You have many choices when it comes to multivitamin supplements, and they can vary greatly in quality.

One key way they differ is serving size. A recommended serving size of only one or two pills a day may be a red flag that they don’t contain all the vitamins and minerals you need on a daily basis. Manufacturers may be masters at compressing ingredients but not to that extreme.

• Proper nutrient balance -- just like too little of a nutrient does not provide you any real benefits, too much can potentially do you more harm than good.
• Absorbability -- the key to promoting your health is absorbing as much of the nutrient as possible.
• Competitive relationship with other nutrients -- a complex evaluation is performed by the scientists to make sure the amounts and types of nutrients work well together to benefit you.
• Allergenic potential -- careful selection and measurement of the nutrient to investigate potential allergy issues.
• Long-term safety -- any potential toxic buildup balanced out.