I’ve had Nootropics Expert readers asking me what my preferred multivitamin/mineral supplement is. And what I use every day. This post is a detailed response to that question.
Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi is by far the best multivitamin/mineral supplement I’ve used. And I’ve tried several different brands of multivitamins over the last 10 years.
Including a couple of the well-known raw- and whole-food multivitamins available at the local vitamin shop, Whole Foods and online.
But the question I often see goes something like, “is a multivitamin necessary”?
Even if you are living a much healthier lifestyle like I have since being diagnosed Adult ADD 12 years ago. And even more so since turning hypothyroid 6 years later.
You may even be able to identify with this:
✔ You eat your vegetables
✔ You don’t smoke
✔ You drink very little
✔ You avoid junk food
✔ You exercise every day
Does this picture of health really need to take vitamins?
Unfortunately, the answer is, “Yes”.
And here’s why …
A recent study published by the Mayo Clinic showed that less than 3% of Americans meet the basic qualifications for a healthy lifestyle.[i]
Now assuming you are one of those 3% …
Another study shows only 33% of adults eat enough fruit. And only 27% get the recommended servings of vegetables.[ii]
Are you with me so far?
The thing is, even if you meet the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for servings of fruits and vegetables, it is impossible to get the nutrients your body and brain need for optimal health.
Our fruit, vegetable and meat products simply do not have enough vitamins and minerals to naturally support a healthy body.
Grown on nutrient-depleted soil. And most have been genetically modified to grow faster. GMO produce grows so fast it hasn’t time to draw in enough nutrients from the nutrient-starved soil it’s grown on.
Then the nutrients that do make it into our food are lost during transport, storage, processing, and cooking.
Even young people, with a higher metabolism and a higher food consumption than the average 50 – 70-year-old, only 1% are getting the nutrients they need.[iii]
And did you know you would need to eat 26 of today’s apples to get the nutrition you’d get from one apple grown in 1914?[iv]
So what to do?
The obvious, simple answer is give your body what it’s been deprived of by using a multivitamin/mineral supplement.
But not all multivitamin supplements are created equal.
In fact, most of what you’ll find on supermarket, drugstore, and even vitamin shop shelves are useless. Some are actually toxic and dangerous to use.
In this post I’ll share the criteria I use to select a multivitamin, the supplement I prefer and use every day, ingredients needed for optimal health, how they work together, cost, and where to get it.
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Table of Contents
My Multivitamin Selection Criteria
One of the things people do when first becoming health-conscious is to start using a daily multivitamin.
And if you are anything like I was when first getting started, you look on in confusion at shelf after shelf with hundreds of multivitamin supplements to choose from.
Instinct is to grab the first multivitamin you recognize from the slick commercials on TV.
You take the multi for a month and don’t feel anything. No better than you did before. What’s going on?
First, we need to take a close look at the label. A multivitamin bottle label will tell us all we need to know. If you know how to read it. And understand what’s in the bottle.
What I’ve learned since my first multivitamin purchase is most of them should have a “Black Box” warning label. The kind the FDA mandates pharmaceuticals put on some of their drugs.
Here’s a quick summary of what I look for, and what to avoid.
Toxic Vitamins: Biohacker Beware
Near the bottom of the ingredients label, if you see FD&C Blue No. 1, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red No. 40, or any of their variants, put the bottle back on the shelf.
These abbreviations represent food dyes made from petroleum and have been used in food and supplements for decades. But why would you need artificial colors in your multivitamin?
Recent studies link food coloring to hyperactivity in kids.[v] And European lawmakers now require a warning label on foods that contain artificial dyes.
Another one you’ll see is hydrogenated fats like ‘soybean oil’. Used as a filler to bulk up the tablet or capsule.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states, “Keep trans fatty acid consumption as low as possible by limiting foods that contain synthetic sources of trans fats, such as partially hydrogenated oils, and by limiting other solid fats”.[vi]
Yum. Exactly what you don’t want in your multivitamin.
Next, look for talc, or magnesium silicate. Talc is a mineral composed of magnesium silicate, silicon, oxygen and hydrogen. And used as an anti-caking agent and cheap filler in multivitamins.
Talc has been linked to ovarian cancer in women.[vii]
Titanium dioxide is another one to avoid. It’s used as a colorant in supplements. And comes with a host of health implications. Including DNA damage.[viii]
If you want to learn more about what to avoid and what to look for, please see my post, “How to Select the Best Multivitamin for Brain Function”.
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Whole-Food vs. Non-Food Vitamins and Minerals
This category covers a whole host of problems with most multivitamin supplements.
Our bodies were designed to get vitamins and minerals from food.
But most multivitamin supplements on the market today are synthetic. Vitamins created using coal tar derivatives. And minerals using ground up rock.
I’ve found one of the quickest and simplest ways to assess a multivitamin for quality and “food-based” is to look for Vitamin B9 (folic acid) or Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin); neither of which is food-based.
If either one is on the label then the entire bottle must be avoided because the rest of the bottle is unlikely to be a quality, food-based vitamin complex.
For more on avoiding “USP Vitamins, Pharmaceutical Grade and Natural” in your multivitamin, see my post here.
Added Ingredients and “Fairy Dusting”
One of the things that really irks me is manufacturers who use a “Proprietary Formula” in their supplement.
Proprietary formulas hide how much of an ingredient is in the bottle. Which is a problem because I want to know exactly how much of each ingredient I’m getting in a tablet or capsule.
I need to know if I must add extra of one vitamin or mineral based on my unique body chemistry and health issues.
And proprietary formulas are also a sneaky way of including what I call a “fairy dusting” of an ingredient. An amount so small it only looks good on the label. And does nothing for optimizing your health.
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Discovering Performance Lab
Now that we’ve established what we want to avoid in a multivitamin supplement – what’s left?
It turns out there are very few raw-food and whole-food supplement makers who produce a high-quality multivitamin.
I’ve tried some of them, and they are good. These whole-food multivitamins contain the right form and dose of each vitamin and mineral.
But all of them add unnecessary ingredients. A blend of organic food powders to make it look more like a “whole-food” multi.
Or a little CoQ10 in a form which my body cannot use. Or a proteolytic blend of enzymes that is supposed to help clear fibrin. But instead digests my food if I take it with a meal.
All I want is a simple, pure, whole-food multivitamin that supplies only the vitamins and minerals my body and brain need every day.
Only one company on the entire planet produces a simple, pure multivitamin.
Performance Lab® is a new line of supplements made by Opti Nutra Advanced Nutraceuticals. The same people who produce Mind Lab Pro®.
Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multivitamin is the foundation of their new supplement line.
Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi Ingredients
Performance Lab uses ‘nature-identical’ vitamins and minerals which include their natural cofactors to ensure their bioavailability. And your body can use them.
Unlike isolated vitamins and minerals found in most other multivitamins, these nutrients go straight into the cells and tissues where they are needed.
The company uses their own proprietary NutriGenesis® method to grow whole-food based nutrients. Avoiding genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins.
The only ingredients in this Performance Lab Multivitamin are the vitamins and minerals listed on the label in their purest, bio-identical form. In dosages designed to support and enhance a healthy body and brain.
The company uses NutriCaps® vegan capsules made from tapioca instead of the semi-synthetic polymer found in other vegetarian capsules. And infuse the capsules with a prebiotic for better digestion and boost the bioavailability of the nutrients in this Multi.
The Performance Lab Multi is available for men and women with only slight differences in their formulas.
The women’s multi contains iron and double the amount of Vitamin B9 (folate) compared to the men’s formula which has a little more boron and zinc.
Here’s a full list of the vitamins and minerals in Performance Lab’s Multi with a summary of what each does in your body and brain.
Every vitamin and mineral in this multivitamin is as important for your brain as the rest of your body. So the emphasis in descriptions are for brain health and optimization since that is our focus here at Nootropics Expert®.
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Performance Lab’s BioGenesis Nutrients |
Benefits and Areas of Support in Your Body and Brain |
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Long-term potentiation and memory, vision, skin, immune system, protein synthesis, tissue repair, bones, antioxidant |
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Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), myelin, neurotransmitters, immune system, cardiovascular, skin, joints, antioxidant, gums, bones, muscle |
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Neurotransmitters, gene expression, neuroplasticity, immunity, bones, testosterone, cell function, protein synthesis |
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Antioxidant, cardiovascular, hair, skin, nails, tissue repair |
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Myelin, neurons, glial cells, bones, cardiovascular, connective tissue |
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Neurotransmitters, red blood cell formation, cell growth, energy metabolism, antioxidant |
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Neurotransmitters, BDNF, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), circulation, protein and fat metabolism, skin |
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Neurotransmitters, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), hormone production, cardiovascular |
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Neurotransmitters, immune system, blood cell formation, oxygen transport, blood sugar, cognitive function |
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Neurotransmitters, myelin, white blood cell development, DNA, hair, skin, nails, blood sugar, energy |
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DNA, RNA, gene expression, amino acid synthesis, neurotransmitters, new cell formation |
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DNA, RNA, neurotransmitters, myelin, red blood cell formation, energy metabolism, heart health, cognitive function |
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Bones, joints, cardiovascular, muscles, hormones, brain cell signaling |
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Blood cell formation, DNA, oxygen transport, neurotransmitters, myelin |
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Thyroid hormones, neurotransmitters, metabolism |
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Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), DNA, RNA, ion channels, neuroplasticity, cardiovascular, bones, testosterone, muscle relaxation, nervous system, blood sugar |
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Protein synthesis, cell signaling, gene transcription, neurotransmitter transport, DNA, methylation, immune system, vision, testosterone, neurons, cell growth |
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Neurotransmitters, thyroid, immune system, antioxidant |
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Red blood cell formation, neurotransmitters, myelin, blood vessel formation, neuron and glial cell respiration, antioxidants, energy, connective tissue, cardiovascular, vision, immune system |
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Bones, metabolism, blood sugar, calcium absorption, neurons, glial cells, enzyme cofactor, weight management |
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Neurotransmitters, metabolism, energy, weight management, blood sugar |
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Molybdenum |
Enzyme cofactor, metabolism |
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Strontium |
Bones, joints |
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Neurotransmitters, brain cell signaling, skin |
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Vanadium |
Blood sugar, cardiovascular, bones, muscles, enzymes, growth factor |
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Bones, hormones, antioxidant, neurotransmitters, joints, connective tissue |
For more detail on how each vitamin is critical for brain health, see “13 Vitamins Essential for the Optimized Brain”.
For more detail on how each mineral is critical for brain health, see “13 Minerals Essential for the Optimized Brain”.
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NutriGenesis® vs Isolated Vitamins & Minerals
In a perfect world you get all the nutrients your body and brain need from the food you eat every day. But we don’t and for reasons covered earlier in this post. So we try to make up for this deficiency with a multivitamin supplement.
The problem is most minerals and vitamins used in multivitamin supplement formulas do not contain protein chaperones or other cofactors needed for absorption into your cells. The form of vitamins and minerals you get from real food.
Most other supplement companies, with very few exceptions, use “isolated” minerals and vitamins made from petroleum derivatives. Forms of nutrients your body does not recognize as nutrients.
Your body either expels them as unwanted toxins, or these impostors attach to receptors required by genuine vitamins and minerals for various actions in your body.
The result is expensive urine sending these aliens down the drain. And some even cause real damage and long-term health issues.[ix]
Using NutriGenesis® to produce vitamins and minerals avoids this toxicity. And provides nutrients in the same form you would normally get from food.
Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi Dosage
The amount of each ingredient listed on the label is for Performance Lab’s recommended 4-capsules per day.
I recommended using 2-capsules in the morning and the other 2-capsules mid-day.
Some of the ingredients in this multivitamin are fat-soluble so take each 2-capsule dose with a meal containing healthy fats. Or a tablespoon of unrefined coconut or MCT oil. My preferred healthy fat is the new organic, non-GMO Performance Lab® MCT Oil.
It is safe to dose up to but no more than 6-capsules per day.
While NutriGenesis nutrients are highly bioavailable and non-toxic, some nutrients like Vitamin A and Vitamin E are stored in fat in your body. And not expelled in urine like water-soluble nutrients.
Dosing more than your body can use daily may cause an unnatural buildup of some vitamins and minerals. Eventually leading to possible toxic overload and health problems.
Synergy of Vitamins and Minerals is Key
Check the label of Performance Lab’s Multi and you may notice some nutrients dosed lower than some other brand of multivitamins.
You’ll also notice some nutrients dosed at exactly the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI). But some a little higher or lower than the RDI.
Opti Nutra calculated these dosages based on synergy and how each nutrient supports and work with others in this formula.
Performance Lab ingredients work in harmony with each other. And with your body’s ability to naturally produce certain proteins, enzymes, amino acids, hormones, and neurotransmitters.
The intent is not to upset the balance and artificially boost specific areas of your body with this multivitamin.
Rather the intent is to ensure your body and brain get optimal amounts of each vitamin and mineral it requires to thrive every day.
How Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi Works in Real Life
I love this multivitamin. Two capsules in the morning with a tablespoon of Performance Lab® MCT Oil along with the rest of my nootropic stack. And it launches my day.
I take another two capsules at noon with unrefined coconut oil or MCT Oil and my nootropic stack. And I’m productive for the rest of the day.
I’ve noticed a difference since I replaced my previous multivitamin with the Performance Lab Multi for Men. It feels cleaner, productivity has increased a little more, mood is slightly better, and I sleep better.
Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi is Good Value
One of the things I’ve learned over the years of working with nootropics is it’s not cheap. In fact, taking each nootropic, vitamin, and mineral on its own in my case can add up to hundreds of dollars per month.
But I’m OK with this investment in my health. Because it has completely changed my life for the better.
In this case, I know my body and brain demand a multivitamin/mineral supplement daily. I’ve searched long and hard for the best multivitamin I could find based on what I’ve learned over the last few years.
Now it’s no surprise that the highest quality supplements are often more expensive. But I’ve also found that when compared to buying many of these ingredients as separate supplements, it turns out to be a whole lot less.
In my case, I’m no longer using a separate B-Complex supplement, or a separate zinc or selenium supplement.
This Performance Lab Whole-Food Multi for Men is a little more than my previous whole-food multivitamin supplement. But I’ve cut down on 3 other separate supplements in my stack, so it comes out to about the same investment in my health.
Performance Lab Whole-Food Multi for men or women is only $40.00 for a 1-month supply (120 capsules) (+ shipping & handling).
And when you get 2 boxes of this Multi you earn a 5% discount. Or a 10% discount when you get 3 boxes.
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Pro & Cons of Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi
Opti Nutra has taken an extra step to include NutriCaps® instead of regular vegetarian capsules in their stack. These vegan caps are made from tapioca. And each capsule is infused with a Prebiotic for better digestion and bioavailability of the whole multivitamin/mineral complex.
All of the other competitors with a high-quality multivitamin use HPMC vegetarian capsules which are a semi-synthetic polymer made from wood pulp.
Now, let’s look at what I think are the pros and cons of this premium multivitamin.
Pros
- Full disclosure on the amount of each ingredient
- Highest quality, nature-identical, eco-friendly NutriGenesis® ingredients
- Highly bioavailable B-Vitamins (equivalent to folate, P-5-P and methylcobalamin)
- No added ingredients
- No World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned substances
- Vegan-friendly ingredients including NutriCaps® capsules infused with Prebiotics
- Tested prior to encapsulation for allergens, GMOs, microbes, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, and other contaminants
- Tested again to confirm potency, purity, and activity after encapsulation
- Ships in recyclable cardboard security boxes filled with biodegradable packing peanuts
- Competitively priced
- Empty bottle, money-back guarantee (less shipping)
- 24/7 customer support
Cons
- Only available on their website (more on this in a minute)
- Magnesium dosage is too low
In all, the nature-identical ingredients and dosages included in the Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi are perfect for a multivitamin.
Magnesium is too low and most of us are deficient in this critical nutrient. But once again Opti Nutra has thought of everything in this formula.
Because the magnesium that’s ‘missing’ in the multivitamin is in the Performance Lab Sleep formula. Which is when you should be taking your magnesium dose anyway.
Most important is Opti Nutra fully discloses how much of each ingredient is in each 4-capsule dose. So you know exactly what you need to add for your unique health issues.
Nootropics Expert Recommendation
I recommend the use of the Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi for men and women as a daily multivitamin to support your biohacking and brain optimization goals.
Pricing of the Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi is competitive for what you get. But I realize some will express disappointment that Opti Nutra only sells this multivitamin from the Performance Lab website.
I’ve been in internet and direct marketing for many years and completely understand the challenges of putting new products into retail stores. Especially worldwide.
The goods news is Opti Nutra offers a risk-free, “empty bottle”, money-back guarantee.
Opti Nutra also decided not to offer Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi on Amazon.com because they don’t want this multivitamin to appear alongside low-quality junk products. And I get that. Amazon can also be a place where reviews are easily manipulated by jealous competitors.
And the thing is anyone looking to understand the methodology that went into developing this multivitamin, Amazon is not the place for extensive product descriptions.
So if you’ve been experimenting with nootropics for a while and are serious about improving your health – I recommend giving Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi a try.
This is the best multivitamin I’ve ever used. And this after over 10 years of trying several whole-food multivitamins from various manufacturers.
It’s certainly not the cheapest multivitamin on the market. But it’s not unreasonably priced either at only $40 for a month supply.
And for me, Opti Nutra has set a higher standard for the entire supplement market by introducing this multivitamin. And the rest of their Performance Lab® line of supplements.
Product and packaging quality, nature-identical NutriGenesis® vitamins and minerals, NutriCaps®, testing and more testing. Things the average person wouldn’t even notice.
But you are not average! And you demand the best.
If you’d like to try Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi, or learn more about this exceptional line of supplements, please go explore their website. And while you’re there, get Performance Lab® NutriGenesis Multi.
i] Loprinzi P.D., Branscum A., Hanks J., Smit E. “Healthy Lifestyle Characteristics and their Joint Association With Cardiovascular Disease Biomarkers in US Adults” Mayo Clinic Proceedings April 2016 Volume 91, Issue 4, Pages 432–442 (source)
[ii] “Majority of Americans Not Meeting Recommendations for Fruit and Vegetable Consumption” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cdc.gov September 29, 2009 (source)
[iii] Shay C.M., Ning H., Daniels S.R., Rooks C.R., Gidding S.S., Lloyd-Jones D.M. “Status of cardiovascular health in US adolescents: prevalence estimates from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2005-2010.” Circulation. 2013 Apr 2;127(13):1369-76. (source)
[iv] Lindlahr, 1914: USDA 1963 and 1997 (source)
[v] McCann D., et. El. “Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial” Department of Child Health, University of Southampton, UK September 6, 2007 (source)
[vi] “U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010)”. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Agriculture (source)
[vii] McGinley L. “Does talcum powder cause ovarian cancer?” The Washington Post August 25, 2017 (source)
[viii] Makumire, S., Chakravadhanula, V.S., Kollisch, G., Redel, E., & Shonhai, A. (2014, May 16). “Immunomodulatory activity of zinc peroxide (ZnO2) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles and their effects on DNA and protein integrity.” Toxicology Letters 227(1):56-64. (source)
[ix] Mursu J., Robien K., Harnack L.J., Park K., Jacobs D.R. Jr. “Dietary supplements and mortality rate in older women: the Iowa Women's Health Study.” Archives of Internal Medicine. 2011 Oct 10;171(18):1625-33. (source)
Hi David, I am a health/wellness/supplement geek and have found your nootropics articles extremely useful. I looked at this multivitamin and have some observations/criticisms about their vit. K: they merge K1 & K2 on the label and do not disclose which form of vit. K2 they include, and also what specific dosage of K1 vs. K2.
The two forms of K2 (MK4 and MK7) have slightly different effects and have been studied in different dosages (generally, MK4 should be dosed slightly higher compared to MK7).
Also, we generally get sufficient K1 from foods and there is essentially no evidence that supplementing K1 is beneficial, so including K1 in a multi is a waste at best, and harmful at worst (I recall coming across one study that seemed to find that too much K1 can be harmful).
That is not the case with K2, most people get very little of it from foods, and it has been proven to be beneficial in many studies. So in this multi, it would be a lot better to include both forms of K2 (MK4 and MK7) instead of including K1 along with (the undisclosed form of) K2.
I am planning to try out the Mind Lab Pro supplement and was curious about their multivitamin, but after my analysis I will stick with my current multi, which I consider to be superior in several aspects (Longevity Nutrients by Pure Encapsulations – I have no affiliation with them, only mentioning it here for comparison).
Have a great day!
Cristina, I’ve personally tried the other multivitamins and the Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi is by far the best I’ve ever used. It is the ONLY multivitamin that I could “feel” the first day I used it.
Performance Lab has some information on Vitamin K in their site. For example, Vitamin K1 + K2 is grown in Medicago sativa (alfalfa plant). More at the top of this page: https://www.performancelab.com/pages/nutrigenesis.
You would need to talk to one of their bioengineers about more specifics on the forms of Vitamin K2 but I know that you’d come away satisfied that MK4 and MK7 are there and at the optimal dosage.
Pure Encapsulations is a good company and puts out some good product. But when it comes to a multivitamin Performance Lab wins hands-down.
Help………I can’t even focus to read information to pick the best product that may work for me.
I have struggled with add my entire life. Never diagnosed but it’s pretty obvious. I I am now 52 and dealing with this which has gotten worse for focusing along with menopause. I forget words and struggle to communicate, for the flow of my words is gone. There in there I have the knowledge they just won’t come out. It is incredibly embarrassing and has gotten much worse in past couple of years.
Can you recommend something and how I would do dosage?
Thank so much
Tammy, all the information you need for Adult ADD including dosages for each is right here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-adhd-add/
Hi David. I’m a little confused. In the article it says:
“I’ve found one of the quickest and simplest ways to assess a multivitamin for quality and “food-based” is to look for Vitamin B9 (folic acid) or Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin); neither of which is food-based.
If either one is on the label then the entire bottle must be avoided because the rest of the bottle is unlikely to be a quality, food-based vitamin complex.”
But then you list both as ingredients in the Whole Food Multivitamin. Can you clarify for me, please? Thanks.
Karen, sorry for confusing you. The problem with most vitamins is they are synthetic. And the ‘theory’ is our body will recognize the synthetic for what it is and convert it into a version that it can use.
Folic acid is a synthetic vitamin B9. Our bodies expect to get methylfolate (the chemical name is 5-methylenetetrahydrofolate). If the bottle says “folic acid” it is not natural and it is unlikely that your body will convert it to methylfolate. Instead it will plug up folate receptors. And natural folate then has nothing to connect to.
Methylcobalamin is the natural form of Vitamin B12. Most vitamin supplements use the synthetic cyanocobalamin which is cobalamin bound to a cyanide molecule. Would you like some cyanide with your vitamins?
Whole food vitamins can be extracted from plants which is expensive and not very efficient.
A better way to make these vitamins to put in a capsule that you can take is to grow them in different kinds of yeast. Vitamins and minerals grown this way come with the usual cofactors that you would naturally get from different kinds of food. Our bodies recognize them as the “real thing” and use them.
The company that makes these vitamins and minerals does a far better job of explaining this process which you can see here: https://www.performancelab.com/pages/nutrigenesis
David,
I’m seriously considering ordering the Performance Lab Multi vitamins and possibly the Energy Stack. My question is how effective are liquid vitamins? My thought was that they absorb better into the bloodstream. You were recommending that we take MCT oil to help with the process. Is it necessary. Can I just take the multi vitamin with a good breakfast and it will be ok? I will read up more on MCT since it sounds like there are some other benefits to it as well. Thank you for you time and help!
Adam, I recommend these supplements because they’re pure and they work. I’d put them up against any “liquid vitamin” any day.
Some of the vitamins and minerals in the Multi are fat-soluble so need a healthy fat for your body to be able to use them. If your breakfast contains any fat that will work as well.
Hi David
Good day!
I was searching for nootropics, help me with cognitive functions, I’ve decided to try MLP after reading your review, my question here is what’s your take on taking MLP with Performance Lab® Whole-Food Multi? they overlap on Vitamin B? or only MLP is enough?
Abdul, Mind Lab Pro and the Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi is a great combo and what I use. The Multi has 3 of the same B-Vitamins as MLP. But combined will not put you in danger of “too much” of these vitamins. What your body does not use is excreted in urine.
And your brain absolutely requires the vitamins and minerals that are in the Multi as well. See my posts here:
https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-vitamins-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/
https://nootropicsexpert.com/13-minerals-essential-for-the-optimized-brain/
Most of the products you recommends sound great. However, for people who are on a fixed income they cannot afford the supplements. Also, you suggested taking 4 capsules daily. Why so many capsules if the supplement is that great? In addition, I do not see any pre-formulation for Baby Boomers for brain issues, but I did see individual suggestions. It would be too expensive to buy individual supplements to address probems.
Bob, it takes 4 capsules of this multivitamin to supply effective amounts of each of the vitamins and minerals your body and brain need every single day. And we have plenty of evidence that we are not getting these nutrients from the food we eat in our ‘modern’ society. Which is why we need to supplement if we wish to stay healthy.
I wrote a post about supporting the aging brain which would includes Baby Boomers. You’ll find that post here: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-the-aging-brain/. You can put together a nootropic stack unique to you and your health issues based on the information in that post.
And for less than $200 per month you have a much better chance of avoiding the cognitive health problems many face as they get into their ‘senior’ years. With real benefits right now as well.
I know it’s hard for many of us especially with the state of the world today. But I humbly ask how much is your health worth to you? Only you can answer that and know what you’re willing to invest in keeping your body and brain healthy.
David thank you for the interesting and useful information on vitamins, but there is a question. Have you read the book by Colin Campbell, Thomas Campbell Chinese Studies? There are scientific data on how much the body can absorb vitamins, for each it is individual. And it does not depend on their price, it is not always possible to buy expensive ones, and you can prove that they help only after conducting laboratory tests on the composition of blood, but this will also not be cheap.
Alexandr, I have not read the book by Colin Campbell. But I have read thousands of clinical studies. And wrote my own book (https://nootropicsexpert.com/store/).
When it comes to most things in life “you get what you pay for”. So yes, price does come into play here. Because most of the multivitamins on the market are synthetic vitamins and the minerals are literally ground up rocks. Your body does not recognize those vitamins and minerals as food. And it ends up going straight into your toilet.
The natural, bioactive form of vitamins and chelated minerals are expensive to produce. Which is why the price of this Multi is $39 vs $10 in your local supermarket.
You are correct that your body can only absorb so much of each vitamin and mineral. And the rest, if they are water soluble are excreted in urine. Or if they’re fat-soluble (i.e. Vitamin A, D, and E) then they’re stored in fat cells.
But if the vitamins are synthetic and the minerals are ground up rock then none of it will be absorbed. And you are wasting your money.
Thank you for the detailed answer David, I knew this for a long time, I bought your book back in 2018, I found a lot of interesting things in it for myself, thank you for such a great job and the time you spent on writing it. I am 47 years old, I live in Russia, here almost no one knows about nootropics, there are almost no high-quality scientific resources written in simple language( I just recently finished studying it and consider you my teacher. It took me a lot of time to translate it, now I’m structuring information on the principle of a catalog, where each nootropic will be in the right section, so it will be easier and faster to find the right one for different tasks. I was surprised by one thing, the book has less nootropics than on the site, and the site has more information than in the book, it usually happens differently), you surprised me! Now I study your site and supplement your book) for myself, so that I can teach others about it later. I think that in the future there will be professional specialists in nootropics, and they will be in demand as plumbers today) And this question about your recommended multivitamins, I have not found an answer to it anywhere, tell me how long do you need to take them? Permanently? or courses with breaks, taking into account their assimilation by the body.Thanks
Alersandr, I’m working on the 2nd Edition of Head First which will include all the nootropics I didn’t get to in the 1st Edition which you have. That book should be available in sometime in the next few months.
As for the multivitamins we need them every single day and for the rest of our lives. Because I do not see an improvement in our food supply in this lifetime.
Vitamins and minerals are used every day and continuously. They are “assimilated” within 30 mins. of you taking them. But they do not accumulate in your body when used at the dosages found in high quality multivitamins. Because our body uses it and then expels what it doesn’t use if there is anything left over.
Hi David,
I really appreciate your articles and videos, I learned a lot from them.
I wanted to know what you think of the multivitamine Thorne Research – Basic Nutrients 2 / Day?
thanks a lot
Zakaria, it’s in-complete and does not contain all the critical vitamins and minerals your body and brain need every day.
David,
I’m going to purchase these multi vitamins. I’m prone to heart failure in my family..I’m currently taking a blood pressure med and a statin but would love to get off those. I take a supplement of 5000 iu of Vit D and have recently been taking some zinc as well. What should i take besides this multi at now 55 years old, non smoker, average shape, little exercise, decent diet?
Fred, use this page: https://nootropicsexpert.com/best-nootropics-for-the-aging-brain/ to put together a stack for the aging brain. All you need is a couple from each of the 5 categories on that page.
Hi David,
Did you notice the change in Performance Lab multi’s formula? The label and some of the quentities have changed.
I would love to see an updated review and a since you’re in touch with the Performance Lab team – some more context behind this change.
I am concerned that the ingredient change may cause it to be of less quality.
Sparsh, I did have a chat last week with the head of Performance Lab on their formula changes. The tweaks are minor and were done so there was no conflict if someone was using other supplements in the line that contained the same vitamins or minerals.
The only thing I don’t like about this change is it means I need to hunt down everywhere I’ve mentioned the Performance Lab Multi and update it to the new name (NeuroGenesis instead of Wholefood) and the amount for some of the ingredients. 🙂
This is still by far the best multi on the market and I continue to use it daily because it works so well. It’s the same high quality vitamins and minerals made in the same facility as they have from the start.
Awesome! Thank you! They call it “NutriGenesis”
Hi David,
Thanks for the detailed – I am going to order these. However wanted to get your inputs on the DEVA and Abundant Earth brands?
Nish, DEVA multivitamins use synthetic vitamins, half of their minerals are ground up rock, and the thing that really gets me going is 3 mg of Choline Bitartrate. Huh? That choline supplement will only provide a benefit when dosed from 500 mg – 5 grams. 3 mg is a joke and insult to an experienced neurohackers intelligence. Same thing with 3 mg of Inositol.
Abundant Earth is a little better because they use genuine vitamins and minerals your body recognizes as food. But they do the same stupid thing as DEVA. Wasting capsule space with 10 mg Choline Bitartrate and other tiny amounts of compounds that are not vitamins or minerals. And have no business being in a high quality multivitamin.
And Abundant Earth wastes capsule space with “fairy dusting” amounts of fruit and vegetable powders that are useless.
I see this kind of thing happening across the industry and it’s done by people who should know better. And is the reason why the Performance Lab Wholefood Multi is such a great product. It’s honest and real and it works.
Hi David – Any recommendation on a good source for a children’s multivitamin? My 8 yr old has ADHD and takes methylphenidate daily – we also add fish oil, l-theanine and probiotic, but I’m looking for a high quality kid’s multivitamin. Thanks!
Holly, the only one I’d recommend is this Performance Lab Whole-Food Multi because I trust the ingredients and know it works.
Keep in mind my area of expertise is with adults. So please do your own research.
I compared this Multi with several of the other multivitamins from high quality manufacturers who make multi’s for kids. And comparing ‘apples to apples’ as well as I could it consistently comes out to one or two capsules of this Performance Lab Multi instead of the regular 4-capsules daily for adults. This is according to the dosage for each multi for kids I looked at.
The things to watch out for is decide if you want iron or not. The Multi for men does not contain iron. The Multi for women does.
And keep an eye on the dosage for the fat-soluble ingredients. Because these can build to toxic levels (if you overdose) as the unused vitamin is stored in fat in the body. That would include Vitamin A,E,D and K. But I wouldn’t worry too much about Vitamin D because nearly everyone in this country (USA) is D deficient.
And please look at your “fish oil” supplement. Because most on the market are not so good to put it mildly. Our brain is 60% fat. And most of that fat is DHA. I recommend looking for a DHA supplement which will also include a much smaller amount of EPA. Look for Carlson Super DHA or Nature’s Way Mega-DHA if it is still available.
Hi David, do you also add additional Vit D? Recommended dosage is 5000 IU/day and their multi provides just 1000IU. Thank you
Marek, I also use a 5,000 IU Vitamin D3 supplement daily.
Hi, David do you use those extra 5000IU with multi year round? Because on google someone says that you should stop taking vitamin D in summer and someone else says to keep taking it because not everyday is sun strong enough to produce vit d and not everyday we spend enough time on sun so i would like to know your opinion on this.. I am finally recovering from huge gut microbiome problems and i would like to continue taking those 5000 IU and add performance lab multi to it year round but at that point i dont know if there is a chance that it would overdose me in summer or not.. Thank you for your opinion.
Marek, please do not put much trust on what Google turns up for this type of thing. You need Vitamin D3 all year round. And unless you spend a lot of time in the sun nude chances are you need to supplement.
But the only way to be sure is to get your labs done. I use this Multi every single day AND use 5,000 IU Vitamin D3 daily as well. And my last labs showed my Vitamin D levels were in the lower half of the bell curve. In other words, I live in SE Florida and spend a lot of time outside. And my D levels are still too low.
You can use both every day. But you should get your labs done every few months and check to see what your levels are.