NEW YORK, Feb 17 (Reuters) -- Looking for a good multivitamin? An article published in the February issue of Prevention magazine contains some advice. The report says the best multivitamin should contain specific amounts of the nine "key" nutrients that nutrition experts say are "most likely to come up short in American diets." The nine to look for (and recommended daily dose) are:
-- Iron (up to 18 milligrams (mg));
-- Vitamin A/Beta-carotene (5,000 International Units (IU));
-- Vitamin D (400 IU);
-- Vitamin B6 (2 mg);
-- Folic acid, or folate (400 micrograms (mcg));
-- Magnesium (100 mg);
-- Zinc (15 mg);
-- Copper (2 mg);
-- Chromium (50-200 mcg).
The report notes that 18 mg of iron meets 100% of the government's daily value (DV) recommendation for iron. However, it also points out that because excess iron may raise the risk of colon cancer and heart disease, "many experts now advise men and menopausal women to look for supplements with no or low iron.
However, the bottom line on iron's health risks remains unclear. A large-scale study in Finland reported recently on Reuters Health eLine found no evidence linking high blood iron levels with an increased risk of heart attack.
Notably missing from the above list are the antioxidant vitamins E and C, and the mineral calcium. According to the report, people should take these as a single supplement in amounts not usually found in a commercial single-dose multivitamin pill. Health experts recommend taking 200 mg to 500 mg of vitamin C daily -- the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the DV of 60 mg is too low.
As to vitamin E, 100 IU to 400 IU is recommended. Recent studies show the vitamin may be protective against fatal heart attack and some cancers.
Calcium's benefit in protecting against bone loss is best obtained by supplementing with 500 mg to 1,000 mg daily, the report says. Some single-dose multivitamins offer 200 mg, but the DV is 1,000 mg.
The Prevention report also recommends that consumers check for an expiration date on vitamins, and store them in a cool, dry place. And know when to take a vitamin; "you need just a little fat (3 to 5 grams, it's estimated) to help you absorb vitamins A, D, E, K, and beta-carotene." Don't take iron and calcium supplements together -- according to the report, calcium can interfere with the absorption of iron.
"To chew or not to chew?" -- that is the question for those who would rather not (or cannot) swallow a large pill.
Grinding the pill with a mortar and pestle and then dissolving it in a glass of juice may be one alternative. But according to Dominick Bosco, author of The People's Guide to Vitamins and Minerals From A to Zinc (Contemporary Books), chewable multivitamins may be just the thing.
"There are children's chewable and adult chewables. And for people who resist the idea of swallowing pills, these may be enjoyable," he says.
"Chewables are good because there is no question that they are going to dissolve, that you are going to get the vitamins and minerals out of it. That's why chewables are the best way to take calcium," he says.
A final word from the editors of Prevention: "If you do take a (multivitamin), please don't use it an as excuse to eat carelessly. Taking a multi so you can skip broccoli and strawberries but load up on cookies and chips makes as little sense as fastening your seat belt so you can drive through red lights. Both practices could be very risky to your health."
SOURCE: Prevention (February 1997:117-121, 168-171)
