Supplements---What do you take?

Biotin, but that's for my nails. They're extremely brittle without it and I don't need to be worried about my nails denting, splitting, or coming off in layers when I work out. I used to take a multivitamin but all of the tablets are so big that when I would take them, I ended up throwing them right back up. The gummis gave me stomach problems so I just say to hell with it.

There is a reason the FDA does not put their stam of approval on vitamins. I believe most vitamins are processed junk and you can read a number of articles about it, here is one http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20100401/multivitamins-linked-to-breast-cancer-risk

This study looked at breast cancer. But did taking vitamins decrease their risk for other types of cancer? Or help protect them from other serious illnesses or disease? What was the overall death rate in the study?

and some people can get all their vitamins from food and the sun. The only way to tell is by taking a blood test which is what I said in my first post. If you eat no veggies or fruits then that is on you and believe me you will suffer the consequences. Your body won't absord a pill the way it will absorb the real vitamins directly from the source and that is the fact.

why bother? some people are convinced they need pills and medical intervention to be healthy. let the pill poppers take their synthetic junk. its sad to see so much money wasted on unnecessary stuff that could be spent on nutritious delcious foods but whatever its their money to waste. i wonder if they ever heard of the placebo effect? our species has been around for a looooooong time without supplements. but for some reason we couldnt possibly get everything we need to thrive from a natural source. we NEED synthetic pills to be healthy. gosh whats wrong with you for trying to say otherwise?

It is sad that people actually believe that they cannot get what they need through food! But notice most of the people that are popping the pills are the people that refuse to eat healthy foods. Synthetic vitamins cannot replace the real thing. They can help however if you cannot absorb for medical reasons. I am originally from California but live in an area now with very little sun. I could have jumped on the "I am tired because I am low on vitamin D" bandwagon, but instead I wanted to find out what I am really missing instead of guessing. So, I was actually fine on vitamin D. Paying for a blood test can save you a lot of money in vitamin costs and buying vitamins when you don't need them is just plain stupid.

People who click on threads just to post their healthier-than-thou opposition to the subject absolutely slay me.:noway:

I eat a varied diet and get plenty of vegetables and some fruits, watch my macros but still supplement with the following

Rainbow Light Womens/Prenatals Multi (i switch back and forth)
Biotin (just started this because of the weight loss I have lost a ton of hair)
Magnesium
Omega-3 Fish Oil (because I will NOT eat seafood of any kind)
Vitamin C

occasionally Acidophilus

and whey protein on days I weight train

medicine has gotten better over the years, nothing to do with supplements. I do not believe clean food is the cure all but again the people fighting against clean food are the ones that refuse to change their lifestyles in order to never be overweight again. Fine by me but when you ask for advice, and you get defensive over the answer than that just says to me that there is something that is striking a nerve within you (maybe a little splash of truth?!!) that maybe you should look at. I am a stranger offering an very reasonable opinion, if you get upset about an opinion then maybe you should look a little deeper as to why you are getting upset. Maybe you know fruits and veggies are good for you but do not want to take the step to give your body what it needs? Maybe you don't have insurance and a blood test is expensive, maybe you do not want to change the way you eat and want to believe that the synthetic vitamins are just as good for you but deep down you know they are not, maybe you are just stubborn and know this is the right advice but you do not want to admit it to yourself. I don't know. All I know is that changing what food I crave has changed my life in a very positive way. I also no longer gain weight and aside from the 2 vitamins I cannot absorb naturally, my blood pressure, cholesterol and everything else having to do with my health is perfect. That is what eating clean will do for you, it takes out most processed things and leaves you feeling fantastic. If you are getting defensive over people telling you to eat better food please look inside and ask yourself what is it that is making you so defensive.

why bother? some people are convinced they need pills and medical intervention to be healthy. let the pill poppers take their synthetic junk. its sad to see so much money wasted on unnecessary stuff that could be spent on nutritious delcious foods but whatever its their money to waste. i wonder if they ever heard of the placebo effect? our species has been around for a looooooong time without supplements. but for some reason we couldnt possibly get everything we need to thrive from a natural source. we NEED synthetic pills to be healthy. gosh whats wrong with you for trying to say otherwise?

Our species has been around for a long time. True.

But...

1900 - Average life span for white females was 40.5 years
2004 - Average life span for white females was 80.8 years

Clean food is not a cure all.

i know its not worth discussing with you because you have your mind made up but look at what point they started not counting infant mortality rates in those studies. anyways, i never said its a cure all. i just said supplements are unecessary because all the nutrition you need is available in food. not cures or whatever you are insinuating. but again, its your money to waste.

Are you a nutritionist with a degree or PHD? I doubt that.
Your logic ideally is right. Nature provides everything a human being needs, HOWEVER
we live in a industrial and isolated world with big cities and people inhabiting it. We don't go for hunt anymore so we can provide for fresh meat. WE BUY IT without even having the trouble to cut the cattle's throat and see the blood flowing like our ancestors very casually did. We don't have the trouble of concerning about the weather of destroying our crops, which we worked so hard through the whole year to care for. WE BUY IT. We don't live in tribes with few people in it and have not the trouble to raise sheeps, cows, ducks, chicken, pigs etc.. we don't have the trouble to migrate in order to find sources of good healthy grass for them. I can give you many examples, but my point is that, that is how we as human suppose to live and feed ourselves. We weren't supposed to stay on couch everyday watching TV. We were not supposed to watch TV at all, but you do. We weren't supposed to work all day in an office and have a sedentary life while we enjoy a fruit smoothie, but we do, or better saying we are forced to live this life. You see? The difference of Idealistic to Actual life is far way.. so is the truth about nutrition. Everything we put in our mouth isnot self made, but taken and imported. Even the healthy food that you think might do the trick, is not as healthy as you think. We live in a world of pesticides and acids. We live in a world that bio-modified foods are increasing. So how can you tell us for sure that this food is actually healthy? We live in a world where even natural resources are loosing their efectivness because of industrial revolution, so it is naturally that to fill this void we need supplements which are basic natural components extracted in an artificial way. If I were to live in Himalayas with native people who live in a virgin self cultivated place, I'd take your idealistic advice.

Don't get me wrong. I don't preach mass Supplement usage. What I suggest is for people to know what they take and be smart about their nutritional needs. Not only supps, but everything that goes beyond acceptable is bad for health.

Gold Standard Strawberry Whey Protein with skim milk - 1.5 scoops after lifting, 1 scoop on non-lifting days
One A Day Vitamin - Men's Health Formula, 1 tablet
Member's Mark Vitamin C Natural With Rose Hips - 500mg
Nature's Way - Glucomannan
Member's Mark - Double Strength All Natural Enteric Omega 3 Fish Oil 1200 Mg, 2 Softgel
Nature Made - Super B-Complex With Vitamin C & Folic Acid , 1 Tablet
Gnc - Vitamin D-3 2000iu, 1 Tablet
Now Nutrition - L-Carnitine 500mg Caplets, 2 Vca
Usp Labs - Oxyelite Pro Elite
Vitamin World - Potassium Citrate - 5 capsules
Now Foods - Zma, 3 Caps
I'm also about to add in creatine

Despite the amt. of supplements I'm currently taking, I'm a strong believer that nutrition and exercise are the basics for a healthy lifestyle.

I don't practice what I preach as much as I should but in study after study, our attempts to decrease cancer incidence with specific vitamin supplements has backfired. The most notorious was the attemp to reduce risk of lung cancer with beta carotene supplements and 2 large trials demonstrated an increase in risk. The latest darlings, vitamin E and selenium, also did not reduce the risk of prostate cancer in the large PREVENT trial and in general there was an overall trend to adverse health effects from those supplements compared to placebo, not just in terms of cancer risk, but also overall health risks including diabetes. A study from the UK looking at outcomes of cancer patients who take supplements compared to matched controls of those who didn't demonstrated worse survival in the supplement users.

My bias is that our ability to replicate the micronutrient balance present in fruits and vegetables in a manufactured pill is foolish. As in all things, just because a micronutrient is good for you, taking more isn't beneficial.

The data suggesting that rampant vitamin D deficiency is a health hazard is growing and I think most people should be on a supplement given the difficulty getting it in food and our decreasing sun exposure. In my clinic, we check vitamin D levels in everyone and replace accordingly. The data demonstrating the anti-inflammatory benefits of omega-3's supports supplementing with that if you can't get it in your diet (which is tough). I am increasingly impressed by the growing data with probiotics and often suggest them for my patients. Other supplements like co-Q 10, resveretrol, curcumin, etc is interesting but I think unproven. They may make the list eventually. And iron replacement in a menstruating woman, particularly if vegetarian, is very appropriate. Yes it can be done with food but it can be tough, especially for a woman with heavy menses.