What Is The Effectiveness Of Taking Vitamin Supplements?

[Guest Annetta]

Do they really work?

[SFRL]

Yes they do. Especially when you are deficient. 

But then again a supplement is ment to be an add on. So try to get your nutrients trough normal foods first.

What are you trying to supplement for?  

[Guest Annetta]

@SFRL Have a hard time absorbing b12 and I guess vitamin d was a bit low.  Taking other sups as well just to be sure, but I dunno if it is overkill or not.

[SFRL]

27 minutes ago, Annetta said:

@SFRL Have a hard time absorbing b12 and I guess vitamin d was a bit low.  Taking other sups as well just to be sure, but I dunno if it is overkill or not.

Do you eat meat? Eggs and milk have a lot of vitamin D. 

But most people are vitamin D deficient. You make vitamin D by going outside in the sun. When you soak up the sun your body makes vitamin D. 

From what I heard vitamin D supplements are effective though. I should start taking them myself. 

I am taking vitamin C now. I should buy vitamin D and magnesium as well. 

Lots of people are deficient in Zinc and especially magnesium. 

But I eat a lot of meat so I am sure I am not Zinc deficient. 

[Guest Annetta]

@SFRL I eat a lot of eggs, and am eating more fish lately.
Live in Seattle so it is hard to get enough vitamin D, it is cloudy 9 months out of the year.

So far, I have zinc, vitamin c, d and b12, iron, a probiotic a hair skin and nails supplement and powdered collagen.

[SFRL]

That's a lot of different supplements. Do you lift weights? 

[Guest Annetta]

@SFRL I've been sick for a while, nearly bedridden for two years so I'm starting to exercise to get my body strong again.

[jjer94]

@Annetta If you're using a b12 supplement, make sure it's methyl b12, not cyanocobalamin. The latter is not readily absorbed in the body. Also, nutritional yeast ("vegan cheese flavor") provides some b12, if you like that stuff. Cheers!

Edited May 25, 2017 by jjer94

[pluto]

Supplement with Spirulina

Here are nutritional benefits of my Hawaiian Spirulina

3 gram serving:

B1 3% DAILY VALUE

B2 41%

B3 9%

B12 375%

VITAMIN A 375%

Lutein+Zeaxathin 150%

VITAMIN K 63%

CHROMIUM 153%

IRON 87% (Whopping 7mg)

11% copper & 17% manganese

Moringa is also another nutrient rich powerhouse only needed a little a day as well

You can still get Vitamin D from cloudy day and also to better absorb Vitamin D put some magnesium and or coconut oil on your skin (optional)

but the main thing is to not shower with soap for about 48 hours so its all absorbed well. Just use soap on armpits and groin the rest is of no need, besides its not good to wash with soap every day as we need our natural oils and drying them out everyday is not good for our health.

Overtime D will buildup and everything will balance each other out. Also an Important supplment that most are deficient in is Vitamin K2(MK-7). Most people are deficient and don't have the healthy gut flora to convert K to K2 or simply do not consume enough K so unless you eat Natto you should supplement at least few times a week and pair it with D3 is excellent for bone health sending calcium out of the arteries to where it belongs.

From the latest natural health experts you only need 250 - 500mg of Vitamin C a day from (whole foods) is enough. Supplements you may need more as nature has a different way of communicating and interacting with the body. A few kiwis and oranges is more than enough for your daily needs. Pair Vitamin C with MSM to some supercharged synchronistic effects MSM will also take care of your hair and nails.

He Shou Wu/Fo-Ti is also amazing herb for hair and nails as well as liver health which aids the whole body ultimately.

For ZInc and Magnesium: Nuts & Seeds, Lentils, Beans and Legumes and Wholegrains, get your fair share of them daily and you'll have more than enough again natural forms work far more efficiently than supplements as nature understands nature

Hope this helps

 

 

 

 

[Annie]

Like @jjer94  said, make sure you get the right one!

I supplement a relatively high dose of B12 daily because I am also very deficient and it helps a great deal. I take about 2.000 I.E. Vitamin D3 a day during the winter months, it's best absorbed when you have a decent Vitamin K2 intake as well (I don't supplement, I get enough of that through food).

[Nahm]

It's relative to sleep, excercise, etc. And...

low on iron = tired and fatigued

low on B = low mood

low on D = low outlook

low on C = sick a lot 

etc

 

[eskwire]

@Annetta

Two things.

1. Pills for Vit D don't work very well, even crazy megadoses prescribed by a doctor. Take a sublingual liquid.  This one works great (and before you freak out over spending $19, notice that is has 90 doses): https://www.amazon.com/RX-Vitamins-Liqui-D3-Fluid-Ounce/dp/B000XQJGRE/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1496004623&sr=8-1&keywords=rx+vitamins+d3

2. Take Vit B12 as part of a complex of other B vits.  You want to take them all together for balance.  I also use a sublingual liquid for this. 

Ok one more thing.

Don't eat nutritional yeast if you have autoimmune disorders because, chances are, you are intolerant to many foods.  If you are weak in the gut, yeast is probably not your friend. 

[Guest Annetta]

@eskwire Thanks!  I'll try the vit b to start with.  Ordered some.

I do have a weak gut actually.  Cut out sugar, cheap carbs, dairy, caffeine and feel much better.  Amazing how the brain/gut connected 

[sheenp24]

I was really low on Vitamin D a few years ago and I felt terrible! My doctor put me on the pills and I felt like a new man. Those definitely work! 

[Guest Annetta]

@sheenp24 what were some of the symptoms you had when deficient?

[Dan Arnautu]

This is how much supplements actually amount to your health.

[eskwire]

On 5/28/2017 at 3:56 PM, eskwire said:

1. Pills for Vit D don't work very well, even crazy megadoses prescribed by a doctor

@Annetta I should qualify this statement.

Vit D pills most likely don't work well in people with compromised guts. If you have an autoimmune condition, you have a compromised gut. You don't absorb nutrients well, so you will have a hard time overcoming a deficiency through food and pills.

I would get as many sublingual form vitamins as I can. That's like mainlining it into your blood.

@sheenp24 and @Dan Arnautu appear to be healthy young men, so they don't have an issue absorbing vitamins through food and supplement pills. It's always about the environment - what are you starting with?

With any autoimmune condition, you have a different environment and anything you do needs to take that into consideration. Be careful with advice on the forum that is not couched in terms of autoimmunity problems. 

I would get Vit D-3 ASAP. Please don't wait on it. 

[pluto]

I don't really agree with the whole calorie/protein/carb/fat thing tbh, i think its more about nutrient density than it is about calories from the experiments i've done over the last 7 years or so.

I've did 1500 calories, 1800, 2000, 2500, 3000, 3500 and honestly i felt best the less calories and less meals a day i consumed. Also In the fasted state HGH and general health skyrockets so you don't need nowhere near as much because you absorb nutrients much better when you have not eaten for a long time and are consuming rich whole nutrient dense foods

At one point i was only consuming 1000 - 1500 calories a day fasting 22-23 hours and eating 1-2 hour window and i did not lose any muscle mass training 5 days a week and i actually gained some strength and a little size and felt near my best, my mind was clear and sharp as a Japanese chefs knife and my energy felt very primal but i don't think this would of been possible without superfoods and superherbs although it just shows what is possible with nutrient dense foods and a more optimal lifestyle closer to how we evolved.

2c

Edited May 30, 2017 by pluto

[Guest Annetta]

@eskwire Thanks, I bought vitamin D as well and will get the other ones other the next few months.
@pluto That's interesting information.  I'm starting a more nutrient dense diet myself, cutting sugars, carbs from breads, rice and all related foods, dairy and meats other than fish a few times a week.

So far, my diet has been consisting of a lot of blueberries, avocados, carrots, spinach, eggs, tofu, salmon, tuna, green tea and nuts mostly, but other foods as well, like different fruits, veggies and whatnot.  Brain fog seems to be clearing up a little bit, but it has only been a month on this diet.  Skin looks great!  Feeling more energized, better mood.  

But yeah, I don't worry about calories or fat content or anything.  (Am pretty thin, 125 lbs) I just eat when I am hungry and stop when I feel full, which equals to about 6-8 small snacks throughout the day and a bit of grazing on things here and there.  Some days more hungry than others.

[Visitor]

@Annetta Some vitamins are not readily absorbed by the body. Many vitamin suppliers know that. For example, iron is not easily absorbed without vitamin C, that is why iron tablets have vit C in it. Other vitamins are absorbed more easily when taken with certain foods. So do a research to find out what compliments or what allows the vitamin to attach itself to for absorption.

Tip: The body only absorbs the vitamins it needs. Surplus vitamins, as found in multivitamins, get flushed out. That is why (with excess multivitamins) urine might have a orange to green colour.