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Best multivitamins for women, men and children, according to experts
If you’re looking to improve overall health, these tablets and powders could help
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Getting enough nutrients can feel like a tricky balance to strike, between life being busy, any individual health requirements and simply having the time and energy to prepare and cook the healthiest meals possible.
Taking vitamins offers an extra nutritional layer to our dietary intake, whether they are for a life stage such as menopause, helping with gut health or collagen supplements for hair, skin, nails and joints. A multivitamin can be a clever way of combining all supplement elements in one and could help to improve energy levels, immunity, brain health or bone strength.
Specialist menopause nutritionist Emma Bardwell says: “I will often recommend a multivitamin for a prescribed duration, particularly if a person is time-poor and doesn’t have the bandwidth to remember to take a regime of targeted nutrients. With a multivitamin, you get everything in one go.”
Read more: Best supplements to take, according to experts
If you’re wondering how to add a multivitamin into your day, nutritionist Maz Packham advises: “It’s usually best to take a multivitamin with food, so getting into the habit of having it with your breakfast can be a good way to remember. If your meal contains some fat (think avocado, eggs, or nuts) it will optimise absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.”
Should you be unsure about which multivitamin would work best for you and your lifestyle, as always, we’re here to help. Keep reading for our round-up of the best multivitamins to take, according to experts.
Read more: Best magnesium supplements, as recommended by experts
Nuzest good green vitality: £32, Amazon.co.uk
This multivitamin greens powder comprises a combination of 24 vitamins and minerals, to help optimise immunity, balance and vitality and minimise stress. Packham explains it “covers all your nutrient needs, from vitamin A to zinc, in meaningful doses, so it helps optimise your health in a safe way”.
She recommends the product for people with a busy lifestyle, who “struggle to achieve their daily intake of nutrients through vegetables and fruits but want to look after themselves by supporting health goals like energy, sleep and immunity”.
The plant-based vegan powder is gluten- and dairy-free and there’s a multinutrient smoothie mix (£25, Amazon.co.uk) for kids too.
Wild Nutrition food-grown daily multinutrient for women: £35, Amazon.co.uk
“Food-grown supplements like this one are made from concentrated whole foods, which provide nutrients in a form that more closely resembles how they exist in nature, to make it easier for the body to recognise and use. Some synthetic forms of nutrients in supplements may have different structures and not be so well metabolised by the body,” explains Maz Packham.
Key components include zinc, selenium, B vitamins, magnesium, calcium and vitamin C, and the supplements are suitable for vegans. Packham says: “It’s important to remember that a combination of nutrients that exist in foods work really well together, for example, vitamin C can enhance the absorption of non-heme iron from plant sources.”
Wild Nutrition food-grown daily multi-nutrient for teen boys: £28, Wildnutrition.com
This multivitamin is specifically made for teenage boys, and it aims to help with energy, bone growth, brain function and more. The targeted multivitamin could be “helpful for growing teens, who don’t always make healthy food and lifestyle choices, and offers a good choice for any parents worried about children who are picky eaters”, explained Bardwell.
In addition to the multivitamins for teen boys and the women’s option above, Wild Nutrition’s range of multivitamins includes those catering for teenage girls (£28, Amazon.co.uk), men (£33.50, Amazon.co.uk), children (£19, Amazon.co.uk) and those aged over 45.
Centrum advance 50+: £25, Amazon.co.uk
“Recent research conducted in the US on a group of 2,000 people linked taking a multivitamin with improved memory, executive function, and cognition. Centrum was the brand used in the study and participants took it for three years,” shared Bardwell.
This gluten-free multivitamin contains 24 vitamins and minerals, including iron, vitamins B, C and D and zinc. Above all else: “I would say do your best to get what you need from diet, but if there are limitations then potentially a broad-spectrum multivitamin might be a worthwhile investment, just don’t rely on it as your main source of nutrition,” she adds.
Pure Encapsulations o.n.e multivitamin: £39.45, Healf.com
Both Barwell and Packham recommended the Pure Encapsulations o.n.e multivitamin. It is “designed to be an all-in-one capsule that you take once a day, which provides a really broad profile of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients in bioavailable forms, making it easier for the body to absorb and metabolise”, explains Packham.
Bardwell adds: “It is not the cheapest but covers all bases, and this a brand that uses no fillers, anti-caking agents or binders.” One example of the ingredients included is methylfolate, which is the biologically active form of folate (or folic acid).
While “we can get folate through our diets – it’s really abundant in dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, for example – but when eaten in this form it needs to go through a conversion process in the body to become active, and some people have genetic variations that mean they are less efficient at this conversion, so consuming it in its active form can be helpful for some people,” notes Packham.
Biocare adult multivitamins and minerals: £14.29, Biocare.co.uk
“This supplement is a good all-rounder – it includes 22 key vitamins and minerals, no artificial colours, flavours or fillers, and is a purse-friendly option that works for men and women,” Packham says. The supplements come in bottles containing 30 or 90 capsules and they should be taken with a meal.
Viridian essential vegan multivitamin: £16.49, Planetorganic.com
There are 27 nutrients included in this vegan-friendly multivitamin, and it’s gluten-free. Designed to be taken once daily with food, components cover bone strength support from K2 and D3, as well as B12 and iron for energy and cognitive function.
Bardwell says: “Even the best vegan diet will possibly fall short on several nutrients, namely iodine, B12, vitamin D and iron, leaving plant-based eaters feeling tired, listless, and potentially more susceptible to coughs, colds and viruses. This one-a-day covers all four nutrients, plus many more.”
Equi wellness formula: £55, Equilondon.com
If you want to avoid taking tablets, this multivitamin comes in both capsule and powder versions, providing a handy alternative. The supplement has been formulated by nutritional scientists, with 46 nutrients inside including magnesium, vitamin D and vegan probiotics. “This is an advanced multivitamin that nourishes all of the body systems and takes a holistic approach to support everything from energy to digestion and detoxification for better focus, energy and immunity,” according to Peckham.
Multivitamins FAQs
Should I be taking multivitamins?
“While I’m not an advocate of supplements for supplements sake, I do think there can be an argument for taking a multivitamin as an insurance policy under certain circumstances,” explains Bardwell. She outlines that chronic stress can use up vital nutrients such as vitamin C, magnesium, and many of the B vitamins. “Taking a multivitamin can also be beneficial when not eating particularly well or drinking too much alcohol after, let’s say, the festive season or for university students,” she adds.
Plus, age and health concerns come into the equation, too. “There’s also a lot to be said for taking a good multi as we get older, especially during or after illness. Older populations tend to have problems with malabsorption of nutrients, in which case a multivitamin can act as an insurance policy,” Bardwell says.
How long does it take for multivitamins to start working?
It depends on each individual when it comes to how long multivitamins take to start working, as this can vary according to absorption, any deficiencies and health conditions. As a general rule of thumb, multivitamins should take between a few weeks to a few months to start working.
Can you take too many vitamins and supplements?
It’s important to keep an eye on what you’re taking as “if you’re taking a multi but also taking targeted supplements, you may actually find that the combined dose takes you over the RDA, which, in certain circumstances, can be deleterious to health,” Bardwell says.
She adds: “There’s a general feeling that supplements are ‘natural’ so can be taken ad libitum – that very much isn’t the case. Large amounts of beta carotene and vitamin A, for example, may increase lung cancer risk in smokers and former smokers. Too much iron can result in something called hemochromatosis, which can damage your heart, liver and other organs.”
Bardwell also outlines that while the “dosages may not always be in accordance with the recommended daily amount (they often fall short), certain ingredients may interfere with prescription medications”.
As always, speak to a qualified medical professional for expert advice.
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