Stop hating on vitamins.

[johnyk]

What is with all the hating on vitamins?
Everyone who think they are healthy, likes to give a lecture how they "eat right, and exercise" and don't need supplements.
I find that often those are the same people, who drink half a cup of soy milk once a week and walk up the stairs once a month and think that they are the prime models of health.
Lately this began to annoy me.
Who digs what I am saying?

[Liokault]

So, I was listening to a medical researcher on the radio the other day.

He said that when they gave high dose vitamins (and here high does was only what you can buy in a tablet over the counter) patients died more often.

To summarise he said that if you take a high does, it wont get taken up and will eventually become free radicals, but much deeper in your cells than normal free radicals, hence more damage.

He also said that the most he would take was a very low dose multi vit if he had a bad cold.

[johnyk]

Brother,
I mean no offence or harm, but everyone has their agenda.
Many people take vitamins or doctors prescribe then, having no idea what they are doing.

[Ford Prefect]

I've recently fallen off the supplement band wagon. This is really only from my personal experience with things like multi-vitamins, individual vitamins, protein, creatine, glutamine, fish oils, etc. I feel no different off than on. I make the same gains off and on. I remain just as healthy off and on. I recover just as quickly off and on. The only difference is that I have more dispodable income now that I don't spend so much on supplements.

I try to get all my nutrition from natural sources. I eat lean meats like chicken, fish, and lean cuts of red meat. I have at least one salad every day and have vegetables with dinner. I eat a few servings of fruit every day. I drink milk, eat egg whites, have a multi-grain cereal, etc etc. I feel pretty good.

I do occasionally take a multi-vitamin, vitamin C, and/or Vitamin E when I'm coming down with something. I don't know if it's my fitness level, natural immune system, or my diet, but whenever I catch something from somebody close to me, it is always far less severe than when they had it.

[TonyM.]

Thanks Ford. I've been sharing that experience for a few years now and people just respond like I have three heads.

[Gold_Ultima]

I say everyone should do whatever the heck they want. You like vitamines? Great. You don't? That's great too. People should just ingest what they think they need to live whatever life they decide. I take vitamine C on occasion if I've been lacking in citrus fruits. I also somtimes take calcium to help build up the strength of the bones in my wrists and fists. There are supliments now that actually are designed to increase your anti-oxident levels which help prevent cancer. It's proven to make it the equivilent of a vegitarian. I don't take it, but I know someone who does. Either way, it's all good. Just take everything in moderation.

[KungFuGuy!]

My girlfriend's grandmother is almost 90 years old, but has a low fat percentage, has the movements of a 40 year old, and is as alert as anyone I know. She takes vitamins every day, and swears by them. She said when she was about 45 she was developing arthritis and had very low energy, so she started on a regiment of vitamins and claims to feel younger now than she did when she was 45. Naturally, she eats well and doesn't just sit around the house all day, but there's no denying the effect vitamins have on her.

[_William_]

I have read that pro-oxidant effects of antioxidants are only evident when they are used singly, especially vitamin e and selenium. They are supposed to work synergystically, ie. taken together. This makes sense, since in foods you never have a single nutrient in isolation. I don't know much about this though.

Here is a good site on vitamins, etc.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/lpirx2.html

[IronFist]

So I shouldn't be taking my GNC Megamen multi every day that has anywhere from 100% to 1000% of the different vitamins? :D It's usually only a really high dose of the water-soluble vitamins (Vitamin C and the Bs).

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

My girlfriend's grandmother is almost 90 years old, but has a low fat percentage, has the movements of a 40 year old, and is as alert as anyone I know. She takes vitamins every day, and swears by them. She said when she was about 45 she was developing arthritis and had very low energy, so she started on a regiment of vitamins and claims to feel younger now than she did when she was 45. Naturally, she eats well and doesn't just sit around the house all day, but there's no denying the effect vitamins have on her.

i think sometimes cause and effect get mixed up and more often than not lucking out in the gene pool has more to do with it than anything.

there are also plenty of people who have lived into their 90s swearing by whiskey or any number of things.

[3 Rotor]

What is with all the hating on vitamins?
Everyone who think they are healthy, likes to give a lecture how they "eat right, and exercise" and don't need supplements.




I'm a big fan of pharmanex. They have the exclusive to a machine that actually proves whether or not the vitamins you take are doing anything by checking your skin caratenoid levels on a regular basis.

I will admit that hardcore vegetarians probably don't need supplements.

I switched away from GNC Megas because I proved to myself that they are inferior.

I AM a hater of Western Medicine/surgery/drugs as a cure for anything.

[BruceSteveRoy]

I have oral allergy syndrome and as a result i have a severe allergic reaction to almost all uncooked (or unprocessed) fruits and vegetables. I used to get sick a lot but since i started regularly taking vitamins i have been a lot better. I think there is nothing wrong with people supplementing their diet with vitamins.

[grippster]

Why do people tend to get religous about these things? Some people need it and some don't. I can only speak for myself. I have been eating vitamins and other supplements for ten years now because my imunesystem is verry low. As long as i eat my supplements I feel fine and can train somewhat hard but when I quit for a period my bodytemperature gets lower and I get a cold (or cold like symptoms).

If you don't need it, why use it? I sure wouldn't.

[3 Rotor]

How do we know if our bodies need vitamins or not?

It is not a good idea to wait until symptoms appear. This is when the body is at a tolerance limit.

We may not notice any immediate symptoms but cancer/alzheimers/etc. might rear its head later in life because of 30 years of slow malnourishment.

I consider myself a bit of a vitamin freak and I think that we should all be obsessively loading up on all kinds of vitamins, bioflavanoids, herbs, seeds, etc. and at the same time avoiding toxic stuff (such as flouride) and food additives.

[Sifu Darkfist]

Tribulus (according to the pro's 1000 to 2000 mg's) and viraloid (as directed) have both increased my testosterone dramatically and naturally as well as muscle and strength).
At my advanced age it gives me the edge to train with my athletes (fighters).
God put these plants and animals here for a reason, you can ignore them, i choose to gain muscle and power.

[Finny]

I think that we should all be obsessively loading up on all kinds of vitamins

The body only needs a small amount of Vitamins at any given time.

Excess vitamins are removed from the body as waste products. Hence they are wasted.

Anyone who thinks "we should all be obsessively loading up on all kinds of vitamins" would be well advised to consult a physician. Specifically as to the effects of high dosages of vitamins on the liver and kidneys.

Or better yet, just look up 'renal failure' on a google search.

Vitamins and supplements have their place, but most people who take them probably take too much and stress their kidneys/liver. Eating a healthy, balanced diet, with as much organic stuff in it as possible, should largely remove the need to take vitamins and other suppllements. The exceptions seem to be hard core athletes, who may need higher levels of proteins and other amino acids and vitamins. This doesn't mean taking LOTS of vitamins etc.

If you take more vitamins than your body needs, all you are doing is stressing your liver and kidneys, by making them work harder to remove more waste from your blood. You are not doing yourself any favours.

Supplements are just that, designed to supplement a healthy diet.

[dainos]

we need to be careful with our supplements like the post above me said.
anything can be a poison if it is too much. everybody can die drinking too much water or ide eating too much food but that is really rare because of barfing mechnisim. if something is a poison maybe in extreamly small doses can be good for you. so i think taking in vitamins occasional will bring the best results