Health Headlines - July 4

Happy Independence Day!

Drug Makers Reformulate OTC Cold Medicines

Under pressure from law-enforcement agencies and state governments, drug companies have begun reformulating popular cold medicines to prevent criminals from converting them into methamphetamine.

Asia-Pacific AIDS Called 'Silent Tsunami'

The Asia-Pacific faces a "silent tsunami" as HIV/AIDS rates surge in a region home to more than half the world's population, a U.N. official said Saturday.

Guidant Defibrillators Get Highest Warning

A malfunction in some of the Guidant Corp. defibrillators recalled last month could cause serious injury or death, the government said in classifying 20,000 of the devices as the most urgent type of recalls.

U.N. Health Agency: Polio Found in Angola

A case of polio has been found in Angola, the first discovered in the country in four years, the U.N. health agency said Saturday.

AIDS in Asia-Pacific a 'Silent Tsunami'

The Asia-Pacific faces a "silent tsunami" as HIV/AIDS rates surge in a region home to more than half the world's population, a U.N. official said Saturday.

66th Case of Polio Reported in Indonesia

A new case of polio was found in Indonesia's Lampung province, bringing the country's total known number of people suffering from the disease to 66.

Indonesia Aims to Stem Rise in HIV Cases

The tattooed, tired-looking heroin addicts who navigate the capital's congested alleyways to get to this quaint Dutch colonial house every day are not looking for a fix. They come for the free needles and a chance to talk — part of government efforts to stem the rise in HIV cases.

FDA Warns About Antidepressants, Suicide

The Food and Drug Administration issued a second public warning Friday that adults who use antidepressants should be closely monitored for warning signs of suicide, especially when they first start the pills or change a dose.

Bill Would Cover Anti-Anxiety Medications

Lawmakers said Friday they would seek to add to Medicare's prescription drug benefit a category of drugs commonly used to treat anxiety, insomnia and seizures.

Consumer Guide to Adult Multivitamins

Top 5 Multivitamins for Women

Essential Balance (Nature Made)
Maximum One Daily(Spring Valley - Wal-Mart)
One-A-Day Maximum Formula(Bayer)
Sentral-Vite(Kmart)
Spectravite(CVS)

Honorable Mentions for Women

ABC Plus(Puritan's Pride)
Docked For: Vague statement of quality assurance

Centrum(Whitehall-Robins Healthcare)
Docked For: No statement of quality assurance

Multiple Vitamins Plus Minerals(Osco)
Docked For: No vitamin K. If you eat lots of vegetables - especially leafy greens - you don't need extra K, elevating this to a "best bet" for you.

Best Bets for Men: None!

All multivitamins have too much iron for men. Instead, choose one formulated for older Americans. (We'll be rating specific brands of multivitamins for seniors in a future Miavita consumer guide.) Alternatively, if you can find one, buy an inexpensive multivitamin for men without excessive amounts of vitamin A and several of the B vitamins. Such formulas will also avoid a whole laundry list of extraneous ingredients.

Honorable Mention for Men

Kirkland Daily Multivitamin/Mineral Dietary Supplement (Kirkland) Docked For: Excessive vitamin A, though it supplies an acceptable amount of iron at 9 mg.

Our Criteria for Rating Adult Multis

We looked at 16 of the 22 top-selling national brands of adult multivitamins and carefully examined their labels and the actual pills. Some brands sell several multis that vary in potency, so we selected their basic formulas to make fair and meaningful comparisons. The multis that best met our criteria are listed as our Best Bets. Those that came close received an Honorable Mention. There are separate lists for men and women because of their very different needs for iron.

Three Keys for Sizing Up Adult Multivitamins

1. Does the supplement provide both vitamins and minerals?

None of the supplements we saw are perfect, but our Best Bets contain each of the following: Vitamin A, the B vitamin group (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B-6, B-12, folic acid, biotin and pantothenic acid), Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, calcium, chromium, copper, iodine, iron (for women), magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc.

2. Is it a high quality product?

Check for compliance with U.S. Pharmacopoeia (USP) quality standards, and an expiration date.

3. Does the multivitamin include all nutrients for which there is a Daily Value (DV)?

Among the supplements we tested, missing nutrients included: Vitamin K, biotin, chromium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum and selenium. It should have 50 - 150 percent of the DV for most nutrients, with the following exceptions:

No more than 100 percent DV for vitamin A (excluding beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A as needed; it's not toxic).
At least 10 percent of the DV for calcium and magnesium.
No more than 100 percent of the DV for iron for women, or more than 50 percent of the DV for iron for men.
No more than 15 percent of the DV for phosphorus.
No more than 2 percent of the DV for sodium.
Ignore potassium, chloride and minerals (such as boron, nickel silicon, tin and vanadium) without a DV.