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[carebearstare]

I am hoping to start a discussion about vitamins and other supplements--what you take, pros and cons, etc. I'm especially interested if folks with some academic knowledge about the health benefits/drawbacks of vitamins and supplements could weigh in.

I hear such conflicted information about vitamins that I am not sure what to do. I periodically take a multivitamin, but I usually just stick with a B-complex and an omega-3. I also sometimes take a D vitamin, but I've been trying to stay in the sun more, instead. I recently began taking a probiotic and it has done wonders for my digestive issues.

[alastrina]

I take a calcium/D supplement at least once daily.  If I'm doing well remembering, twice daily.  Caltrate 600+D Plus Minerals (pill not the chewable) was my choice but I have to take it will a full meal not a snack. If I take it with just a snack, I get nauseated at best, and spend 15 painful minutes bent over the toilet at worst.   So YMMV but I wouldn't take a calcium pill without food or drink juice any time close to the pill.

I'm also on 1mg of Folic Acid daily.  This is my easy vitamin.  It doesn't even bother me if I take it on an empty stomach though I usually take it with breakfast.

I was taking 1,200 mg of fish oil a day but my doctor pulled me off it while she was testing for the reason of the muscle spasms I was having. I am going to ask at my appointment in 2 weeks if I can go back on it.  It has a "pina colada" flavor to the coating but I didn't find it helpful.  The combination of fish and coconut does not make for a inoffensive belch later.  If I took them at night, things weren't bad.  If I took them with breakfast, I would belch that flavor all day long. 

[punchnpie]

Just a word to those with underlying health issues such as diabetes. It turns out lack of Vit D is present in many health issues. We all know to get some sun, maybe take a supplement, etc. but if you have a chronic disease, I strongly suggest you get your Vit D levels checked. I took OTC Vit D at 3000 units a day for about 3 months before seeing my endo. Blood work revealed that even after being on the supplement for months, my levels were almost nonexistent. I am currently on 50,000 units every 2 weeks until my levels go up, then I can probably go back to the OTC version.

I'm a big believer in supplements and being proactive without dealing with doctors all the time, but sometimes you really need to know your baseline and what's going on. A little blood work and taking supplements with the knowledge of your individual needs, as opposed to what this month's issue of Prevention says you need, seems logical.

Also, I don't take OTC multi-vitamins. The daily amounts provided in the OTC pills are actually very low for what current research says is most beneficial. I order online and get multis with higher doses.

[madhatter]

My understanding is that vitamin supplements are mostly harmless (except to your wallet) and rarely helpful (except to the bottom line of companies selling them). However, there are some cases where specific supplements can be beneficial, and also cases where you can do yourself damage with them. A nutritionist gave me a good rule of thumb -- if it comes in pill form, ask your doctor before taking it.

[alastrina]

The testing advice is excellent.  My folic acid is prescription and the calcium on the doctor's recommendation (I think she's recommending it to all her female patients).  I forgot to add B12 injections earlier.  I've been on them for a few weeks now and had blood drawn yesterday to test my levels.  I have an appointment in 2 weeks to find out if I will keep doing them once every two weeks or can go to once a month.

I never would have had any idea my levels were so low if my doctor hadn't run the tests. 

[collegekidsmom]

I agree with Madhatter. Make sure you know what you need before throwing your money away. Your diet/lifestyle can cover it all, but for various reasons you might need supplements. I would see first what the status is. For instance, I don't need any supplements according to testing -and so I don't take any. As others have said, if you are low on any of the really important ones, it is easy enough to supplement.

[secretweapon]

I'd heard conflicting advice, too, but decided to start taking a daily multivitamin about a year ago.  I did this because I was moving away from Mr W and I knew as a result I'd probably have less variety in my diet.  My doctor said this was very unlikely to hurt me and somewhat likely to help me.  I buy an inexpensive grocery store brand.

I have noticed one difference, which is that after a lifetime of weak, peeling, flaky fingernails, my nails are extremely strong.  This became noticeable about five or six months ago.  It's purely anecdotal, but as I didn't really change anything else in my diet or lifestyle, I suspect the multivitamin is responsible. 

[punchnpie]

I think taking a multivitamin is different from taking a bunch of supplements. One of the best, and least expensive, things you can go for your general health is to take a good quality multi - but see my post above about the quality of most OTC multivitamins.

Also, people with certain diseases have been show to have deficiencies in various vitamins and minerals. If you have a chronic condition, it is worthwhile to get the lab tests done and see where you stand before spending money on unnecessary supplements. A lot of doctors aren't into supplements, or even into maintaining good general health - they only care about, and are often only trained in, dealing with disease, not health maintenance. I've been fortunate to have excellent endos who understand and support holistic health measures and haven't had to fight too much for including the correct supplements for me in my plan.

[bookishone]

I take a handful of things, but most important to me is the magnesium supplement prescribed by my neurologist. It has cut my migraine incidence and severity in half at least. I take a brandname version he recommended that combines the magnesium with riboflavin and something else, I forget. Apparently also some forms of magnesium are much more accessible to the body than others.

[titian]

I have noticed one difference, which is that after a lifetime of weak, peeling, flaky fingernails, my nails are extremely strong.  This became noticeable about five or six months ago.  It's purely anecdotal, but as I didn't really change anything else in my diet or lifestyle, I suspect the multivitamin is responsible. 

Actually, I have noticed the same phenomenon with the nails.  And that when I slacked off on taking vitamins for a couple months, the nails started peeling again.  I take a basic multi that has extra Vitamin D and calcium. The extra D and calcium is per the suggestion of my D.O.  He is not a pill-happy person, but did suggest the extra D/calcium because of my family history of breast cancer.  I asked him about taking Omega 3-6-9 supplement as an adjuvant to my antidepression combo. He was not sure about the antidepressive effect, but he liked the idea of me taking for cardiovascular health. (Family history of high cholesterol too.)

As mentioned by some others, I really have to take the multi and/or fish oil with a meal, preferably the evening one.  If I am burping fish in my sleep, I don't care ; )
 

[bread_pirate_naan]

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[collegekidsmom]

Even with Vitamin D, since it is a fat soluble vitamin, I would want to test my levels of that before taking extra doses of it. Many people have normal levels of Vitamin D and supplements would be overkill.

[pigou]

I came across this article on supplements: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=160
It seems the peer-reviewed evidence just isn't there. I don't have the time to eat a balanced diet (take out and delivery, though I eat cereal in the morning), but I'm in love with smoothies and try to drink one every other day. My doctor recently tested my blood and found all levels to be optimal.

My guess is even the 5 portions of fruits a day are an exaggeration - what's the marginal benefit compared to eating 4 portions? Or 3?

I'll be convinced when I see a bunch of studies showing a benefit of supplements (or 5 portions of fruit) for an otherwise healthy person. Until then, I stick to blending. Tastes much better than a pill, too. :)

Disclaimer: I used to take Centrum on a daily basis. Apparently, the vitamin levels in my blood didn't change after I stopped taking it. n = 1 and all that, but I confess it made me feel better about stopping.

[dept_geek]

Even with Vitamin D, since it is a fat soluble vitamin, I would want to test my levels of that before taking extra doses of it. Many people have normal levels of Vitamin D and supplements would be overkill.

Get tested.  n=2 and all, but.. those who live in the north and/or those with chronic illnesses may not have normal levels.  Mine was off the charts low & adding a supplement affected (in a positive way) my symptoms. 

[bookishone]

Even with Vitamin D, since it is a fat soluble vitamin, I would want to test my levels of that before taking extra doses of it. Many people have normal levels of Vitamin D and supplements would be overkill.

Get tested.  n=2 and all, but.. those who live in the north and/or those with chronic illnesses may not have normal levels.  Mine was off the charts low & adding a supplement affected (in a positive way) my symptoms. 

Mine was also very low, and for a number of reasons I would not have expected this.