I've heard a lot of mixed reviews on multivitamins. I've heard some say that they play a huge part in sucessful diets and I have also heard they do absolutely nothing for you one way or the other. So I was wondering from everyone's personal experience did/do you find them helpful on your diet?

I wouldn't say multivitamins help for diets but I do believe they help to get some vitamins you may miss, no matter what your dietary habits. I take a multivatmin every day.

I don't think ANY multi-vitamin (esp. the self-claimed Weight Loss ones, which actually is being fined now for misleading statements) will assist in weight-loss itself.

That being said, when cutting calories and adapting to a new diet, there may be nutritional gaps from foods you're drastically cutting out (e.g. iron from red meats, calcium from dairy products, etc.), and a multivitamin helps fill in some of those gaps so you don't run into a deficiency (which is a very rare occurrence, anyways) -- and yes, I take a multivitamin each day as well.

I used to take multivitamins but so many manufactures make junk pills. It is hard to get a good vitamin/calcuim supplement etc. It is impossible to get one that is affordable, at least for me.

I don't trust the manufactures of those vitamins generally and I don't trust vitiamins in a pill. Why waste your money? I rely now on getting my vitamins though food. Yes there is more responsability there, you have to make sure you eat right. But by the time you are done eating right, you are too full to eat cake.

I take a Multi-Vitamin to help with whatever nutrients I may be missing, since I am now eating a more modified diet.

In terms of what is good and what is bad, MSN news released a story about a week and a half ago about which multivitamins are better for you.

I remember seeing One A Day multivitamin Women's and the regular one.

And Member's Mark (from Sam's Club) being a good one. (I currently take that one)

i bought women's one a day thinking that b/c I'm reducing my caloric intake i should make sure I get proper nutrients etc. BUT, I threw up every time I took one, which was only 3 times b/c I gave up after that. So now I just try to eat nutrient dense foods.

I figure that I'm eating a more limited diet, but the lack of cheeze doodles and white bread isn't going to be negatively impacting my nutrition. So I don't bother with a multivitamin.

I take VITA-VIM 50+ . Personally, unless they definitely seem to be bothering you, I think a multi-vitamin is probably good insurance. We all know we should manage to get everything we need from food . . . but . . . some days we just don't always eat as well as we could.

I use the Member's mark multi-vitamin along with a calcium/magnesium/zinc. I also take Biotin...I take them after a meal, less chance of stomach upset.

Consumer Reports recommends avoiding bargain-basement type brands such as those found at the Family Dollar and Big Lots and stick to the well known brands. They also recommend avoiding mega-doses and exotic extras.

I currently take Olay multivitamins, but chose them because they were on sale

I take Women's Ultra Mega Active from GNC. I might change to something else later, but that's the one I take for now. Along with about a dozen or so other supplements. But some are just temporary, so when I get done with the bottle I'm not getting anymore.

A vitamin any vitamin ONLY works if it is absorbed into your system. There are alot of junk pills and they dont work.Everyone should do there homework when it comes to what goes into there bodys. If a doctor says you have to take this medicine...Whats your next Question's.....So why don't we do the same with our vitamins?? We all should take vitamins to fill the void for what we miss everyday..

wow thanks so much for all the replies I have enjoyed reading them, and found them very interesting. I am currently taking members mark as well, and maybe it's a mental thing (actually it probably is), but I think it makes me feel better

I just found this article today. It's an article from the Chicago Tribune that discusses yet another research study which suggest that vitamins might be harmful, even for people who are healthy.

The title discusses "antioxidants" but if you read the article, it's clear they are not talking about naturally occurring antioxidants in food, but vitamins only.

Here's the opening, link below:

"Adding to a growing scientific consensus, a large study released Tuesday concluded that vitamin E and other antioxidant supplements provide no health benefits and may even produce a small increase in the risk of death.

The report in the Journal of the American Medical Association immediately was criticized by vitamin-makers and some researchers, but its findings are similar to other studies suggesting that supplements are not as quick and easy a way to improve health as their promoters claim."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/featur...l=chi-news-hed