FutureYou Vitamin Supplements

Products tested: Co-Enzyme Q10+; Vitamin B Complex+; Vitamin D+; Vitamin K2+; Cranberry+
RRP: from £9 for 28 tablets (1 month's supply)

--What does the promo say?--
"Our range of natural health supplements are scientifically proven to deliver more of what your body needs.  We carry out research to create the highest quality supplements with proven absorption and clinical benefit.

The Company has close ties with Cambridge University and Addenbrooke's Hospital (Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust).

FutureYou's product development is supported by a high-profile medical board including, among others, Professor Alf Lindberg, former head of R&D at Wyeth and Aventis and former member of the Nobel Committee and Secretary of the Medical Prize; Dr Nicholas Shenker, a consultant rheumatologist and expert in chronic pain syndromes at Addenbrooke's Hospital; Mr Peter Kirkpatrick BSc MBCHB MSc FRCS, a leading Cambridge University vascular neurosurgeon and Michael Heinrich, Head of University College London's centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy."

Individual product descriptions can be read at www.futureyouhealth.com .

--Packaging--

All of the vitamins come in compact boxes containing 28 tablets each, in standard foil and plastic casings, making them practical for travel. The tablets are each individually labelled with days of the week on the foil that houses them, making you more likely to remember to take them each day. The images on the boxes clearly illustrate the capsules' content and/or their benefits, using relaxing ideas that evoke both relaxation and good health.

--Usage instructions--

Take one pill per day in all cases.

--Appearance--

The fact of the pills coming in different colours is something that can be useful if you are taking more than one type (as you can see from the above, I was taking 5 during my one-month trial, thanks to the kindness of FutureYou's PR department). However, some might find the Day-Glo colours a bit disturbing in some cases: the Vitamin B Complex+, for example, is bright blue. However, they leave no visible residue in the mouth.

--Scent and taste--

None detectable.

--Texture and consistency--

Only mildly plasticky on the tongue - but as you swallow them whole with water, this metric is less relevant.

--Effects--

Addressing each of the supplements in turn:

• The Co-Enzyme Q10+ has anti-ageing benefits, acting as a strong antioxidant. Your ability to produce this enzyme decreases with age - so to fight the free radicals that cause visible signs of ageing, this is a pretty good one to be putting into your body. Long-term, Q10 (also known as ubiquinone) has also been proved to combat Parkinson's disease, certain forms of cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure, leading to health as well as beauty benefits. The paradox of anti-ageing products is that if they're working, then nothing should happen. However, I did receive one compliment on my skin while using this product, which is encouraging. The Vitamin K2+ is also important for anti-ageing.

• As well as the anti-ageing benefits outlined above, the Cranberry+ capsules have naturally moisturising qualities (by boosting collagen production thanks to a perfect balance of fatty acids: omega 3, 6 and 9), as well as containing enzymes that control excess sebum production. The high levels of vitamins A and C can promote healthy hair, increasing lustrousness and growth. All this could explain why I also received a compliment on my hair during this trial, as well as noticing a visible clearing of my acne.
• The Vitamin B Complex+ contains a range of B vitamins which bring a whole host of benefits, including those mentioned above. Vitamin B7, biotin, also strengthens hair and nails. I mainly noticed a strenghthening of the nails during the trial period, with them growing more quickly than usual and seeming less weak overall. B12 also helps with this. In addition, B-vitamins reduce skin redness, which is something that I noticed occurring during the trial.
• Finally, while I was testing the capsules, I got about my third cold in 6 weeks. This I attribute to a perfect storm of going from being at home with my baby for 6 months to returning to work in a school environment (where approximately 1 million children have touched *everything* before you), undertaking a course of sleep restriction therapy, going on a calorie-restricted diet, and my little boy bringing home all kinds of awful from the crèche. So what impressed me was that I got over this third cold MUCH more quickly than the previous two. While this could be down to a number of factors, I also can't ignore that I was taking the Vitamin D+; vitamin D is well-known to help fight disease. It also repairs skin damage faster, and as I'm a person who bruises easily, and whose bruises usually take a long time to fade, I noticed, too, that one recent one cleared up much more quickly than usual.

--Value for money--

The one-time purchase prices are as follows:

Co-Enzyme Q10+, £12 (28 days' supply; 42p per day)

Cranberry+, £14 (56 days' supply; 25p per day)

Vitamin B Complex+, £9 (84 days' supply; 10p per day)

Vitamin D+, £12.50 (84 days' supply; 14p per day)

Vitamin K2+, £19 (28 days' supply; 67p per day)

As you can see, prices vary wildly. Value-wise, I'd be inclined to go for the K2+ myself if purchasing these again with my own money, as it covers many of the same benefits as the Co-Enzyme Q10+ and the Cranberry+ , as well as providing a host of health advantages, for less money overall. I would also consider the B and D packages at times where I noticed weakness that I needed to repair quickly, or times where I thought I might be more vulnerable (such as going into winter).

However, there are ways to save on whichever FutureYou vitamins interest you, either via their Subscribe & Save method, which gives you a discount for signing up for regular deliveries long-term, or by buying one of their bundles. (The Women's Health bundle, for example, costs £44 on a one-time basis and £35 on the subscribe & save package, whereas buying all of the supplements it contains individually would cost you a total of £62.50.) What I would really love to see is a beauty or anti-ageing bundle that would include maximum value for all the vitamins I trialled. FutureYou are doing great work producing high-quality supplements that I would definitely recommend.