21st Century

Product Overview

21st Century One Daily Women’s is a multivitamin and multimineral made for adult women, in a bottle of 100 tablets. The dose is one tablet a day with any meal, so a bottle lasts 100 days.

The label states non-GMO and gluten free, and notes an “improved formula” with a smaller tablet. The front of the bottle invites comparison with One A Day® Women’s; the label adds that the product is not made or distributed by Bayer, which owns that trademark. The figures below are from the supplement facts panel in the product photo.

Ingredients / Specifications

Per tablet:

• Vitamin A (as acetate) 700 mcg — 78% DV
• Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) 90 mg — 100% DV
• Vitamin D3 (as cholecalciferol) 25 mcg (1,000 IU) — 125% DV
• Vitamin E (as dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate) 15 mg — 100% DV
• Thiamin (B1) 2.4 mg — 200% DV
• Riboflavin (B2) 1.95 mg — 150% DV
• Niacin (as niacinamide) 24 mg — 150% DV
• Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCl) 3.4 mg — 200% DV
• Folate 665 mcg DFE (400 mcg folic acid) — 166% DV
• Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin) 9.6 mcg — 400% DV
• Biotin 45 mcg — 150% DV
• Pantothenic acid 7.5 mg — 150% DV
• Calcium (as calcium carbonate) 130 mg — 10% DV
• Iron (as ferrous fumarate) 18 mg — 100% DV
• Iodine (as potassium iodide) 150 mcg — 100% DV
• Magnesium (as magnesium oxide) 42 mg — 10% DV
• Zinc (as zinc oxide) 8 mg — 73% DV
• Selenium (as sodium selenate) 41 mcg — 75% DV
• Copper (as copper sulfate) 1.35 mg — 150% DV

Other ingredients: cellulose, starch, gelatin, gum acacia, croscarmellose sodium, stearic acid. Contains less than 2% of: dicalcium phosphate, iron oxide yellow (colour), magnesium silicate, magnesium stearate, mono- and diglycerides, polyethylene glycol/polyvinyl alcohol copolymer, polyvinyl alcohol, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide.

Key Benefits

• Iron — women lose iron with every period, and iron-deficiency anaemia is common among women in Bangladesh. Iron contributes to normal red blood cell formation.
• Folic acid, 400 mcg — the amount recommended for any woman who could become pregnant, because folic acid taken before and in early pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
• Vitamin D3, 1,000 IU — low vitamin D is common here despite the sunshine. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium for normal bones.
• Vitamin B12 — useful for vegetarians, since B12 comes almost only from animal foods.
• Iodine — needed to make thyroid hormones.

What It Does Not Cover

• Calcium and magnesium are low — 10% of the Daily Value each. This is not a calcium supplement.
• It is not a prenatal vitamin. If you are pregnant, your doctor may want a different product and different doses.
• It contains no vitamin K.

Iron — Read This

• The label warns that accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep the bottle closed and out of reach. If a child swallows any, call a doctor or go to hospital immediately, even if they seem well.
• Iron can cause constipation, nausea and dark stools. Taking it with food helps.
• Thalassaemia (common in Bangladesh, including the carrier trait) or haemochromatosis — do not take extra iron without your doctor.
• Men and women after menopause usually do not need 18 mg of extra iron.

Key Features

• 19 vitamins and minerals in one daily tablet
• 18 mg iron, 400 mcg folic acid, 1,000 IU vitamin D3
• Most nutrients at 75% to 200% of the Daily Value rather than megadoses
• 100 tablets — 100 days; non-GMO, gluten free

How to Use

1. The label directions: adults, take one tablet daily with any meal, or as directed by a healthcare provider. Do not exceed the dose.
2. Keep it 4 hours apart from thyroid medicine (levothyroxine) and 2 hours apart from antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin or doxycycline — iron and calcium reduce their absorption.
3. Do not take it together with another multivitamin or a prenatal vitamin — you would double the iron and vitamin A.

Who Is It Suitable For?

Adult women who are not pregnant and want a simple daily top-up — especially those with heavy periods or a mostly vegetarian diet.

• Pregnant, nursing, taking medication, with a medical condition or planning a medical procedure — the label says to consult a healthcare provider first.
• Thyroid conditions — it contains iodine; ask your doctor.
• Not for children — see the iron warning above.
• Not suitable for vegetarians — the tablet contains gelatin.

Why Choose 21st Century One Daily Women’s?

A sensibly dosed, inexpensive one-a-day multivitamin from an established US maker, with the iron and folic acid that matter most for women of childbearing age. It is insurance for a patchy diet, not a replacement for good food.

Not for Children, Pregnancy or Breastfeeding

This is formulated for adults. Keep it out of reach of children — capsules and softgels are a choking hazard, and iron-containing supplements in particular are a serious poisoning risk for a small child.

If you are pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding, do not take it without medical advice. Several herbs and several vitamins that are harmless to an adult are not safe in pregnancy, and dose limits are different.

Do Not Exceed the Stated Dose

Follow the dose printed on the pack. More is not better with supplements — for several of them, more is worse.

• Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) build up in the body rather than being flushed out. A high daily dose taken for months can accumulate to a harmful level.
• Taking two products that both contain the same vitamin is an easy way to double a dose without noticing. Check every label you are taking.
• Stop and see a doctor if you get nausea, stomach pain, unusual bruising, a rash, or anything else new after starting.

This Is a Supplement, Not a Medicine

A dietary supplement is a food product. It is not a medicine, it has not been through the testing a medicine goes through, and it does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Supplement labels use health language — “supports”, “helps maintain”, “promotes” — precisely because they are not permitted to claim treatment. Read them that way. If a listing anywhere promises that a capsule will fix a medical condition, that promise is not one the product can keep.

What a supplement can honestly do is fill a gap in your diet. That is worth something, and it is a smaller thing than most packaging implies.

Talk to a Doctor First

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before you start, particularly if you:

• take any prescribed medicine — supplements interfere with medicines more often than people expect
• are being treated for a heart, liver, kidney, thyroid or blood condition
• have diabetes
• are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding
• have surgery or a dental procedure coming up

Never stop or reduce a prescribed medicine in order to take a supplement instead. That is the single most dangerous thing anyone does with a product like this, and it is what the marketing language quietly invites.

About the Imported Pack

This is an imported product. The label, the dose instructions and the ingredient panel are the ones printed for the market it was made for, and the wording may differ from a locally packaged version.

Follow the dose printed on the pack itself — it is the authority on its own contents — and check the expiry date when it arrives. If anything on the label is unclear, message us before you take it and we will read it to you.

Storage

• Keep the container tightly closed, somewhere cool and dry, out of direct sunlight.
• Do not store it in a bathroom. Heat and humidity break supplements down faster than anything else, and a Dhaka bathroom is the worst place in the house for them.
• Leave the desiccant sachet in the bottle. It is there to keep moisture out, not by mistake.
• Softgels and fish oils are best kept in a fridge in hot weather — they go rancid otherwise.
• Keep it out of reach of children.
• Do not use it after the expiry date, and throw it away if the capsules smell strongly off, have stuck together or changed colour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I take it while pregnant?

Ask your doctor. It is not a prenatal vitamin, and your doctor may prefer one. Do not take both.

Will it fix my anaemia?

Not on its own. Anaemia needs a blood test to find the cause, and a diagnosed iron deficiency usually needs a stronger, prescribed dose.

Why are my stools dark?

That is the iron, and it is harmless. Black, tarry stools with stomach pain or dizziness are different — see a doctor.

Can men take it?

It is made for women. Most men do not need extra iron; a men’s multivitamin is a better fit.

How do I check the pack is in date?

The expiry date is printed on the bottle or the base of the box. Check it as soon as your order arrives. If it is unreadable or close to expiry, message us and we will replace it.