Probiotics & Prebiotics

The combination of a multivitamin and mineral supplement with a probiotic, and also sometimes a prebiotic has been pioneered by the product Multibionta from Seven Seas.

 

The combination of these nutrients is not necessarily obvious, and there is not necessarily any additional advantage compared to individual products. As such these products should be considered on the basis of their separated multivitamin and mineral content and also of their probiotic content.

The essential vitamins and minerals collectively provide a whole spectrum of potential health benefits which overall are likely to help maintain good health and possibly help prevent some types of disease. As such these are the most popular of all nutritional supplements.

 

Probiotics are more specific in their health effects with potential benefits targeting the intestine and also the immune system.

In the opinion of the SC expert panel, if the multivitamin and mineral is of high quality and the probiotic component is of high quality then buying the combined product is probably better value than buying a multivitamin and probiotic product individually. If however, the multivitamin or probiotic components are inferior then the product may represent a false economy.

In the opinion of the SC expert panel, for these products to deliver the intended benefit of both a multivitamin/mineral and a probiotic they should provide:

 

1) minimum of 100% RDA of all essential vitamins with the possible exception of vitamin A

2) 100% RDA of iron, iodine and zinc

3) 20% RDA of magnesium and calcium

4) presence of the trace minerals: selenium, chromium, manganese

5) probiotic bacteria at minimum of 1 billion per daily dose.

6) if a prebiotic is present then this should be at a minimum of 0.5g per day