The Perfect Multivitamin?

Article by Arnie Gitomer

1.    We would want it to be a “general purpose” supplement, appropriate for the majority of people.
2.    We would want it to contain a full, comprehensive selection of nutrients, designed to insure optimal intake of all the essential and important nutrients, in the proper ratios and quantities.
3.    With that in mind, we would want it to provide minerals as well, including the “macrominerals,” calcium and magnesium, in proper ratio and meaningful quantities.
4.    We would want it to be flexible, so that the dosage could be tailored to each individual’s needs.
5.    We would want to keep it reasonably priced, making sure we avoided unnecessarily expensive but only marginally beneficial ingredients.
6.    We would want to set the potencies so that additional supplements could be added to the individual’s daily regimen without danger of exceeding safe levels of any individual nutrient.
7.    We would want to avoid adding any undesirable ingredients, such as artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, etc.
8.    We would use natural ingredients wherever possible.
9.    We would include as many phytonutrients and accessory food factors as possible.
10.    We would want it to be the perfect “nucleus” or “foundation” product upon which an individualized supplement program, tailored to an individual’s specific health concerns, could be designed.

We think we have achieved this at Willner Chemists with the release of our new, improved Willvite Multivitamin Multimineral Formula.

It has always been our belief that your multivitamin supplement is the most important component of your daily regimen. Nutrients work in concert with each other, synergistically. Too many people make the mistake of either taking an inadequate multivitamin, or trying instead to satisfy their perceived needs by taking a selection of individual supplements. They risk missing various essential nutrients altogether, or inadvertently creating a imbalance.

We recommend using a broad spectrum multivitamin multimineral supplement such as Willvite as a starting point, or foundation, upon which your supplement program can be built.

Common Mistakes

1.    Once A Day. Many of the vitamins and minerals are water soluble. This can mean that they remain available to the body for only a limited time (four to six hours) before they are excreted. What happens during the rest of the day? You will get much greater benefit from your daily vitamin and mineral intake if you divide the dose into, at least, two servings. Taking your multi twice a day is much better than once a day. And, remember that your body is designed to obtain these essential nutrients from food–so do not be misled into thinking certain nutrients should be taken all at once, at certain times of the day. Willvite, with it’s recommended dosage of 2 to 4 per day, is easily taken twice a day.
2.    Overlook Important Minerals. Many multivitamin supplements fail to provide the required amount of calcium and magnesium. These two important minerals are required in higher dosages than most vitamins and trace minerals. They take up a lot of space in the tablet or capsule. For this reason, they cannot be fit into a one a day or two a day formula. This is one major advantage of Willvite–a full daily dose of calcium and magnesium is included in the full four tablet per day recommended dosage.
3.    Letting Marketing Hype Overshadow What’s Really Important. It’s easy to be swayed by marketing claims that imply various features of multivitamin supplements create a superiority of one product over another. Focus on a form of calcium utilized in a product should not make you lose sight of the fact that it might contain little if any magnesium. Talking about “bioavailability” should not make you lose sight of the fact that even 100% of a fraction of what is actually needed remains just a fraction. Adding a pinch of saw palmetto to a multivitamin supplement does not really turn it into a “mens” multi. What is important is that the multi provides a broad spectrum of all the nutrients you need, in the proper ratios, in a stable, flexible dosage format.

Flexible Dosage

For those who do not want to take four tablets a day, even a two per day dosage is better than most other formulations. Ideally, it would be one tablets twice a day, but two tablets once a day is better than most “one a day” formulas. Note the content of two tablets daily from the following table, including the fact that you will get 400 mg calcium and 300 mg magnesium.


Willvite - Willner Chemists (4 tablets per day)            
            
Ingredient    Per Two Tabs    Per Four Tabs    
            
Vitamin A (acetate)    2,500 IU    5,000 IU    
Natural Beta Carotene (D. Salina)    7,500 IU    15,000 IU    
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid/calcium ascorbate)    375 mg    750 mg    
Vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol)    400 IU    800 IU    
Vitamin E (d-alpha tocophneryl succinate)    150 IU    300 IU    
Vitamin K2 (as MK7)    30 mcg    60 mcg    
Vitamin B1 (thiamine)    15 mg    30 mg    
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)     15 mg    30 mg    
Niacin (as niacinamide)    25 mg    50 mg    
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)    15 mg    30 mg    
Folic Acid    200 mcg    400 mcg    
Vitamin B12 (as Methylcobalamin)    100 mcg    200 mcg    
Biotin    150 mcg    300 mcg    
Pantothenic Acid (d-calcium pantothenate)    25 mg    50 mg    
Calcium (carbonate and citrate)    400 mg    800 mg    
Iron (rice chelate)    4.5 mg    9 mg    
Iodine (from Norwegian kelp)    75 mcg    150 mcg    
Magnesium (oxide and aspartate)    300 mg    600 mg    
Zinc (amino acid chelate)    10 mg    20 mg    
Selenium (L-selenomethionine)    50 mcg    100 mcg    
Copper (chelated copper gluconate)    1 mg    2 mg    
Manganese (chelated manganese gluconate)    2.5 mg    5 mg    
Chromium (as picolinate)    50 mcg    100 mcg    
Molybdenum (chelate)    75 mcg    150 mcg    
Potassium (amino acid chelate)    25 mg    50 mg    
Choline Bitartrate    25 mg    50 mg    
Inositol    12.5 mg    25 mg    
PABA (para amino benzoic acid)    5 mg    10 mg    
CoQ10    10 mg    20 mg    
Boron (citrate, aspartate, glycinate)    0.5 mg    1 mg    
Lutein    1 mg    2 mg    
Silicon (from horsetail)    175 mcg    350 mcg    
Vanadium (sulfate)    5 mcg    10 mcg    
Lycopene    1 mg    2 mg    
Grape Seed Extract    12.5 mg    25 mg    
            
* Willvite (regular, with iron) provides 50% US Daily Value per 4 tablets, or 25% Daily Value per 2 tablets.



Features and Improvements

•    Includes actual pre-formed vitamin A (25%) along with natural Beta Carotene (75%) for enhanced immune and mucous membrane support.
•    Vitamin C is present in partially buffered form.
•    Vitamin D is the preferred D3 form for greater potency
•    Vitamin E is in the natural, d-alpha tocopherol form.
•    Vitamin K is present in the preferred K2 (MK7) form.
•    The B Vitamins are present in high enough levels to ensure tissue saturation, yet allows the additional use of additional B-Complex supplements if desired.
•    In response to the most recent research, the Folic Acid level remains at 400 mcg.
•    Vitamin B12 is present in the active, methylcobalamin form for enhanced bioavailability.
•    The full U.S. Daily Value (300 mcg) of Biotin is provided.
•    The daily dose of Calcium has been reduced from 1000 mg to 800 mg to reflect the most recent guidelines and concerns over excess levels. This allows for those who require extra calcium to take additional supplementation without potential over dosage. Also, this facilitates the adjustment of the calcium:magnesium ratio to better favor magnesium.
•    The consensus of opinion among experts is that the ratio of magnesium to calcium should be higher than 1:2. The level of Magnesium in Willvite has been increased from 500 mg to 600 mg, thus altering the magnesium to calcium ratio from 1:2 to 3:4.
•    There are two versions of Willvite, with Iron and without Iron. The version containing Iron only provides 9 mg per day, which is ½ of the daily recommended dose. Much of the advice to avoid iron is unfounded, and it should be remembered that iron is an essential and extremely important mineral. To accommodate those who truly require an iron-free version, we have made it available.
•    To facilitate the absorption of the macro minerals, calcium and magnesium, while, at the same time allowing for the full 800 mg and 600 mg doses, we have utilized a blend of organic (citrate and aspartate) and inorganic forms (carbonate and oxide). The trace minerals (zinc, copper, selenium, etc) are in organic (chelated) forms. For optimal absorption, take Willvite with meals.
•    Zinc has been reduced from 30 mg to 20 mg, to comply with the latest recommendations. Likewise, Selenium has been reduced from 200 mcg to 100 mcg. Chromium has been reduced from 200 mcg to 100 mcg. These adjustments address concerns about higher dose levels, and allow for additional supplementation when necessary.    
•    Lycopene, has been added, at a level of 2 mg.
•    The level of Lutein has been increased from 1 mg to 2 mg.
•    The level of CoQ10 has been increased from 5 mg to 20 mg.

Don Goldberg

Ordering Information:
Willvite, Regular: Product Code 30439
Willvite, Iron Free: Product Code 44384