Many people these days have incredibly active schedules that make it difficult to consume a well balanced diet on a consistent basis. Consequently the need for a good multivitamin is extremely important. Recently two Harvard researchers issued some useful findings regarding the effectiveness of multivitamins in the battle against cancer. Studies have shown that women and men who regularly take folic acid have a lesser chance of developing prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women. In addition, Vitamin D along with calcium has been shown to decrease bone loss and fractures.

Another reason to take a multivitamin may be its possible role in helping to reduce the risk of dying from heart disease. A new study on over one million American adults revealed just this finding; however it should be noted, the multivitamin was used in conjunction with vitamins A, C or E.<



Dose is an important factor to consider when evaluating a multivitamin. A good multivitamin should for the most part contain 100% of the RDA or Recommended Daily Allowance. If a vitamin has too much allowance such as ten times the RDA, the excess will most certainly be excreted in urine and will be a waste of money. In a worst case scenario, excess can be stored to potentially toxic levels. It may be a good idea to adjust dosage based on daily diet. For example on a day you have a fully well balanced diet you may consider dividing your vitamin intake while on those days you do not get enough nutrients a full dose should be taken.



The time of day a multivitamin is taken is often a misunderstood issue among many. Actually if a multivitamin is of sufficient quality and is taken with food, the time of day it is consumed is of little importance. Preferably a multivitamin should be taken in several doses throughout the day.



A multivitamin while good for most Americans is uniquely important for women. Women have special needs from their vitamin including bone and heart health.

Furthermore since a woman may become pregnant, she has the unique responsibility of eating for two should pregnancy become a reality. Most Women’s multivitamins include the essential vitamins believed to be of most value to the female body including folic acid, calcium, and magnesium among others.