Do you take vitamins?

[Sallyr70]

Multivitamins are designed to be an insurance coverage, so yes, while any excess goes through your body, if you happen to have any nutritional holes that need to be plugged, then the multivitamin will basically help you meet your daily needs.

While this may be entirely subjective on my part, I do operate much better and am in a better mood when I take my daily vitamins. And yes, I am aware of the placebo effect, and I don't think that is it. I think it really does make a qualitative difference in my life and my work outs.

Our health-- especially preventative health-- is very important, and I think it's one of the few things that are worth spending the money on. My recommendation is to get some appropriate multivitamins (especially ones that contain D3) and give it a try for a month. If you notice no benefits whatsoever, especially if you are eating healthy, then you can be fairly confident that you are fine without it. However, if you are like me, you may find that it really does improve your mood, your sleep, and your overall recovery from working out or a hard day from work.

I agree completely with your logic.

I take several vitamins and supplements right now, under the supervision of my naturopathic doctor. Some of them are temporary until my energy gets better and certain markers go to normal levels, and others will be forever. These days, it's impossible to get all the essential nutrients from diet alone. Even the cleanest eaters can't do it, because of issues like: the soil is depleted of minerals, all the toxic chemicals in the air and water, preservatives, etc.

There's incredible research showing how important Vitamins C and D3 are, as well as fish oil or other sources of Omega 3, CoQ10, and many others. I may sound like a hippie nut, but since my Mom died and she had a long history of heart disease, kidney problems and other ailments, I am being proactive in my health and using natural treatments. I want to live a long and healthy life.

Most typical Doctors have little training in vitamins and nutrition. If they do, it's because they sought out the research themselves. Pharmaceutical companies want everyone to believe that vitamins are useless, and only their medications are effective. (Follow the money)

[hamchan]

I agree completely with your logic.
Pharmaceutical companies want everyone to believe that vitamins are useless, and only their medications are effective. (Follow the money)

Yes. Because nobody makes money off of vitamin supplements.

[Brad03]

My fiance and i are both Vegan and dont take any extra supps and we are the 2 healthiest people we know

[Gary4587]

Sometimes .

[johnzendrac16]

When I am just a little, I don't actually drink vitamins and it is because I don't know how to swallow tablets & capsules. But when I got sick my parents forced me to take it.

[krantcents]

Broad statements about vitamins are misleading! It is very individual based on what you eat. Even if you normally eat well, it may not be a varied to get all the vitamins and nutrients.

[Dsquared513]

I would like to address this since I have given it some thought in the past, I used to take a daily multivitamin along with my wife but I stopped taking it daily (we now have a running joke about my once a month vitamin) while she still does. It is true that not all vitamins are easily absorbed by the body in their purest form and often times much easier to derive from dietary sources, however some vitamins are actually more readily absorbed in their supplement form (I had read that vitamin K is one such, but I had also read that one synthetic form of K called menadione can be toxic at higher levels). The labels may tell you that the vitamin you are taking contains 100% of the daily recommended dosage, but that doesn't mean that is how much your body is absorbing. Also, a lot of people don't realize how diverse the american diet is. I've talked to people from lesser developed countries and one of the differences I've heard a lot is how in the U.S. we eat something different for every meal, everyday; whereas they may make a single large dish and eat it for several days in a row. So if you don't have any special needs then chances are you're getting what you need from the foods you eat. This is especially true since we have iodized salt, UV treated milk (adds vitamin D), and folated wheats. However, there are a lot of situations or conditions in which taking vitamins could help. Women it seems have more to gain since they can be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals due to menstruation, menopause, and pregnancy. Menstrual bleeding deprives a womans body of iron (your body recycles most of the iron from old blood cells, I can't remember the exact numbers but in my hematology class I was taught that dietary iron accounts for a very small percent of your body's total daily usage, like 1%). You have about 5 grams of iron in your body, half of which is in your red blood cells, and the recommended dietary intake for menstrating women is 18 milligrams per day, for men it is 8 milligrams. If you live in the U.S. though then chances are all the added iron in foods plus your red meat intake more than covers this. Pregnant women are at a higher risk of folate and b12 deficiencies (which both increase the risk of neural tube defects) due to increased nutritional demands from the fetus, which is why prenatal vitamins are important. Post-menopausal woman have increased vitamin D needs to stave off osteoporosis. The elderly of both genders have a greater need for supplemental vitamins since our ability to absorb deteriorates with age. People with GI issues such as crohn's or celiac disease, or anyone suffering from malabsorption can have increased vitamin needs too. Always discuss these issues with your doctor and be wary of overdoing it or of possible drug interferences such as vitamin K interfering with blood thinners.

Sorry for the wall of text, that's just how I type online. But to summarize, if you are a healthy male between 18-60 then you probably don't need a multivitamin, if you are a healthy female between 18-60 with adequate dietary sources of iron then you probably don't need a multivitamin, if you are pregnant then take prenatal vitamins, and if you are old or sick then take what your doctor recommends, just make sure to research the company you get your vitamins from to make sure you're getting what it says on the label.

[krantcents]

Taking vitamins is individual. It all depends on your diet. For example, I take cholesterol medication and I need Co Q 10. It keeps my energy level up and offsets the side effects of taking statins. You should never dismiss something so because of some study. The study is based on the subjects withi the study.