To answer your question - there is no clear leader as "the best" multivitamin. What I can do is give you several high quality brands and I suggest you print them out -- compare what each one contains -- compare the prices -- consider your own requirements.
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Let's start with last first - consider your requirements.
Fair disclosure - I am of the opinion that our "health experts" have way under estimated what our body can do to repair problems if you give your body proper nutrition. Unless they can prescribe a drug or do surgery -- it is of no value. I think that our Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) should be relabeled as Minimal Daily Allowance Or Bad Things Will Happen (MDAOBTWH) and Optimal Daily Amounts should be adopted from the Alternative health practicioners -- which is much, much higher - and more items on the list than the RDA.
More fair disclosure - and I'll try to stay away from politics -- I believe in the free market system. If the vitmains, supplements, and alternative health practices were so worthless -- that information would quickly spread and no one would spend their money on the stuff.
Sorry about the rant - but I think before you ask for someone's opinion -- you have to know where they are coming from.
If you are young, fit (proper body fat and muscular build), athletic (plenty of exercise each week), usually eat a great mixture of organic meat, fruit, and vegetables, don't smoke, don't do drugs, drink moderately, don't have any nagging health problems, don't take prescription drugs, rarely any over the counter drugs, you live and work in a sterile environment, etc. -- what the #~$% are you doing in this forum in the first place? -- I mean -- you probably have minimal supplement requirements. Let's call this person "super healthy person".
It still might be a good idea to take supplements (including plenty of fish oil) to make sure that you are getting plenty of the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your body needs to fight the bad things in your body.
Long gone are the days of clean air to breathe, fresh water to drink, and organic meat and veggies from good quality soil.
Look at all the medicines now that are patches or a lotion that you spread on to your skin. Your skin can absorb some amazing stuff. That is good when you are putting good things around your skin - but bad most of the time - considering our current environment.
The opposite of "super healthy person" is in really bad shape. They look like zombies, they feel like zombies, then might even wish they were zombies, and we have millions of them in the US. (NO CS carver you can not run around and cut them up like in the chainsaw movies).
What can the zombies do to improve themselves? They can adopt the lifestyle of the "super healthy people" (including low carb diet) AND take this supplement
http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Synergy...-3-60-Packets-1
$280 per month. That is a lot to spend on supplements -- but how much are these people spending per month on prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, doctor visits, medical tests, and other medical supplies and costs?
I'll bet that within two months they will no longer be zombies. Within six or twelve months be off most prescription and over the counter drugs.
Yet Another fair disclosure (or the flames will be overwhelming). Some people do have real diseases / emergencies that no amount of supplements or alternative health will solve. But IMHO this is like 20% of all health care costs / problems. Type 1 diabetes is a real health problem. Type 2 diabetes is not. But even people with real diseases often improve the quality of their lives by adopting the lifestyles of the "super healthy person".
I think I have babbled long enough. Hopefully I made my point -- the unhealthier you are -- the more supplements you need. Even if you are "super healthy person" I still recommend the "optimal daily amounts" so that your body has the tools to fight and repair bad things.
I do not think that you can get optimal amounts by just eating foods. If you think that carb counting is bad -- try analyzing the nutriental content of everything you eat and comparing it against your optimal amounts.
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Compare what each one contains
In this case you need to start with -- what is the
optimal amount of this nutrient
that I need. The best source I can think of is
http://www.worldhealth.net/p/anti-a...-reference.html
they sell this information in a book if you prefer a book for $12.
http://www.amazon.com/New-Anti-Agin...ie=UTF8&s=books
You might also try to google "optimal vitamin requirements"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...G=Google+Search
One trick that supplement manufacturers do is take a high priced supplement and throw a small and inferior form into the multivitamin - just so they can claim that their multivitamin has this vitamin!
For example CoQ10.
http://www.worldhealth.net/p/aadr-coenzyme-q-.html
says that you need 90 to 150 mg to do much good. Super healthy person can probably get by with 30mg since it is better than nothing -- but the optimal is 90 to 150 mg. If you are a zombie - then you need to probably be in the 300 mg range. So you need to determine
your optimal amount.
My point is your multi-vitamin may list 100 mcg (not mg) of Coq10 -- which I would cross of the list of ingredients - because the amount is so small -- it will do nothing. Now my multi-vitamin contains 30mg of CoQ10. I would still strike that off the list of ingredients - because I think I should be up in the 90 to 150 mg range and the form in my multivitamin is not that great. However, the $280 multivitamin has 400mg of CoQ10 and it is of the best form.
To make a long story short (too late for that now - huh?) you need to determine
your optimal amount and then cross off all amounts on your multivitamin that do not meet
your optimal amount.
I think that if you did this for the big name brands like "one-a-day", "synergy", etc -- you would cross almost every ingredient off the list -- hence why I don't recommend them. Not even for "super healthy person".
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GNC is a good high quality brand. The only knock about them is their high price. BUt I have done more research on their website lately and their prices appear to have come down. If you are comfortable with GNC -- I would think they are your best choice.
But still do your homework as described above. You may want to get their multivitamin plus one or two other supplements.
Note that I think that a high quality "mega" multivitamin AND MEGA FISH OIL are both required as a minimal for everyone. Even super healthy person - if they want to stay that way. GNC has both multis and fish oil. Get both.
I have bought from GNC before. Very professional and knowledgeable. If there is one near you -- then easy to obtain (you don't have to order on-line and wait for it to arrive).
www.VitaCost.com has great quality, research and price. Where I usually buy from.
Vitamin Shoppe are located in most cities - but I don't know much about. I was thinking that their "mega" multivitamins were not that "mega" (kind of low on the ingredients compared to some of the others) -- but if you follow these guidelines you can evaluate them for your self -- or determine what additional vitamins to buy. For example, you might say their multivitamin is only okay - but if I also buy their antioxidant complex (I assume they have one) then I'll be about right. If you are healthy -- their vitamins might be perfect for you. If you are a zombie -- then I might look elsewhere. I usually buy from Vitamin Shoppe if I run out of something and need it immediately.
www.iherb.com is good website if you know what you want. IMHO they don't help you decide what you need. I have bought some stuff from them and service has been good.
www.LEF.ORG has great quality, price and research. I usually buy my blood tests from them.
Sorry to answer your question so unclear -- but it is not a clear cut answer.