These 'Fab 5' daily vitamins can help

If a reality-TV crew filmed your supplement stash, would the episode be called "Dusty Old Bottles"? Or maybe "Cupboard Chaos"? If you're among the one in two adults who take a daily multivitamin, or the half who've given up in confusion, here's relief. Just follow Dr. Roizen's simple "Fab 5" strategy, which has practically become his trademark at Cleveland Clinic's Wellness Institute (360-5.com), where he works.

A multi It's a nutritional insurance policy. Pick one with the recommended daily intake for most nutrients (you can't fit 100 percent of everything in one pill; you couldn't swallow it). Take half in the morning, half in early evening for 24-hour coverage.

Vitamin D-3 It's the most active form of D; it fights colds, heart disease, arthritis, some cancers and more. Take 1,000 IU; 1,200 after age 60.

DHA omega-3s from algae This type of omega-3 seems best for your brain; arteries, too. DHA deters memory and vision loss, heart attacks, stroke, impotence, even wrinkles. Aim for at least 600 mg a day (we both take 900).

A calcium/magnesium combo Bone-friendly calcium can cut your fracture risk by 50 percent. Get 600 mg of calcium from food daily; take another 600 with 400 mg of magnesium daily, to keep calcium from constipating you.

A probiotic Replenishing good intestinal bugs eases inflammation, infections and digestion. Aim for 2 billion cells per dose in spore form, to survive your stomach acids.