Obeid R, Holzgreve W, Pietrzik K. Is 5-methyltetrahydrofolate an alternative to folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects? J Perinat Med. 2013 Sep 1;41(5):469-83. ←

There are a couple of extra vitamins you might need but not everybody will - unlike folic acid and vitamin D - so consult your doctor if you're unsure.

How do we compare?

One downside to supplements is that, at their core, they are artificial. They are certainly no substitute for obtaining the minerals your body needs naturally from food and drink. However with as many as 10% of the UK population being deficient in at least one vitamin (according to a study done by the University of Cambridge), it may be a case of quantity over quality. Zinc is an important trace mineral, involved in promoting good health down to the cellular level including DNA synthesis, cell growth and division, as well as immune health. About half of UK adults take some form of vitamin supplement, with multivitamin tablets being the most popular. While women have traditionally led the interest in such dietary supplements, men are increasingly turning to them as well. Brown, K. H., Rivera, J. A., Bhutta, Z., Gibson, R. S. et al., International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group (IZiNCG) technical document #1. Assessment of the risk of zinc deficiency in populations and options for its control. Food Nutr. Bull. 2004, 25, S99–S203. ← Likewise, we don’t always have the time to cook nutrient-dense meals each day and certain sectors of the population are at risk of missing vital vitamins and minerals because of their diet. Our absorption of certain nutrients such as Vitamin D and calcium also falls as we age.

Calcium and vitamin D work together to build and maintain strong bones, while iron absorption is especially important for menstruating women to avoid anaemia.

Folate or folic acid is very important for pregnant women or women trying to get pregnant to prevent birth defects and conditions such as Spina Bifida. Performance Lab NutriGenesis for Women has higher amounts of folate (folic acid), ideal for women who may be thinking of getting pregnant. (Of course, we’d recommend following your doctor’s advice on vitamins if pregnant). So I decided to create my own products, searching out the UK’s leading product developers, laboratories and researchers to work with me to create a streamlined range which makes no compromises on quality or effectiveness. At Inessa, we create clinical grade products, and make them available direct to you, at high street prices. An antioxidant, vitamin E helps with cardiovascular health as well as skin, hair, nails, and tissue repair. For those of us who want to keep things simple, Sanatogen may be one of the best tablets available. Although it does not contain as wide a variety of minerals and vitamins as other supplements on this list, it contains the key A-Z vitamins to help support your health over a long period of time.

Frei B, Ames BN, Blumberg JB, Willett WC. Enough is enough. Ann Intern Med.2014 Jun 3;160(11):807. ← Where to start? The manufacturer behind the Performance Lab range — Opti-Nutra — is known and praised for its nutritional expertise. Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi has special formulas for both men and women with generous dosages, making it a quality natural multivitamin supplement for overall health. It’s vegan-friendly and is made with superior ultramodern manufacturing techniques with an emphasis on a clean, safe and ethical product. Taking a daily multivitamin can provide all the essential vitamins and minerals our body needs on a day-to-day basis, with formulations that can vary in quality from brand to brand and product to product. Brands have also widened their product ranges to appeal to certain profiles and health-related desires. BUY: Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi for Women Do Men and Women Really Need a Separate Multivitamin?

What are optimal doses?

Almost all vitamins will tell you what percentage of your recommended daily intake they contain. This will allow you to plan your diet around the tablet, to ensure that you are taking in a wide variety of nutrients and minerals from different sources. What do you want to improve? Magnesium and iodine are also important for female-health needs. The former is used in hundreds of processes in the body, helping to regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels, potentially reducing the risk of diabetes and heart disease. In women over 40, it is also particularly useful for its role in preventing bone loss that could lead to osteoporosis. Folate is the name of a family of different forms of a vitamin, but these different forms have different activity in the body. Folic acid, the most common form used in multivitamins is not the active form of the nutrient, and because of genetic differences in folate metabolism, is not the most effective form for many people. L- 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF), on the other hand, is a form of folate that is more natural and better utilized by the body. 6

Inessa Pregnancy Multinutrient is also one of the only pregnancy supplements in the UK to include a safe yet meaningful dose of choline. Known to support brain development in a growing foetus and found in food sources such as liver and egg yolks, it’s thought that around 90% of women aren’t getting enough choline through their diets. A lot of brands do include calcium and magnesium in token amounts to make their formula appear more complete. It goes against our ethos to include ingredients in token amounts, and it misleads the customer into thinking they’re covering their dietary intake needs. Most people haven’t heard of vitamin K – and many inferior multivitamins don’t include it – but vitamins K1 and K2 are important for health, and deficiency could even be the missing link between diet and some chronic diseases. K1 is important for blood clotting while K2 promotes bones and heart health. [3]

Advanced Daily Biotic

The type of nutrients in your dietary supplement can be very important, improving the nutritional quality and benefits of the product. Inessa Advanced Multivitamin provides the best possible forms of various nutrients . Excellent examples of this are the forms of folate, vitamin D, and vitamin K used in our product. Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG was first isolated in the 1980s, and since then there’s been more than 760 scientific publications and 260 clinical studies on just this one strain of friendly bacteria alone. Nearly 40 years of research has consistently shown Lactobacillus Rhamnosus GG to be safe and effective, and now it’s well-known for its resistance to stomach acid, growth characteristics and its ability to adhere to the gut wall. Copper is useful for both men and women, helping in numerous systems in the body, from the cardiovascular to the nervous system, as well as red blood cell formation. Calcium is an important dietary mineral that protects bones, joints, muscles and the nervous system. A deficiency can cause osteoporosis in both men and women, but calcium is generally easy to obtain from milk and dairy products.