Multivitamins good or bad?

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ronnieyouknow
ronnieyouknow Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I keep going back and forth from good to bad with each article I read. People are stating that going over a certain amount is actually harmful, while being under is as well. I just don't really see there being a problem with being a bit over on it. Then again, I guess its better off getting your vitamins from healthy foods rather than a supplement. Take the money you spend on multivitamins and etc. and go buy healthy foods, or do IIFYM and take a multivitamin. Which would you choose?
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Replies

  • leahraskie
    leahraskie Posts: 260 Member
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    Honestly, unless you aren't getting enough of something like say iron because you're anemic, you don't really need multivitamins. They don't absorb well in their available form and with a normal diet you should be getting enough vitamins from food; unless specified by a doctor.
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
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    I was taking a daily multivitamin, just to be on the safe side. Then I found a website, cronometer (in this case), and put in a couple of days worth of food. It shows you the nutritional breakdown of each day. I found that I was very close to the goals without the multivitamin and taking it was putting me massively over in many areas. It certainly wasn't doing me any good and could be doing me harm.

    Only take one if you know you're coming up short. Actually, there's really no point in taking a multivitamin... if you're coming up short, you should know where and would take a vitamin specific to those need.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
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    A basic multivitamin is cheap insurance especially when you're on a calorie deficit. Most that got over by a lot are water based and you just pee them out.
  • ronnieyouknow
    ronnieyouknow Posts: 5
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    Honestly, unless you aren't getting enough of something like say iron because you're anemic, you don't really need multivitamins. They don't absorb well in their available form and with a normal diet you should be getting enough vitamins from food; unless specified by a doctor.

    thank you for you response and a little insight on it.
  • BlueLadyBug22
    BlueLadyBug22 Posts: 156 Member
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    I swear by them, I don't know if you really *need* them. But I feel so much better when I take mine, and I have more energy. Maybe it's all in my head but I'm ok with that.
  • ronnieyouknow
    ronnieyouknow Posts: 5
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    I was taking a daily multivitamin, just to be on the safe side. Then I found a website, cronometer (in this case), and put in a couple of days worth of food. It shows you the nutritional breakdown of each day. I found that I was very close to the goals without the multivitamin and taking it was putting me massively over in many areas. It certainly wasn't doing me any good and could be doing me harm.

    Only take one if you know you're coming up short. Actually, there's really no point in taking a multivitamin... if you're coming up short, you should know where and would take a vitamin specific to those need.

    Thank you for the link. It means alot
  • monolith66
    monolith66 Posts: 168 Member
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    I think they're great. I just started taking Opti-Men by Optimum Nutrition and I feel a lot stronger overall and an enormous sense of well-being. Optimum nutrition also makes a vitamin blend for women as well... I'll let you guess the name, it's pretty obvious ;)
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    I think of mine as training wheels until I get everything except B12 and vitamin D from my diet. They're really good right now, because without them I'm not quite meeting RDA yet.

    And they have to be doing some good, else all the bariatric patients who are warned they must take them for life thanks to the innards rerouting would be dying like flies.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    Honestly, unless you aren't getting enough of something like say iron because you're anemic, you don't really need multivitamins. They don't absorb well in their available form and with a normal diet you should be getting enough vitamins from food; unless specified by a doctor.

    ^This. I switched from multivitamin to vitamin D3 only since that was the only one blood tests showed I was low in. Not a surprise since I work at a desk, use sunscreen and live in the northern Midwest.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
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    I was taking a daily multivitamin, just to be on the safe side. Then I found a website, cronometer (in this case), and put in a couple of days worth of food. It shows you the nutritional breakdown of each day. I found that I was very close to the goals without the multivitamin and taking it was putting me massively over in many areas. It certainly wasn't doing me any good and could be doing me harm.

    Only take one if you know you're coming up short. Actually, there's really no point in taking a multivitamin... if you're coming up short, you should know where and would take a vitamin specific to those need.

    I also use the cronometer. I still take a woman's multivitamin because it gives me 50% of my calcium, and it's hard to eat enough calcium to meet the needs of a 50+ woman with osteopenia on 1200 calories a day. I also find myself not eating enough Vitamin A and Vitamin C, despite eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. Today was on target,, but I ate a salad with tomatoes for dinner and some baby carrots.
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,451 Member
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    I think they're great. I just started taking Opti-Men by Optimum Nutrition and I feel a lot stronger overall and an enormous sense of well-being. Optimum nutrition also makes a vitamin blend for women as well... I'll let you guess the name, it's pretty obvious ;)

    I take the ON Opti-Women. I only take one, not two, daily. I also take 2 probiotics and a fish oil supplement.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    I keep going back and forth from good to bad with each article I read. People are stating that going over a certain amount is actually harmful, while being under is as well. I just don't really see there being a problem with being a bit over on it. Then again, I guess its better off getting your vitamins from healthy foods rather than a supplement. Take the money you spend on multivitamins and etc. and go buy healthy foods, or do IIFYM and take a multivitamin. Which would you choose?

    I don't take multis, but I do supplement specific things I know I'm not consuming in the foods I eat. It took a while to figure out but I don't spend enough on vitamins and supplements to really impact my food budget.
  • mayfrayy
    mayfrayy Posts: 198 Member
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    should take them
    cheap and easy way to make sure you get everything your body needs.
  • ParkerH47
    ParkerH47 Posts: 463 Member
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    I would argue that they are safe and can give you peace of mind. They are not harmful if you take as directed. Worse can scenario is that they are potentially unnecessary, but better to be safe then sorry.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,014 Member
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    My thoughts are that they are harmless but unneccesary for most people.

    I would only take a vitamin/mineral supplement if it were something I was known to be deficient in - I do take an iron supplement because blood tests have shown me to be slightly anaemic

    Yes theoretically I could address that by having a pound of liver every morning but I know that isn't going to happen so I accept taking a supplement.

    The only exception to above would be taking folic acid when trying to conceive and in early pregnancy - you may not need it but known connection of folic acid deficiency and spinal birth defects is too great a risk IMO
  • poedunk65
    poedunk65 Posts: 1,336 Member
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    If you eat clean and healthy there is really no need for vitamin supplements.
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    A decent multi-vitamin isn't going to hurt you and may have some benefit.
  • FrenchMob
    FrenchMob Posts: 1,167 Member
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    If you eat clean and healthy there is really no need for vitamin supplements.
    Disagree. The food today is not as "healthy" as it once was. The vitamins and minerals that use to be present in fruits and vegetables 20-30 years ago are no longer at the same level today due to GMO, pesticides, etc..

    http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/nutritional-content-zmaz09jjzraw.aspx
  • zetodd
    zetodd Posts: 22 Member
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    I think the issue with multivitamins is that people think they are a magic pill and go about with unhealthy habits. This might be why some studies show people that take multivitamins have worse health than those that don't take them.

    I would specifically advise against taking something like the Optimum Nutrition multi as they add in a bunch of gobbledegook. Stick with a basic USP certified one.

    http://examine.com/faq/do-i-need-a-multivitamin.html
  • SarahxApple
    SarahxApple Posts: 166 Member
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    I think the issue with multivitamins is that people think they are a magic pill and go about with unhealthy habits. This might be why some studies show people that take multivitamins have worse health than those that don't take them.

    This. People shouldn't use them as an excuse to eat crap because of them.

    I personally take a 'run of the mill' multivitamin from a supermarket (and fish oil as I strength train) I take them mostly because I used to suffer A LOT with mouth ulcers (I think the US call them canker sores?) to the extent that I had blood tests done as they were concerned it was auto immune problems. I did some googling and a few sites mentioned it could be (one of the) B vitamin deficiency, so I started taking multivitamins and I rarely suffer with them now, so for me it works, I don't get a lot of calcium in my diet either so I boost that too.

    Some people are happy to search for the specific thing and eat more of that, I know for me that isn't sustainable so I supplement.

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