#Multivitamins

Multivitamins combine 10-30+ vitamins and minerals at or near recommended daily amounts. They are the single best-selling supplement category, but the evidence that they reduce disease risk in healthy, well-nourished adults is weak.

Who genuinely benefits. People with documented nutrient gaps — older adults with reduced absorption, restrictive eaters, bariatric-surgery patients, those on strict vegan diets without supplementation, pregnant women (prenatal-specific formulations) and many children with picky-eating patterns.

Paediatric framing. AAP recommends nutrients come from food first. Multivitamins help when picky eating, restrictive diets or documented deficiencies are present. Avoid iron-containing multis without paediatric guidance — iron is the leading cause of fatal paediatric supplement poisoning. Cap gummies at age 4+ for choking-hazard reasons.

Forms. Tablets, capsules and gummies. Gummies often deliver lower amounts of certain nutrients (iron, calcium) due to taste/texture limits and add sugar. Their advantage is compliance.

Quality criteria. NSF, USP or third-party purity certification; methylated B-vitamin forms (methylfolate over folic acid for MTHFR variants); iron content matched to age and sex (post-menopausal women and most men do not need iron in their multi).

On HealthyHerbology we cover multivitamins across women's age-tier-specific (20s, 30s, 40s, 50+) selection, men's testosterone-adjacent selection, and paediatric age-banded selection (toddler / preschool / school-age / teen).