Thorne Multi-Vitamin Elite - NSF Certified for Sport Review

This multivitamin has many nutrients at doses used in mood studies. Vitamin D eased depressive symptoms across 41 trials, though certainty was very low ^[1], while very large five-year trials in older adults found no drop in depression ^[2]. Magnesium lowered depression scores across seven placebo-controlled trials ^[3]. Zinc added to meds eased depressive symptoms ^[4], and selenium lowered depression scores across many trials ^[5]. Curcumin added to meds improved symptoms ^[6]. Folate helped when added to a med medicine ^[7]. Vitamin C did not improve mood overall but gave a small benefit in mild depression ^[8]. Vitamin A improved depression scores in one trial of people with multiple sclerosis ^[9] but not in a larger trial of pregnant women with HIV ^[10]. Vitamin B12 did not improve depression scores in pooled trials ^[11]. Vitamin E and lutein are present only in trace amounts, far below studied doses, and riboflavin is below the studied dose. The botanical blend does not name its herbs, so studies of other herbal blends cannot be applied to it. Green tea reaches the studied amount only at three servings a day ^[12]. Animal and cell studies are never counted.

Vitamin D is the main ingredient the panel talks about most, and most of the ten recommend or use it. Reasons include brain health, muscle mass, healing and general health, and one panelist warns that many people stay deficient. Doses mentioned are 5000 IU of vitamin D3 each morning from one panelist and at least 10,000 IU daily in winter from another, while two advise testing blood levels, and one says to take it with dietary fat for better absorption. Another says supplementing only makes sense if you are deficient. Vitamin C is also backed, with two panelists pairing it with collagen for joints and connective tissue, and one panelist takes 90 mcg of vitamin K2 in the morning. Magnesium is a smaller ingredient in this product, and many on the panel use it for sleep, though one warns that supplement labels can make the dose look larger than it is.