Review of a Multivitamin

With my PCOS and severe allergies, as well as my anxiety and GERD, I have to take several prescriptions. I also have a vitamin D and an iodine deficiency which requires me to take supplements to keep them at acceptable levels. I also take additional supplements for all the aforementioned health issues, and I have to take some MORE on top of those to counter the effects of some of those medications. Dr. Benjamin Rush's Natural Whole Food Daily Multivitamin wants to be a multivitamin with lots of extras to cut down on all of the pills taken daily. 

"No longer do you have to take countless daily supplements just to load up on healthy greens, antioxidants, vitamins & minerals." - from the product page. 

These pills have vitamins: Retinol (Vitamin A), C, D, E, Thiamine (B-1), Riboflavin (B-2), Niacin (B-3), Pyridoxine (B-6), Biotin (B-7), Folic Acid (B-9), Cobalamin (B-12), Iodine, Calcium, Beta Carotene, Iron, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Potassium, Manganese, Copper & more! A serving is 3 tablets a day. 

They also contain a bunch of awesome additives such as superfoods, fruits, vegetables, and herbs, digestive enzymes, probiotics, omegas, and more. Honestly, it's a LOT packed into a few little pills! Below is the list of all the "extras." 

520mg GREEN WHOLE FOOD (SUPERFOOD) BLEND: spirulina, chorella, oat extract, apple pectin, barley grass

These vitamins are made for men and women, so any adult can take them (but get the okay from your doctor/healthcare professional). They're vegan and soy free and do not contain any nasty extras, fillers, or preservatives. There's also no artificial colors, aritficial flavors, preservatives, sugar, milk, lactose, gluten, wheat, or fish. They do need to be refrigerated after opening, likely because of the probiotics. 

So here's the breakdown of your daily requirements that are in this multivitamin (per 3 tablets) 

• Vitamin A: 2500 IU (50%)
• Vitamin C: 120 mg (200%)
• Vitamin D: 2000 IU (500%)
• Vitamin E: 30 IU (100%)
• B-1: 25 mg (1667%)
• B-2: 25 mg (1471%)
• Niacin: 25 mg (125%)
• B-6: 25 mg (1250%)
• Folic Acid: 400 mcg (100%)
• B-12: 500 mcg (8333%)
• Biotin: 1 mg (333%)
• B-5: 30 mg (300%)
• Calcium: 120 mg (12%)
• Iron: 18 mg (100%)
• Iodine: 150 mcg (100%)
• Magnesium: 60 mcg (15%)
• Zinc: 15 mg (100%)
• Selenium: 25 mcg (36%)
• Copper 0.5 mg (25%)
• Manganese: 2 mg (100%)
• Chromium: 100 mcg (83%)
• Molybdenum: 51 mcg (68%)
• Sodium: 10 mg (<1%)
• Potassium: 50 mg (1%)
• Choline: 10 mg
• Inositol: 10 mg
• Boron: 1 mg
• DNA & RNA: 1 mg each
• Lutein: 10 mcg
• Citrus Complex: 50 mg
• Digestive Enzyme Blend: 50 mg (Betaine Hydrochloride, Bromelain, Papain, AMylase, Lipase, Cellulase, Protease)
• Probiotic Blend: 25 mg (B. bifidum, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus) 
• Omega Blend: 100 mg (Flaxseed, Sunflower Oil, Borage Powder - Omega-3 and Omega-6, 11 mg, and 4 mg respectively)
• Green/Whole Food Blend: 520 mg (Spirulina, Chlorella, Oat Extract, Apple Pectin, Barley Grass, Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin)
• Herb Blend: 100 mg (Echinacea, Ginger, Milk Thistle, Cayenna, Korean Ginseng Extract, Ginkgo Bilioba, Goldenseal)
• Vegetable Blend: 100 mg (Parsley, Garlic, Beet Root, Carrot, Asparagus, Extracts of Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Kale)
• Fruit: 100 mg (Papaya, Grapefruit, Apple, Peach, Strawberry, Acai, Cranberry, Blueberry, Bilberry, Pomegranate, Pineapple, Orange, Noni
• Mushroom Blend: 50 mg (Shiitake, Maitake, Reishi)

Whew! That's a lot packed into these tablets! 

Here's my honest opinion... there's a lot of good vitamins in these tablets, and good quantities of them too. 100 mg of omegas, herbs, vegetables, fruits, etc. is not a lot, but it IS better than nothing. 

I'd like to compare this to my current multivitamin which is a generic brand of multivitamin. 

• Vitamin A: 700 mcg (78%)
• Vitamin C: 75 mg (83%)
• Vitamin D(D3):1000 IU (125%)
• Vitamin E: 7.5 mg (50%)
• Vitamin K: 25 mcg (21%)
• B-1: 1.2 mg (100%)
• B-2: 1.3 mg (100%)
• Niacin: 16 mg (100%)
• B-6: 1.7 mg (100%)
• Folic acid: 400 mcg (167%)
• B-12: 6 mcg (250%)
• Biotin: 1000 mcg (3333%)
• B-5: 5 mg (100%)
• Calcium: 380mg (29%)
• Iron: 18 mg (100%)
• Iodine: 150 mcg (100%)
• Zinc: 8 mg (73%)
• Selenium: 27.5 mcg (50%)
• Copper: 0.9 mcg (100%)
• Manganese: 1.8 mg (78%)
• Chromium: 25 mcg (71%)

So, in terms of vitamins, Dr. Benjamin Rush's brand has more vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, B-1, B-2, Niacin, B-6, B-12, B-5, Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese, Chromium, Molybdenum, and all of the "extras." My current brand has more Vitamin A, Biotin, Calcium, Selenium, and Copper. There's the same amount of Folic Acid, Iron, and Iodine in the two brands. 

I currently also take a B complex gummy vitamin as well as some additional B-12 and B-5 since one of my medications depletes my B-vitamin stores. From my gummy vitamin, I get 15 mg (25%) of my Vitamin C, 20 mg (100%) of Niacin, 2 mg (100%) of B-6, 30 mcg (500%) of Folic Acid, 30 mcg (500%) of B-12, 75 mcg (25%) of Biotin, and 10 mg (100%) of B-5. I also have to take a "prescribed" 1000 mcg of B12 (41667%) since my reserves get drained so quickly. I also take another 400 IU of Vitamin E (1200%), and a prescribed 5000 IU (625%) of Vitamin D a day, as well as 1000 mcg (667%) of an Iodine supplement for my borderline low thyroid. To help me sleep, I take 400 mg (95%) of Magnesium. I take Flaxseed Oil (1400mg) daily as well. Finally, I take a handful of other things such as CoQ10, Echinacea, Garlic (10 mg of Garlic Extract 3 times a day), Milk Thistle, Nettle, and Fenugreek. I used to take a combined prebiotic & probiotic, but I stopped after my gallbladder surgery. I also have Papaya Enzymes available if I need to take them when I have GI distress. Yes, I take a lot of pills every day! 

So, really, the Dr. Benjamin Rush's brand has a lot of stuff in it, and a lot of things that I NEED to be taking. I would probably be able to take a few less pills each day if I switched over permanently, but I'd still have to take additional Vitamin D, E, B-12, Iodine, Garlic, Magnesium, and others. I could probably get away with not having to take my Vitamin B gummy vitamin, but I'd still have to take all of my other supplements with my health issues! I DO LOVE though, that there's probiotics and digestive enzymes in here, so I wouldn't have to take those (although those three probiotics don't cover the whole gauntlet of probiotics, they're a GREAT start!). 

I am impressed they're able to get so much into these supplements. 

And really, these pills are a manageable size to swallow too! Always a plus in my book. 

So, do you take vitamins?