Vitamin Supplements are OK..Mostly...

[MineralMan]

There's nothing wrong with taking vitamin supplements if you need them. Nothing at all. The trouble is that the supplement industry is creating a demand for their supplements by people who don't need all the supplements they take. In most cases, the body just dumps the water soluble ones out in your urine. The body knows how much of any particular nutrient it needs, and discards any oversupply. For the fat soluble ones, though, it's not so simple. Those are gotten rid of by the liver, but can be stored as well in body fat, where they sit and can be released under certain circumstances. Some nutrients, taken in excess, can cause serious illness. Vitamin A is one such nutrient. It can be downright toxic.

And then there are all the "natural" remedies sold by the same supplement suppliers. Many of those have real pharmaceutical qualities, and some have been used in real pharmaceutical medicines. It's entirely possible to take an overdose of many "Natural" "Herbal" and other nostrums that can lead to very serious side effects. It happens a lot, since people don't really know what they're taking and what actual effects the "remedies" have on their bodies. They can also interact with other medications and you won't get any warnings from the pharmacist about taking the wrong combinations of "Natural" "Herbal" medications. You won't find warnings on the sites that sell them, either. They don't want you to be frightened off from buying plenty. What you will see on those sites is this disclaimer:

"The statements regarding these products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The information on this Web site or in emails is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child’s condition."

That disclaimer is on every site that sells these remedies, usually in very small type at the bottom of the page. It's seldom read by site visitors. But, you'll find it or something very similar on every site that sells these supplements and other nostrums. Why? Because that disclaimer keeps the FDA from investigating them. That comes from a case that went to court decades ago. If they put that disclaimer in all their advertising, the FDA leaves them alone. They don't want too much scrutiny.

So, see your doctor. Ask about the supplements and "remedies" you're taking or thinking about taking. Most won't object. Most supplements are harmless, when taken in moderation. That's the advice you should be taking from that disclaimer on all of those sites.

Note: Personally, I take a multi-vitamin supplement, formulated for old farts like myself, and Vitamin D, based on my doctor's recommendation.

[ellenfl]

1. i have and will always take supplements because my diet is

not diverse . . . i don't like fruits and vegetables and have an issue with simple carbs. however, i have done my research.

btw, i just found out that often commercial pills don't even dissolve before they are eliminated (2 mentioned are centrum and one-a-day), so i'm changing to capsules and liquids from tablets. anyone who takes supplements must know what they are taking and must advise their doctor of same.

ellen fl

[MineralMan]

2. In most cases, those commercial multivitamins do dissolve just

fine in the stomach. For people who do not generate sufficient stomach acids, it's possible that they wouldn't disintegrate properly, I suppose. I tested the generic multivitamin I take, and it disintegrated just fine in a liquid that simulates the environment in the human stomach. It also disintegrated in plain water, although that took a few minutes longer.

Unless your digestive system is out of whack, all of the commercial multi-vitamin brands should be OK. They're tested for proper disintegration for every batch.

[ellenfl]

16. must be a lot of people taking proton pump inhibitors or other

acid reducers. since obesity is one cause of gerd, i imagine lots of americans take anti-acids. fwiw, i got the info from a solid waste worker. he told me that he sees a lot of floaters. since i take a prescribed ppi, i will look for pills that have a better chance of dissolving.

ellen fl

[enlightenment]

3. You need an "In my opinion" at the front end of this post, MM -

otherwise you're guilty of the same behavior that you consistently slam others for doing - posting opinion (or sites that you feel are little more than pure opinion) as fact based research.

I'm not criticizing your opinion; just your presentation of that opinion as learned fact. If you're going to do that, you need to provide the appropriate citation.

Thank you.

[MineralMan]

4. See my signature line. All my posts are my opinion, as are

most posts on DU. That's why the disclaimer is there.

[HuckleB]

5. Or he could simply say, "The consensus of the science indicates..."

Of course, he could also add that most people don't need supplements, and that many supplements appear to have little to support any efficacy whatsoever. Yet, he was kind enough not to point that out.

Well...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=222x110688

[HuckleB]

6. Recommended to zero..

:wow:

[MineralMan]

7. Recommendations are irrelevant.

It is discussion that tells the tale of a thread. I don't care one bit about the number of recommendations a thread has.

[HuckleB]

12. Alas, it tells me that there are many at DU who do not wish this discussion was here.

It tells that they'd rather live lives based on fiction than on reality. And that's just dang scary.

[MineralMan]

13. I used to try to figure out why a post that was rather innocuous

got unrecced so heavily. I finally gave up on that. There seem to be many reasons why a post or poster gets overwhelmed with unrecs. Sometimes it's a personal thing, I think. Other times it's because a post takes a position that is either misunderstood or disliked by many people. Other times, I have no idea. So, I just stopped worrying about unrecs altogether. I still recommend threads and unrecommend others, but it's always based on my opinion of what is in the post, not anything else.

From what I understand, the system will work completely differently in DU3. It certainly won't be any worse. I can't imagine any system that would be worse. For me, it is the discussion that interests me, not a popularity contest. That's always been the case for me.

[HuckleB]

14. I have no faith in DU3.

As long as DU allows scam spammers to get away with their crap now, why would it change in DU3?

I'm about done with DU.

[laconicsax]

15. I hear that DU3 will cure the heartbreak of psoriasis. n/t

[customerserviceguy]

8. Didn't touch any of them for years

But my doctor said that fish oil had some studies that showed it really worked. She suggested I try it, and we would see what happened to my cholesterol at the next blood test. Sure enough, it had lowered enough (although not by much) to get me just within the "safe" range. I'd rather take fish oil than a handful of statins or other expensive drugs which might have unknown side effects.

The bottom line is this: If there is a measurable difference in a significant category from taking a supplement, then do it, but if not, why piss expensive urine?

[jwirr]

9. When you have diabetes the doctor suggests and the insurance

pays for fish oil, vitamin D and a multi-vitamin. The problem is that we cannot be sure that these products actually are doing anything for us.

[MineralMan]

11. There's clinical evidence that they do actually do something for

us, statistically, which is really the only way such things can be evaluated. If the doctor suggests them, you can be pretty sure they won't harm you. Doctors are pretty conservative when it comes to supplements and that sort of thing. They wait until they hear the results of clinical trials that involve a lot of people. If the evidence is there that the stuff helps, they'll suggest it. If the evidence is not there, they probably won't, but will OK your use of supplements in most cases, since they generally do no harm in moderate doses.

A good internist, GP, or family practice doctor will give you good advice. Ask for such advice if you have questions. They know more than most people give them credit for. You just have to get their attention and ask. If you don't ask, they may not suggest something.

[CanSocDem]

17. If the doctor....

...agree's with a customers preference as in:

"If the evidence is not there, they probably won't, but will OK your use of supplements in most cases, since they generally do no harm in moderate doses."

...then they are either consciously administering a placebo, or simply "keeping the customer satisfied". In a free-market, one never knows for sure.

"Clinical evidence" is just another sales technique. Personal evidence and experience is all the enlightened consumer should need. Unless of course, in the marketplace, ONE SIZE FITS ALL.

.

[Warpy]

10. I take D and calcium

because I'm an old bag on long term prednisone. When I was on chemo, I also took folic acid.

I only take a multi B when I'm on a diet or have been too sick to eat properly.