Athlete's Guide to Multivitamins
I am often asked for product recommendations and how to choose the best multivitamin for athletes. In general, I typically don’t recommend athletes take a multivitamin until after I’m able to assess their diet. If the athlete is able to consume a well-balanced diet with a wide variety of foods, a multivitamin may not be necessary. Instead, I will advise supplementing with individual micronutrients, for example, vitamin D or B12, as needed and educate on whole food sources.
However, for some athletes, multivitamins are a quick and inexpensive way to minimize deficiency risk, without worrying about purchasing several individual micronutrients. And with so many on the market, Dana and I started to search for the most effective, affordable, and highest quality multivitamin for athletes. If you are considering a multivitamin, make sure to work with your sports dietitian to ensure that a multivitamin is the best option for you.
The FDA does not regulate supplements so you must always use caution when using them. Athletes should only use products that go through a third party certification, such as NSF certified for sport or Informed-Sport. Required for athletes to ensure they aren't consuming any illegal substances; this certification assures what's listed on the package is what's actually in the product and that the product contains no banned substances. Five out of the 12 total multivitamins in this review are NSF Certified for Sport.
This review is not sponsored. I was not paid by these brands or compensated in any way for this review.
We started by identifying the nutrients that athletes should be looking for in an effective multivitamin. We put together this graphic that highlights the nutrients and their recommended daily intake that are most applicable to athletes. Health professionals wanting a more in depth breakdown for each of the reviewed multivitamins, click here for a comparison chart.
Each multivitamin was evaluated on the criteria listed below. We used this information to determine which products are best suited for athletes.
· Is it NSF certified or informed sport?
· Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients.
· Vitamin type and convenience.
· Cost.
· Would I recommend this product?
Klean Athlete
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? Yes, NSF certified for sport.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: Product contains all key nutrients in appropriate doses and in easily absorbed forms. However, this product does not contain any vitamin K or iron.
Vitamin type and Serving: 2 tablets daily with a meal.
Cost/serving: $38.40 for 30 servings = $1.28 per serving.
Would I recommend this product? Yes, this product is NSF certified for sport, reasonably priced, and would be easy for an athlete to implement into their daily routine.
TB12
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? Yes, NSF for sport certified.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: Product contains all key nutrients in appropriate doses and in easily absorbed forms. However, this product does not contain any vitamin K or iron.
Vitamin type and Serving: 2 tablets daily with a meal.
Cost/serving: This product sells for $38.00 for a container of 30 servings = $1.27 per serving.
Would I recommend this product? Yes, this product is NSF certified for sport, reasonably priced, and would be easy for an athlete to implement into their daily routine.
Thorne MVI Basic Nutrients 2/Day
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? Yes, NSF Certified for Sport. It is important to note that they also sell a non-NSF certified for sport version of the same product that is $4.00 cheaper. It is important for athletes to remember to purchase the NSF Certified for Sport version.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product contains over the tolerable upper limit for niacin and more than the recommended amount for vitamin K. It also contains excessive and unnecessary amounts of vitamin B6 and B12.
Vitamin type and Serving: 2 capsules daily.
Cost/serving: $32.00 for 30 servings. $1.06 per serving.
Would I recommend this product? Overall this is a good product, however it does contain an unnecessary and excessive amount of b-vitamins.
Thorne Multivitamin Elite AM/PM Formula
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? Yes, NSF for sport certified. Just like the Basic Nutrients 2/Day Multivitamin, one option of this product is NSF Certified for Sport and one is not. Athletes be sure to choose the one that is NSF certified for Sport.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: Very similar ingredients to the Basic Nutrients Multivitamin, but does contain less niacin, a higher dose of magnesium, and a few additional ingredients such as curcumin.
Vitamin Type and Serving: This product has you take 3 of the AM capsules in the morning and 3 of the PM capsules at night.
Cost/serving: $65 for 30 servings = $2.17/serving.
Would I recommend this product? Overall this is a good product, however taking 3 capsules twice a day may be hard to stick to, and it doesn’t offer anything superior to the other products to justify the higher price point.
Athletic Greens
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? Yes, NSF for sport certified.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product does not contain any vitamin D, K, or iron. This product does contain a few additional ingredients such as dairy-free probiotics and a ‘raw superfood blend’. I talk more about green powders in this article here.
Vitamin Type and Serving: Mix 1 scoop with 5 to 10 ounces of cold water. Package must be refrigerated after opening, which may make it difficult for a traveling athlete. However, single serving packets are also available online.
Cost/serving: This product offers either a one-time purchase or subscribe and save option.
One-time purchase: $3.23/serving
Subscribe & Save: $2.57/serving
Would I recommend this product? For athletes looking for a different type of multivitamin (i.e. powder form vs. capsules), this would be a good option. Keep in mind if using as a multivitamin, it does lack/does not contain optimal amounts of some key nutrients (vitamin D, iron, magnesium) and is more expensive.
Ladder Greens
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? Yes, this product is NSF for sport certified.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product does not provide any Vitamin A, C, E, Calcium, or iron. This product does contain a higher amount of vitamin D and magnesium than similar green powders. This product also contains a very large amount of vitamin K.
Vitamin Type and Serving: 1 pack mixed with 10-12oz water.
Cost/serving: This product comes in individual packs in options of 15, 30 or 45. It is $70 for 30 packs = $2.33/serving.
Would I recommend this product? Compared to other green powders, I like that this one contains vitamin D and magnesium. Keep in mind if using as a multivitamin, it does lack/does not contain optimal amounts of other key nutrients (such as vitamin A, C, E, calcium, iron) and is more expensive.
Nature Made Multi for Adults with Calcium and Iron
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? No, I would not recommend this product for drug-tested athletes. For general population, this product does carry USP certification, which verifies that what’s on the product label is actually in the product.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product contains a significant amount of iron and calcium. Calcium can inhibit the absorption of iron, so it is generally best these are taken separately. Of note, this product contains the amount of iron recommended for women. It is unnecessary for a male to consume this amount of iron.
Vitamin Type and Serving: 1 tablet with a meal.
Cost/serving: $19 for 300 tablets = $0.06 per serving.
Would I recommend this product? I would not recommend this product for drug-tested athletes. However, the cost makes this a good option for women who are not drug-tested athletes.
Pure Encapsulations Athletic Nutrients 180’s
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? No. I would not recommend this for drug-tested athletes.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product does not offer an adequate amount of vitamin D or folate.
Vitamin Type and Serving. 2 tablets with a meal.
Cost/serving: $61.80 for 90 servings = $0.69 per serving.
Would I recommend this product? Although this product is reasonably priced, it does not offer an adequate amount of vitamin D and does not hold NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport certification.
Ritual Multivitamin for Women
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? No. Website states they use a third party lab to test each batch, but they do not list the company. I would not recommend this to drug-tested athletes.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product only contains 7 of the key nutrients (vitamin D, E, K, B12, folate, iron, magnesium). It contains more than double the recommended amount of folate and does not contain the recommended intake of iron for women.
Vitamin type and Serving: 2 capsules per day.
Cost/serving: $30 for 30 servings = $1.00 per serving.
Would I recommend this product? No, I would not recommend this product. There are better options on the market that provide a more complete nutrient profile.
GNC Mega Men Sport
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? No. I would not recommend this product for drug-tested athletes.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product contains large amounts of most of the key nutrients. More does not always mean better as it provides the maximum recommended amount of vitamin A and over the recommended amount of folate for men. The magnesium used is in the form of Magnesium oxide, which is poorly absorbed by the body.
Vitamin Type and Serving: 2 capsules per day.
Cost/serving: $38 for 180 servings = $0.42 per serving.
Would I recommend this product? No, this product does not carry any certifications and contains excessive amounts of many nutrients.
Kirkland Adult Gummy Signature
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? No. I would not recommend this product for drug-tested athletes.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product is missing many of the key nutrients and does not meet the recommended intake for vitamin C or E. Also contains corn syrup, palm oil, and sugar as additional ingredients (these are commonly found in gummy vitamins).
Vitamin Type and Serving: 2 gummies per day.
Cost/serving: These come as a set of 2 containers, each containing 80 servings. $15 for 160 servings = $0.09 per serving
Would I recommend this product? Although this is one of the best price points of the products reviewed, it definitely does not provide adequate nutrients as a multivitamin.
Smarty Pants Adult Formula
Is it NSF certified or informed sport? It is important to note that this product is NSF certified, but not NSF certified for sport.
Bioavailability and dose of key nutrients: This product does not meet the recommended amount for vitamin C, vitamin E, B1, or B2. It also does not contain any vitamin K, niacin, calcium, iron, or magnesium. This product does contain omega-3s (EPA and DHA), but does not state the ratio of EPA:DHA. Also contains tapioca syrup and cane sugar (gummy vitamin).
Vitamin type and Serving: Take 6 gummies daily with or without food.
Cost/serving: 3. $27.00 for 30 servings = $0.90 per serving.
Would I recommend this product? Although this is one of the better price points of the products reviewed, it definitely does not provide adequate nutrients as a multivitamin.