Which vitamin is in your medicine cabinet

GreenTeaPotato

GreenTeaPotato wrote: »

Multi-vitamins may be a waste of money at best, harmful at worst. New evidence going mainstream the past few years:

Forbes: The Top Six Vitamins You Should Not Take
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2014/01/13/the-top-six-vitamins-you-shouldnt-take/

Slate: Medical Journal Study Finds Multivitamins Are a Complete Waste of Money, Why Do We Keep Taking Them?
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/12/16/a_medical_journal_on_multivitamins_stop_wasting_your_money.html

kkenseth wrote: »

I think they are vastly over utilized and utilized inappropriately. That doesn't mean someone with a single deficiency or multiple deficiencies won't benefit from supplementation, as above posters alluding to.

Agree. But if we're not deficient in something, they're practically useless, especially the ones mentioned in the articles. You'd have to be starving or severely malnourished to lack something so prevalent in food as vitamin C, for instance. We should be getting those basic vitamins from food.

Personally I take B-12 because I don't eat animal products (which contain bacteria that form it), so I don't get that "vitamin" from food. Would I spend money on a multi-vitamin? No.

Mizz_Mo

Rainbow Light Women's Organic Multivitamin and Rainbow Light Calcium Citrate Minitabs.

conqueringsquidlette

Cobalamin (B-12) is not bacteria. It's only synthesized by bacteria and archaea, but it is not a bacterium itself.

LKArgh

Horrorfox wrote: »

I guarantee no one is getting all the vitamins that they should be getting daily, through just food. Eat what you normally eat, and then go get your blood work checked. I think you'd be surprised.

No, no surprises. Had it done when we were investigating for a health problem in the past. Dr ordered it among other weird tests, although she said she almost never saw vitamin deficiencies in adults, and I was no exception. Perhaps it depends on what "normally" eating means for you?

LKArgh

This is an interesting report: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2009/north-america-asia-lead-vitamin-and-supplement-usage.html
As someone in southern Europe myself, where vitamin consumtion is not that popular, I wonder if it means people are eating more balanced diets here, or if companies are more aggressively marketing these products in other countries.

GreenTeaPotato

Horrorfox wrote: »

I guarantee no one is getting all the vitamins that they should be getting daily, through just food. Eat what you normally eat, and then go get your blood work checked. I think you'd be surprised.

aggelikik wrote: »

No, no surprises. Had it done when we were investigating for a health problem in the past. Dr ordered it among other weird tests, although she said she almost never saw vitamin deficiencies in adults, and I was no exception. Perhaps it depends on what "normally" eating means for you?

Same here. Results of my latest annual blood test last fall: No deficiencies. Not even in the "Sunshine Vitamin" (D), and I live in foggy San Francisco.

MFP, being more calorie and weight loss oriented, is not the greatest at showing a broad view of nutrition. I occasionally use Cronometer too. I've been amazed at how easy it is to get more than enough daily required vitamins and minerals from a variety of foods.

conqueringsquidlette

aggelikik wrote: »

This is an interesting report: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2009/north-america-asia-lead-vitamin-and-supplement-usage.html
As someone in southern Europe myself, where vitamin consumtion is not that popular, I wonder if it means people are eating more balanced diets here, or if companies are more aggressively marketing these products in other countries.

I suspect the US and Asia are, in general, the woo capitols of the world.

amusedmonkey

GreenTeaPotato wrote: »

Multi-vitamins may be a waste of money at best, harmful at worst. New evidence going mainstream the past few years:

Forbes: The Top Six Vitamins You Should Not Take
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2014/01/13/the-top-six-vitamins-you-shouldnt-take/

Slate: Medical Journal Study Finds Multivitamins Are a Complete Waste of Money, Why Do We Keep Taking Them?
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/12/16/a_medical_journal_on_multivitamins_stop_wasting_your_money.html

I think these views are over-generalized.

People who diet at a lower calorie budget for long periods may unescapably be deficient in some vitamins and/or minerals. Even if a person is not deficient, that's not the only reason to take a vitamin. B complex is useful managing arthritis, Magnesium is a godsent for constipation, B12 is essential for vegans to avoid (rather than treat) a deficiency and even if the cause and effect of vitamin D levels flipped, wouldn't low levels be considered a deficiency regardless if they caused the disease or were caused by the disease? And wouldn't this deficiency need to be corrected?

I'm currently not taking any vitamins, but I have a tendency towards iron deficiency so when my levels go lower than my doctor is comfortable with, I take iron and vitamin C. I don't have a vitamin C deficiency, but it greatly increases the absorption or iron.

Takeaway: although gulping vitamins like candy for no reason can be a waste of money (can be debated), making a list of vitamins you should not supplement or making broad statements is not helpful either. In addition to that, MFP members are not a randomized section of the general population, so they have different needs eating at a deficit, recovering from eating disorders or performing more physical activity than the average person.

With that said I don't take multivitamins because they're expensive although I know I should (being at a deficit for more than two years undeniably left me with some unfilled holes).

RodaRose

aggelikik wrote: »

This is an interesting report: http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2009/north-america-asia-lead-vitamin-and-supplement-usage.html
As someone in southern Europe myself, where vitamin consumtion is not that popular, I wonder if it means people are eating more balanced diets here, or if companies are more aggressively marketing these products in other countries.

Yes re marketing.
Also, the EU has stricter guidelines/regulations for vitamins and supplements than the U.S. does.

Mistraal1981

Berocca and fish oil.

Jerzeegirl13

Love women's life force multi vitamin by source naturals

Unknown

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andylllI

There is a public health recommendation where I live that women of childbearing age take folic acid (unexpected pregnancy) in order to prevent neural tube defects. I don't think that message has been widely accepted by the public.

I take biotin (I'm hoping it will make my hair thicker even though I know it's like...a mostly completely false hope), fish oil, vitamin D (up to 50% of adults have mild to moderate deficiency here in Canada), and magnesium (for "women's issues" since double blind RCTs showed less bloat, water retention and cramping).

When trying to be pregnant, pregnant or BF I took a pink multivitamin and like everything marketed toward maternal guilt they are overpriced compared to other multivits. I just got the massive jar from Costco.

Horrorfox

@GreenTeaPotato

https://youtu.be/o0u8UdZeOhc

smith31214080

A multivitamin
Biotin (because I have always taken it for my hair and nails)
Niacin (because the Dr said my triglycerides are high and she wants me to try a 1500 calorie diet with exercise and niacin to help with that)