Everyone loves a good multi-vitamin, right? When it comes to holistic nutrition there are few supplements better-suited for long-term use. Not all multivitamins are created equally however, and some contain ingredients that are ineffective or downright burdensome to your body. The Whole-Food Multi by Performance Lab is a multi-vitamin designed from the ground up to give you optimized nutrition to feel your best.
Thoughts on Multivitamins
When it comes to multi-vitamins it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking more is better. That is; more ingredients mean more benefits. That’s not always the case. Sometimes, vitamin manufacturers load their products with ingredients that compete for absorption, are missing natural cofactors, or are simply not what the body wants. If I said I wanted you to bring me a cheeseburger and you brought me a slab of raw beef it wouldn’t be the same, right? Certain supplement ingredients can be thought of similarly.
Performance Lab
Performance Lab is a supplement brand dedicated to providing a “clean-label” product. This means no unnecessary ingredients and natural forms of many compounds. The food we eat, at least on an evolutionary timeline, is never found in single-ingredient form. When we get dietary magnesium, its often found alongside natural co-factors such as Vitamin B6 which help our bodies absorb it (R). Performance Lab Multi is formulated with such considerations in mind and contains a full spectrum of minerals, vitamins and micronutrients.
BioGenesis™ Formulation
Vitamins and minerals are found in nature in different forms that many supplements contain them as. These compounds may be bonded to other elements, found in a medley of cofactors, or even be pre-metabolized in some cases. Many dietary supplements contain vitamins that have been extracted and concentrated through harsh industrial processes. This processes, in many cases, can strip away many associated compounds and even denature the active ingredients.
To help avoid this, Performance Lab products use ingredients synthesized through a more natural process that relies on bacterium and yeasts—similar to how our digestive tracts synthesize nutrients! This process is called BioGenesis™ and is, arguably, a superior form of nutrient synthesis. Below is a list of all the BioGenesis™ ingredients found in the Performance Lab Multivitamin.
| Ingredient | Benefit | |||
| Vitamin A | Vision, skin, immune, protein synthesis, tissue repair, bones, antioxidant | |||
| Vitamin C | Immune, cardiovascular, skin, joints, antioxidant, gums, bones, muscle | |||
| Vitamin D3 | Immunity, bones, testosterone, cell function, protein synthesis | |||
| Vitamin E | Antioxidant, cardiovascular, hair, skin, nails, tissue repair | |||
| Vitamin K1 + K2 | Bones, cardiovascular, connective tissue | |||
| Vitamin B1 | Nervous system, energy metabolism | |||
| Vitamin B2 | Red blood cell formation, cell growth, energy metabolism, antioxidant | |||
| Vitamin B3 | Circulation, protein and fat metabolism, nervous system, skin | |||
| Vitamin B5 | Energy metabolism, hormone production, cardiovascular | |||
| Vitamin B6 | Brain chemical synthesis and conversion, immune, blood cell formation, oxygen transport, nervous system, blood sugar, cognitive function | |||
| Vitamin B7 | Hair, skin, nails, energy, blood sugar, cell growth, nervous system | |||
| Vitamin B9 | New cell formation, DNA synthesis | |||
| Vitamin B12 | Energy metabolism, heart health, nervous system, cognitive function | |||
| Calcium | Bones, joints, cardiovascular, muscles, nervous system, hormones | |||
| Iron | Blood cell formation, oxygen transport, brain chemical synthesis/td> | |||
| Iodine | Metabolism, thyroid function | |||
| Magnesium | Energy, cardiovascular, bones, testosterone, muscle relaxation, nervous system, blood sugar | |||
| Zinc | Immune, vision, testosterone, nerves, cell growth | |||
| Selenium | Immune, antioxidant, thyroid | |||
| Copper | Energy, nervous system, connective tissue, cardiovascular, antioxidant, red blood cell formation, vision, immune | |||
| Manganese | Enzyme cofactor, metabolism, blood sugar, antioxidant, bones | |||
| Chromium | Metabolism, energy, weight management, blood sugar | |||
| Molybdenum | Enzyme function, metabolism | |||
| Strontium | Bones, joints | |||
| Inositol | Nervous system, skin, cognition, mood | |||
| Vanadium | Blood sugar, cardiovascular, bones, muscles, enzymes, growth factor | |||
| Boron | Bones, testosterone, joints, connective tissue | |||
Gender Optimized
Men and women have different nutritional needs (R). This means that a generic multivitamin optimized for both genders isn’t really optimized for either. The Performance Lab Multi comes in two varieties: men’s and women’s. Each of these products is catered to help address gender-specific nutritional concerns in such a way to provide optimal support. This type of nutritional consideration is important whether you’re balancing hormones, trying to boost energy, or ensuring you’re getting all your B vitamins.
Overall Impressions
We’re tremendous fans of newer supplement brands taking over where bigger brands have slacked off. They’re able to respond more quickly to breakthroughs in nutrition science, offer their products at a more affordable price in most cases, and help address developing health concerns. The men’s and women’s Performance Lab Multi-Vitamin is a clear example of how better science can help build better nutrition. Anyone considering a multi-vitamin stands to benefits from putting this supplement on their radar!
