A multivitamin is any of a group of vitamins used often with minerals needed by the human body to function properly. Multivitamins are available as tablets, capsules, pastilles, powders, liquids, and injections. Multivitamins are recognized by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (the United Nations' authority on food standards) as a category of food.[1]
Multivitamins are often provided with minerals. A multivitamin or mineral set is approved in the United States as an addition to a diet containing 3 or more vitamins and minerals that does not include herbs, hormones, or drugs. [2] The terms multivitamin and multimineral are often used interchangeably. There is no scientific definition for either.[3]