What my doctor advised about vitamins and supplements
Replies
-
Many people are deficient in Folate as well as calcium. These are worth taking if you can’t get them through diet. Women of child bearing age should take folic acid.
I recently found out that I’m vitamin D deficient despite living in Sunny Southern California, and I have already been taking 200% RDV for years. My doctor now recommended taking a jumbo dose.
I agree that most other vitamins are probably not worth taking as supplements.
I disagreed with you for one reason. MTHFR is a very common genetic defect. My wife has it. It's estimated as much as 1/3 of the population has some form of it, though it can be much worse in some.
MTHFR is the inability to convert Folic Acid into Folate. They (people like my wife with this genetic defect) don't make the enzyme that processes it (and synthetic B12) into downstream molecules the body can use. So for a large percentage of the population, "methyl Bs", which are a different form of Folate (as opposed to Folic Acid), are preferred. And better quality prenatal supplements are now nearly all the "methyl" versions. Folic Acid can potentially be harmful for those with this genetic defect, mostly because they can be vitamin B deficient and not know it. My wife can take synthetic Bs all day and not be able to use them. There is now a bit of a movement away from cereal fortification with Folic Acid because of this, though it's still common.2 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »Many people are deficient in Folate as well as calcium. These are worth taking if you can’t get them through diet. Women of child bearing age should take folic acid.
I recently found out that I’m vitamin D deficient despite living in Sunny Southern California, and I have already been taking 200% RDV for years. My doctor now recommended taking a jumbo dose.
I agree that most other vitamins are probably not worth taking as supplements.
I disagreed with you for one reason. MTHFR is a very common genetic defect. My wife has it. It's estimated as much as 1/3 of the population has some form of it, though it can be much worse in some.
MTHFR is the inability to convert Folic Acid into Folate. They (people like my wife with this genetic defect) don't make the enzyme that processes it (and synthetic B12) into downstream molecules the body can use. So for a large percentage of the population, "methyl Bs", which are a different form of Folate (as opposed to Folic Acid), are preferred. And better quality prenatal supplements are now nearly all the "methyl" versions. Folic Acid can potentially be harmful for those with this genetic defect, mostly because they can be vitamin B deficient and not know it. My wife can take synthetic Bs all day and not be able to use them. There is now a bit of a movement away from cereal fortification with Folic Acid because of this, though it's still common.
Thanks for the insight. I suspect your wife’s condition must be uncommon since I work in healthcare and am unfamiliar with it. I am in Emergency Medicine though, and bet that primary care providers are probably more familiar with it. I am curious now and plan to research this a bit.
I still recommend folic acid to women of childbearing age. There is a reason it is recommended to all pregnant women and women potentially planning to conceive. Many processed foods like cereal and bread are fortified nowadays but many people still don’t get adequate amounts. It is a vitamin naturally found in produce, which the average American doesn’t get enough of in their diet.
3 -
MikePfirrman wrote: »Many people are deficient in Folate as well as calcium. These are worth taking if you can’t get them through diet. Women of child bearing age should take folic acid.
I recently found out that I’m vitamin D deficient despite living in Sunny Southern California, and I have already been taking 200% RDV for years. My doctor now recommended taking a jumbo dose.
I agree that most other vitamins are probably not worth taking as supplements.
I disagreed with you for one reason. MTHFR is a very common genetic defect. My wife has it. It's estimated as much as 1/3 of the population has some form of it, though it can be much worse in some.
MTHFR is the inability to convert Folic Acid into Folate. They (people like my wife with this genetic defect) don't make the enzyme that processes it (and synthetic B12) into downstream molecules the body can use. So for a large percentage of the population, "methyl Bs", which are a different form of Folate (as opposed to Folic Acid), are preferred. And better quality prenatal supplements are now nearly all the "methyl" versions. Folic Acid can potentially be harmful for those with this genetic defect, mostly because they can be vitamin B deficient and not know it. My wife can take synthetic Bs all day and not be able to use them. There is now a bit of a movement away from cereal fortification with Folic Acid because of this, though it's still common.
Thanks for the insight. I suspect your wife’s condition must be uncommon since I work in healthcare and am unfamiliar with it. I am in Emergency Medicine though, and bet that primary care providers are probably more familiar with it. I am curious now and plan to research this a bit.
I still recommend folic acid to women of childbearing age. There is a reason it is recommended to all pregnant women and women potentially planning to conceive. Many processed foods like cereal and bread are fortified nowadays but many people still don’t get adequate amounts. It is a vitamin naturally found in produce, which the average American doesn’t get enough of in their diet.
It's not uncommon not to hear about it. Up to 40% of the population (some say 50%) have some form of it, but in most cases, it's not that severe. But if you have a double genetic variant, it can have devistating affects on your health. I'd recommend Methyl Folate and Methyl B-12 all day long for pregnant women. It's pennies more and no sense in taking the risk if someone hasn't been genetically tested. Metafolin is the Methyl version of Folic Acid. Sometimes you'll see 5-MTHF as well. Metafolin is the brand name and 5-MTHF is the generic name of the same thing. It's just Folic Acid that someone with this condition can more readily use and since so much of the population has this gene and don't know it, the better brands are switching to it.
Thorne, PureEncapsulations, Klaire Labs, (I think) Garden of Life, NOW Foods -- most of the better supplement companies only carry Methyl Bs in their Prenatal formulas for this reason.
Methylcobalamin (not Cyanocobalamin) is the methyl version of B12.
2 -
cozypearyakima wrote: »For me personally, D is VERY important. As for everything else I get that through foods when eating a balanced diet. D is not really a vitamin, most of the medical community now reference it as a hormone. Two times in the last 15 years my D level has been crucially low---and they way I found that was that I was very unwell....I could not even grasp my cup of coffee, I had no strength in my hands and wrists, thought I needed Carpel Tunnel surgery ---NOPE, D level was at an 8. Got it up and felt so much better, less brain fog, more energy, and it did help with weight loss as well....then let it slide, 5 years later I was at an 11. I am currently up to 36, goal is 70-100---not sure if I can ever get there, but I will continue to respect the D!
^^ I read this with my immature Scorpio brain and thoroughly enjoyed all of it.
As for supplementation, I tend to take whatever quells my health phobia/fascination of the season and then stop when my GP says so. Last year it was "Hair, Skin and Nails Gummies with Biotin." When my biotin levels were insane and she told me to ease up, it was all she could do to not roll her eyes at me.
Can't wait to see whether my "DIM Plus BioPerine" (for menopause - which I'm not in - but also maybe a little bit but not fully studied...weight loss say the adverts?!) does anything to the bloodwork. It's certainly not doing anything for weight loss.
Listen, I do what I can to keep my GP entertained and on her toes.
In the meantime, I have a multivit: Centrum Forte.
Like medication, none of the supplementation matters if you don't adhere though. So now that summer's here, I exercise outdoors, have fresh local produce available within walking distance, and get all my vitamins that way!1 -
Since everyone else hit vitamins and minerals, i will skip that. From a performance standpoint, things that work:
Creatine Monohydrate (5g) daily
L-Citrulline (3-5g) or Citrulline Malate (5-8g) pre workout
Whey/cassein protein (ad hoc if protein is low)
Caffeine (200-400mg) pre-workout or if you are sensitive, i believe 100mg would work.
But also consider the below context:
Essentially, you are you trying to maximize everything (which most people don't need to), than supplementation makes up the last 1-5%. Essentially, set an appropriate calorie goal, adequate protein with varied foods to maximize nutrients, timed nutrients around a well designed workout program, and then worry about supplements.1 -
And then some dude with a podcast said something about Vitamin D and nobody could find any.2
-
I am with the majority here. Per my Dr., I take Rx potassium, and OTC D3. I also take Krill oil since I do not eat fish. She feels that a multi is optional but while I am restricting calories wouldn't be a bad idea (and yes, I checked the label to make sure I wasn't overdosing)1
-
YellowD0gs wrote: »I had my blood tests done at the end of a wet, cold dreary March, and my Vit. D was just under the normal range (28.9 or something). The Neurologist put me on Vit D3 supplements. A week later my GP fairly strongly advised not to take them as they may complicate my existing cardiac stents, but I should work at getting more sun. Registered Dietician said I should take the Vit D, but also with K3, to help with osteoporosis. When I checked in with my Cardiologist, she became unglued at the thought of Vitamin K supplements, as that's the blood clotting vitamin, and that would definitely interfere with my cardiac stents, so hell no to the Vitamin K! And another very strong recommendation against the Vit D as well, with instructions to try to get more sun. So, now I have 2 DR's opinions that I should avoid supplements and work on getting a killer tan!
20 minutes a day without sunscreen, and not just forearms and calves, either.
A funny story relating to the subject (both your cardiologist and getting vitamins from food). My Mom was taking a blood thinner. Late summer she started having some issues so she saw her cardiologist. The first thing he asked her was if her tomatoes were ripening fast and how many a day was she eating. Yup, too much vitamin K so she was put on a tomato restriction. Not happy but felt fine afterwards5 -
I'm currently taking a university nutrition course, our textbook is "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies, 4th Canadian Edition, 2018"
I found the following quote (pg 24) pretty interesting:
"Most people turn to their physicians for dietary advice. Physicians are expected to know all about health-related matters. But only about a quarter of all medical schools in the United States require students to take even one nutrition course, and less than half provide an elective nutrition course. Students attending these classes receive an average of 20 hours of nutrition instruction—an amount most graduates consider inadequate. More than a decade ago, the U.S. Congress passed a law mandating that “students enrolled in United States medical schools and physicians practicing in the United States [must] have access to adequate training in the field of nutrition and its relationship to human health.” So far, this goal has not been fully achieved. Along similar lines, a recent American study revealed that less than 15 percent of resident physicians felt adequately trained to provide nutrition counselling, and one Canadian study revealed that the nutrition knowledge of Canadian physicians is weak in many important areas."
If you are really interested in knowing more about supplements etc, maybe call up a registered dietitian (just be careful that they are actually knowledgable, and credentialed by a governing board, almost anyone can call themselves a nutritionist). There is so much information and misinformation out there, its impossible to sort it all out!7 -
^^ Agreed. As someone with both professionals in her healthcare team (who work out of the same Canadian clinic), they can work in tandem with each other. So, for example, I'm working on lowering my cholesterol and avoiding a lifelong prescription, if possible.
My GP gave her my bloodwork results and asked me to check in with the nutritionist for, well, nutritional strategies beyond supplements that I could use to (hopefully) lower my cholesterol levels even more. So I've been talking to the same nutritionist every month since February. We'll see if it worked come September when I see the GP again.3 -
I'm getting blood work next week so we'll see if I'm deficient in anything.1
-
I come from a long line of women with severe osteoporosis so have always been concerned about my bone health. When an xray taken by another medical professional showed significant bone loss, I went running to my GP with the news, and was told to take Vit D (without checking my levels). I was hoping for something a bit more aggressive in the way of treatment but I supplement D and hope for the best.
By the way, apparently 20% of the population lacks the ability to make D from sunlight anyway, and you have no idea which % you fall in.
Eye dr recommended lutein to help prevent age-related macular degeneration (another one in my family history) so I've been taking a 50+ multi since my 40s as they have lutein.2 -
I paid to get my Vitamin D and iron tested, because I felt pretty *kitten* all round. Unsurprisingly, I was deficient in Vitamin D (I've been indoors because of coronavirus) but my iron came back high! I was actually told to stop taking an iron supplement (I wasn't taking one), so have cut out all meat on a temporary basis to see if that helps naturally lower my iron levels. If I hadn't been tested, I might have been tempted to start taking an iron supplement, and that would have been a bad move.
Currently just on Vitamin D and will get re-tested in a bit to check if the supplement is helping and/or if I need to adjust my dosage. I think it's important to check if you actually need vitamins before you randomly start taking them, or they could do more harm than good.2 -
I think it really depends.
If you're actually deficient in something, you need o take it. If you have a chronic illness and having supplements helps, take them.
If you take a multi vitamin and don't feel a difference when you don't for a month, why continue taking it?
All bodies are different and all diets are different. Everyones needs are different.
Personally I have a chronic illness and take vit D and a Bshot every other week. It's drastically lightened my symptoms. I don't like taking them but I definitely feel the difference when I don't.0 -
But do you necessarily "feel" a benefit? A couple years ago my blood work showed I was deficient in vitamin B, so my doctor gave me shots but honestly I didn't feel better or worse even though it was something I needed.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 424 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions