A formulation choice, not an efficacy difference.
• Liquid or spray. Best known for: Marketed on absorption. Absorption: No evidence was retrieved for either. Typical use: We won't make an absorption claim for these, because nothing supports one.

Reference values. There's no single NRV for a multivitamin, because it's a formulation rather than a nutrient. Each constituent has its own, set by NHMRC.

Typical supplemental range. One dose a day at roughly 100% of the RDI for most nutrients. That's the range the trials used, and the range the safety review covers.

Upper level. The caps that bite in Australia sit on constituents. B6 is capped at 100 mg a day for adults in Schedule 1 while the NHMRC upper level is 50 mg. Those are two different numbers and shouldn't be confused. Selenium carries a 150 microgram daily ceiling from supplements, vitamin A 3,000 micrograms RE, and vitamin D is capped at 25 micrograms in a listed medicine.

Worth knowing. More isn't better here. The evidence sits on RDI-level dosing taken consistently, not on potency. Your needs depend on your age, diet and health circumstances. Talk to one of our naturopaths in store.

Food first, where the diet allows it.

• A varied diet: the mandatory label statement says it directly: supplements can only be of assistance if dietary intake is inadequate
• B12: animal foods only: the one nutrient with a documented shortfall in vegans across 19 studies
• Iodine: iodised salt, seafood, dairy: capped low in listed medicines, so food matters more here

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Pregnancy and vitamin A. Schedule 1 mandates the warning that vitamin A in excess of 3,000 micrograms retinol equivalents can cause birth defects, and that you shouldn't take vitamin A supplements while pregnant without talking to your doctor or pharmacist first.
• Vitamin B6. Anything above 10 mg a day carries a mandatory warning to stop and see a practitioner if you get tingling, burning or numbness. Peripheral nerve damage is the reason that warning exists. The NHMRC upper level is 50 mg a day, which sits below the 100 mg Schedule 1 dosing cap; they're not the same threshold.
• Children and iron. iron is a leading cause of accidental poisoning in small children. Schedule 1 mandates child-resistant closures and caps pack content at 750 mg of iron.
• Selenium. The mandatory warning states it's toxic in high doses and that 150 micrograms a day from dietary supplements shouldn't be exceeded.
• Zinc above 25 mg a day. Carries the warning that it may be dangerous in large amounts or over a long period.
• Smokers and former smokers. Beta-carotene was associated with increased lung cancer risk and cardiovascular mortality. Check whether the vitamin A in your formula is declared as beta-carotene.
• Niacin with a statin. An increased risk of all-cause mortality was seen for that combination.
• Magnesium at or above 350 mg a day from inorganic salts. Mandatory warning about a laxative effect or diarrhoea. Magnesium oxide medicines must not be directed for use in infants under 12 months.
• Warfarin and vitamin K. We hold no evidence on this from our sources, so we won't give you a number. Ask your prescriber.