Despite our best attempts at eating a consistently well-balanced diet, many of us may find ourselves falling short of most nutritional guidelines. In fact, American surveys have reported that a majority of the population have several micronutrient inadequacies; 94.3% failed to consume the daily recommended amount of vitamin D, 88.5% for vitamin E, 66.9% for vitamin K, and many more (1). But what can we do about these large nutritional gaps slowly forming in our diets? How can we make sure that our bodies are being readily supplied with the vital nutrients they need every day? One possible answer: multivitamins.

Multivitamins come in a variety of forms, from pills to powders to gummies, but we will be focusing on multivitamin and multimineral syrup. Like other liquid vitamins, multivitamin syrups are designed to pack an extra punch of nutritional value into your day in one easy step that provides both more convenience and better absorption than other types of supplements. Increased absorption rates compared to solid supplements are among the long list of multivitamin syrup benefits, bypassing the time-intensive step of digestion in order to allow your body to absorb your full dosage every time (2). Aside from supplementing the average diet, multivitamin syrup uses also include helping those who suffer from a nutrient deficiency to replenish their stores of that particular nutrient. 

If you are looking into purchasing a multivitamin syrup for adults, you may be wondering where to start and whether or not these supplements are safe. The side effects of multivitamins are usually few and far between as long as you adhere to the recommended dosage (which we will discuss in more detail in a later) or the instructions of your physician. Read on to learn more about what the best multivitamin syrups look like and how to properly utilize them in order to make the most of your supplement.

Best Multivitamin Syrup For Adults

So how do you distinguish the best multivitamin syrup for adults from the rest of its competitors? In truth, the best choice for you may be different from the best choice for someone else. Depending on any pre-existing health conditions, allergies, or personal preferences, you may find that one supplement works for you where another does not. For example, some multivitamins may contain a serving of fruits and vegetables. If you have an allergy to any of the ingredients included, you might consider a brand that has only the nutrients in their liquid forms with nothing else. According to slight differences like these, the best multivitamin for adults may be slightly different from person to person.

However, one thing remains the same, which is that ingredients should always be your first priority when assessing supplements. Any multivitamin that claims to be the best should offer a healthy amount of all the essential vitamins and minerals, including B complex vitamins, vitamins A, D, E, and K, and minerals like zinc, selenium, chromium, iodine, and more. Check the label of your supplement to make sure that the micronutrients do not exceed the daily recommended intake level by too much, but also that they are not present in only miniscule amounts. In order for your multivitamin to be effective, it needs to provide enough micronutrients to actually be giving you a nutritional boost.

Another feature that sets some multivitamins apart from others is an organic seal. A supplement that contains at least 95% organic ingredients will qualify for the USDA organic seal, while those that say they are “made with organic ingredients” have only 70% or more organic ingredients. Organic ingredients themselves must be harvested according to the strict regulations of organic farming (forbidding the use of pesticides, insecticides, and GMOs) and are generally of higher quality than most synthetic ingredients (3). For this reason, along with the increased bioavailability of all-natural nutrients, many people may choose to reach for a supplement with the organic seal over one that lacks it.

Liquid Multivitamins For Adults

Liquid multivitamins for adults are often designed to cater to a specific gender or age group, as adulthood covers a vast majority of your life throughout which many changes can occur within your body. Overall, the nutritional needs of human beings are largely the same despite age and gender differences, meaning that the best liquid multivitamin for adults is often identical to the best one for the whole family, including children. However, for those who are interested in locating a supplement that is geared directly toward their personal needs, we have briefly examined a few different categories of multivitamin that are available for selection.

Among the other essential vitamins and minerals, one nutrient that you should look for in a liquid multivitamin for men is zinc. Zinc deficiencies have occasionally been linked with low levels of testosterone. In order to avoid these low testosterone levels, it is important to make sure your body regularly receives enough zinc, whether it be through zinc-rich foods like meat, shellfish, and whole grains in your diet or through the use of a multivitamin.

Additionally, one nutrient to look for in a liquid multivitamin for women is vitamin B9, or folic acid, as it plays a crucial role in pregnancy. Necessary for DNA and RNA synthesis, folic acid is typically taken to prevent birth defects, particularly neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Some studies have also shown that consistently taking folic acid for a year or more prior to pregnancy decreases the risk of early labor by 50% (4).

And finally, one nutrient that you should seek out in a liquid multivitamin for seniors is vitamin D. As our bodies age, they may begin to experience bone loss. Diseases like osteoporosis often decrease bone density even more, putting older individuals at increased risk for fractures due to brittle bones. Calcium is the mineral that typically maintains strong bones, but vitamin D is another necessary component of bone health. In order to efficiently absorb calcium into your intestines, you also need to provide your body with an adequate amount of vitamin D, as it facilitates this absorption (5).

Multivitamin Syrup Dosage For Adults

Despite the fact that side effects from multivitamins are uncommon, it is still extremely important that you always adhere to the recommended multivitamin dose per day as instructed either by your supplement brand or your physician. Taking excessive amounts of a multivitamin can lead to long-term side effects, as fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, and K) are stored in the liver and fatty tissues and may build up over time. Short term side effects can occur, but these will usually dissipate once your body adjusts to the new influx of nutrients.

You will often see that the dosage instructions for a liquid multivitamin are the same across all age groups. So, the multivitamin syrup dosage for adults will be the same as the dose for children, teens, and the elderly. A typical liquid multivitamin dosage is about 1-2 ounces of formula per day, but this may vary according to the specific brand or formula you choose as well as the amount of each ingredient in the formula. A product that has higher concentrations of nutrients may require you to take less than one with lower concentrations. In this way, brands can engineer the correct dosage instructions to ensure that you receive a healthy amount of nutrients from your supplement without overdoing it and going over the recommended daily limits. 

Multivitamin dosage time can vary depending on your personal preferences. For the best absorption results, you may want to try taking your multivitamin syrup with a meal, as it often contains both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are best absorbed when consumed alongside foods containing fat, such as sunflower seeds, dairy products, and fatty fish. However, you may also want to consider taking your multivitamin in the morning, as it will typically contain B vitamins which provide a burst of energy that may help to kickstart your morning routine. No matter what, it is easiest to remember to take your multivitamin and to help your body adjust to it if you make a habit of taking it around the same time every day.

Best Multivitamin Syrup For Child

As we mentioned earlier, some multivitamins are designed with specific age groups in mind. As you might imagine, this also applies to supplements created to adhere particularly to the needs of children and teens as their bodies grow. While ingredients are always of the utmost priority, another detail to consider when selecting multivitamins for children is whether or not a picky eater will turn up their nose to it. Multivitamin syrups are often naturally flavored with fruit to give them a pleasant taste and rich color that kids are bound to enjoy. Even if you have a stubborn eater who simply refuses to touch anything healthy, you can easily sneak an ounce of multivitamin syrup into their favorite drink without any hassle.

If you are interested in a liquid multivitamin that has been specifically designed to fit the needs of the whole family, look no further than Better Family’s Liquid Daily Multivitamin. Our diverse blend of nutrients includes the B complex vitamins along with vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as important minerals like zinc, iodine, chromium, and selenium. This all-in-one liquid solution can be consumed sublingually and is more concentrated than other liquid multivitamins, making it the standout choice among competitors for fast absorption of only the highest quality micronutrients. Both safe and effective, our Liquid Daily Multivitamin is a great choice for any household and can be given to family members of all ages.

Resources

1. Drake, Victoria J. “Micronutrient Inadequacies in the US Population: an Overview.” Oregon State University, November 2017, https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/micronutrient-inadequacies/overview.
2. Giampapa, Vincent. “The Pro’s and Con’s of Liquid Vitamins for Adults.” healthycell, 21 June 2021, https://www.healthycell.com/blogs/articles/liquid-multivitamins-for-adults.
3. McEvoy, Miles. “Organic 101: What the USDA Organic Label Means.” USDA, 13 March 2019, https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2012/03/22/organic-101-what-usda-organic-label-means.
4. “Folic Acid and Pregnancy.” WebMD, 12 June 2020, https://www.webmd.com/baby/folic-acid-and-pregnancy.
5. “Vitamin D for Osteoporosis.” WebMD, 25 October 2020, https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/vitamin-d-for-osteoporosis.