Do You Take a Multivitamin?
3 years ago
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3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoYes, just a regular multi from Trader Joe's - dosage says 2, but I just take 1 every morning with breakfast. I've taken vitamins for as long as I can remember. I learned long ago that super mega doses just make for very expensive urine.
I also take a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement, and glucosamine for my wonky joints.Suzieque thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10Related Discussions
Expired Multivitamin Pills in Compost?
Comments (13)Back in college, my girlfriend (now wife) did an experiment in her Bio class which showed that vitamin E increased plant root cell growth. Granted, that was just an undergraduate research paper, a far cry from a peer reviewed doctoral thesis. But the results were pretty convincing. I always told her she should repeat the experiment and publish it, as it might be an important discovery, but for one reason or another she never did. -Diggity...See MoreI don't think multi-vitamin is neccessary for me
Comments (1)I would talk to your doctor about this just to make sure you are getting all the vitamins you need....See MoreQuestions about multivitamins etc.
Comments (21)I will do what I can to answer the questions posed above. The One-A-Day Over 50 multivitamin is an inferior product. All One-A-Day products are, as are any Centrum products or anything from WalMart, Costco, or any big box store. Like any other industry, the supplement industry is tiered. The highest grade raw materials go into professional products because the vendors that sell them have access to near-infrared spectrophotometry, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, inductively coupled plasma technology, or high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to insure they are getting what they paid for. Raw materials that are rejected at that level roll down hill until they find a buyer, with WalMart-like operations being the bottom of the barrel. With supplements, you generally get what you pay for. As a rule of thumb, the higher the quality of raw materials, the more pure (i.e. the less incipients), the better they are absorbed by the body and the more useful they are when they are absorbed. While we are on the subject of cost, you should be aware that a multivitamin typically includes flowing agents, lubricants, binders, and fillers. Some of these may be necessary, some may be included simply to decrease the cost of making the product. Various fillers, like lactose (milk sugar) can cause allergic reactions in susceptible individuals. The best insurance that you are getting a good product is to a) educate yourself about companies that have a good reputation and b) do your research. Natures Way makes a fairly good, consumer grade product. If you would like to see what an excellent professional grade product looks like, go to the Thorne Research site that I have included below. And no, I have no financial affiliation with them or NatureÂs Way. Moving on, once you have high quality raw materials, they need to be placed into a matrix that the body can adequately break down so the nutrients can be absorbed. Generally, capsules (not caplets) are superior to tablets in this regard, since tablets are created under enormous amounts of pressure, which make them more difficult for the GI system to break down, particularly if you have gastritis or hypochlorhydria. The trade off here is convenience vs absorption. The tablet is more convenient because you may have to take only one per day, whereas with capsules you may have to take 3 a day or 3 twice a day. But then, if the tablet passes right through you, you are literally just throwing money down the toilet. Some vendors like to throw in what I call a "fairy dusting" of impressive sounding herbs with their multivitamins that "combat stress" "support adrenal function" and "enlarge the size of your reproductive organs." If you think about this for a short time, you will see what a poor strategy it is to take such products. For one, you probably do not need all of those herbs. In fact, some may be contraindicated for you. For example, if you are dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, you should typically not be taking Panax ginseng, which is a favorite addition to such multivitamins. Second, consider again the tiered nature of the industry. The same forces that affect the making of a multivitamin also operate in the world of botanicals. If you are buying a "fairy dusted" multivitamin with Panax ginseng at your local Safeway there is a almost no chance that you are a) getting it a therapeutic dose and/or b) getting real Panax ginseng given that people have paid upwards of $2000 for one perfect Korean red ginseng root. In addition, the active ingredients in herbs fade over time unless they are preserved in some way, as in a tincture; this disintegration is sped up exponential when the herb is powdered (as they are to put into multivitamins), since you have exponentially increased the surface areas exposed to heat, light, and oxygen. Professional level and some health food store (not GNC, but a real health food store) level supplement vendors control for this; most department store level vendors do not. If you need botanical medicines, purchase them separately from a quality provider and take them at the therapeutic dose. End of story. The OP mentioned that she wanted a multivitamin because "I donÂt always eat right." She also requested that people share their favorite multivitamin. I just want to mention in this regard that a multivitamin is not a magic bullet or an insurance policy. It does not take the place of eating correctly, in large part because it does not provide the macronutrients (e.g. protein, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, etc.) that the vitamin and minerals require as substrates. It also does not take the place of a rational eating plan that includes appropriate water intake (not soda, which is dehydrating because of the sugar content, or milk, which is problematic in so many ways except for making money for the dairy lobbyists) and exercise. You can take the highest level multivitamin available, but if your primary meals are Twinkies and cola, an ER visit is not too far in your future. Finally, you should really consider that what works well for one person may not work well for you. To give one easy example, pre-menopausal females really do need a formulation with iron, whereas men typically should avoid iron if they are eating correctly, unless they are anemic, because it can be pro-inflammatory in the body....See MoreVitamins.....Do you take them??
Comments (34)Geritol (liquid vitamin) is made from Brewer's yeast (by product of beer-industry). I love taking Brewer's yeast since it's a natural food-product, rather than refined chemicals. People give NOW's brewer's yeast thumb-down due to its bitterness, but U of Michigan Medical website stated that for brewer's yeast to be effective, it should be bitter. I mix 1/2 Tablespoon of brewer's yeast with 1 cup of milk, plus 1 heaping tablespoon of buckwheat honey, and it tastes great. It really stabilized my blood sugar, and helped me to lose weight & plus extra energy. I can see why many people report increased energy with vitamins or brewer's yeast (high in B-complex, chromium and selenium). Have been taking brewer's yeast for 1 year .. hair is super thick, at 52-year-old .. it really help with healthy hair. I took Brewer's yeast initially to repel bugs & mosquitoes when I worked in the garden ... but like the extra-energy & less cravings that I kept doing it even in the winter. Folks give brewer's yeast to their pets for shiny & smooth coat of hair, plus to repel fleas. Below is U. of Maryland Medical Center on Brewer's yeast, at $8 per pound, it's a lot cheaper than vitamins & plus help to prevent colds & flu: http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/brewers-yeast Below link lists caution if you take medications along with brewer's yeast Brewer's yeast contains a large amount of tyramine, a substance that can interact with MAOIs and cause a hypertensive crisis Source: Possible Interactions with: Brewer's Yeast | University of Maryland Medical Center http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement-interaction/possible-interactions-with-brewers-yeast#ixzz3Zmk9uIfc...See More- 3 years ago
TJ's vitamins are approx. 2 cm long and 1 cm wide, lozenge shaped, sort of like this:
Suzieque thanked carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10 
3 years ago
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoSuzieque thanked Zalco/bring back Sophie!- 3 years ago
3 years ago
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