Ah, the multi-vitamin.

It's our insurance policy when we mistake a bag of popcorn for dinner. It provides our Recommended Daily Intake of A, B, C, D and important vitamins. It packs a punch, giving us our daily dose of chromium, selenium, folic acid, and all the other trace minerals required by our bodies.

Or maybe not.

According to an MSNBC feature, multi-vitamins are more of a gamble than we realize. The report presented tests from several independent labs which evaluated the exact content of 21 different brands of multi-vitamins.

The results? Only 10 -- or less than half -- made good on the claims on their labels and met other quality standards. Their formulations were off, with more or less than the amounts listed on the label. The tests also showed that some did not dissolve correctly, and possibly fail to be absorbed by the body.

Even scarier, one brand specially formulated for woman was found to be contaminated with about 15 micrograms of lead. Over time, the amount could become toxic.

Great. Just one more thing to make us ever-so-slightly nervous each day. Personally, I'll keep taking my one-a-day because I think they're worth the risk. The potential benefits include reduced chance of degenerative diseases, improved immune response, lowered risk of colon cancer and cardiovascular disease, and better overall health.

Still, I appreciated these MSNBC tips to protect against the dangers and the duds.

• Choose well-known, mainstream brands (the companies have more at stake)
• Look for a stamp from USP, NSF or ConsumerLab.com on the bottle. It's not a guarantee, but it tells you that the product has been tested for accuracy.
  
• Buy vitamins from large retailers, rather than the Internet or unknown vendors.