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Multivitamins - yay or nay?

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by 741852963, Jun 3, 2014.

  1. 741852963

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    I'm considering taking a multivitamin for overall health and wellbeing but there seems to be a big debate on their value in the scientific community.

    On one hand you have those saying they are useful as a top-up to correct any temporary deficiencies, on the other you have those saying they cause more harm than good due to "overdosing".

    Now of course a healthy diet is always the starting point before supplements. But surely as your diet varies (you don't eat the same meals everyday) so must your vitamin/mineral intake? Do most vitamins have a long enough half-life in the body to mean its OK if your diet drops in one occasionally? I.e. if you get 100% of the dose of Vitamin K on day 1 you'll be fine if you only get 80% on day 2.

    I was thinking of either just taking a very low-dose multivitamin (purely to act as a top-up) or taking one a couple of times a week? Or is there really no benefit whatsoever?

    I'd welcome any scientists thoughts as this area does interest me. :lol:
     
  2. Eclectic

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    I'm firmly of the opinion that if you aren't displaying a deficiency, and have a non-vegetarian, widely varying diet, you should be fine.

    If you are vegetarian and eat well, taking care of your proteins, iron, and B12 among other things, you should also be fine.

    Like all the other nutrients listed on nutrition labels, the 100% is not the amount that you want every day. Here's a site: The % Daily Value (Percent daily value) - Nutrition Labelling - Food and Nutrition - Health Canada that can explain that.

    Very low-dose multivitamins probably won't hurt you, but they probably won't do too much either.
     
  3. Hyaline

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    They tend to make me ill. Especially the ones high in iron. I have tried them over the years but haven't found them to be particularly helpful even after months at a time.
     
  4. QueerTransEnby

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    The mistake a lot of people make is to take them without food. This is a must if you do decide to take them. Whether they work or not, not for me to say. Every body is different. Personally, they make me nauseous.
     
  5. Gen

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    Multivitamins are not daily necessities for the average young to middle-aged individual. The thing about our bodies is that we tend not to store these types of chemicals for very long. Devouring a crate of oranges in a day will not sustain the body's need for Vitamin C for the rest of the month. Vitamins taken daily will likely only be used for a small fraction of their worth.

    This works well for the average individual, who consistently forgets to take their vitamins. Unless specified by a doctor, they simply are not needed daily. Instead it would be a good idea to keep a bottle of multivitamins around and take them every so often as you notice them. It will give your body an added boost of vitamins that might be lacking from your diet without having their effect diminish overtime.
    +++1

    Vitamins need to be taken with a meal to be diluted throughout the digestive track. Most people take their vitamins in the morning; however, most students or members of the workplace frequently skip breakfast. In that case, vitamins should be taken with lunch or dinner.
     
  6. Tightrope

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    I take mine immediately after eating a meal, or about 10 to 15 minutes later. If I forget to do it at breakfast, I do it at lunch.

    I do not take a multivitamin. For some reason, I don't "trust" them, as in "one stop shopping." It depends on where you are in life and what you are seeking to accomplish for your health as to which you should take.

    When I first got into them, I started with vitamin E (skin), zinc (a guy thing), and selenium (anti-oxidant).

    Now, I take vitamin B-12 (free, until I finish the bottle), vitamin D (ditto), vitamin E, and a garlic capsule. I have heard B-12 is the best of the B series, D is superfluous if you get enough sun, but I actually believe that depends on the person's make-up, and garlic is good for the digestive system. Once I drop D, I may pick up zinc. I have read that studies indicate selenium raises glucose levels. I will not be doing selenium on the next go round.

    I also did a regimen of Vitamin K for several weeks prior to an outpatient surgery for optimal clotting. I understand that is K's primary function.

    I am thinking B-12, E, zinc, and a garlic capsule will become my regimen.
     
  7. Aquilo

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    Too much vitamins can be unhealthy, but the amount in pills is normally low enough. There haven't been many good scientific studies about taking vitamins pills, which makes the decision more difficult. Some vitamins or nutrients are better absorbed in combination with other vitamins/nutrients, but some are not absorbed by your body if combined with other vitamins/nutrients. One combination which is potentially dangerous is smoking+vitamin C, somehow the risk to get cancer gets increased compared with smokers who don't take additional vitamin C.

    This uncertainty is the reason I don't take vitamin pills myself, apart from vitamin B and iron occasionally (I eat a lot of vegetarian food). Best is to just have a varied diet, unless you know for certain you're lacking in some nutrients, because of a diet or medical problems.

    Edit: So if you really wish to take multivitamins, take Gen's advise and take them occasionally.
     
    #7 Aquilo, Jun 4, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
  8. greatwhale

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    Completely agree with the above. The few well-controlled studies that there are suggest that there is no real benefit in terms of measurable health outcomes. Vitamin D may be the exception for those living in northern climes (the sun on the skin produces it naturally), otherwise, I would consider it a waste of money.
     
  9. Yosia

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    I used to be required to have them because i didnt really eat much.
     
  10. greatwhale

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    From this article which states in rather strong terms just how ineffective multi-vitamins are, including their use as dietary supplements when food consumption is less than optimal:

    Experts: Don't Waste Your Money on Multivitamins

    From a clinical research standpoint (my own profession) I have seldom come across a more unequivocal statement about their results: