Multivitamins are supplements that contain multiple vitamins, minerals, and other ingredients in varying amounts. Ingredients vary by product.
Multivitamins are intended to supplement the diet by providing nutrients that might be lacking in foods. There's no standard definition for multivitamins in the US. Supplements are often called a "multivitamin" if they contain three or more vitamins and/or minerals.
People most often use multivitamins for improving general health and well-being. They are also used for vision loss, heart disease, cancer, memory, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support most of these uses.
Don't confuse multivitamins with prenatal vitamins. These are not the same.
Is It Effective?
NatMed Pro rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate.
- An eye disease that leads to vision loss in older adults (age-related macular degeneration or AMD). For people who already have AMD, taking multivitamins that contain specific antioxidants by mouth helps prevent AMD from becoming worse.
- Heart disease. Taking multivitamins by mouth doesn't reduce the risk of heart disease or prevent heart-related events such as heart attack in people with heart disease.
- Death from any cause. Taking multivitamins by mouth doesn't reduce the risk of death in adults.
There is interest in using multivitamins for a number of other purposes, but there isn't enough reliable information to say whether it might be helpful.
Is it Safe?
When taken by mouth: Multivitamins are likely safe when used in amounts that don't exceed recommended vitamin and nutrient intakes. But be careful when taking a multivitamin along with other nutrient sources. This can cause some people to get too much of certain nutrients. See specific ingredients for more detailed safety information.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Multivitamins are likely safe when taken by mouth at recommended nutrient doses for pregnancy and breast-feeding. But be careful when taking a multivitamin in addition to other nutrient sources. This can cause some people to get too much of certain nutrients. See our monograph on prenatal multivitamins for additional information about specific multivitamins used during pregnancy.
Elderly: Elderly people who are taking multivitamins should use products that come in small tablet form. This may reduce the risk of choking. Many multivitamin tablets are quite large. Elderly people tend to have trouble swallowing large tablets.
See specific ingredients for interactions with medicines.
See specific ingredients for interactions with herbs and supplements.
There are no known interactions with foods.
Multivitamins are typically taken by mouth once daily. The ingredients vary greatly between different types of products. There's no standard regulatory definition for multivitamins in the US, and some are created for specific populations, including older adults and children. Speak with your healthcare provider to find out what type of multivitamin product might be best for you.
Multis, Multiples, Multivitamin, Multivitamin-multimineral supplements, MVIs, MVMs, MVMM, Suppléments Multivitaminiques et Multiminéraux, Vitamines Multiples.
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