First Why a MultiVitamin at All?
The Modern Diet Lacks Proper Nutrients
Good nutrition, particularly with whole unprocessed foods, is a foundation for general wellness.* Proper nutrition includes both macronutrition (carbs, fat, protein) and micronutrition (individual vitamins and minerals). Usually the best way to get these micronutrients is with whole, fresh, unprocessed food. But since these are active natural compounds, modern food production, storage and preparation can deplete these essential nutrients. Thankfully many of these essential nutrients have been isolated, and if properly prepared, these compounds can be added to the diet by means of supplements. The quality of these supplements is very important however, so resisting the urge to think all Vitamins are created equal is important. Just like gemstones, there are levels of quality in every compound, and a red piece of glass is not the same value as a ruby, no matter how shiny. Like glass, it’s much cheaper to make lesser quality forms of vitamins and minerals. This translates to cheaper supplement prices for lesser quality products.
General Health Improvement, Reduced Healthcare Costs, and Less Sickness*
Studies such as one sponsored by the Council on Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and compiled by Frost & Sullivan in 2020, show a high quality MultiVitamin can reduce healthcare costs.*
Other studies such as from the University of Oregon in 2020 show a reduced the length and severity of illness when using a good multivitamin.*
Most people are deficient in a number of micronutrients such as B12, because food production and storage depletes them, and the common forms in supplementscan be hard to absorb. No MultiForma™ is not the least expensive option out there. But expense is not the same as value. Our Highly Bioavailable compounds make Multiforma™ superior.
We care about substance.
We use and stand behind our product.
Are all Multivitamins created equal?
The simple answer is no. Is it red glass or a Ruby?
Not only are the dosages of the individual micronutrients different in each multivitamin, there are different forms of many of the components. Some of these forms are much easier for the body to absorb. So when you read the label, it’s important to check not just the numbers associated with doses but also the form the nutrient is in. It won’t matter what the numbers say if your body can’t use it.
More is not always better, and may actually be a waste.
Chelated minerals, those bound to amino acids or organic compounds, are easier to absorb. This makes the mineral less likely to interact with other compounds which render it much less effective. We use the patented Albion TRAACS complexes for these minerals for best absorption.*
Vitamins too come in many forms. B12 is a vital one. Cyanocobalamin and Methylcobalamin are two forms of Vitamin B12. The inexpensive cyanocobalamin is very difficult to absorb, rendering any dose of it not very useful. We use a patented form of Methylcobalamin (MecobalActive), which is very pure and highly absorbable.
A Balanced Profile for your Body’s Complex Natural Systems
Like any natural system, vitamins and minerals work synergistically and cooperatively when present in proper amounts. Like bees pollinating flowers while they gather the essential nectar, nutrients use one another to maximize each others effectiveness. But they can also compete. MultiForma™ prevents competition.
Imagine a garden of flowers with no bees or too few flowers to feed the hive. Then of course there are the Hornets that deplete hives.
In a similar way, imbalances between micronutrients can disrupt this synergistic relationship, possibly leading to instances of competitive intestinal absorption or displacement at the metabolic/cellular level, which can produce relative excesses and insufficiencies. For this reason, Multiforma™ features a nutrient profile, that is not just an average of the DV numbers. It includes calcium and magnesium, zinc and copper, vitamins C and E, bioactive folate, vitamin B12, B vitamin complex, beta-carotene, and trace elements in proper proportions.*
Natural Detoxification Support to Eliminate Unwanted Toxic Substances.*
Just Like our planet, our bodies can become riddled with pollutants. Just like our planet, we require systems to eliminate them. These systems require tools to make their work effective.
Unnatural chemicals, including various pollutants and medications, must undergo transformation into molecules that can be easily eliminated from the body. There are high levels of bioavailable riboflavin, niacin, folate, and B12 present in these formulas to support phase I detoxification. Beta carotene, vitamin C, tocopherols, selenium, copper, zinc, and manganese are present to protect tissues from reactive intermediates formed between phase I and phase II detoxification.*
When you can rid the Body of toxins that prevent proper nutrient absorption, your whole body can thrive, and benefit more from even the food you eat.*
Superior Bioavailability so what you take in is fully utilized, instead of eliminated by the body.
MultiForma™ contains a full complement of Albion patented mineral chelates and complexes. Albion is a recognized world leader (5,6) in mineral amino acid chelate nutrition and manufactures highly bioavailable mineral forms that are thoroughly researched with numerous clinical studies.(4,5) MultiForma™ also contains natural vitamin E which is up to 100% more bioavailable than synthetic dl-alpha-tocopherol, but it also provides mixed tocopherols to mimic how one might consume vitamin E in healthful foods. Folate is provided as 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF)—the most bioactive form of folate. MultiForma™ features 5-MTHF as Quatrefolic, which has greater stability, solubility, and bioavailability over calcium salt forms of 5-MTHF (1,2,3). Vitamin B12 is provided as MecobalActive. This patented form of methylcobalamin has very high purity; no harmful solvents are used in its production. Vitamins B2 and B6 are also provided in activated forms.*
Antioxidant Protection to Help Protect Cells from Breakdown.*
Fire is oxidation. Oxidation in the body is a natural process of destruction, which is necessary to build upon. But as with fire, too many free radicals can move too quickly and cause more damage than can be readily repaired. Antioxidants are molecules that can donate an electron to a free radical without making themselves unstable. This causes the free radical to stabilize and become less reactive.
Vitamins E and C, selenium, zinc, beta carotene, and trace elements provide broad-spectrum antioxidant activity. Their combined presence supports their ability to regenerate each other and maintain consistent levels of antioxidant activity both intra- and extracellularly.* The superior availability of the natural vitamin E and other components, means you can more readily stop the fire before it takes over, like a well trained fire crew can slow or stop a raging fire from consuming homes in its path.*
Nine out of ten People are Deficient in Key Nutrients according to a 2011 report .
Nine out of ten people are deficient in key nutrients, particularly vitamin B12, which is extremely important for so many functions. This is why MultiForma™ supplies an ample amount, because most people need it. But vitamins and minerals work cooperatively and synergistically when combined in the right amounts and forms. However, imbalances between micronutrients can create competition which reduces the effectiveness of those vitamins and minerals, and may actually contribute to imbalance. The MultiForma™ formula features a balanced profile that includes components that work together like calcium and magnesium, zinc and copper, vitamins C and E, bioactive folate, vitamin B12, B vitamin complex, beta-carotene, and trace elements.* It’s not balanced because they are even, but because they are in the correct proportions. Obviously a single vitamin cannot provide everything for everyones unique needs. But MultiForma™ is designed as a very strong foundation from which to build a personal nutrition profile, and start down the path to better health.*
The formulation of MultiForma™ is carefully considered based upon up to date nutrition science. FDA daily values are considered a bare minimum for persons in good health already, just to prevent deficiency, and do not consider research findings on common deficiencies that already exist. See studies below. For instance, vitamin B12 is one of the most complex and necessary vitamin compounds. It is required for integrity of myelin (the insulating layer around nerves), neuron function, proper red blood cell formation and DNA synthesis, which promote good physical and even mental health. However it’s also one characteristically deficient in most people, even those taking a supplement. This is because it is difficult to absorb for many, and modern food production and preparation depletes this vitamin in our normal diet. Also, the most common form in supplements, cyanocobalamin, is actually not directly useable by the body, not “bioavailable”, and is more readily excreted in the urine, being largely wasted. It is used in most inexpensive supplements because it is inexpensive to make, even if ineffective. In contrast, Methylcobalamin (the form we use) is the active form that can immediately be used and is less likely to be wasted, but is more expensive to produce, thus not found in bargain supplements. B12 is not actively synthesized in the body so requires an external source which is why vegetarians and vegans are particularly deficient due to its being found primarily in animal products. The concentrations in MultiForma™ are on par with higher end supplements if one does a comparison. For instance, B12 as methylcobalamin is generally considered safe and has very low potential for toxicity even at very high therapeutic levels, some as high as 1500 mcg daily or 6 times the levels in Multiforma™. Many multivitamins in this class have even higher levels for various reasons.
Pantothenic acid is also important for our bodies.* Too many functions to list, and all cells require it. The minimum DV is 5-10mg, but this is only based upon minimums needed not to be deficient, if you are already healthy. Preventing deficiency is vastly different than promoting better health outcomes. Many separate Pantothenic acid supplements are available starting at the 100mg already available in MultiForma™, because this is what is needed to “supplement” this nutrient and remedy a normally deficient diet.
Some vitamins and minerals such as D3 and Calcium in particular, are “synergistic” or work together in their absorption and usage, vitamin D helping in the use of calcium. While these nutrients are critical, Iron, zinc and calcium can interfere with each other’s absorption if the concentration of any particular mineral is too high, thus D and Calcium are not the focus of MultiForma™ or the competition would be counterproductive. The levels required to be most useful are fairly high, or 2-4000 IU of D3 or 1-2000+mg of Calcium (no more than 500mg at one time according to Linus Pauling Institute at OSU).* A multivitamin is meant as a foundation, and not a comprehensive tool, for these reasons these are often better supplemented separately and even at different times of day, as needed on an individual basis for best results.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease
References:
1. Pietrzik K et al. Folic acid and L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate: comparison of clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2010
2. Patanwala I et al. Folic acid handling by the human gut: implications for food fortification and supplementation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014
3. Wilcken B et al. Geographical and ethnic variation of the 677C>T allele of 5,10 methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR): findings from over 7000 newborns from 16 areas worldwide. J Med Genet. 2003
4.. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutrition Sep-Oct 1994;18(5):430-5.EN J Parenter Enteral Nutr doi: 10.1177/0148607194018005430
5. Chaturvedi P, Mukherjee R, McCorquodale M, Crawley D, Ashmead S, Guthrie N. Comparison of calcium absorption from various calcium- containing products in healthy human adults: a bioavailability study. The FASEB Journal. 2006; 20(5): A1063-A1064. Gandia P, Bour D, Maurette JM et al. A bioavailability study com- paring two oral formulations containing zinc (Zn bis-glycinate vs. Zn gluconate) after a single administration to twelve healthy female volunteers. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2007; 77: 243-248. TRAACS stands for The Real Amino Acid Chelate System. Products in the TRAACS range reflect Albion’s patented testing method of the degree of chelation of a mineral amino acid chelate. Albion Minerals holds more than 100 patents worldwide related to the processes of manufacturing mineral amino acid chelates.
6. Gandia P et al, Int. J. Vitam. Res. 77(4), 2007: 243-248