Doctors Discover 30% Absorption Gap in Multivitamins
Doctors have long believed that all multivitamins absorb equally. A typical response from a physician might be, “They’re all basically the same,” reflecting decades of medical teaching. However, new research from 2025 challenges this long-held assumption, revealing a 30% difference in absorption between generic multivitamins and those with higher bioavailability.
Case Study: Thorne Basic Nutrients 2/Day
This supplement has become a key example prompting doctors to rethink their views on vitamin supplementation. For years, medical education promoted a simplified idea: if a product has 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin B12, it offers 100% benefit. This simplified belief influenced many doctors to recommend the cheapest multivitamin options.
Physician Knowledge Gaps Highlighted
A 2022 survey published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition unveiled widespread misunderstanding. It found that 68% of primary care physicians considered all multivitamins essentially equivalent when asked about supplement knowledge.
“They’re all basically the same.”
Even UpToDate, a leading clinical resource used by 90% of teaching hospitals, stated until 2021 that there was “little evidence” supporting the superiority of one multivitamin over another.
Shifts in Clinical Recommendations
By 2024, new comparative studies led UpToDate to revise its guidance, highlighting significant differences in nutrient bioavailability—especially for vitamin B12, folate, and some minerals. This evidence disproved the myth that ingredient lists alone determine a multivitamin’s effectiveness.
Scientific Confirmation
The landmark 2024 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition provided concrete data confirming that multivitamins are not equal in how well their nutrients are absorbed, effectively ending the equivalence myth.
“The myth that ingredient lists tell the whole story finally collapsed under scientific scrutiny.”
Author’s Summary: Recent research exposes a 30% absorption gap in multivitamins, overturning medical misconceptions and calling for greater attention to bioavailability in supplementation choices.
Would you like the text to be more formal or conversational?