Picking the right multivitamin

Avoid the "if some is good, more is better" mentality. "It doesn't apply to micronutrients," Ames says. Too much iron, zinc, copper, beta-carotene and some vitamins, such as A, is toxic. You can check each nutrient's Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) at www.nal.usda.gov/ fnic/etext/000105.html. They're set by the same panel that sets the RDAs. Pay careful attention to the UL for iron (45 micrograms), zinc (40 mg), copper (10 mg), selenium (400 mg) and chromium (1,000 mg). Overdoing these can cause everything from gastrointestinal and menstrual problems to anemia and a depressed immune system.

Pregnant women should only take supplements under the advice of their health care practitioner.

Q:

What should I be looking for on a vitamin label?

A:

Look for logos from www.consumerlab.com and/or US Pharmacopeia (USP) to show that the multi has been tested for quality, strength, purity and good manufacturing practices. ConsumerLab.com is an independent, private organization that analyzes supplements to test that they actually contain what the label says in the amount listed. They also test for purity (lack of contaminants such as lead) and bioavailability (breakdown of the supplement to forms that the body can absorb). For the cost of membership to the ConsumerLab site ($24/year), you can check which supplements pass and fail these criteria. The USP helps to ensure that consumers receive quality medicines by establishing standards that pharmaceutical manufacturers must meet. Visit www.usp.org for more details.

Q:

What's the significance of the expiration date?

A:

It tells you when the supplement starts losing its potency. Check it carefully so that you get what you pay for.

Q:

What should I ignore on a label?

A:

Don't choose a multivitamin for added extras, such as herbs. If you want to take these, you're better off getting them separately (there's a limited amount of stuff that can he packed into one multi). Just because a multivitamin contains one or more of these ingredients doesn't mean the quantities are significant enough to have any effect. Also ignore marketing eye-catchers such as "stress formula," "high potency" and "maximum." "'Stress formula' doesn't mean it will help you deal with stress. Same thing for 'energy' phrases--extra vitamins don't give you energy. 'High potency' and 'maximum'--the latter has no legally defined meaning, by the way-also have little or no significance," Collins says.

Q:

What's the difference between generic and brand-name multis?

A:

Almost nothing, according to our experts---except the price.

WHO BENEFITS?

Several groups of people are widely considered the most likely to benefit from a daily multivitamin:

* People who get most of their calcium through cheese-they're likely to be low on vitamin D.

* People who don't eat dairy foods or fortified soymilk products--they may be missing calcium and vitamin D.

* People who are constantly trying to cut calories or who are just erratic eaters.