The 3 best liquid multivitamins, according to experts

Adding a multivitamin can help you meet all of your daily nutrition requirements — and liquid multivitamins may be easier to absorb and digest than capsules and tablets. The best liquid multivitamins have been made in facilities that follow the Food and Drug Administration’s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for dietary supplements, and they have been third-party tested to help ensure the product matches the label. To find out what to look for when shopping for liquid multivitamins, I reached out to Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RDN, a registered dietitian and owner of Bazilian’s Health Clinic in San Diego, and Paul Abourjaily, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, Senior Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

“Quality liquid multivitamins offer some versatility in use,” Dr. Bazilian tells Mic. “A person can microdose or spread it out over time (you can measure the amount you want and it can be incorporated into other foods if you wish also — into your smoothie or oatmeal or in your morning beverage or on a spoon).” According to Bazilian, multivitamins that have been manufactured in a GMP-certified facility and have third-party testing certifications from organizations such as United States Pharmacopeia (USP), Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL), and NSF International are the best options. With that in mind, each liquid multivitamin below is GMP-certified.

As for third-party-certified liquid multivitamins, options tend to be more limited — though two out of three products on the list meet this criterion. According to Dr. Abourjaily, there’s not necessarily a reason to avoid non-certified supplements, it’s “only that we have less assurances about the overall quality.” Considering that, you might prefer a multivitamin that’s been third-party tested (as opposed to certified) if it meets other criteria that are important to you such as being vegan, gluten-free, or non-GMO. Beyond GMP certification and third-party testing, Bazilian says, “Not every one of these is absolutely necessary, but the more the better of legitimate certifications.”

Keep in mind, the best way to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals is through food, but if that’s not possible, a multivitamin can be a helpful supplement. Before taking a multivitamin, though, you may want to consult your doctor to tailor recommendations to your specific needs. “A general multivitamin with no extra ingredients is usually sufficient if someone is simply looking to supplement their diet, particularly if nutrition is otherwise not optimal,” Abourjaily explains. “Whether or not to include minerals – e.g., calcium, iron, magnesium — is largely dependent on other underlying conditions and factors.” Abourjaily adds: “Be careful about sugar content for those with underlying glucose intolerance or diabetes.”

Lastly, Bazilian suggests finding a multivitamin “that’s friendly to your budget and you can tolerate.” And Abourjaily notes, “Be vigilant about checking expiration dates and storage recommendations. Liquid products tend to have a shorter shelf-life and less stability under certain temperatures/conditions compared to solid dosage forms.”

Keeping all that in mind, these are the best liquid multivitamins on Amazon that are backed by certifications and come in flavors you won’t mind adding to your daily routine.

Experts:

Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, RDN, and owner of Bazilian’s Health in San Diego

Paul Abourjaily, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, Senior Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston