Back when MM2k was cool, Bill Phillips said that taking two multi vitamins in the morning and and then two at night should cover any deficiencies. As of the last 5 years, I have been doing this. I’ve been taking the Kirkland brand multi vitamin. Costco sells them really cheap. Two things: Are Kirkland multi vitamins crap? Is that taking two much and resulting in expensive piss? Recommendations?
I don’t think they’re crap, but to get the most out of any of the compressed multi-vitamins, you should eat a little something when you take the vitamins. If you take some of those compressed vitamins (like Centrum and clones) on an empty stomach, they frequently don’t break up fully in the stomach or small intestine and you’ll end up crapping out about 75% of the stuff in a discrete little lump.
Being a loyal Costco shopper, I would say that Kirkland has
a number of excellent products (e.g., their fish oil caps),
but their multi-vitamins are definitely “not” one of them!!!
Although I don’t have a bottle right in front of me, I do
remember off-hand some of their “ballpark” range label specks:
Vitamin C around 60 mg’s (maybe even lower!)
Vitamin E around 30 IU’s
Vitamins B-1, B-2, Niacian, B-5, B-6 around 1.5 mg’s each.
(Just to list a few.)
What I'm telling you is that their strength dosages are right in line with Flintstone's vitamins; to say they're inadequate for a hard training T-Man like yourself is a major under statement!!! I have actually talked a few "label-illiterate" Costco shoppers out of buying them; no fooling!
elegua also has a valid point - that these Centrum-like-clones, being compressed so hard, and being loaded with cheap wax fillers, will probably pass right through the digestive tract unscathed!!
So is a liquid based multi vitamin better? Is there a better pill choice than Kirkland than one may get rather inexpensive.
Ok, I disagree with your statements. I was at Costco tonight for my bi weekly refill and tonight included Multi Vitamins.
Mow I compared all the Centrums to the Kirkland’s and the Kirkland?s have 25% more dosage then the Centrum’s.
Now I have no idea of absorption, but I couldn?t see a huge difference between the two brands since they are most likely manufactured in the same factory.
Now Melaleuca makes some excellent vitamins. They are more expensive for a significantly smaller amount, but the company guarantees there effectiveness. Now I would love to get top quality vitamins (90 caps for $19), but my budget is more inclined to purchase 500 Kirkland multi’s for $12.
Maybe we should get TC & Tim to do a multi V test.