Vitamins are determined by their biological functions, not by chemical structure. Compounds which satisfy the functions of a particular vitamin are known as vitamers of that vitamin. For example cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin are both vitamers of B12 despite being chemically distinct.

It's true that some vitamers are more easily metabolized by certain routes than others. In the example I gave, methylcobalamin is superior when it comes to oral supplements.

Also if you can, try taking a multivitamin without minerals, and take a mineral supplement separately. A lot of minerals interfere with one another's absorption along with that of many vitamins (zinc, calcium, and iron should all be taken away from each other and from vitamin supplements).

> I've been wondering if vitamin technology has been keeping up.

Definitely they have but not in brands typically found in grocery stores. Look at brands like PureEncapsulations, Thorne, and Swanson for example.

I personally take PureEncapsulations ONE multivitamin daily.

Be careful with vitamin E... too much is NOT a good thing. And yes, there is more than one kind each with different bioavailability.

A lot of multivitamins don’t include minerals, especially iron.

In the US, I wouldn’t take a vitamin without the USP label:

https://www.usp.org/

There’s no government oversight of vitamins and supplements, but at least USP might give the veneer of some verification.

I read somewhere that a large part of the "quality" of vitamin pills come down to how crumbly they are. Small dense vitamins are so good. Big pills are.

The best I have found is this: https://www.nuzest.com.au/collections/good-green-stuff

Not a shill, have Crohns so can get absorbsion issues with food/nutrients. This stuff noticeably helps over a multivitamin pill... maybe placebo but I absolutely feel the difference.

Look, I can write a bullshot article telling you that you need to take vitamine frroorofrom and then offer to sell it to you for $20 a pill. If you want to believe it and spend your money, good for me!

On the other hand the $5 a jar multivits cover all your actual supplement needs.

There is a concept of bioavailbility. Some vitamins & minerals are more absorbable than others, and if you have issues you can be asorbing or converting certain ones not as well as you may think:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioavailability

Also do we know all the nutrients people need and amount also considering what is optimally healthy, genetics, age, medical conditions? Definitely not.

Ok, don't take a multivitamin then.