What’s your take on Multi-Vitamins?
Replies
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Yes...... Because I have a malabsorption problem
I take a multi, a vitamin d/calcium and b12 injections0 -
My take on multivitamins is that they're an excellent way to make expensive urine.
If a doctor has detected a vitamin deficiency they'll prescribe a supplement for that particular vitamin, or more likely help you adjust your lifestyle so that you get more of the vitamin your lacking.
A few cents a day isn't expensive at all. Especially compared with the enormous cost of getting tested for all vitamins & minerals.. which almost no doctors routinely do.
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I took a lot of vitamins and minerals at one time, but now only take what I need to supplement most. Since I get more than enough of most vitamins and minerals from my diet, I only supplement a few things, and most of those are precautionary anyway.
ETA: If you are one of those people who just eats cookies and pop tarts while preaching "as long as it fits my calories," then you should supplement with a multi-vitamin.8 -
elsie6hickman wrote: »I don't take vitamins or supplements. Why not? Because they are unregulated, how do you know how much you are really getting
Some supplements are tested & verified by an independent lab, particularly USP & NSF. Their websites list the supplements they've verified.3 -
Nope. Unless you have a medically proven deficiency.
Otherwise you’ve just got expensive pee.2 -
I take a multi because I know I don't eat enough fruits and vegetables or fish. I also take iron because I get anemic when I don't.1
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I do not take a multi vitamin - as long as diet is reasonably healthy I do not think it is neccesary.
I do take iron tablet because history of mild anaemia.0 -
Hey MFP Fam!
What do you think of Multi-Vitamins? Are they an important part of your health and wellness journey and if yes, what do you take? And if no, why not?
I take a multi-vitamin sometimes. Most of the time I forget to take it. I started taking it because I felt maybe I wasn't getting enough of something through my diet.
I would not spend a lot of money on such a thing. I just have a store brand multi-vitamin.1 -
Unless you have a deficiency, it will just give you more expensive pee.1
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Expensive pee seems to be the dismissive remark in this thread.
How much do you think Multivitamins cost? Mine cost me about three cents per day. I'm guessing some of it is beneficial, even if it's only half absorbed that's only one and a half cents per day.
That's not expensive by even Third World standards.14 -
Isn't it 3c per day whether it is all absorbed or not ??
But, yes, I agree - not a big expense unless one is buying some sort of high end brand.
I just don't think they are neccesary for most people and so unless I had a specific reason, I would not take them. Nothing to do with cost.2 -
Useless, and might be costly for your help in a few instances. Anything that includes B12 raises Vitamin B12 serum levels, effectively masking a deficiency. Yet the dosage is generally far too low to actually give you enough B12. If you have an absorption problem then your doctor will not see this and it's likely you'll develop nerve damage.
Iron is another one. Iron doesn't get absorbed well in presence of calcium, yet commonly both are present. If your doctor only checks iron levels and not ferritin your test might come back normal while you might be anemic. Even a steak raises iron levels. And taking iron with things such a calcium is rather useless anyway.
Also calcium and magnesium should not be taken together, and lots of other things neither as only one is preferentially absorbed. Ok, that might not matter much as dosages in multivitamins tend to be too low anyway to be of any use.2 -
Useless, and might be costly for your help in a few instances. Anything that includes B12 raises Vitamin B12 serum levels, effectively masking a deficiency. Yet the dosage is generally far too low to actually give you enough B12. If you have an absorption problem then your doctor will not see this and it's likely you'll develop nerve damage.
Iron is another one. Iron doesn't get absorbed well in presence of calcium, yet commonly both are present. If your doctor only checks iron levels and not ferritin your test might come back normal while you might be anemic. Even a steak raises iron levels. And taking iron with things such a calcium is rather useless anyway.
Also calcium and magnesium should not be taken together, and lots of other things neither as only one is preferentially absorbed. Ok, that might not matter much as dosages in multivitamins tend to be too low anyway to be of any use.
Absolutely right on! I do take a multi but just an el cheapo,im very surprised that all multis contain both iron and calcium cuz my doc said that calcium blocks out iron when taken together1 -
Useless, and might be costly for your help in a few instances. Anything that includes B12 raises Vitamin B12 serum levels, effectively masking a deficiency. Yet the dosage is generally far too low to actually give you enough B12. If you have an absorption problem then your doctor will not see this and it's likely you'll develop nerve damage.
Iron is another one. Iron doesn't get absorbed well in presence of calcium, yet commonly both are present. If your doctor only checks iron levels and not ferritin your test might come back normal while you might be anemic. Even a steak raises iron levels. And taking iron with things such a calcium is rather useless anyway.
Also calcium and magnesium should not be taken together, and lots of other things neither as only one is preferentially absorbed. Ok, that might not matter much as dosages in multivitamins tend to be too low anyway to be of any use.
Absolutely right on! I do take a multi but just an el cheapo,im very surprised that all multis contain both iron and calcium cuz my doc said that calcium blocks out iron when taken together
My multi doesn't have Iron.
Look for the ones for older people.2 -
JAMA: Given Their Potential for Harm, It’s Time to Focus on the Safety of Supplements
Aaron Carroll, MD, MS on August 15, 2018
Supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and herbal products, are a huge business in the United States. US consumers spend about $30 billion on them every year. Despite uncertain benefits and possible harm, their interest in supplement use, for children as well as adults, remains undeterred.
....
Anything we do for health has to be considered in the context of benefits and harms. When the former outweighs the latter, it’s reasonable to proceed. But in the case of supplements, for many if not most people, the benefits appear to be minimal to nonexistent. The potential harms on the other hand are real and documented. Given this, it’s hard to understand why patients are using them in such increasing numbers. Physicians may need to push back harder than we have in the past.2 -
I personally feel that a multivitamin is a waste of money. You are better off having your vitamin and mineral levels tested and then supplementing only what you are deficient in. I personally supplement with D3, K2, Iodine, Zinc, and Magnesium as I tested deficient in all 5.1
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Hey MFP Fam!
What do you think of Multi-Vitamins? Are they an important part of your health and wellness journey and if yes, what do you take? And if no, why not?
Like many, I feel like they can't hurt and can fill in any gaps there might be. I also agree that going with a generic multi vitamin/multi mineral supplement instead of fancy designer ones and especially the "made just for you" packs are a waste of money.
In addition to a multi I do take a couple of extras recommended or prescribed by my Dr. for specific situations: D-3 because I am prone to depression and live in the north, Magnesium because I am prone to nocturnal cramps, and prescription potassium because I tend to be lower than ideal.
I am supposed to take some kind of fish oil to help with HDL but I haven't found one yet that doesn't cause me to burp up a fishy taste . . . and I HATE fish.1 -
I add things that are high in vitamins, mineral amino acids to my smoothies. Moringa's leaves retain lots of vitamins and minerals when dried and is used in India and Africa in feeding programs to fight malnutrition. I also supplement with powdered seaweed due to its high mineral content, including iodine (I am hypothyroid and just feel better when I take it). I also like bone meal broth powder and colostrum.2
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I take my B vits, cod liver and evening primrose1
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WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »I personally feel that a multivitamin is a waste of money. You are better off having your vitamin and mineral levels tested and then supplementing only what you are deficient in. I personally supplement with D3, K2, Iodine, Zinc, and Magnesium as I tested deficient in all 5.
I do wonder about the practicality & feasibility of this for most people. Doctors do not, in my experience, routinely check unless there are symptoms. I’ve been experiencing hair loss and I only had B12 & Iron tested (along with my thyroid). Which were fine. The next step is not to test all the vitamins, but to take a multi and see what happens. I think tests like that are pricey & if you are on good private insurance that will cover it or can pay out of pocket, it’s probably worthwhile. But if you are in an area where this is coming from public coverage or you can’t afford it, your doctor needs a good reason to check each individual vitamin.1 -
I am supposed to take some kind of fish oil to help with HDL but I haven't found one yet that doesn't cause me to burp up a fishy taste . . . and I HATE fish.
Protip: Try refrigerating your fish oil caps. I keep mine in the 'fridge and never get fish burps. Some people have even resorted to freezing them, but I haven't had to go that far.3 -
I am supposed to take some kind of fish oil to help with HDL but I haven't found one yet that doesn't cause me to burp up a fishy taste . . . and I HATE fish.
Protip: Try refrigerating your fish oil caps. I keep mine in the 'fridge and never get fish burps. Some people have even resorted to freezing them, but I haven't had to go that far.
Tried that but it didn't help. Never thought to try the freezer.1 -
I am supposed to take some kind of fish oil to help with HDL but I haven't found one yet that doesn't cause me to burp up a fishy taste . . . and I HATE fish.
Protip: Try refrigerating your fish oil caps. I keep mine in the 'fridge and never get fish burps. Some people have even resorted to freezing them, but I haven't had to go that far.
You know I'm on Team Anvil - but that sounds like the wooiest woo that ever did woo.
I'm with earlnabby - ain't no way no how.
I do like fish though, just not those fish burps.0 -
I tend to eat the same foods a lot, so I started taking a multivitamin last year, at age 58. No idea if it helps at all. Seeing the answers here, maybe I should do a little research.0
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cmriverside wrote: »Expensive pee seems to be the dismissive remark in this thread.
How much do you think Multivitamins cost? Mine cost me about three cents per day. I'm guessing some of it is beneficial, even if it's only half absorbed that's only one and a half cents per day.
That's not expensive by even Third World standards.
Agreed, I tend to think of it as “cheap insurance” rather than “expensive pee”
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Multivitamins have never changed my bloodwork.0
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As a post bariatric surgery patient I have known malabsorption issues. I’ve been instructed to be on a variety of vitamins and minerals for life.
A pregnancy or teen multi has the folic acid I need. That, plus calcium citrate and extra vitamin D I take daily.0 -
I take Mar-Vites daily, calcium pyvent and Caraluma daily as recommend by my doctor. I also get a B12 combo shot once a week at weight loss clinic. Trying to get my BP done so I can start taking appetite suppreesent.0
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A women's multi and a Vitamin D3 per doctors orders. When pregnant, I took prenatal vitamins, and my doctor checked D, and it was very low even with prenatal vitamins. So I figure if my D3 is low on my own, there's probably others low too, and I take the multi as a just in case.0
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I take a one a day vitamin every morning with my coffee lol0
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