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Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

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Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#41

Post by hga »

dalore wrote: post #38
vlado wrote: post #36

My candidate-mother-in-law (as she likes to call herself) says artificial vitamins are bad. Vitamins and minerals in the form of pills get fully absorbed by the body, even if they are not needed in such big quantities at the moment. Examples: If you bring more calcium in the body it can subside in kydneys in the form of sand-particles. If you bring more vitamin D into the body, the body starts to pull out calcium fro…

I got told me quite the opposite, from people with actual medical degrees. That multivitamin supplements aren't all that useful since the body tends to not absorb much of it and excretes it. It's better to get the vitamins from your food. If vitamins get fully absorbed why is my piss bright green when I take a multivitamin?

Have you tried to take the vitamin with food?

Me, I split my "One A Day" type vitamin/mineral pill into two and take one half with breakfast and lunch. I avoid dinner for minerals to give any excess the best chance of getting excreted during the day when I'm pushing a lot more water though my kidneys.

As for your problem ... are you sure that's not just some dye in the pill? I don't know of anything that would be "bright green" that you'd likely be taking.

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#42

Post by hga »

uuid wrote: post #26

Most important: Folic acid (B9). Apparently has strong correlation with IQ. Makes me wake up instantly in the morning. Less tired. Better concentration. Don't take more than ~400mg /day.

With all the suplimentation going on limiting it to 400 mcg (NOT mg) is going to be hard.

The key is to limit it to 1,000 mcg/1 mg; above that the symptoms of pernicious anemia (Vitamin B12 problems) can be masked until you've gotten irreversible nerve damage.

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#43

Post by rarrrrrr »

I've been studying health and exercising with an Olympic trainer for years.

First, nearly all vitamins sold at CVS, Walgreens, Costco, Walmart, etc. are cheaply manufactured. Don't even bother. These are also the vitamins pharmaceutical companies study when they wish to discredit the healthfulness of vitamins in general.

Next, health requires diet, exercise, and supplementation for nutrients that can't easily be found in our modern food supply. Supplements alone won't do it.

That said, the best quality supplement companies I'm aware of are (in descending order for price and quality) Wellness Resources, the Life Extension Foundation, and Vitacost. Prepare yourself for sticker shock. The best protein supplements I know of (fermented or sprouted brown rice base, no animal or soy sources) are from SunWarrior and Boku Superfood.

The supplements I use are mostly plants, and include chlorella, spirulina, tumeric + black pepper, CoQ10, resveratrol, and LEF's Mix Tab vitamins (9 per day; a wide range of things are included.)

I also include flax oil, maca root, and pure chocolate directly in meals, along with an abundance of colorful fruits and vegetables, nuts, and occasional good quality meats.

Previous comments on supplements and diet:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1007392

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=829701

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=726914

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=585575

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=516538

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#44

Post by hga »

WRT to omega 3 supplementation (which I think is a good idea to balance out the surplus we get post-WWII of omega 6 fatty acids due to the shift to vegetable oils) I recommend Nordic Naturals. I buy half a years supply at a time (to avoid excessive heat or cold in shipping and to get a volume discount) and they maintain their freshness.

If you detect any rancidity you need to find another source.

For what it's worth, I too take essentially what you're taking: a private label knock off of the Centrum mature multivitamin (unless you're a menstruating woman you probably don't need iron supplementation and it can be harmful) and a fair amount of Vitamin D3, which I will be adjusting based on blood tests to figure out what's right for me.

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#45

Post by miri »

Vitamin B12 and folic acid, relatively large doses to prevent recurrence of deficiency, since regular dietary intake wasn't enough. Brand doesn't matter, since it's prescription-only. Non-vitamin supplements is Omega-3 if I haven't eaten much fatty fish lately, and fairly low doses of haem iron to keep my ferritin where it is.

I see no reason to take any other supplements, as my diet is fairly balanced, lots of vegetables, fairly good amount of fish (but could be better). I take enough pills already as it is due to chronic illness.

Besides, there's so much NONSENSE out there. NO, large doses of Vitamin C will not help for a cold. It will give you the runs, and harm your kidneys in the long run, but you're wasting your money. Get out in the sun in summer, eat vit D-rich foods in winter if you live in places such as Norway like I do, and otherwise take it easy. Eat vegetables, try to eat less processed food, remember that vit B12 only comes from animal sources (milk, eggs, meat - spirulina does NOT contain B12) and you should be good.

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#46

Post by Tichy »

rarrrrrr wrote: post #43

I've been studying health and exercising with an Olympic trainer for years. First, nearly all vitamins sold at CVS, Walgreens, Costco, Walmart, etc. are cheaply manufactured. Don't even bother. These are also the vitamins pharmaceutical companies study when they wish to discredit the healthfulness of vitamins in general. Next, health requires diet, exercise, and supplementation for nutrients that can't easily be foun…

What is the difference in the "cheap" supplements and the ones you recommend? Cheaply manufactured doesn't imply that they are bad/worse.

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#47

Post by Luc »

dalore wrote: post #35
Luc wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a rule of thumb, by just repeatedly eating the food you don't like, you will get used to it and learn to like it. This is all it takes - just eat spinach 10 times, and you'll learn to like spinach. It's likely you'll prefer it prepared this way rather than that way, but your tastes will change. I like to make it easier on myself by putting lots of pepper or chilli sauce on the food, until I am used to the taste. B…

You can't generalize like that. I seriously can't eat vegetables. It's the texture and not the taste. I can eat them when they have been puréed and mixed into my food and I don't know about it. But if I try to eat something and I feel the "crunch" of vegetables, my throat will close up. It's been noted that people with Aspergers sometimes have a problem with certain food textures. So this could be a manifestation of…

Sorry, I'm just trying to be encouraging and to challenge the belief that there is no way out of this situation. It's fun to hack the brain, and to submit your lower brain systems to the will of your conscious brain. The short term may be hard and painful, but in the long term you'll feel better for it. It's not that different from studying hard or exercising.

This is my humble opinion, and your mileage may vary...

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#48

Post by cas »

seshagiric wrote: post #17
cas wrote: post #11

There is a lot of scientific research that shows that a balanced diet is all that is required to provide all the vitamins the body requires and that supplements at best are a waste of money and at worst in large doses can cause harm. The only exception would be for people that have specific conditions that a doctor suggests supplements for. Edit: I though i would add one example i read recently about Omega 3 that rea…

Isn't the point of taking of supplements that you cannot easily arrange a 'balanced diet'?

A balanced diet is not difficult!

Its a no-brainer to me that if you are worried enough about your health to simply change your diet to add a bit more fruit and veg rather than spend money on magic pills without any medical or scientific basis.

this comment also echos my thoughts: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1367101

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#49

Post by ekanes »

zecg wrote: post #31
seshagiric wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't the point of taking of supplements that you cannot easily arrange a 'balanced diet'?

Yes, but it's actually easier than people think. You don't have to make a science of it or measure doses, just ditch flavor enhancers and avoid preservatives, read the labels on stuff you buy (yes, time-consuming at first, but you'll have to do it less and less as you gain experience), favor fresh produce over junk food and get lots of sunshine.

I think your attitude is right-on, but you proceeded to list as "easy" a bunch of things people find hard. ;)

(You might not, but many do...)

Re: Ask HN: Which vitamin supplements do you take?

#50

Post by sirsean »

I take Damage Control Master Formula from Primal Nutrition; in the last six months I've lost about 30 pounds, find myself considerably less hungry than I used to be, and have a lot more energy than I did before. (That all may also be related to the fact that I switched to a high-protein/low-carbs diet at the same time.)

Primal Nutrition also offers Omega 3 supplements, which I also take. I have not had the rancidity problem.

It's all pretty expensive, though.

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