Are All Multivitamins the Same? The Science Says No.

Why the Right Multivitamin Matters More Than You Think

If you've ever wondered why one multivitamin costs £5 and another £25, you're not alone — and the answer isn’t just about branding. Many of my clients come to me feeling let down by over-the-counter multivitamins, often unsure why their symptoms persist despite taking “all the right things.”

The truth is: not all multivitamins are created equal — and there’s solid science to support this.

⚗️ Synthetic vs Food-State: It’s All in the Form

Most high-street multivitamins contain synthetic or isolated nutrients. These are lab-manufactured and designed to mimic natural vitamins, but they often lack the bioavailability of nutrients found in whole food. That means your body might absorb very little — sometimes as low as 4% in the case of certain minerals like magnesium oxide.

By contrast, food-state or wholefood supplements deliver vitamins and minerals in a matrix the body recognises, because they’re grown in food culture (like yeast or alfalfa). This naturally improves absorption and utilisation.

Example:

• Vitamin B12 in many cheap multis is in the synthetic form cyanocobalamin, which must be converted by the liver.

• In higher-quality, food-based supplements, it’s provided as methylcobalamin — the active form your body can use immediately.

🚫 What Else Is In Your Tablet?

Many budget-friendly supplements are bulked out with:

• Microcrystalline cellulose (bulking agent)

• Silicon dioxide and talc (anti-caking and glazing agents)

• Artificial preservatives or colours

• Maltodextrin (which can spike blood sugar)

These don’t provide any health benefit and, in sensitive individuals, may even contribute to digestive discomfort or inflammation. Less is often more when it comes to excipients.

Wholefood and practitioner-grade supplements generally avoid unnecessary additives and focus on delivering nutrients in the most supportive form possible.

🔬 Science-Backed Absorption and Effectiveness

Scientific literature increasingly supports the superior bioavailability of food-state nutrients:

• A 2011 study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine showed significantly better mineral absorption from food-grown supplements versus isolated minerals.

• A 2018 review in Nutrients highlighted that natural matrices may improve the biological activity of micronutrients.

• The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recognises the variable absorption depending on nutrient form.

🧠 Why It Matters

When taking supplements to support:

• Hormonal balance or migraines

• Energy and recovery

• Nutrient repletion after illness or stress

• Muscle cramps or sleep issues

…it’s crucial that your body can actually absorb and use the nutrients you're paying for. Otherwise, it’s like pouring water into a leaky bucket — ineffective and frustrating.

✅ How to Choose a Better Multivitamin

Here’s what to look for:

• Magnesium citrate, malate or glycinate instead of magnesium oxide

• Vitamin B12 as methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin, not cyanocobalamin

• Folic acid as methylfolate (especially important if you have MTHFR gene variants)

• Minimal additives, fillers or artificial preservatives

• Evidence of food-state or bioavailable forms in the ingredients list

There are several reputable brands that meet these criteria with different formulations like sublingual drops and sprays (under the tongue) liposomal encapsulation from Hinnao and BetterYou and others like  Cytoplan, Wild Nutrition, Viridian, Pure Encapsulations, and Dr Vegan. I choose which to recommend based on a client’s individual needs, absorption capacity, and health goals — not brand loyalty.

💬 Final Thought 

When choosing a multivitamin, it’s not just what’s in it — it’s how your body recognises and responds to it. Paying more for a food-state or practitioner-grade supplement is often a better long-term investment than buying cheap and seeing no results. Here is a direct comparison for your own judgement and reference

Here is a typical example of a multivitamin that a client recently asked for my advice about that sparked so I thought would be useful to share my insights with you.

A Holland & Barrett multivitamin shown here uses synthetic isolates, while Cytoplan's Wholefood Multi contains food-based, bioavailable nutrients that tend to be better absorbed and gentler on the body.

Here’s a breakdown of why the Holland & Barrett formula is cheaper and generally considered inferior:

🔬 1. Synthetic vs Food-State Nutrients

• Holland & Barrett uses synthetic forms like:

  • Magnesium Oxide (low bioavailability, ~4% absorbed)

  • Retinyl Acetate (synthetic Vitamin A)

  • DL-alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate (synthetic Vitamin E)

  • Cyanocobalamin (synthetic B12, requires conversion in the liver)

  • Nicotinamide instead of niacinamide or niacin (less active form)

• Cytoplan Wholefood Multi uses food-grown nutrients:

  • Nutrients are grown in a food culture (like yeast or alfalfa), making them biologically identical to how they appear in food.

  • They’re more bioavailable, better tolerated, and more naturally recognised by the body.

⚖️ 2. Mineral Forms and Absorption

• H&B uses cheaper, poorly absorbed forms:

  • Magnesium oxide

  • Iron as ferrous fumarate

  • Zinc oxide

• Cytoplan uses bioavailable forms:

  • Magnesium citrate or malate

  • Iron from food-state sources

  • Zinc citrate or picolinate

This matters because absorption and efficacy vary hugely. For example, magnesium oxide is largely unabsorbed, whereas citrate is well absorbed and doesn't cause GI issues.

❌ 3. Additives and Fillers

• The H&B product contains:

  • Bulking agents (Microcrystalline Cellulose)

  • Anti-caking agents (Silicon Dioxide)

  • Glazing agents (Talc)

  • Maltodextrin, which can spike blood sugar

  • Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (artificial coating agent)

• Cytoplan avoids these synthetic excipients and uses minimal, food-based binders when needed.

🌱 4. Synergy and Nutrient Cohesion

• Wholefood multis like Cytoplan include cofactors, enzymes, and phytonutrients naturally found in food.

• This enhances nutrient synergy, mimicking how vitamins act in real foods — which the body is better equipped to process.

The H&B version provides isolated chemicals, often lacking the supporting nutrients they’d come with in food. For instance, vitamin C in food is accompanied by bioflavonoids — not so here.

🧠 5. Long-term Impact and Efficacy

• The body may tolerate synthetic multis short-term, but long-term they can:

  • Cause imbalances (e.g., unopposed synthetic iron)

  • Lead to poor absorption or even stress detox pathways (e.g., synthetic folic acid vs methylfolate)

  • Lack therapeutic value, especially if nutrient levels are low or depleted (as in chronic illness or stress)

Cytoplan’s formulations aim to restore balance, not just tick off an RDA list.