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Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

npr.org

31–40 of 248 posts

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#31

Why do we keep looking for some magic pill and ignore diet and exercise, especially when we talk about cancer and cardiovascular disease? Expecting a pill to counteract a sedentary lifestyle and a diet high in sugar and carbs is lunacy.

Why do you think so? If you accept the body as a very complex biochemical machine, then you should also accept that there are some changes you can introduce that impact the overall state. Take for example Myostatin: its an active ingredient that promotes the build up of muscular mass, and this does not require to do any physical activity. There are thousands of substances that significantly impact how you feel, sleep, and operate, so I am not sure why the answer to every problem should always be diet and exercise.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#32
post #11

This headline is quite misleading (and arguably very biased toward white readers). It describes a marked improvement in outcomes for African American study participants. So perhaps NPR views this as "disappointing" but the headline suggests broadly that everyone should stop taking those supplements, when in fact the results are far more nuanced. HN's absurd title policy is using a clickbait (and misleading) title cho…

> HN's absurd title policy is using a clickbait (and misleading) title chosen by NPR and amplifying it.

In general I think the HN title policy works great, and I don’t think it’s fair to call it “absurd”.

I think HN at its core always was a sort of social experiment revolving around online discussions. The title policy, along with the guidelines, is what makes HN be HN.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#33

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1809944 Abstract: 'It is unclear whether supplementation with vitamin D reduces the risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease, and data from randomized trials are limited. Methods We conducted a nationwide, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, with a two-by-two factorial design, of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) at a dose of 2000 IU per day and marine n−3 (also called omega-3…

I'm curious as to whether 2000 IU per day is considered a large dose by the HN community. I've a bottle of 5,000 IU.

This was in otherwise generally healthy people, so the dosage is going to be less than you'd give to a person with a deficiency.

A person with a moderate deficiency would probably get 5,000 IU. Doses up to 10,000 IU are fairly well tolerated.

So, no it's not a large dose. It's a modest dose.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#35
post #11

This headline is quite misleading (and arguably very biased toward white readers). It describes a marked improvement in outcomes for African American study participants. So perhaps NPR views this as "disappointing" but the headline suggests broadly that everyone should stop taking those supplements, when in fact the results are far more nuanced. HN's absurd title policy is using a clickbait (and misleading) title cho…

> HN's absurd title policy is using a clickbait (and misleading) title chosen by NPR and amplifying it. In general I think the HN title policy works great, and I don’t think it’s fair to call it “absurd”. I think HN at its core always was a sort of social experiment revolving around online discussions. The title policy, along with the guidelines, is what makes HN be HN.

The absurd part isn't the convention of being true to the source's headline — which is good, generally — but the dogged persistence in keeping bad and misleading headlines, with extremely rare exception.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm curious as to whether 2000 IU per day is considered a large dose by the HN community. I've a bottle of 5,000 IU.

This was in otherwise generally healthy people, so the dosage is going to be less than you'd give to a person with a deficiency. A person with a moderate deficiency would probably get 5,000 IU. Doses up to 10,000 IU are fairly well tolerated. So, no it's not a large dose. It's a modest dose.

[deleted]

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#37

Why do we keep looking for some magic pill and ignore diet and exercise, especially when we talk about cancer and cardiovascular disease? Expecting a pill to counteract a sedentary lifestyle and a diet high in sugar and carbs is lunacy.

I work indoors and there's not enough sunlight around to get enough vitamin D, especially this time of year.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#39

Why do we keep looking for some magic pill and ignore diet and exercise, especially when we talk about cancer and cardiovascular disease? Expecting a pill to counteract a sedentary lifestyle and a diet high in sugar and carbs is lunacy.

Show me a randomized control study of healthy people with lower all cause mortality from either diet or exercise, and I'll gladly change my ways.

Re: Long-Awaited Study Results on Vitamin D and Fish Oil Supplements

#40
post #30

"At this point, if one is thinking about supplementation, either omega-3s or vitamin D, talking to your physician or healthcare provider is the next step" Does anyone actually talk to their doctor before taking a vitamin? What information could they possibly provide

They could inform you how much 30 minutes of their time and the facility fees truly cost. ;-)

If you're quite serious about it you could maybe draw blood and see if you're deficient in any particular vitamins.

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