How useful is a daily multivitamin?

I never see much talk about multivitamins. How beneficial are they in reality? I take one because I wold have way too many bottles and pills to try and take everything individually. I'm not really talking about the quality either as different forms of vitamins are more bioavailable. If I were to get things individually I would have to get a b-complex, an E-complex, vitamin A, zinc, copper, manganese, etc. etc. all separately. Wouldn't you say that a multi is necessary for anyone who is taking things like zinc which compete with other minerals like copper and manganese? I have never understood how some poeople don't take a multi, and then take large amounts of things that can deplete others.

Paradox - Some multi's offer little, and some even cause damage, such as the ones fortified with iron.

Many of them do not offer enough for the right stuff either.

CS, so any multi vit containing Iron is bad?

tooyoung - If it's a very small amount and is not iron oxide, it might be okay. In general avoid iron containing supplements unless there's a tiny amount of natural iron.

Thanks CS. I take NOW ADAM men's multi. I just checked and it doesn't have iron. I honestly have no idea how I would get all these things separately without taking a hundred pills a day. I take extra of some of them like to get more obviously, but I think it is great to get all the things I don't take individually.