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what vitamins do you take? i take multi's, with B1 and zinc. seems to work for me.
also whats the deal with B vitamins? I seem to remember that if you take two different types of B they combine well for metabolism?
all thoughts sensible and nonsensical welcome. cheers
Vit B12 deficiency seems to be quite common, as does vit D. If you're interested in metabolism then coconut oil is claimed to be good.
Someone will be along soon to rubbish this. 😀
I find a healthy diet suffices.
^ there, didn't take long did it? 😉
😀
As there's a topic on it, anyone tried the Centrum Performance multi vitamins?
No, I'm using BioCare multi vitamins.
Some research has suggested that there is an increased mortality rate in folk who take multivitamins - or maybe not http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23255568
Vit D (in decent doses) is the one we need
B12 is worth a punt too.
None if you eat a decent diet, and don't have any health issues then you shouldn't need to take any.
How many people eat a decent diet? Not too many me thinks, it's also hard to get adequate vitamins from diet because of so much refinement along with additives especially preservatives. Most people who do not train hard probably do not need vitamins although they are usually the ones with bad diets.
I take B-complex all year, Vit-D in Winter months and sometimes take a good Multi-vitamin if I'm going to be training hard( or can afford them)
How many people would know a balanced diet if it smacked them in the face? What ratio of macronutrients would a perfect diet be made up with? 40:30:30 50:30:20 ???
I can't turn the pedals unless I'm high on berocca.
Holland & Barrat, isotonic orange or lemon powder drink.
600ml of water + 1 scoop, 1/2 before and 1/2 after.
works wonders (also use when going to the gym)
calcium +d,cod liver oil(high strength)and centrum multivit 50+.
every morning
(a big reduction in iron when you are over 50)
After saying that, when the centrum runs out I am going to use Pharma Nord multivits, which are probably the best in the world
(web = multivits.co.uk)
they are in blister packs to keep them fresh.
You break the seal on a bottle of multivits and when you get 1/2 way through, all the trace elements,selinium etc... have disapeared into the air, not in blisterpacks.
Hope this helps.
P.S.as above don't forget your balanced diet.
Vit M
Vit T
Vit F
Vit U
😈
(a big reduction in iron when you are over 50)
Any links to that statement please? Thanks. 🙂
Thanks. 🙂
I've been taking an iron supplement for over 25 years. Also had a blood test done last month which was useful.
I would say that many women struggle to eat sufficient red meat. Do try and eat liver once a month though.
Interesting topic. Paul Offit has written quite a few interesting articles on the subject.
Multi vitamin plus and additional vit c + zinc tablet.
Since taking the additional vit c + zinc tablet I've had less colds, and I'm sure that I seem to pick up the lurgies of anyone on the train & tube. The first thing I do when I get to work / home is wash my hands, after commuting with the great unwashed!
How many people eat a decent diet? Not too many me thinks, it's also hard to get adequate vitamins from diet because of so much refinement along with additives especially preservatives
Sounds like a vitamin salesmans pitch.
Vit M
Vit T
Vit F
Vit U😈
Genuine LOL
A-Z multivit tablet if I've eaten junk.
C/Zink when I've got a cold
D/Zink/Calcium when I've got broken bones, can't prove it helped, but I was out of the cast and riding again in 10 days after the operation to plate it up.
I use quite a lot of vitamin I.
[citation needed]
Eat yer greens and a good diet. Your body is amazing, it doesn't need any horrible pills.
You break the seal on a bottle of multivits and when you get 1/2 way through, all the trace elements,selinium etc... have disapeared into the air
How does that work then? Sounds like magicke
Eat yer greens and a good diet. Your body is amazing, it doesn't need any horrible pills
+1
Why spend money eating stuff just to pee it out again?
Interesting topic. Paul Offit has written quite a few interesting articles on the subject. Thks for posting that, good read. Thought the last line was somewhat biscuit-arsed, though - Pauling did live to 93 years of age.
A great man - like the author says, Pauling's rise and fall was Homeric in its tragic majesty.
Not really sure bigjim ,micrograms of ingredients and oxidisation?
By the way, sorry not all the trace elements disapear, a few that are in very very tiny amounts.
I think the info was to me over the phone a while ago from their tech heldesk guy.
Anyway see - http://www.pharmanord.co.uk/
They seem pretty good and apear (as if by magic) to work for me.
You should try the vitamins the roadies used in the 70's and 80's
I'd rather spend my money on something I might actually need or enjoy - like nice food
How many people eat a decent diet? Not too many me thinks, it's also hard to get adequate vitamins from diet because of so much refinement along with additives especially preservatives
Sounds like a vitamin salesmans pitch.
WTF, is there such a thing as a vitamin salesman.
before a ride I drink Nae Danger from Irn Bru, here:- [url= http://www.nae-danger.co.uk/ ]Nae Danger[/url] its the dogs bollox 🙂 and no I'm not a Nae Danger salesman (JHChrist)
Nae Danger ftw 🙂
People don't seem to realise that the human metabolism is specialised to build vitamins out of most food, if you at least take a stab at eating healthy!
People in the hebrides lived to 90 eating porridge and puffins ffs! 😈
ADDS - yes I am seriously suggesting we eat puffins for health. There are loads of them!
I use vitamin EPO.
I can't believe so many people admit to using them. I thought it was just smelly hippie types and Mail-readers with too much money.
I'm aware that a lot of ones bought in supermarkets are actually pretty poor anyway. The form of the mineral they have chosen is cheap rather than readily absorbed so you aren't going to get most of it. The more expensive ones use different chemistries so the minerals are better absorbed. You need to pick the right ligands for things like Iron, otherwise you are just sucking a steel bolt and hoping to extract the iron. No idea if this is the same for the vitamins.
Also 100% RDA is typically a minimum not a maximum. If you take into account the fact not all of the tablet content will be absorbed and utilised then the likes of Centrum which contain 100% RDA won't provide you with 100% RDA. The Biocare ones mentioned above often contain something in the region of 3000% RDA to ensure you get what you want out of the tablet.
Sounds like a vitamin salesman's pitch.
WTF, is there such a thing as a vitamin salesman.
If you buy something, someone is selling it. The person seeling it has a vested interest in shifting it to make as much money as they can. The guys making the vitamins on an industrial scale will almost certainly employ people to sell and market their product. So yes there are such things as vitamins salesmen. They might not work like a double glazing man knocking on your door but they still try and sell the stuff by working out how to make people want to buy it. In this case convincing people that they need it for good health.
How many people eat a decent diet? Not too many me thinks, it's also hard to get adequate vitamins from diet because of so much refinement along with additives especially preservatives. Most people who do not train hard probably do not need vitamins although they are usually the ones with bad diets.
Interesting that you mention preservatives. I used to work in the food industry as a development technologist (I'm a chemist by degree) and the there is a huge amount of vitC added to things as a preservative. Plenty of fruit based products use it as it stops the product going brown (anti oxidant you see).
On an additional note "it worked for me" is anecdotal evidence. Peer reviewed studies with (blind) controls are the only real way to asses if things like this work.
Jomba if you are iron deficient then that is a sign there is medically something wrong with you.
I find a healthy diet suffices.
It's unlikely you get enough Vitamin D from your healthy diet (unless you eat a LOT of fish) and indoor jobs and crap weather mean most people don't get enough from the sun either.
Low Vit D is linked to all kinds of nasty stuff including MS.
Missus is an Endocrinologist. We take Vit D.
Vitamin E is where's it's at apparently
Had my vit D tested and level was very low despite riding in daylight twice a week. Also your skin needs to be exposed and I personally find this impossible due to the huge amount of overgrown trails that I use.
Interesting and informative post from jonba. I recently reviewed my supplements (take a lot for a permanent health condition) and have changed to better quality ones. Biocare mainly in fact.
read "The Health Delusion"
contains trails based conclusions.
We are all short of Vitamin D and the RDA for vit D is too low in this country - Canada have it right.
Food has a lot less nutrients in it than it used to.
It's unlikely you get enough Vitamin D from your healthy diet (unless you eat a LOT of fish) and indoor jobs and crap weather mean most people don't get enough from the sun either.Low Vit D is linked to all kinds of nasty stuff including MS.
Missus is an Endocrinologist. We take Vit D.
Also, Depression and SAD 😥
Anywhere better than Holland and Barrett to buy stuff from? Any trusted online suppliers?
Anywhere better than Holland and Barrett to buy stuff from? Any trusted online suppliers?
For anything in particular?
Any trusted online suppliers?
What are you concerned about? That the tablets won't contain the correct level of [insert trace element that is found in sufficient quantities in any normal diet]? You can't trust anyone that tells you that supra-normal levels of Vitamin C 'boosts your immune system' or Vitamin B for tiredness. So, in conclusion, they're all quacks including Holland and Barrett. Does that help?
We're fantastically well-off in this country. All the metrics show that despite the recent recession, we're still far better off with more free money than we were 30-40 years ago. And yet we choose to spend the spare cash on stupid things we don't need. Here's an idea: Cancel your monthly order with H&B and give the money to a charity that supports people who are actually unwell. Or send your vitamin tablets to Africa where they might be needed rather than getting 100% pissed out in the urine of mindless Brits.
P.S. There are a small proportion of people who do need supplementary dietary vitamins / minerals, and of course these people should take things if they've been medically advised to do so. I'd actually extend that to vulnerable people and those with illnesses that might affect absorption. But the worried well 30-somethings on here? Save your money.
Magnesium the night before in a fairly large dose otherwise I'd be contending with a migraine from hell post ride.
Oh and High 5 magnesium tabs in the bladder as well.
Superficial - I disagree with your post. There are many people who aren't 'fantastically well-off in this country' and you're doing them a disservice.
Do you consider that buying vit d is a waste of money? Your post would indicate that money is more important than good health which is of course absurd.
Presumably you've spent part of your fortune on having an array of blood tests to reassure yourself just in case you're branded the 'worried well' ?
😐
Magnesium, zinc and vit d at the moment. Thinking b12 may be worth it also.
I'm so far away from fantastically well off it's not even funny. What I choose to spend my hard earned on and which charities I support are none of your concern. I simply wanted to know if those who choose to take supplements have found a better value supplier.
And just to add to what CG says above, we are not talking vast sums of money here.
I take multi-vitamins, vit C, omega 6&9 and vit D. I steer clear of the supermarket stuff for the reasons given previously. But even buying good quality stuff costs me less than £20 a month.
Given how much people on here spend on their bikes, just to have the latest kit when what they've got is perfectly fine (me included) then less than £20 a month is small change. And if it contributes towards staying fit and healthy then its well worth it. And even if its only the placebo effect, does it matter. The mind has a powerful affect on the wellbeing of the body. So even if supplements do nothing more than make you feel better and that makes you healthier, then to my mind they serve their purpose.
At the end of the day it's personal choice.
Dai,
I tend to stick to Biocare or Lamberts as they were recommended to me by a nutritionist when i was ill.
So i normally just shop around on the web for the best price.
I usually find Bodykind or Dolphin fitness to be the cheapest.
even if supplements do nothing more than make you feel better and that makes you healthier
What if they don't make you healthier but they make some people think it doesn't matter about their unhealthy diet because they're taking supplements?
(Having said that, the same could be said of exercise: a colleague tucked into chips and beans for her lunch because she was going to circuits that night, despite trying to lose weight.)
As mentioned earlier I take Vit D over the Winter months and know that it staves SAD, maybe it is pacebo but if it works I will keep taking it.
My missus uses PurePharma and swears by them for general health.
I reckon we have a very healthy and varied diet for instance my fruit and veg combined isn't 5 a day it's closer to 10. We eat fish twice a week and lean meat 4 times, porridge for brekkie (with chocolate protein powder) mixed nuts and fresh fruit BUT still I can get plagued with SAD it's no nice - Vitamin D has eradicated it for me!
PS. We both take ZMA at night before bed and sleep is dramatically improved - no I'm not selling any 🙂
Wow. We've even got vitamin snobs now...
Dai - agree with FieldMarshall re Biocare and Lamberts. May I also add Jarrows Formula.
Yes, there are cheaper but I believe quality needs to be looked at, as mentioned by jonba.
I've been seeing magnesium mentioned a fair bit recently. As regards zinc, have seen that it should be taken with copper.
This may be of interest:
@ crikey - haven't you got some patients to deal with?? 😉
Oh god good, /edit or indeed, good god.... Diet, and only diet, please ignore totally bogus nonsense about vitamin D, zinc, iron insert whatever you've been conned into being 'deficient' in.
Total rubbish, the food you eat, and only the food you eat.
Just finished nights. It's interesting that we tried vitamin and trace element supplementation on ITU, but gave it up because of a lack of sensible evidence. We do use Pabrinex in people who are obviously malnourished, but no other stuff.
Do you consider that buying vit d is a waste of money? Your post would indicate that money is more important than good health which is of course absurd.
You've made a leap of logic there. Your assumption is that spending money on vitamins leads to good health? An assumption which is, at the very least, inaccurate and in fact if you read the above articles the very opposite [i]may[/i] be true ([i]My[/i] assumption is that you're healthy and young - apologies if that's not the case but I already covered excluding vulnerable people in my previous post). Vitamin D supplementation is probably the one with the most evidence behind it, but it's still far from conclusive. A recent Lancet article has shown no evidence of benefit on bone health. Admittedly there are some other reasons why vitamin D deficiency may be relevant but unless you have reason to suspect you might be deficient (I.e. risk factors or biochemical evidence) then I'm not sure why you would waste your money.
I'm so far away from fantastically well off it's not even funny. What I choose to spend my hard earned on and which charities I support are none of your concern.
How you rate your personal finances against others is a different matter though - My point is that (and I'm making an assumption here, correct me if I'm wrong) most people have a roof over their heads, food to eat and enough spending money that they can afford a car / a hobby / to go out / do things they enjoy. By any realistic metric, we are very well off compared to people in this country from just a couple of decades ago. In the example Field Marshall gives, £20/month or £240 / year on something that has no health benefit beyond placebo and in fact may make you die earlier? That's absurd.
Lamberts as they were recommended to me by a nutritionist when i was ill.
I prefer Benson and Hedges
there are some other reasons why vitamin D deficiency may be relevant but unless you have reason to suspect you might be deficient (I.e. risk factors or biochemical evidence) then I'm not sure why you would waste your money.
Scotland. Low levels of Vitamin D, statistically high levels of MS.
Since my own wife is apparently trying to con me with "totally bogus nonsense" maybe I should ask my good mate, diagnosed with MS at 35, now practically blind in one eye and likely doomed to an early death, if he thinks it's a waste of money?
There is a good reason that the government actively recommends Vitamin D supplements to all children under 5 and pregnant women. Really quite a lot of us would benefit from it:
"A recent nationwide survey in the United Kingdom showed that more than 50% of the adult population have insufficient levels of vitamin D"
-- http://www.bmj.com/content/340/bmj.b5664
Scotland. Low levels of Vitamin D, statistically high levels of MS.
Indeed. I'm not sure how informed your mate is, but Omega 3 as fish oil is definitely worth a punt as well as an extremely low sat fat diet.
S**** has his fans and detractors, but IMHO he was definitely onto something - http://www.s****msdiet.org/20years
I just Googled vitamin D supplements for young children, because I'd not heard of it despite having reasonably young kids; looks like it was only introduced as guidance in 2012.
The page also pointed out that not everyone with a VitD deficiency will get a disease thought to be related to it, and that not everyone with one of those diseases was it cause by VitD deficiency.
But, given what I read on there, VitD supplements might be a reasonable idea, especially for darker skinned people in more northerly latitudes. Although, if that's the case it seems strange that the guidance essentially says not to bother with supplements after the age of five...
Oh, that page also warned against long-term use of multi-vitamins as vitamin A is toxic in large doses, so multi-vitamin users could be poisoning themselves...
Ahh good old STW. Have we posted up that the world is still flat?
Put down the crack pipe, the amount of evidence for vitamin D supplementation vs against is laughable.
Next someone will post up that the traditional food pyramid is the healthiest diet 😆
But, given what I read on there, VitD supplements might be a reasonable idea, especially for darker skinned people in more northerly latitudes. Although, if that's the case it seems strange that the guidance essentially says not to bother with supplements after the age of five...
IIRC existing guidance is about preventing rickets (spelling). UK guidance is under review and may include consideration for autoimmune conditions in the future.
Put down the crack pipe, the amount of evidence for vitamin D supplementation vs against is laughable.
Maybe for general health, but it has its applications.
List of peer-reviewed references at the bottom of this link.
http://www.overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org/Recovery-Program/Sunlight-and-Vitamin-D/
Of course, there is also the issue of funding RCTs for the benefits of Vit D by big pharma.
IIRC existing guidance is about preventing rickets (spelling).
As I and my children* don't have rickets, can I safely assume that I and they get sufficient vitamin D in our diets and from sunlight?
*and my parents and grandparents, despite my granddad being Scottish
As I and my children* don't have rickets, can I safely assume that I and they get sufficient vitamin D in our diets and from sunlight?
I think you need to read what you can and make your own choices - but it's definitely not all about rickets any more.
What i find amusing is that the organisations who claim that supplements are of no benefit are the same ones that tell you that you must take a whole host of drugs to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke etc when there is masses of evidence showing that exercise and a good nights sleep are just as effective.
If you were at all cynical you'd almost think that the whole British medical system/government health organisation was being controlled by the big pharmaceutical companies. 😆
As has been said you need to review the "facts" and make your own mind up. And also find what works for you.
What i find amusing is that the organisations who claim that supplements are of no benefit are the same ones that tell you that you must take a whole host of drugs to lower your risk of heart disease, stroke etc when there is masses of evidence showing that exercise and a good nights sleep are just as effective.
What i find amusing is that the organisations who have a great deal more responsibility to the public can only use the best research that is available to make recommendations based on that research [s]claim that supplements are of no benefit[/s] and are the same ones that tell you that you that research suggests that you can [s]must take a whole host of drugs to[/s] lower your risk of heart disease, stroke etc when there is masses of evidence showing that exercise and a good nights sleep are [s]just as effective[/s] pretty useless when you already have hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, atherosclerosis and so on.
As has been said you need to review the "facts" and make your own mind up. And also find what works for you.
Of course, we also pay an awful lot of money for research and for medical training to allow people to understand and apply the things we find out about, but yes, you find out what works for you...
As has been said you need to review the "facts" and make your own mind up. And also find what works for you.
Or, stop trying to chase the latest fads and phases and stick to eating and exercising sensibly. All that they're doing is making small changes to the last few percentage point chances that you'll develop some condition or other rather than changing absolute certainties.
Maybe for general health, but it has its applications.
You've got the wrong end of the stick. I'm talking about the overwhelming amount of research in favour of vit D supplementation for people who don't get enough sunlight all-year round.
You've got the wrong end of the stick. I'm talking about the overwhelming amount of research in favour of vit D supplementation for people who don't get enough sunlight all-year round.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_D
/p>
As with so many 'simple' things, there's rather more to it than that.
[quote> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_D
/p>
As with so many 'simple' things, there's rather more to it than that.
I can tell you have really done your research posting links from wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
Guess I had better stop drinking water!
I can tell you have really done your research posting links from wiki
..and you'll be telling me all about the research you've done into the toxicity of Vitamin D will you?
..or maybe not?
I'm pointing out that the situation is not as simple as is being portrayed.
I'm addicted to placebos. I'd give up but I don't think it would make much difference.
..and you'll be telling me all about the research you've done into the toxicity of Vitamin D will you?..or maybe not?
Anyone who has done any research into vit D will know that it is [i]possible[/i] to have too much. Varies depending on who you listen to, but under 10'000 iu is generally considered safe.
I'd assume the majority of people who consider supplementing anything would realise it is possible to overdo it, just like drinking water.
A bit of common sense generally helps in these situations, although because this is STW, that can sometimes be lacking.
Anyone who has done any research into vit D will know that it is possible to have too much. Varies depending on who you listen to, but under 10'000 iu is generally considered safe.I'd assume the majority of people who consider supplementing anything would realise it is possible to overdo it, just like drinking water.
A bit of common sense generally helps in these situations, although because this is STW, that can sometimes be lacking.
The situation, therefore, is not as simple as is being portrayed, as I said before you had to comment on the use of Wikipedia?
The situation, therefore, is not as simple as is being portrayed, as I said before you had to comment on the use of Wikipedia?
Most things in life are not simple. Posting wiki articles about toxicity of vitamins is like posting articles of water toxicity, a waste of time.
Let me guess you either work in traditional medicine or believe in it wholeheartedly?
Medicine is a bit like religion, lots of dogma and black and white thinking. I cannot really be arsed with getting into a debate about supplementing certain vitamins.
To the OP and everyone else who is interested, do some research, look at both sides of the picture and make your own mind up.