You can find multivitamins in just about every form imaginable these days. They come in capsules, chewables, gummies, and even drink mixes. For the most part, the type of vitamin you choose to take is simply down to personal choice. However, if you hate swallowing pills or are looking for a multivitamin for a child, a liquid formulation is a good option. We’ve got all the info you need to pick the best liquid multivitamin right here.
Who Can Benefit From a Liquid Multivitamin?
It can be hard to get children – even teens – to swallow a multivitamin pill whole For this reason, a pleasant-tasting liquid is better suited to the task.
It’s not just kids who have difficulty swallowing. The elderly and adults with esophageal problems can also benefit from a liquid multivitamin. Those who can’t eat a complete solid diet are more at risk of nutrient deficiencies so it’s important to supplement under supervision of a doctor. (source)
Finally, there are some adults who have no physical issues with swallowing, but rather experience a mental block. Although this can be overcome with practice, a liquid multivitamin can bridge the gap.
Is a Liquid Multivitamin Better?
To understand the difference between solid and liquid multivitamins, we must look at what happens once we swallow. While tablets are usually compressed nutrients in powder form, capsules contain liquid not unlike that in a liquid multivitamin formulation. Once the dose reaches your stomach, it’s broken down into individual components which then dissolve and enter the bloodstream.
It’s true that liquid medicines essentially skip a step. They are already dissolved before they reach the stomach. This means they will enter the bloodstream more quickly. However, the difference is only a matter of minutes – which is useful for something like a painkiller where you want instant relief, but not so much for a multivitamin.
What to Look For in a Good Liquid Multivitamin?
We need 13 vitamins (source) and 15 minerals (source) on a regular basis for good health. This means that the best liquid multivitamins will contain nearly 30 different vitamins and minerals. Seek out supplements that contain between 50% and 100% of the recommended daily allowance for each.
Check vitamin labels to see that they include the nutrients we most commonly lack – B12, C, and D, plus iron and calcium.
Vitamin B12, also known as folate or folic acid, plays a role in converting food into energy. Vitamin C plays a role in the body’s healing mechanism. It aids in the absorption of iron. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and muscles and nerves need it to function, as well.
Iron plays a crucial role in the transportation of oxygen through the blood. It is a necessary component of hemoglobin and myoglobin, both of which are oxygen-carrying proteins. Calcium plays many roles in the body, including bone growth and healing, transmission of nerve signals, and muscle movement.
Things to Avoid
You may want to avoid herbal ingredients in your liquid multivitamin supplement unless they’re something you’d frequently eat as food. These herbs may cause drug interactions. For example, ginseng, often included for energy, can interact with blood thinners. There are also potential health issues like liver toxicity from the herbal ingredient kava kava. (source)
Extremely high amounts of various vitamins and minerals are also commonly found in multivitamins. There’s little evidence that overloading your body with vitamins will do it any good, and it can certainly be harmful. (source)
Although they’re usually benign, you may also want to avoid artificial ingredients like fillers, coloring agents, and flavors if you’re following a whole food diet.
When is the Best Time to Take Your Multivitamin?
Vitamins, particularly fat soluble vitamins like vitamin K and vitamin D, are more readily absorbed with a small meal that contains some dietary fat. (source)
Other common ingredients such as B vitamins, may interrupt sleep, so taking them in the morning or with lunch is best.
It’s important to note that some multivitamin components have possible drug interactions. Iron can reduce the effectiveness of some antibiotics. (source) Check with your healthcare provider before starting on any new over the counter medications or supplements in order to avoid complications.
How to Choose the Best Liquid Multivitamin
When shopping for vitamins and supplements, do a little research on the company before purchasings. Seek out a product that is manufactured in a GMP (good manufacturing practice for pharmaceuticals) certified facility to help ensure high quality ingredients are used.
Now we’ll take a look at some of our picks for the best liquid multivitamin on the market.
Our Pick for the Best Liquid Multivitamin?
Hands down, Balanced Essentials is our favorite liquid multivitamin. It has everything that you need and nothing that you don’t. It may not taste the best, but it stacks up just fine in comparison to the rest of the vitamins on our list. If you have any questions about liquid multivitamins, supplements, or health in general, please contact us here at Health Ambition!
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