When there is more than one line for a mineral, the first line is for everyone ages 14 and older, unless a second or third line specifies an age group.

It’s not necessary for your multi-vitamin/mineral to contain 100% of every nutrient. The most important minerals are calcium, magnesium and zinc—plus iron for menstruating women. Even then, however, the recommended daily intake for calcium would not fit into a single pill (or if it did, the pill would be huge).

NK		means “not known”
mg		milligrams
mcg		micrograms (1,000 mcg = 1 mg)

See our article about Vitamins.

Trying to follow all the studies on vitamins and health can make your head swirl. But, when it’s all boiled down, the take–home message is actually pretty simple: A daily multivitamin, and maybe an extra vitamin D supplement, is a great way to make sure you’re getting all the nutrients you need to be healthy. The folic acid in most multivitamins helps prevent neural tube defects in newborns; it may lower the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, and breast cancer. Vitamin D from a multivitamin or single supplement can lower the risk of colon and possibly many other cancers.

Of course, there can be too much of a good thing. It’s important not to go overboard with vitamins. While a multivitamin and a vitamin D supplement can help fill some of the gaps in a less than optimal diet, too much can be harmful. In general, stick close to standard recommended doses.

Learn more about some of the vitamins with newly recognized or suspected roles in health and disease: