Multi-vitamins

[BOK]

Who takes one and what brand? Is there really much of a difference between them?

Also, are there any advantages of the timed release capsule vs not?

 

[mwerner]

"Doctor Zorba", the guy on NPR, reccomends a good multi-vitamin on a daily basis. He says there's little difference, however, as long as you look for the USP designation. I buy Walgreens store-brand.

Most of the reading I've done is extremely skeptical of huge doses of vitamins or other supplements, none of which have been proven in clinical trials to be either safe or effective.

 

[Fisher of Men]

I take a "Mens Health" one-a-day.

Not sure about time release or capsule or whatever.

 

[Bob W]

Most of the reading I've done is extremely skeptical of huge doses of vitamins or other supplements, none of which have been proven in clinical trials to be either safe or effective.

I agree. Most average people get all the nutrients they need from food. Unless your doctor can identify a specific vitamin deficiency, I don't see the need for multi-vitamins and suppliments.

-Bob

 

[AJ]

Some physicians and nutritionists would argue that our current methods of growing AND processing AND cooking our foods removes most of the absorbable vitamins and minerals from our foods. Also, many people have other medical conditions that prevent them from absorbing all of the nutritional value from their diets. Hence the need for a multi-vitamin.

I know that my wife & I have observed some clear positive outcomes from taking multi-vitamins:

• faster hair growth
• faster nail growth
• increase resistance to colds
• increased resistance to flu
• increased energy
• increased mental alertness
• etc.

Due to some major stomach surgery last fall I am unable to absorb all of the vitamins and minerals my body needs through foods or orally ingested vitamins. My physician recommended a spray vitamin called VitaMist. Their website is www.vitamist.com

So far, in the four months I've been using the Men's Formula from these folks, I have noticed a large increase in the advantages I listed above. Highly recommended.

AJ

 

[Chiro75]

I agree. Most average people get all the nutrients they need from food. Unless your doctor can identify a specific vitamin deficiency, I don't see the need for multi-vitamins and suppliments.

This is incorrect. The average person does not get the nutrients they need from food! I'm not going to go into it in detail, but in general this statement makes the very poor assumption that: 1) People eat the right food, in general (they don't). 2) People combine foods properly (they don't). 3) People cook foods properly (they don't). 4) People have the enzymes and digestive capabilities to absorb the nutrients in their food properly (many don't). 5) People's bodies are able to utilize the nutrients they absorbed (they aren't). 6) That a piece of food is a piece of food is a piece of food (soil quality, seed quality, farming methods, shipping, harvesting, storage, etc all play into the nutritional content of a food item. Different foods have different nutritional content under different cirumctances. 7) There are effective methods for determining nutritional deficiencies using the Gold Standard medical test (blood serum). This is a fallacy. Blood is the only critically controlled tissue in the body, so changes in the body chemistry are often seen here last.

In my opinion, and this comes from dealing with patients unsing clinical nutrition for the last 6 years:
1) Most people have nutritional deficiencies that will go unnoticed until the symptoms of a disease or pathology occurs, at which point it's a little too late to do much about.
2) There are two classes of "vitamins." There are real vitamins and nutrients that occur in food, and then there is what most "nutrition" companies synthesize in a lab and bottle and advertise as "nutritional supplements." Vitamin C as labeled according to FDA standards is ascorbic acid. It is not vitamin C complex as it appears in nature. Ten tons of ascorbic acid will not cure scurvy. One teaspoon of lime juice will. Same goes for all other vitamins.

If you think you can take what nature makes and put it in a pill in a bottle, with a few exceptions, it is impossible.