Doctors Answer Your 9 Biggest Health Questions

Depends on what you're eating, says health reporter Catherine Price, who spent three years putting that question to more than a dozen top doctors and researchers for her recent book, Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection. "If you're eating a good amount of foods naturally rich in vitamins, like produce, and those that are fortified, like cereal or bread, a multivitamin is probably superfluous," she says.* But if you do decide to take one, keep in mind that the FDA doesn't test dietary supplements to ensure that what's on the label is actually what's in the bottle. Check for a seal that says NSF or USP VERIFIED—both are respected third-party companies that vitamin-makers can pay to review their products.

*A multivitamin containing folic acid is always a good idea for women during their reproductive years.