[Oldmanmatt]

So, I've off and on popped a vitamin pill or a multi-mineral (often out of guilt for not eating properly).


But apparently...

http://www.richarddawkins.net/news_articles/2013/12/18/scientists-say-vitamins-and-minerals-are-a-waste-of-money

Just one thing, though.

How can it be different to ingest a vitamin in a pill, than in a food substance?

[shurt]

From what I understand you can buy good and bad vit pills. The supermarket / most of the ones in Holland and barret are made using synthetic versions of vits and minerals i.e. not naturally occurring. This means that its very difficult for your body to absorb them and a large portion of them pass through you down the loo. There are more expensive versions (from more specialist health food shops etc) which are made using the naturally occuring versions. The process is a lot more time intensive therefore the pills are expensive. Your body absorbs these more readily.

A friend of mine got over a really bad Vit D deficiency taking supplements so I dont think they are all bad.

[Lund]

A friend of mine got over a really bad Vit D deficiency taking supplements so I dont think they are all bad.

I believe the idea is that supplementing beyond the level needed to not be deficient:

(a) has no measurable benefit (and this includes topically applying vitamin E)
(b) can do actual harm, e.g. taking vitamin A when pregnant, or vitamin E
(c) has a knock on effect, e.g. taking shit loads of X makes you deficient in Y.

As my old man, a doctor, wisely said: there's no effect without side effect; never trust anyone less than a used car salesman except a drugs rep.

[dr_botnik]

[lagerstarfish]

there is pretty good evidence that taking bucket loads of B vitamins will make your urine to go a bright yellow colour

yeah, so fuck you "scientists"

[Muenchener]

I have that chart pinned up in my kitchen, love it.

I take fish oil and (sometimes, intermittently) turmeric. Also glucosamine/chondroitin a bit lately because my orthopaedist told me to for my knee, and I thought rather than waving a chart at him I would give it a go.

[petejh]

If you're taking the fish oil for omega 3 then it's supposed to be useless unless it has 300-600mg each of EPA/DHA. Only the expensive stuff contains these amounts, not the health-food store brands. Omega 6 is plentiful (too much so) in the average diet.

Supposedly.
#quackery

[Muenchener]

You sure about 300 mg each? The ones I take have 180 mg EPA, 120 DHA so 300 in total.

[petejh]

Yep. Well, as sure as the quackery surrounding omega 3 studies/advice goes. And that's 3 pills per day so 1800mg+ of DHA/EPA. Read endless pubmed etc. studies to see what dosage are recommended.

These companies do good quality omega 3:
http://www.xtend-life.com/product/Omega_3_DHA_Fish_Oil.aspx
http://www.healthyandessential.co.uk/ideal-omega.html

[slackline]

We know little about the effect of diet on health. That’s why so much is written about it


Schoenfeld JD, Ioannidis JPA (2013) Is everything we eat associated with cancer? A systematic cookbook review. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 97:127-134

[duncan]

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

[petejh]

We know little about the effect of diet on health. That’s why so much is written about it


Schoenfeld JD, Ioannidis JPA (2013) Is everything we eat associated with cancer? A systematic cookbook review. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 97:127-134

In short = large scale RCT is the only data that counts. Which anyone should know anyway. Next.

[krymson]

If you're taking the fish oil for omega 3 then it's supposed to be useless unless it has 300-600mg each of EPA/DHA. Only the expensive stuff contains these amounts, not the health-food store brands. Omega 6 is plentiful (too much so) in the average diet.

Supposedly.
#quackery

what about just um. eating fish?

[petejh]

No labels on fish

[mindfull]

I take the glucosamine/chondtroitin "glucadol". In the prolonged periods I've taken these I had no tendon injuries. In the periods I did not take them I had. Is this proof it works? Not at all. But I'm certain they do for me up till now.

There's no scientific proof, but I will take them until proven otherwise. 

[Jim]

didn't they make it illegal in Denmark? I think to sell food stuff with added vitamins/minerals in them?

[petejh]

No I think it was just dihydrogen monoxide that they banned from food after finding it in water-sources

[tregiffian]

A study at Huddersfield university, not unrelated to a senior climbing figure, found that  1500 mg of Glucosamine will do you good, not more,not less. It works for me and my friend Big Bob who initially put me on to that dose before I heard of the study.

[petejh]

Well that's convinced me! 

What did it cure in your case? Or has it just worked well to prevent you getting injured? #correlationdoesnotequalcausation

[tregiffian]

Lack of injury, though in all conscience neither of us has done  very intensive effort these past several years.

[slackline]

Surely dosage should be a function of your size rather than a flat amount for everyone across the board?

No I think it was just dihydrogen monoxide that they banned from food after finding it in water-sources

You jest but a friend has to fill out safety reviews for NaCl to be used in the students laboratories sessions. 

[mindfull]

Glucosamine SO4: 1500 mg
Chondroitine SO4: 1200 mg

How they came up with these doses, I have no idea. Must be some balance of minimum dose required to work and maximum dose that can be taken up by the body?

[davej]

mega cissus good for shoulder/ tendon injuries.