# Vitamins a waste? I call BS on this.



## VioletIris (Jan 15, 2010)

How do Americans waste $28 billion a year? On vitamins, doctors say - latimes.com

I will continue to spend about $200 a year on my daily multivitamin, omega fish oil capsule, and calcium/magnesium/D3 supplement. Without the first, which contains 9 units of iron, I start to feel fatigued after a few weeks of not taking it. Before I started taking the 2nd, my cholesterol was 267 with low "good" cholesterol -- now my cholesterol is from 199 - 225 and my "good" chol count is so high (66) that my overall chol level is considered healthy. Finally, my gyn has been telling me to take calcium supplements for years, it is the only supplement he has ever pushed. And no particular brand, either, so he's not getting any kick-back or special promotional offers for it.

So yes I am producing anecdotal evidence against this statistical study (one of the study samples was all men, I believe, which already makes it at least a bit irrelevant to what my body needs, especially concerning iron and calcium). I also look and feel very healthy for my age. It would be extremely difficult to get all the daily required vitamins and minerals from food alone. I would LOVE to put that money toward something else, like college tuition for my kids or retirement savings, but what good are those things if I am not at optimal health?


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## LadyO.W.BernieBro (Sep 4, 2010)

l go back and forth with this a lot, but that has been the general consensus among the medical community for awhile.


l think doctors want to paint with a broad stroke here even though there will be exceptions in individual cases. They get frustrated with people trying to self-diagnose and treat, so they give one OSFA advice against it.

l've always had (borderline?) hypoglecemia and l feel like l'm always bordering on being anemic too.When l have my levels tested, the response l usually get from doctors are that my levels of a lot of key things are ''naturally low''(?)...but not enough to warrant concern.

l don't take iron supplements (bad idea to do this if you are not anemic,there is such thing as overdose and liver toxicity), but l take a basic multivitamin with 3 milligrams of iron.

l'm not sure if it makes a real difference, but l just use it as kind of insurance since doctors give me indefinitve feedbac


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## VioletIris (Jan 15, 2010)

A note on the iron -- I don't use the popular drugstore multivitamins, which often contain 18 units of iron; I order a brand on line that is made from organic sources and contains 9 units of iron. Once I am post-menopause I should be able to go to an iron-free supplement.


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## ElectricHead (Jun 3, 2011)

Weird. My doctor always promotes the use of vitamins.


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

Unless you have a deficiency for some reason, it's not really necessary to supplement, as you can take everything from proper diet, that's why they call it a waste probably. It's also important that we don't know how much of the supplement is really absorbed from the body, especially if you combine them wrongly with other supplements or foods. 
There are some cases in life that it's good to supplement, especially in pregnancy where it's de facto now to take folic, iron and maybe calcium because the risk of a possible deficiency in the foetus is too easy to deal with so it'd be a shame not to. Women after menopause probably benefit a lot from a combo of calcium and D3 too. 
But it's important to do a blood test first, because if everything is normal from your every day diet, it's really not necessary to pay for them. If you believe a certain supplement like omega-3 will benefit your cholesterol levels, yeah ok, but multivitamins are usually unnecessary. Also, cholesterol is affected by activity level, so you could just increase that, cost-free and do multiple good to your body besides fixing your cholesterol.


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## Wonszu (Sep 25, 2013)

Let's straight this up... vitamins in capsules are actually a waste of time and money because they aren't as properly digestible as vitamins which are naturally found in vegetables and fruits. Supplements should be used only when you really lack of components in your body and only when you eat something else in the same time so the capsules won't just go through your body. If you eat a proper amount of natural food (not cooked) then you should be free from supplements. If you eat to much junk food and have problems with lack of vitamins then instead of supplements just change your eating behaviour to something more healthy like a fish with raw vegetables. 

Vitamins are suppose to regulate your organic functions. They are not in any means a way to prevent a disease or death. You can actually get hypervitaminosis if you take to much of them, which is as bad as avitaminosis.


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## sehvral (Apr 19, 2013)

I tend to agree that vitamins aren't necessary if you're already healthy. Getting enough vitamins/minerals/etc isn't terribly difficult if you're eating right, and would provide little to no benefit under those circumstances. However, if you're eating a typical diet (carb overloading, lots of sugar, low on veggies, etc) a multivitamin could help mitigate some of the shortfalls.

The key is whether or not you're already living a healthy lifestyle.


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## Vivid Melody (Apr 25, 2011)

I also heard today that the powdered kind are probably more effective. I don't currently take any but I'm sure I will if I get pregnant. I think if you can tell it's working for you then no reason to stop. I know our soil is deficient in minerals these days (since it's overworked) so we're not getting as much from fruit and veggies as we normally would (mineral wise).


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## Zombie Devil Duckie (Apr 11, 2012)

A newspapers job is to get you to buy copies of it. The more controversial the information is in the newspaper, the more people talk about it and (hopefully) more people buy it.

Maybe I'm just being too cynical today, but the people that wrote the article probably don't give a crap about you, your money (other than buying the newspaper) or your health. In fact, you are more valuable to them if you die (horribly, and are story-worthy) than at any other time.

Use your own best judgement about vitamins and take what you read, see or hear with a grain of salt.

:wink:


-ZDD


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## qaryoqa (May 31, 2013)

i am utterly confused on the topic of vitamins. i've also heard that how effective they are depends highly on the manufacturer. i've heard that taking calcium in pill form doesn't get deposited correctly or something, or get where it needs to go (in the body). i really haven't been able to sort good sources from bad on this very well when all the sources are "medical professionals."


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Red Panda said:


> Unless you have a deficiency for some reason, it's not really necessary to supplement, as you can take everything from proper diet, that's why they call it a waste probably. It's also important that we don't know how much of the supplement is really absorbed from the body, especially if you combine them wrongly with other supplements or foods.


Exactly this. Basically a normal healthy person should be able to get what they need through a balanced diet.


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## Peter (Feb 27, 2010)

VioletIris said:


> How do Americans waste $28 billion a year? On vitamins, doctors say - latimes.com
> 
> I will continue to spend about $200 a year on my daily multivitamin, omega fish oil capsule, and calcium/magnesium/D3 supplement. Without the first, which contains 9 units of iron, I start to feel fatigued after a few weeks of not taking it. Before I started taking the 2nd, my cholesterol was 267 with low "good" cholesterol -- now my cholesterol is from 199 - 225 and my "good" chol count is so high (66) that my overall chol level is considered healthy. Finally, my gyn has been telling me to take calcium supplements for years, it is the only supplement he has ever pushed. And no particular brand, either, so he's not getting any kick-back or special promotional offers for it.
> 
> So yes I am producing anecdotal evidence against this statistical study (one of the study samples was all men, I believe, which already makes it at least a bit irrelevant to what my body needs, especially concerning iron and calcium). I also look and feel very healthy for my age. It would be extremely difficult to get all the daily required vitamins and minerals from food alone. I would LOVE to put that money toward something else, like college tuition for my kids or retirement savings, but what good are those things if I am not at optimal health?


When I read all what you wrote I get a big question in my head:

*What do you eat?
*​It's like this: if you eat right and eat the right things you will feel fine fine. If you, on top of that, exercise enough, you will feel great.

When you say that it would be extremely difficult to get all the daily required vitamins and minerals from food alone it means you don't eat the right stuff. And I know, in order to get enough vitamins and minerals in your body, the amount of vegetables and fruit you have to eat is a lot bigger than many people are willing to eat.

So I am curious,... What do you eat?


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

Red Panda said:


> *Unless you have a deficiency for some reason, it's not really necessary to supplement, as you can take everything from proper diet, that's why they call it a waste probably*. It's also important that we don't know how much of the supplement is really absorbed from the body, especially if you combine them wrongly with other supplements or foods.
> There are some cases in life that it's good to supplement, especially in pregnancy where it's de facto now to take folic, iron and maybe calcium because the risk of a possible deficiency in the foetus is too easy to deal with so it'd be a shame not to. Women after menopause probably benefit a lot from a combo of calcium and D3 too.
> But it's important to do a blood test first, because if everything is normal from your every day diet, it's really not necessary to pay for them. If you believe a certain supplement like omega-3 will benefit your cholesterol levels, yeah ok, but multivitamins are usually unnecessary. Also, cholesterol is affected by activity level, so you could just increase that, cost-free and do multiple good to your body besides fixing your cholesterol.


if you're eating a standard Western diet, you're bound to be deficient in all sorts of vitamins. legitimately healthy food is hard to come by and expensive (at least in the short term. it's well worth the amount of health deficiencies it can prevent down the road, but that's only relevant if you have the income to purchase it in the first place)


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## LadyO.W.BernieBro (Sep 4, 2010)

l'd never claim to maintain the healthiest of diets consistency, it's not something l get defensive about and l don't really understand why people do. 

Perhaps because l'm thin and haven't faced major health consequences l don't find myself shamed by statements ''Well,if you...you wouldn't need to, you know...''. l do plan to mediate this eventually and l realize my habits could be improved(like most Americans).

l'm hardly someone who maintains a regular eating schedule, so l'm the first to consider supplementation for that reason. 

Another thing to consider for women is that we aren't realistically going to have our blood tested each month to see how things are being maintained with the loss of blood from menstruation, the few times that l have been clinically diagnosed as anemic actually came as a surprise to me. l just thought l felt slightly fatigued and cold like l often do and wasn't doing anything differently as l was when my levels were normal.


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## VioletIris (Jan 15, 2010)

-- here is a log of what I ate yesterday:



Yogurt, Chobani Greek low-fat plain, 1 cup ⊗
170
cal


Blackberries, fresh, 0.25 cup ⊗


Black Coffee, 1 cup ⊗


:

Apples, fresh with skin, 1 small (2-1/2" dia) (approx 4 per lb) ⊗


Mixed Nuts, dry roasted, 4 oz ⊗


Chocolate - Lindt 70% Cocoa, 1 serving


Sushi, California Rolls,z


Japanese Vegetarian Dumplings, 5 serving ⊗


Banana, fresh, 1 extra small (less than 6" long) ⊗ 

This came to 1700 calories, which is the absolute max I can eat without gaining weight.

Yes, I have problems getting enough vegetables -- today I'll have a V8


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

Swordsman of Mana said:


> if you're eating a standard Western diet, you're bound to be deficient in all sorts of vitamins. legitimately healthy food is hard to come by and expensive (at least in the short term. it's well worth the amount of health deficiencies it can prevent down the road, but that's only relevant if you have the income to purchase it in the first place)


If you are interested enough for your health to buy vitamins you could read about eating more healthily. I don't understand how healthy food is hard to come by.. are there no produce aisles in US for greens and even meat?


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

VioletIris said:


> -- here is a log of what I ate yesterday:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


you shouldn't eat calcium along with coffee, because it doesn't allow for the calcium to be absorbed as much
you should have at least 2 servings of dairy daily for calcium intake, and more if you like (you could add a cup of milk along with the banana - it's a very nice combo)
and at least this log doesn't have any food rich in iron


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## bluekitdon (Dec 19, 2012)

I think people are just painting too broad of a picture rather than looking at individual requirements. If you start getting fatigued without the vitamins then continue taking them or modify your diet, obviously you are missing something in your diet. The Dr's point about them being unnecessary applies if you are eating properly & don't have any medical conditions that prevent the absorption of those vitamins, so the majority of people probably do not need them.

I do still personally take a multivitamin because I don't always eat the healthiest things, don't really care to change my diet, and notice a drop in energy when I stop taking them. I did try protein shakes for awhile during training and eventually nixed them because I didn't see any difference though because I get plenty of protein in my diet.

While the broad advice is solid of not needing them, I believe it still needs to be addressed on an individual basis as to whether or not that advice applies to your situation.


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

Red Panda said:


> If you are interested enough for your health to buy vitamins you could read about eating more healthily. I don't understand how healthy food is hard to come by.. are there no produce aisles in US for greens and even meat?


while it's a bit oversimplified, this graph illustrates my point nicely











the fact of the matter is that fast food is MUCH more affordable to those in poverty than fresh produce and meat that isn't dripping with growth hormones and chemicals. 

however, if we're talking people who make $30,000+, then yeah, it's your own damn fault if you're not eating healthier


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

Swordsman of Mana said:


> while it's a bit oversimplified, this graph illustrates my point nicely
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I know that in poverty people turn to junk food because it's cheaper ( i think i actually used it as an argument in one of the topics once, here), but we aren't talking about these people since they probably won't buy any vitamins either.


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## Cher Zee (Feb 15, 2012)

> Milk doesn't naturally have vitamin D, some companies fortify it, but it still contains very little compared to what you need. No food really contains enough vitamin D, the best source is the sun.


Yep, exactly what my doctor said. But the capsules helped. Perfect for a vampire like myself, who doesn't get as much sun as she should!


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## Bago (Aug 30, 2011)

Just a thought. If you do not allow yourself to get sick and therefore build up or to activate your own immune system, then how can it actually be used when it needs to ?


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

Bago said:


> Just a thought. If you do not allow yourself to get sick and therefore build up or to activate your own immune system, then how can it actually be used when it needs to ?


It's not a matter of allowance, not getting sick doesn't mean that bacteria or viruses don't infect you, but rather that your system immediately deals with them without any symptoms appearing, or maybe in some cases they are mild. This happens to all people all year around, every day. That's why some people may be "carriers" but not sick themselves.

What you say happens if we isolate ourselves in a sterile environment for a long time.


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## Bago (Aug 30, 2011)

Red Panda said:


> It's not a matter of allowance, not getting sick doesn't mean that bacteria or viruses don't infect you, but rather that your system immediately deals with them without any symptoms appearing, or maybe in some cases they are mild. This happens to all people all year around, every day. That's why some people may be "carriers" but not sick themselves.
> 
> What you say happens if we isolate ourselves in a sterile environment for a long time.


But I thought that your tolerance of immunity builds up its profile by being exposed to certain viruses so that it knows how to tackle it and so forth ? I know that children has to be exposed to germs and viruses as they grow in order to build up their defense systems.


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Bago said:


> But I thought that your tolerance of immunity builds up its profile by being exposed to certain viruses so that it knows how to tackle it and so forth ? I know that children has to be exposed to germs and viruses as they grow in order to build up their defense systems.


Exposure doesn't equal sickness. You body can build immunities without becoming sick. That's how vaccines work. You're exposed to a weakened version of the virus and your body can identify it and build immunities against it.


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

PowerShell said:


> Exposure doesn't equal sickness. You body can build immunities without becoming sick. That's how vaccines work. You're exposed to a weakened version of the virus and your body can identify it and build immunities against it.


 @Bago: What he said ^^


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## DDC (Oct 18, 2013)

I do take Vit D, due to the lack of sun mostly in the winter months, but this video, which came out today, was really interesting, any comments on it?


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## webnek (Oct 20, 2013)

All I know is that my weight training progress declines when I'm not taking vitamin supplements. My 1 rep max statistics decline or stall and it takes longer to recover. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk


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## Faygo (May 28, 2012)

You pee out most of the vitamins you take.


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## C3bBb (Oct 22, 2013)

Faygo said:


> You pee out most of the vitamins you take.


That's only if your body already contains these vitamins in excess. Otherwise they will be absorbed in your intestinal tract.


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## VioletIris (Jan 15, 2010)

I'm thinking, after reading everything here and viewing the video^, that multivitamins are at best 10 - 15% of the equation and that eating pure foods is much more important. I am not sure what I'm going to do when my current supply of multi's runs out, maybe I'll put the money in my kids' savings funds from now on. However, I will continue to get my Nordic Naturals Omega fish oils forever -- I do really well at cholesterol check-ups since taking those.


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## OutOfThisWorld (Nov 4, 2013)

VioletIris said:


> I'm thinking, after reading everything here and viewing the video^, that multivitamins are at best 10 - 15% of the equation and that eating pure foods is much more important. I am not sure what I'm going to do when my current supply of multi's runs out, maybe I'll put the money in my kids' savings funds from now on. However, I will continue to get my Nordic Naturals Omega fish oils forever -- I do really well at cholesterol check-ups since taking those.


My personal opinion is that vitamins should not be used as a replacement for real food. It's pretty easy to get most of your daily vitamins and minerals if you ate a balanced diet. Of course, using vitamin pills and getting the daily dosage is a lot better than being deficient, but I think it's better to get it from natural sources. 

If you ate relatively healthy, the only vitamin you should probably be popping is fish oil capsules (Omega-3) on a daily basis. Maybe something like B12, D, folic acid or calcium, if applies to you (Vitamin D is something you can get from sun. Just go out for 10 minutes or so and you're good to go. Wear sunscreen!).


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## Red Panda (Aug 18, 2010)

OutOfThisWorld said:


> Just go out for 10 minutes or so and you're good to go. Wear sunscreen!).


Sunscreen doesn't allow for vitamin D synthesis.


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## Stelmaria (Sep 30, 2011)

OutOfThisWorld said:


> My personal opinion is that vitamins should not be used as a replacement for real food. It's pretty easy to get most of your daily vitamins and minerals if you ate a balanced diet.


This really seems to be a matter of faith. We are told that we "should" just eat a balanced diet, but is this even realistic?

Most people do not even carefully control their diet to be "balanced" and even those who do may still end up with deficiencies.

JISSN | Full text | Food Alone May Not Provide Sufficient Micronutrients for Preventing Deficiency
JISSN | Full text | Prevalence of micronutrient deficiency in popular diet plans

I agree that taking a multivitamin isn't really a solution on its own, it would me more reasonable that actual levels would be measured regularly and supplemented where necessary.

By the way, I find it interesting that while the authorities are telling us that vitamin supplementation is unnecessary, they are meanwhile supplementing foods - eg folic acid in bread, iodised salt etc.
Seems like a contradiction to me.


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