Best value-for-money multivitamin?

[hyperdimension]

Currently I take Mega Bioton which I can get for 340 THB per 50-capsule bottle, which seems better value-for-money than other brands e.g. Blackmores.

But recently I found Kirkland Signature™ Daily Multi, 500 Tablets for 1200 THB at a small open stall (that sells a lot of other rare nutritional supplements) in Central Plaza Lat Phrao. This feels much better value-for-money than the Mega Bioton (though it would be quite a tedious task to do a proper value-for-money comparison between different multivitamin products because of the variation of amounts of the ingredients). Costco sells it for 14.49 USD, which is around 507 THB.

Are there any other multivitaimins (e.g. Thai-manufactured) that can be bought for around 1 THB per daily dose?

[gandalf12]

Be better spending the money on quality food i.e. not the burgers and the like

[ronz28]

Last day of free screening on which vitamins to take at https://thatvitaminmovie.com/movie/freescreening/

See about 59:10 of 1:26:25 for Saul's list.

Edited May 5, 2016 by ronz28

[xerostar]

The absolute best you can buy is USANA ESSENTIALS made in the USA,

They are the only supplements given approval by the US food & drug administration.

They are guaranteed to contain what is written on the container (not like many other supplements)

They have everything in them and they have a high potency.

There is an agent in Bangkok.

[johnatong]

The best and cheapest vitamins are to be found in fruit, veg and the other ingredients of a good varied diet !

There is rarely any need for supplementation if fresh food forms the basis of ones diet.

[impulse]

The best and cheapest vitamins are to be found in fruit, veg and the other ingredients of a good varied diet !

There is rarely any need for supplementation if fresh food forms the basis of ones diet.

Maybe true, but how many pounds of fruits and veggies would I have to eat to get the same vitamins in one tablet? And how would I balance which fruits and vegetables I need to rotate between to get all my vitamin needs met, like with one tablet? And how can I be sure I'm not getting more mgs of pesticides and fertilizers than mgs of vitamins as I scarf down pounds of local flora?

And what if my schedule doesn't allow for me to cook for 8 hours a day like the housewives of yesteryear- and I don't have a Thai wife to take care of me? And if I don't cook myself, can I trust the food prepared with MSG, nitrates, nitrites, sulfates, sulfites, uncooked fish guts and God only knows what else they scoop into those tasty dishes?

And that's before even getting into the wingnut arguments about soil depletion, big Agra and the deteriorating quality of even the "good" foods making it onto our tables nowadays.

Besides, what's all that got to do with which vitamin offers the best value in Thailand?

Edited May 6, 2016 by impulse

[hyperdimension]

I try to eat well but I'm never sure that I get enough of each nutrient that I need (or should have a high amount of) each day. So I attempt to compensate for whatever I may be short of with a multivitamin. As long as they don't contain anything harmful and they don't cost much, then there shouldn't be much problem.

Since vitamins generally cost much more in Thailand than in other countries, that is the problem that I am trying to alleviate in this forum thread.

People seem to like Centrum brand, and it may be high quality, but I've found that it is quite expensive. I want to focus on value-for-money more than quality. I'm OK with a bit lower quality as long as there aren't any harmful impurities.

I think the main reason for the high cost in Thailand is because most are imported. So I am interested in finding Thai-manufactured products.

In my research yesterday I've found that the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) makes some vitamin products:

Complevit: Per 5 mL Vit A 2,000 units, vit D 200 units, vit C 35 mg, vit B1 1 mg, vit B2 1 mg, vit B6 1 mg, vit B12 2.5 mcg, Ca pantothenate 5 mg, folic acid 0.05 mg, nicotinamide 10 mg, vit E 7.5 mg
Multivitamin GPO: Vit A 2,500 IU, vit D 300 IU, vit B1 1 mg, vit B2 0.5 mg, vit C 15 mg, nicotinamide 7.5 mg
Vitamin B 1-6-12 GPO: Vit B1 mononitrate 100 mg, vit B6 7.5 mg, vit B12 75 mcg
Vitamin B Complex Forte GPO: Vit B1 mononitrate 10 mg, vit B2 5 mg, vit B6 1 mg, vit B12 1 mcg, nicotinamide 50 mg, Ca pantothenate 5 mg
Vitamin B Complex GPO: Vit B1 mononitrate 5 mg, vit B2 2 mg, vit B6 2 mg, nicotinamide 20 mg
Vitamin C GPO: Vit C

However the Complevit and Multivitamin GPO only has a very small number of ingredients compared with other multivitamin products like the Mega Bioton or Kirkland Daily Multi. Though I would still be interested in buying them just because they are cheap, and alternate with the other products on different days.

I know that iherb orders are now working fine, but they don't stock the Kirkland Daily Multi.

[Saastrajaa]

The absolute best you can buy is USANA ESSENTIALS made in the USA,

They are the only supplements given approval by the US food & drug administration.

They are guaranteed to contain what is written on the container (not like many other supplements)

They have everything in them and they have a high potency.

There is an agent in Bangkok.

http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/08/usana-vitamins-marketing-markets-equities-cx_er_0808usana.html

[johnatong]

The best and cheapest vitamins are to be found in fruit, veg and the other ingredients of a good varied diet !

There is rarely any need for supplementation if fresh food forms the basis of ones diet.

Maybe true, but how many pounds of fruits and veggies would I have to eat to get the same vitamins in one tablet? And how would I balance which fruits and vegetables I need to rotate between to get all my vitamin needs met, like with one tablet? And how can I be sure I'm not getting more mgs of pesticides and fertilizers than mgs of vitamins as I scarf down pounds of local flora?

And what if my schedule doesn't allow for me to cook for 8 hours a day like the housewives of yesteryear- and I don't have a Thai wife to take care of me? And if I don't cook myself, can I trust the food prepared with MSG, nitrates, nitrites, sulfates, sulfites, uncooked fish guts and God only knows what else they scoop into those tasty dishes?

And that's before even getting into the wingnut arguments about soil depletion, big Agra and the deteriorating quality of even the "good" foods making it onto our tables nowadays.

Besides, what's all that got to do with which vitamin offers the best value in Thailand?

Best then that you live on pills!

Me ---I much prefer my home cooked meals (which do not take 8 hours to prepare/cook ) made from fresh produce !

[hyperdimension]

Best then that you live on pills!

Me ---I much prefer my home cooked meals (which do not take 8 hours to prepare/cook ) made from fresh produce !

It doesn't have to be one or the other. We can do both and as a result may become even healthier than if we chose to get our nutrients in only one way.

[hyperdimension]

I visited the GPO pharmacy in the Government Complex Building B recently and found:

500 tablets of Vitamin B1, B6, B2 for 224 THB. Each tablet has 100mg of B1, 7.5mg of B2, 74 micrograms of B12.

100 tablets of Vitamin C for 90 THB. Each tablet has 500mg of C. That's half the price of Vitamin C that I had bought not long ago at a discounted price at Boots.

They didn't have the other vitamin products that I had mentioned earlier (Complevit, Multivitamin GPO, Vitamin B Complex Forte GPO, Vitamin B Complex GPO).

[ravip]

Can vitamin and mineral supplements really make you healthier?

Overwhelmed by the towering shelves of vitamin and mineral supplements in the grocery store?

There are so many options that sound great, but there are also so many questions: Which ones really work? Exactly how effective are they? Are they worth the money?

These are good questions for anybody who wants to live healthier and avoid heart disease and stroke. But before you start buying everything from Vitamin A to Zinc, remember there’s only one way to be sure you’re getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs: Eat healthy foods.

Supplements can be beneficial, but the key to vitamin and mineral success is eating a balanced diet. Before taking vitamin and mineral supplements, talk to your physician about your personal dietary plan.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Vitamin-Supplements-Healthy-or-Hoax_UCM_432104_Article.jsp#.Vzk8PPl974Y

[hyperdimension]

Supplements can be beneficial, but the key to vitamin and mineral success is eating a balanced diet.

Yes, it's good to do both. If the supplements only cost an additional couple of baht per day then it can be worth it for the extra coverage of nutrients that you may be low in.

The problem in Thailand is that supplements can be expensive, particularly the easily-available ones in places like Boots, so this thread is to discuss alternative sources that are low-cost.

[Dexlowe]

Doesn't seem like you are getting much help here - unfortunately, I can't add to the forum's collective wisdom either.

I take Centrum on the advice of my doctor, and the ingredient list tops up my vitamin intake - but I have no way of knowing how much benefit there is, nor indeed how much of a top-up I need each day as it's impossible to estimate and regulate your natural vitamin/mineral intake, hence the need for a tablet. So I just go with the flow, so to speak, and hope it all works out.

FYI, I also take a bio-magnesium tablet each day for heart arrhythmia and it works brilliantly (Blackmores at the moment at about 390 a month, but there's another one, Vistra, that's 60 baht cheaper, and just as effective). Other tablets are a daily turmeric (khamin chan in Thai) which is highly recommended by many medicos; co-enzyme Q10 (Vistra); vitamin C; and B complex (Mega brand).

[tkramer]

Gabe Mirkin M.D.

'Antioxidant pills can cause cancer to spread'

http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/antioxidant-pills-can-cause-cancer-to-spread.html

Edited May 17, 2016 by tkramer

[johnatong]

Doesn't seem like you are getting much help here - unfortunately, I can't add to the forum's collective wisdom either.

I take Centrum on the advice of my doctor, and the ingredient list tops up my vitamin intake - but I have no way of knowing how much benefit there is, nor indeed how much of a top-up I need each day as it's impossible to estimate and regulate your natural vitamin/mineral intake, hence the need for a tablet. So I just go with the flow, so to speak, and hope it all works out.

FYI, I also take a bio-magnesium tablet each day for heart arrhythmia and it works brilliantly (Blackmores at the moment at about 390 a month, but there's another one, Vistra, that's 60 baht cheaper, and just as effective). Other tablets are a daily turmeric (khamin chan in Thai) which is highly recommended by many medicos; co-enzyme Q10 (Vistra); vitamin C; and B complex (Mega brand).

If you have a Heart Arrhythmia I hope it was diagnosed by a doctor and that you are following medical advice.

I am not aware of a Heart Arrhythmia which can be controlled with 'bio-magnesium' alone.

[Speedo1968]

As an oldie and former vegetarian - 1971, now vegan I would suggest good food and diet based on your needs. Note, I have been in farming for 50 years, call me a hypocrite but it is the work I know and at least I can teach compassion.

Vitamin boosters, e.g. High C when you smell a cold or fever coming, when on long journeys by bus or plane, short bus journeys if many people are sneezing around you, B6 and 12 - if your body tells you you need it.

If you are in competitive sports, especially swimming, by not eating meat you will have less aggression for races but you will will have more stamina ( go further for longer ). Ideal for sea swimming races and surfing.

[lujanit]

try this quiz. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-18/supplements-quiz-complementary-medicines-how-much-do-you-know/7421784

[kicking]

try this quiz. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-18/supplements-quiz-complementary-medicines-how-much-do-you-know/7421784

Nonsense, in addition to adding no value to the original question.

[Bantex]

You can take all the multi vitamin tablets you want but the human body will not be able to absorb their contents and you will just piss the better part away.

Good diet with fresh fruit and vegetables will do you more good.

[hyperdimension]

You can take all the multi vitamin tablets you want but the human body will not be able to absorb their contents and you will just piss the better part away.

Depending on the substance, the excess may either accumulate in the body or pass out via urine.

Good diet with fresh fruit and vegetables will do you more good.

That's true.

Taking supplements in addition to a good diet may cover for anything you may have missed.

I've just ordered this from iherb, costing 9.59 USD:

I wish something like this was available in Bangkok (and at around the same price).

Edited May 23, 2016 by hyperdimension

[lujanit]

try this quiz. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-18/supplements-quiz-complementary-medicines-how-much-do-you-know/7421784

Nonsense, in addition to adding no value to the original question.

You are the one who is sprouting absolute nonsense. If you bothered to read the article and do the quiz you would have learnt that the average person eating normally does not need vitamin supplements. In addition you would now know that the vitamin/supplement industry is a multi-billion industry which is almost totally unregulated. There are many many cases of what is on the label is not what is in the supplement.

Easy to hit the keyboard and flame. Takes some initiative to check the facts.

[Sheryl]

please keep it civil

[ravip]

Has anyone heard about Guardian Multi Vitamin Capsules?

Supposed to be an Australian product, but can find nothing on Google.

[Globalist]

It's common knowledge at least since 2013 that vitamin supplements are at best a waste of money and at worst carcinogenic.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/vitamin-pills-are-a-waste-of-money-offer-no-health-benefits-and-could-be-harmful-study-9010303.html

So, the best value-for-money multi-vitamin is "food".

[ravip]

It's common knowledge at least since 2013 that vitamin supplements are at best a waste of money and at worst carcinogenic.

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/vitamin-pills-are-a-waste-of-money-offer-no-health-benefits-and-could-be-harmful-study-9010303.html

So, the best value-for-money multi-vitamin is "food".

'supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults...has no clear benefit and might even be harmful'

Well nourished is the important thing here.

Also the different train of thoughts due to sponsorship -

Scientists are humans too.

Edited June 18, 2016 by ravip

[2020]

I didn't realise there where so many doctors and experts on TV! But its a shame they can't read what the OP is asking in the first instance.

Did anyone bother to ask if the OP could eat properly, is on a calorie restricted diet and is thereby restricting nutrient intake, taking medication that reduces the absorption of nutrients or is a drug addict/ alcoholic and places more emphasis on feeding the addiction than eating? Maybe he's a mad gym junkie that works out so much its impossible to eat enough to maintain optimum nutritional health? There are many legitimate reasons to take vitamin supplements. And that is what they are, a supplement to the diet.

Its a simple enough request for information.

Start your own thread if you want to educate people on your vast knowledge of wasting money.

[hyperdimension]

Has anyone heard about Guardian Multi Vitamin Capsules?

Supposed to be an Australian product, but can find nothing on Google.

I haven't seen that one. The easiest thing to do would be to find an alternative containing similar ingredients on iherb.