Have You Ever Taken Vitamins?

[disgruntled]

I took vitamins fairly often as a kid. I remember the flintstones or chalks vitamins. Since then on and off probably every year or two i buy some vitamins thinking well they say it might help. Now looking back I think what a waste. Vitamins are just like all that fitness equipment you buy that you end up tossing. Ther ear eplenty of people aroudn the world who have never taken vitamins and are perfectly healthy. I'm not saying that some people with serious problems need vitamins but I really doubt that most of us do.

Has anyone taken vitamins everyday since they were a child? How many people buy them every once in a while then stop taking them? The whole thing just seems to be another money making opportunity for companies. Most people in the developed world for the most part aren't lacking vitamins unless they are living on the street or some type of alcoholic.

Are vitamins just a scam in the end? For an industry which is supposed to be out to help people 75% of its products seem to be junk money-makers.

PS I'm not talking about people suffering from African river blindness or other diseases of the jungles.

[wpcoe]

I'm curious to see what educated replies you get. My un-educated opinion is that if you eat a balanced and varied diet of wholesome foods, vitamin supplements are not essential. However, I'm not confident that I eat such a healthy diet so I take a once-daily multiple vitamin/mineral supplement as a backup precaution.

[disgruntled]

Thanks for the reply wp. I guess this question might be hard for people to answer honestly. I guess I am too inquisitve and cynical for these boards. Everything at TV has to be so serious. I give up. If I am wrong about this, I guess I have some sort of vitamin deficiency and I just don't get it.

[joskydive]

Well, I take a multi Vitamin and Mineral nearly every day when I remember but that is only because of my lifestyle.

When I am working I forget about basic things like eating and when it gets to the point of my stomach rumbling most times there's only Noodle Soup available to kill the hunger.

I also smoke a lot so I make sure I have a large suppliment of Vitamin C daily. None of the patches or chewing gums worked for me and I haven't the time to check what else is available to help me stop. I get extremely aggressive when I try to go it alone, to the point, where the last time I tried, my, now exhusband went and bought me some cigarrettes and begged me to smoke them.

[awakened]

Are vitamins just a scam in the end? For an industry which is supposed to be out to help people 75% of its products seem to be junk money-makers.

Big pharma hasn't been slow to jump on the supplements bandwagon. When they are involved I try to steer clear.

An excellent book called 'The China Study' by T.Colin Campbell ('The Einstein of Nutrition') states...

'Because nutrition operates as an infinitely complex biochemical system involving thousands of chemicals and thousands of effects on your health, it makes no little or no sense that isolated nutrients taken as supplements can substitute for whole foods. Supplements will not lead to long-lasting health and may cause unforeseen side effects.'

'Supplements allow people to think they can take the easy way out by eating the same diet, plus a supplement or two, when it is the diet which needs to be changed.'

'Large number of trials costing hundreds of millions of dollars have been conducted to determine if vit A,C & E, multivitamins with folic acid, or antioxidant combinations prevent heart disease and cancer. They could not determine any benefit.'

[kyb789]

Are vitamins just a scam in the end? For an industry which is supposed to be out to help people 75% of its products seem to be junk money-makers.

Big pharma hasn't been slow to jump on the supplements bandwagon. When they are involved I try to steer clear.

An excellent book called 'The China Study' by T.Colin Campbell ('The Einstein of Nutrition') states...

'Because nutrition operates as an infinitely complex biochemical system involving thousands of chemicals and thousands of effects on your health, it makes no little or no sense that isolated nutrients taken as supplements can substitute for whole foods. Supplements will not lead to long-lasting health and may cause unforeseen side effects.'

'Supplements allow people to think they can take the easy way out by eating the same diet, plus a supplement or two, when it is the diet which needs to be changed.'

'Large number of trials costing hundreds of millions of dollars have been conducted to determine if vit A,C & E, multivitamins with folic acid, or antioxidant combinations prevent heart disease and cancer. They could not determine any benefit.'

I've noticed that my hair grows faster....and my pee turns yellow. That's about it.

[awakened]

I've noticed that my hair grows faster....and my pee turns yellow. That's about it.

I have noticed the pee effect... funny.

Campbell also states that many vitamin supplements are of poor quality and in the wrong form, so people need to check and not 'pee' their money away.

Is it as cut and dried as he suggests or are there circumstances where vitamin supplementation is required? I don't know, I'm not sure who does know, which is why we are all open to commercial exploitation.

And what about minerals? Food is becoming so de-natured and soil so leeched of minerals due to the action of fertilizers, that our need there is perhaps not being met.

Would be helpful to everyone if we really had trustworthy information.

[Gary A]

I've taken vitamins on and off over the years and come to the conclusion that they are pretty much a waste of money for people who eat correctly.

[AmeriThai]

I take multi-vitamins on a daily basis, along a higher dose of B12, and fish oil capsules on my MD's recommendation.

As stated, people should have a well-balanced diet, but in reality don't always do that. There are certain nutrients that you probably should have on a daily basis, but may not always get with a 'balanced' diet. There are multivitamins with different formulations. Some are good. Some aren't.

I can see the logic to taking vitamins, but I'm not really sure how much of a difference they actually make. Regardless, it's not going to cause any harm either taken in appropriate amounts, so I take them as a supplement, along with a balanced diet, to ensure that I'm getting what I should have, but might not always be getting otherwise. Some vitamins are essential to have though, to help prevent certain medical conditions or problems. It doesn't take much effort to gulp one down each day. It might seem like a waste, but they aren't THAT expensive.

If you're going to take vitamins, then you should make it a practice to do so every day, not just once every 2 or 3 years, then skip it for another 2 or 3. I think the problem is that you don't 'see' any quick 'results' from vitamins like you do with certain medications. But that doesn't mean they aren't doing what they're suppose to do.

Edited May 22, 2008 by AmeriThai

[Wrong Turn]

Has anyone taken vitamins everyday since they were a child? How many people buy them every once in a while then stop taking them? The whole thing just seems to be another money making opportunity for companies.....

Are vitamins just a scam in the end? For an industry which is supposed to be out to help people 75% of its products seem to be junk money-makers.

I see your point. I do think that the big push for vitamins and supplements, and Euchanacea for example, is about making money.

As that same time, I think that vitamins are a cheap insurance policy to make up for what I miss on my diet in general. It's true that according to studies, people that take vitamins don't live longer. I haven't seen any studies about less likelihood of developing certain ailments.

I take a multi-vitamin every day.

Fish oil tablets

Vitamin B-complex when I drink more than 4 beers

Milk Thistle (for my liver)

For me, it's just a cheap insurance program.

[Firefan]

I have been taking some kind of multi vit/mineral since childhood and have read enough studies to believe that especially higher doses of antioxidants (basic ones being betacarotene(vit A), Vit C and Vit E but there are tons of new ones) have beneficial effects.

Personally I can feel a difference with my allergy when taking 1-2 grams of vit C a day together with my normal (wholefood based) multi vitamin/min.

Cheers!

[awakened]

I have been taking some kind of multi vit/mineral since childhood and have read enough studies to believe that especially higher doses of antioxidants (basic ones being betacarotene(vit A), Vit C and Vit E but there are tons of new ones) have beneficial effects.

Personally I can feel a difference with my allergy when taking 1-2 grams of vit C a day together with my normal (wholefood based) multi vitamin/min.

Cheers!

This site supports your take... http://www.westonaprice.org/healthissues/whatweknew.html

[moldy]

I took vitamins fairly often as a kid. I remember the flintstones or chalks vitamins. Since then on and off probably every year or two i buy some vitamins thinking well they say it might help. Now looking back I think what a waste. Vitamins are just like all that fitness equipment you buy that you end up tossing. Ther ear eplenty of people aroudn the world who have never taken vitamins and are perfectly healthy. I'm not saying that some people with serious problems need vitamins but I really doubt that most of us do.

Has anyone taken vitamins everyday since they were a child? How many people buy them every once in a while then stop taking them? The whole thing just seems to be another money making opportunity for companies. Most people in the developed world for the most part aren't lacking vitamins unless they are living on the street or some type of alcoholic.

Are vitamins just a scam in the end? For an industry which is supposed to be out to help people 75% of its products seem to be junk money-makers.

PS I'm not talking about people suffering from African river blindness or other diseases of the jungles.

For people in the west with a half decent diet, yes they are a scam

[RouxTheDay]

This site supports your take... http://www.westonaprice.org/healthissues/whatweknew.html

Price was a dentist who died a half century ago! So why (referencing your post on another thread regarding Barrett) do you find people like Price more reliable than quackwatch? I'm not suggesting that Price has nothing of value to offer -- clearly, some of the theories and advice are sound and based on good common sense. In fact, I myself take cod liver oil as advocated by Price (although not as a result of his advocation). But a whole lot of the information is extremely questionable, and some of it may be downright dangerous.

[unhappyfarang]

Half the people will tell you that Vitamins are necessary and half will tell you they are a waste of money. I am 33 years old and I have gone through periods of taking vitamins and periods of not taking vitamins. My nutritional requirments are different than most as I live in the realm of regular, hard, sometimes hard beyond belief, vigerous, exercise. Through gut feeling and being a man who is extremley careful with his diet and keeping up to speed with developments in the field of human nutrition, I have come to the conclusion that vitamins in concentrated form don't enhance health/longevity. Two supplements (wholefood algae), Spriulina and Chlorella however are being researched extensivley at the moment and it is coming to light that they are probably the most nutritious foods on the planet - literally nutritional powerhouses containing pretty much every valuable nutrient known to man. Apparantly the NASA space program are considering these incredible food sources as the staple diet for astronaughts. Although expensive, I take both regularly.

Theses supplements however plug the gaps, if you like, of my diet. Which is made up of - Wholegrains, clean, lean protiens, healthful fats/good oils - Flaxseed/Codliver/olive, (tablespoon each per day), Nuts/seeds in small quantities, Plenty of fruit and vegatables, several cups of green tea and plenty of clean fresh water. I live in the UK. Assuming you live in Thailand, you have nutritional food in abundance at your disposal, as fresh as it gets too. my advice is forget the pills. Look at the research into synthetic/high dose vitamin e' at the moment it's being linked to early death.

[Sheryl]

I think there are 2 different issues here.

1) Is there any need to take vitamins regulalry to be well-nourished if you already eat a healthy diet ? and

2) Aside from meeting basic nutritional requirements, are there health benefits to taking specific vitamins or minerals in large amounts than would be obtained through food?

#1 is the easiest to answer. There are specific groups of people and specific vitamins/mineraks where yes, it's needed, but certainly not for everyone. For example:

- most pre-menopausal women, even eating a normal balanced diet, cannot obtain as much iron as they need (their requirement being much higher than men's and post-meonpausal women) and so most would do well to take an iron supplement. Altho I must confess that I never could remember to.

- most post-menopausal women same story but for calcium, the post-meonpaoual female requirement for which is very hard to meet through food alone. It need not be expensive calcioum, tablets, though. Simple "Tums" (antacids) will work and for those of us who also suffer some GERD, serves 2 purposes in one.

- women on combined birth control pills need additional B vitamins and folic acide as the pills interefere with the normal metabolism of these causing an increased need which diet alone may or may not be able to meet.

-- for sure all pregnant women need supplements.

etc.

And then there are the many folks who just don't manage to eat a balanced diet on a regular basis and realizing thsi to be the case opt to take a complete vit/min supplement, a reasonable choice IMO altho obviously would be betetr if they could re-arrange their life style to allow for proper diet.

Q # 2 on the other hand is a source of controversy with passionate believers on the one hand and an insufficient (and sometimes conflicting) amount of research on the other. Add to that s endless mis-reporting of study findings in the popular press, which adds to the confusion.

To further complicate matters it depends upon what particular health outcome one is looking at. Extra amounts of a specific nutrient may have beneficial effects on one while having negative effects on another. Keep in mind tho that these beneficial and negative impacts refer to increased or decreased risk of X, Y or Z on a population level and do not necessarily mean that any particular individual person is going to either suffer adverse effects or gain beneficial ones by taking them. Different people have different risk factors and also different priorities/concerns.

[Maestro]

If you’re in the habit of taking vitamin pills just make sure you don’t bring any with you when you travel to Greece. From a news article published today:

A TEENAGE girl told yesterday how she and a pal were caged in a stinking Greek police cell after cops claimed her vitamin pills were ecstasy tablets.

...

Continued here: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1208992.ece

--

Maestro

[William Osborne]

Half the people will tell you that Vitamins are necessary and half will tell you they are a waste of money. I am 33 years old and I have gone through periods of taking vitamins and periods of not taking vitamins. My nutritional requirments are different than most as I live in the realm of regular, hard, sometimes hard beyond belief, vigerous, exercise. Through gut feeling and being a man who is extremley careful with his diet and keeping up to speed with developments in the field of human nutrition, I have come to the conclusion that vitamins in concentrated form don't enhance health/longevity. Two supplements (wholefood algae), Spriulina and Chlorella however are being researched extensivley at the moment and it is coming to light that they are probably the most nutritious foods on the planet - literally nutritional powerhouses containing pretty much every valuable nutrient known to man. Apparantly the NASA space program are considering these incredible food sources as the staple diet for astronaughts. Although expensive, I take both regularly.

Theses supplements however plug the gaps, if you like, of my diet. Which is made up of - Wholegrains, clean, lean protiens, healthful fats/good oils - Flaxseed/Codliver/olive, (tablespoon each per day), Nuts/seeds in small quantities, Plenty of fruit and vegatables, several cups of green tea and plenty of clean fresh water. I live in the UK. Assuming you live in Thailand, you have nutritional food in abundance at your disposal, as fresh as it gets too. my advice is forget the pills. Look at the research into synthetic/high dose vitamin e' at the moment it's being linked to early death.

i must admit, i am a bit of of a pill popper and as well as taking a daily multi-vitaman and saw-palmetto, i also have some bottles of zinc, lyposene, cranberry, in the fridge. Also drink the odd bottle of Noni Juice

Where can I get Spriulina and Chlorella in pattaya ? just did a google and it sounds like pretty good stuff !!

[Ulysses G.]

Half the people will tell you that Vitamins are necessary and half will tell you they are a waste of money. I am 33 years old and I have gone through periods of taking vitamins and periods of not taking vitamins. My nutritional requirments are different than most as I live in the realm of regular, hard, sometimes hard beyond belief, vigerous, exercise. Through gut feeling and being a man who is extremley careful with his diet and keeping up to speed with developments in the field of human nutrition, I have come to the conclusion that vitamins in concentrated form don't enhance health/longevity.

I agree that vitamin tablets are mostly a waste of money. They have never made me feel healthier in any way, but certain very nutritious diets have.

[robblok]

I have taken them in the past when i was working out heavy in the gym. Now i just take fish oil because i never noticed anything special about vitamins. Im not sure if i have a balanced dieet i try to eat healthy but i miss out on fruits sometimes.

Im sure there are vitamins that help but the big problem is knowing if supplements have the same effect as the vitamin direct from the source. I cant judge that so i stopped taking them. Fish oil i believe in and i believe in protein shakes to supplement my protein intake. I am just affraid refining vitamins might damage the struckture and make them worthless.

Supplements i do believe in

- fish oil

- protein shakes (for those of us who work out a lot)

There might be others but i cant think of others right now.

[bratpack]

As a kid my mum always said eat your greens and as an adult i eat loads.

cauli

carrots

spinach

cabbage

green beans

etc

etc

i feel this type of diet is better for you and i feel very fit for my age except my old war wounds lol.well football and operation wounds.

[Tolley]

I take Saw Palmetto in a prostate formula and it certainly is effective for me because when i stop taking it, my problems return in a few days...BTW there is plenty of evidence to suggest that SP is effective.

There is also plenty of good evidence suggesting that garlic is helpful in regulation of blood pressure and fish oil is also the subject of a lot of research which points to it being helpful in brain function along with a few other things.

The problem with a healthy diet is that most of the food with eat is vitamin and nutrient depleted unless we are buying organic products.

Additonally every indivdual is biochemically unique so what is good for you may not be good for me.

Another problem is that a lot of vitamins are indeed a waste of money because they don't have enough of the active ingredients or they aren't properly absorbed so you have to find the right ones.

Edited June 17, 2008 by Tolley

[Jimmyd]

Well, I'm the weird one here. I've been taking vitamins every day for 30+ years, including massive doses of vitamin C.

I started because of Linus Pauling's recommendation, and I believe it has benefited me.

[Kadafi]

Sometimes i dont always get the time to eat healthy on a daily basis so i like to take one multi vitamin tablet and one zinc tablet...

[Crushdepth]

Namwan is a spammer btw.

[Firefan]

Well - we will not have to agree about the validity of taking vitamins/minerals daily. Personally I take it as a safeguard thing as many others. Depleted foods, stress, pollution, work outs Etc. all require more nutrients coming from (preferably) foods. I simply do not think I get enough despite eating resonably healthy.

Despite taking some high quality stuff it still averages out to less than $1/day for me. That is 1 sip of my drink at Bed Supperclub .

Cheers!

[nohave]

When you have a cold multi vitamin tablets can help. Centrum and Z-Bec are quite good as well as the immune system boosting pils from Blackmoris (inchancea). All this can be bought over the counter at any Boots store.

[mahtin]

Well, I'm the weird one here. I've been taking vitamins every day for 30+ years, including massive doses of vitamin C.

I started because of Linus Pauling's recommendation, and I believe it has benefited me.

Yes!

Where can I get L-Lysine and L-Proline in Thailand?

I presume the 8 grammes+ of Vit C will be no problem, but I need those amino acids too.

Can anyone advise?

[Samuian]

it's all out there...veggies, poultry,pork, beef, fish, fruit in abundance and cheap and much more fun to enjoy while eating, tasting... then downing a couple a pills? there is absolutely no fun factor in it, is there?

[mahtin]

it's all out there...veggies, poultry,pork, beef, fish, fruit in abundance and cheap and much more fun to enjoy while eating, tasting... then downing a couple a pills? there is absolutely no fun factor in it, is there?

Not pills - I make a drink with powder and water.

It's the Linus Pauling formula.

P.S. I like to eat, too