YES! I'm a huge supplement fan. I did a major crash course in nutrition about eight years ago and was shocked to find out that MOST vitamins are utterly ineffective.

First of all in the US there are NO standards and no supplements are approved by the FDA or any other regulating body therefore we have to rely on the comparative guide put out by our Canadian neighbors.

I take USANA vitamins because they have 18 criteria which are required for proper absorption, free of toxicities and tons of other factors.

You can only buy them through a distributor, which i am one BTW so if anyone is interested, please hit me up.

They are a bit pricey but win almost every award for BEST of the BEST.

They are also pharmaceutical grade which means insurance premiums may cover them if they are prescribed by a physician.

http://www.usana.com/ux/dotcom/enu-US/home" rel="nofollow - https://www.usana.com/ux/dotcom/enu-US/home

I've long ago come to the conclusion that vitamins and minerals are best sourced from fresh, raw foods and juices, but that supplements delivered in as natural, unadulterated a state as possible are quite effective. 

^ Solgar is a great product too

I take their Astaxanthin, a potent antioxident from them but they do not rank as the best of the best

progaardvark wrote: My intestines looked at them and sent them on through because there was already enough of these things from food and stuff that was just sitting around down there. So, they've helped me in making my poops slightly larger. It would be easier and more efficient to just throw my $20 bills down the toilet.

That is indeed the case with most brands you buy at the store which is why a fundamental education in the various criteria of supplements is essential. Food for example has been severely depleted of nutrient content due to industrial agriculture practices. There are a gazillion other reasons why vitamin absorption may be inhibited.  A pH of 7.5 or above is mandatory for the blood and interstidium in order for optimal health therefore if dietary choices create an acidic lifestyle then even vitamins will be ineffective.

CAN you elaborate on that statement?

Only food supplement I take is Magnesium, not sure this fits your definition of "vitamin" (it doesn't fit mine but I heard people referring to it as one). This makes me about 1/10 as likely to have a migraine aura at any given time as I had before (or I have when I forget my Magnesium).

Other than that, from the age of about 30 I have strongly increased my fruit and veg intake (without caring much about values of this and that vitamin; all that's fruity and veggy counts for me) and I'm pretty sure that has helped me staying rather healthy in the meantime.

Shadowyzard wrote: ^ LOL. This sounds too much like "cheap" movie talks in Turkish dubbed American movies. BTW, we are AWESOME in dubbing. We just don't talk like this in real life. Yet, this disparity adds those movies an escapist and unreal air, which is great. I don't even use subtitles in English movies anymore, but those were the days... The magical TV times. I loved their "reality".

Yep. Is it obvious i don't speak Turkish? LOL

That was translator talk ALL the way!

Hi,

VITAMINS ... is that a new band? Are they progressive? 

Calcium ... can't do C (rashes with, not to mention the insane amount of sugar that is added in most drinks on the market!!!) ... but in general, I can not take regular vitamin supplements as they tend to hurt me when I stop or miss a day ... I get an immediate cold!

The problem is that industrial agricultural standards have degraded the amount of nutrition available in much food these days. For the body to excel much like a body builder requires excess protein needs supplementation.

I used to do a multi but found the blends unpredictable and hard to regulate.  Stopped taking them and felt much better.  

RihanaBB wrote: Vitamins are very important. That being said, most people don't need to take any vitamin supplements if you eat a balanced diet. Many studies show the importance of vitamins, but they are in populations with deficiencies. There are only two that I could potentially see needing supplementation, vitamin B12 if you are a vegan and vitamin D if you don't spend much time outdoors.

So not true. Nutrient levels in the food supply have been plummeting as agricultural practices degrade soils. Even under the best of circumstances supplementation will offer excess reserves of nutrients however it's not so easy to determine which vitamins are best and most are unfortunately totally ineffective (hence the belief that vitamins do nothing).

I did a crash course about 7 years ago. As it turns out the Canadian government sponsors a comparison guide for vitamins and ranks quality according to 18 criteria.

Completeness

Potency

Mineral Forms

Vitamin E Forms

Immune Support

Antioxidant Support

Bone Health

Heart Health

Liver Health (detox)

Metabolic Health (glucose control)

Ocular Health

Methylation Support

Lipotropic Factors

Inflammation Control

Glycation Control

Bioflavonoid Profile

Phenolic Compounds

Potential Toxicities

Other factors include bioavailability, absorption rate etc

The guide rates over 1600 products and the #1 almost every year is the brand USANA which i myself have been taking for over 7 years.

Another important factor for bioavailability is PH

The human interstidium is designed to fire on all pistons in an alkaline state 7.4 or above preferably hence the modern craze of alkaline water of 9.5 or more. Vitamins will not be absorbed properly if PH isn't taken into consideration.

These days with 1000s of chemicals entering the environment every single year unregulated, periodic detox sessions are mandatory as well.

Many so-called "studies" that you may have read are actually sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry to keep people weak and in a dependent state for their services.

Does everyone realize that most medical doctors at least here in the USA are not taught a single day of nutrition in most cases? Pathetic.

I'm a living testament to optimal health. I have no health insurance, i visit no doctors and and have no physical ailments whatsoever.

Supplements should also be treated as their name implies and that is supplemental. That means not to be taken instead of a healthy diet but in addition to.

Nope.

I get all the proper nutrients through eating healthy.

Thank you Mrs JD !

dr wu23 wrote: Well...you should get enough from your diet if you eat properly but when older you can need some help...my doc recently said I need more D and B12...based on blood tests.

You have to distinguish between enough to stay alive and thriving. It's impossible to thrive without some sort of supplementation. There are various reasons why this is the case but the gist is that soils have been depleted and pollution and toxicities rob the body of many of the nutrients we consume. Some aren't even bio-available at all unless we engage in an alkaline based diet.

Just eat healthy foods like lots of greens, fruits and minimize the processed stuff as well eliminate the added sugars, total sugars are fine. If you load up your body with added sugars it will get stored as fat, men should limit added sugars to around 35g/day, that's like 8-9 Oreo cookies. BTW, 1 can of Coke has 39g of added sugar so for those of you drinking 2-3 a day.......You will die sooner than later.

I like salt.....makes my #2 come out easier

If that's true then why does EVERY top performing athlete take a large regimen of supplementation? I've been taking medical grade supplements for almost ten years now. I can guarantee that not only do they work but are quite necessary in order to thrive at one's peak.

And in my case I have never taken any supplements of any kind, I am 58yrs old and still play baseball (not softball) and this is very competitive league. I have been catching for the past 20yrs all 9 inning games, I run faster than most men 20yrs younger than me. I've caught college pitchers that throw upper 90s and can hit a 90mph fastball, my hand eye coordination is better than most my age easily.....I coach HS lacrosse and do summer camps, pretty much everything I do is sports related activity. I've never had any surgery other than repair a meniscus tear 2yrs ago in my right knee. Ortho told me he saw zero arthritis in my knees...

 

That being said I agree almost all pro athletes take something, legal or illegal  to generally help them recover from games. They also eat better than most people, they do not eat hamburgers and hot dogs and fries....They know what food they eat affects their performance. I drink Gatorade during and after games to replenish fluids I sweat out, maybe that is considered a supplement. I'll eat an orange before I take a vitamin C pill.......but hey bro, maybe I'm a freak of nature .

YMMV......its all good!