Would you take this multivitamin?

I really feel obligated to make this post - I've seen a lot more people come in to see me on these new "Gummy" multivitamins.  These are not just for kids anymore, but are targeted towards adults now too!  And I have a big problem with it.

Issue #1 - These "multivitamins" very often have quite low amounts of vitamins, and are often not complete, lacking many other essential vitamins and minerals.  If you look at the example below, where are all of the other B vitamins?  Where are the minerals?  These are most often VERY incomplete.

Issue #2 - Many of the vitamins that are in these gummies are in the inactive/cheaper form.  For example, cyanocobalamin vs. methyl- or hydroxy-cobalamin.  Folic acid vs. 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF).

Look at this ingredient list below of a common gummy multivitamin for adults.  2mg of B6 - really?  6mcg of B12 - really?  20mg vitamin C, 200IU vitamin D, 10IU vitamin E...really?  These are so so low, almost negligible.  And as you can see, they don't even list what form the vitamin is in - often a sure sign of using inferior forms.  If a company uses active, superior forms of a vitamin, they are often proud of it and will clearly display it on all labels and include them in ingredient lists.

Vitamin A	480mcg (1600 I.U.)
Vitamin B6	2mg
Vitamin B12	6mcg
Vitamin C	20mg
Vitamin D	5mcg (200 I.U.)
Vitamin E	4.5mg (10 I.U.)
Folate (folic acid)	100mcg

My last issue with these multis: If you are getting so little vitamins, what the heck is making up most of this gummy that you are eating each day?

Answer: Crap!  Sorry to be blunt, but it's the truth.  Look at the non-medicinal ingredients for the gummy that I've used as an example above:

Glucose Syrup, Sucrose, Gelatin, Water, Artificial Flavors, Bees Wax, Carnauba Wax, Citric Acid, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Red #40, FD&C Yellow #6, Modified Starch, Vegetable Oil (Coconut or Palm)

That looks absolutely delicious...not!  The first two ingredients are sugars - bad news.  Then you have gelatin (watch out vegans), artificial flavours and colours (those FD&C's are just lovely), and some starches and oils to finish it off.

If you really want gummy candies, do yourself a favour and just go out and buy some candies - don't fool yourself into thinking that these multivitamin gummies are actually good for you.  There's so little of the good stuff in them, it's really not even worth it - you're most likely just paying lots of extra money for a glorified gummy candy.

Marketing can be deceptive, and I just don't want anyone to fall for this trap.  Save your money and get a good quality multivitamin instead!

Finally, as a comparison, here's the nutrient profile and non-medicinal ingredients for one of my favourite multivitamins: