Do you take vitamins/supplements?

[Exterous]

I've been taking the 1 a day general vitamins but I my recent health issues* have been making me consider taking more

Yes I know there is a H&F section I'm just curious to see how many ATOTers take them and why

*Nothing serious just been getting sick a lot more often and blood pressure is slowly creaping up

 

[Born2bwire]

Eh. I am taking a vitamin and temporarily two supplements. The supplements I take on the advice of my doctor but the vitamin I take just to round out my vitamin and mineral intake. My appetite can vary from day to day and I don't always eat all the fruits and vegetables that I should because of it. So I just take the multivitamin as a way of rounding it out. Personally I don't think I would take more vitamins as a way for dealing with any health issues unless I asked a doctor first. Partly because it seems that the present day opinion of the efficacy of vitamin dosing seems to be as variable as the wind and also in case the health issues are symptoms of some larger health problem.

 

[SunnyD]

Yep. I eat proper foods and try to make sure I eat a variety of different things to make sure I catch the spread.

 

[dud]

Yep. I eat proper foods and try to make sure I eat a variety of different things to make sure I catch the spread.

This ... but after 30+ years of adult life the doctor orders a blood test and orders me to supplement my diet with B-12 and iron.

Getting older sucks but we all have to endure it ... if we are lucky enough to do so.

 

[iRONic]

My PCP says it doesn't hurt. They are a bit pricey though.

 

[ThatsABigOne]

I take Vitamin C everyday as it prevents my lips from cracking. Never heard of this before? Try it, and you will see.

 

[Exterous]

My PCP says it doesn't hurt. They are a bit pricey though.

Around here not too bad. CVS seems to frequently run B1G1 adds on these so a regular daily would cost about $20 a year with other supplements ranging from $20-40 a year

 

[DaveSimmons]

I take a Centrum 1-a-day multivitamin & mineral supplement, just in case I'm missing something in my diet. I doubt it makes any difference, but it's cheaper than a doctor visit.

 

[ShawnD1]

I take vitamin supplements because my diet is extremely unbalanced. I'll go several days without eating meat. Meat contains a lot of B vitamins, iron, other minerals. I haven't eaten fruits or vegetables in the past couple weeks.

I also eat vitamin C pills at my desk at work. They taste like candy.

 

[gevorg]

Only Vitamin-D and even then not sure if it really helps. Way too much unproven voodoo and placeboo in the vitamin business.

And I think consumerlab.com gave a pretty bad score for the popular Centrum and Oneaday brands.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I take a one a day multi-vitamin. It's still debatable exactly how much benefit that really provides, but it does help to some degree, so it's worth doing. I also take a couple of fish and flaxseed oil capsules a day, there's no doubt about the potential benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids.

 

[SunnyD]

Only Vitamin-D and even then not sure if it really helps. Way too much unproven voodoo and placeboo in the vitamin business.

And I think consumerlab.com gave a pretty bad score for the popular Centrum and Oneaday brands.

Biggest problem with multivitamin and vitamin supplements in general is that an average person's body never manages to absorb more than about 10% of what the supplement contains. For some reason absorption from food sources works a lot better.

 

[crownjules]

One 1200mg fish oil cap every day.

 

[Miramonti]

Taking supplements recently has given me horrible diarrhea.

Fortunately I realized my dogs probiotic digestive enzyme supplement was being added to my protein smoothies instead of creatine, so life is much better now. :$

 

[Krazy4Real]

Yeah, I take vitamins.

 

[Exterous]

I also take a couple of fish and flaxseed oil capsules a day, there's no doubt about the potential benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids.

Thats actually what I was thinking of adding because of the blood pressure and family history of heart problems

Taking supplements recently has given me horrible diarrhea.

Fortunately I realized my dogs probiotic digestive enzyme supplement was being added to my protein smoothies instead of creatine, so life is much better now. :$

Uh......

 

[ShawnD1]

I take a one a day multi-vitamin. It's still debatable exactly how much benefit that really provides, but it does help to some degree, so it's worth doing. I also take a couple of fish and flaxseed oil capsules a day, there's no doubt about the potential benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids.

It's surprising how much certain vitamins help. When I take one of those B100 complex vitamins (huge amount of B vitamins), it dramatically increases my body temperature. My hands and feet sweat instead of shiver.

Vitamin C helps a lot with taking dumps. Some of the excess vitamin C in your body comes out when you take a dump, and it takes a lot of water with it. If you have really hard shits all the time, vitamin C will make them softer. Taking too much vitamin C will cause diarrhea.

 

[KeithTalent]

I take a multi, vitamin C, fish oil, and glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM because I run.

My eating habits are somewhat erratic, so this, theoretically, helps offset that. As a runner I swear by the glucosamine.

KT

 

[ShawnD1]

My eating habits are somewhat erratic, so this, theoretically, helps offset that. As a runner I swear by the glucosamine.

KT

It's hard to get clear answers about what glucosamine does. Studies say it does nothing. People who take it say it does something.

I always wonder how these studies are conducted. Studies also showed that antidepressants don't work, but every person I know who has ever taken them says they work.

 

[Imp]

Use to do the multi-vitamin, but I got tired of that and stopped for the past year.

I've been taken Vitamin D 1000IU the past month and have been feeling so much less batshit crazy. I was avoiding the sun for most of the summer, and was getting a bit depressed and super irritable.

 

[ViviTheMage]

no, balanced eats is all I need

 

[KeithTalent]

It's hard to get clear answers about what glucosamine does. Studies say it does nothing. People who take it say it does something.

I always wonder how these studies are conducted. Studies also showed that antidepressants don't work, but every person I know who has ever taken them says they work.

Honestly even if it's psychosomatic I am ok with that as my knees and all of my joints have felt great since I started taking it a few years ago.

KT

 

[gophins72]

i'll take a multi day but only once a few days. If i remember i'll take a fish oil pill daily and maybe a glucosamine pill.

 

[shortylickens]

B complex with ALL the B's. You need them all to work together so you get the actual benefits. The others with just two or three dont help you much.

Also fish oil. Have no idea if its helping me or not.

 

[bhanson]

This ... but after 30+ years of adult life the doctor orders a blood test and orders me to supplement my diet with B-12 and iron.

Getting older sucks but we all have to endure it ... if we are lucky enough to do so.

Sometimes an unmet need of certain vitamins do not manifest themselves until way later in life. Vitamin B-12 is an excellent example of this.

There is a condition called pernicious anemia caused by a lack of B-12. In most cases this is caused by some sort of stomach condition. The stomach excretes something called intrinsic factor that allows the intestine to absorb the B-12.

If the stomach is not excreting intrinsic factor (or if it was removed in the case of a total gastrectomy), then that person will have to be on B-12 supplements (shots or pills) for the rest of their life.

This exact same condition can be caused by an insufficiency in diet, but it takes YEARS for this to happen.

The More You Know