30% of Multivitamins Don't Provide What They Say

More than 30 percent of a medicine chest of multivitamins failed to contain what they said they did, or were contaminated with lead, according to a report by the private company ConsumerLab.com
   
Among the 46 multivitamins analyzed, those that failed the test had far more or less of an ingredient than stated on the label. And several, including three supplements for children, contained more than the upper limit recognized as healthy by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Unhealthily excessive dosages were found for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid, niacin and zinc, according to the report by ConsumerLab.com, a White Plains, N.Y., firm that provides consumer information and independent evaluations of health and nutrition products.

The IOM recommends, for example, a daily intake of 1,300 international units (IU) of vitamin A for four-to-eight-year-old children and a maximum of 3,000 IU. However, one multivitamin tested contained 5,000 IU of vitamin A, which could have serious health consequences. Megadoses of the vitamin can cause nausea and blurred vision in the short term, and, if taken for long periods, bone softening and liver problems.
   
In other children’s multivitamins, similar excessive levels of niacin and zinc were found. Too much niacin can cause skin tingling and flushing, and undue amounts of zinc can lead to immune deficiency and anemia.
   
Among men’s multivitamins, the testing showed that two out of three had problems. One contained excessive folic acid, which could raise the risk of prostate cancer, and another had lead contamination.
   
Other highlights of the testing were as follows:
   
-- Four women’s multivitamins were analyzed, and one contained only 66 percent of the vitamin A its label said it did.

-- One of five multivitamins for seniors had just 44 percent of the vitamin A it claimed.

-- Of three prenatal vitamins, one contained less vitamin A than its label stated.
   
-- About 40 percent of general multivitamins had less vitamin content than claimed.

-- One such provided only 50 percent of the folic acid claimed on its label, and another lacked 30 percent of its purported calcium level.

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