Unfortunately there isn’t one. On the internet you can always find someone to tell you to take this or that, but the science just isn’t there. There is probably no harm in taking a mulitvitamin, but there is no guarantee in even that.

In general, no supplements are ever as effective as eating a healthy diet, so that is my recommendation. Eat lots of different vegetables, fruits, whole grains and some lean protein and your risk for disease will plummet.

There is some debate right now about whether people who don’t get sufficient sun exposure should take vitamin D supplements. And maybe people who don’t eat much fish could benefit from omega-3 supplements. My advice is to follow the research on this one because no one is sure yet.

Something to consider is that supplements are not regulated by the FDA, so you are not necessarily getting what it says on the bottle (and sometimes you get the bonus of some contaminants like lead). ConsumerLab.com tests specific supplements for content, so that is a good resource. See my Synapse article for more on dietary supplements.