Are there any actual benefits to taking vitamins every day?

Eating nutritious food is much better. It's actually very easy once you make a habit of it.

Right, R1? I just don't see what taking a multi-vitamin can really do for a person.

You're supposed to do both: eat nutritious food and take the vitamin pill(s).

I take Calcium, D, B Complex and E separately, never a multi.

The right foods will give you just about everything you need. The only exceptions are for people on restrictive diets who might not be taking in all the vitamins needed (as in keto (which doesn't work and is unhealthy) or vegan (which is a terrific diet but you need to make sure you get Vitamin B12), and for people who live in Northern climes, Vitamin D, as a surprising number of people are deficient. It's also a good idea for people over 60 to have vitamin levels checked because often age decreases our ability to metabolize them.

Sheldon, to Penny, after she drops $150.00 on supplements: "that's some might expensive urine you bought there."

Yes, I do, in addition to eating a balanced diet, they make my skin and hair look nicer. I don't expect them to do anything more than that. I also take trace minerals – iodine because I don't like seafood, selenium because I can't eat Brazil nuts every day, and chromium for its proven benefits for glycemic control and burning fat. Oh, and copper for the neuropathy in my hand after chemo. Obviously iron and magnesium as well.

I particularly need vitamin D as I get exactly zero sunlight because I don't enjoy being out in the sun. However, it's important to pair it with vitamin K2, so it helps direct calcium into the bones instead of depositing it into arteries and soft tissue. That's how I got saddled with microcalcifications in my testes and testicular cancer the first time around, so I definitely won't be making that mistake again.

Unless you're super physically active (as I am), you don't really need them, though.

"Eldergays over 40"??????

All the raw ingredients come from from China, even name brands,so only if the doctor says I need something.

R7, what do you attribute to nicer hair and skin? What do you take?

Vitamins are only beneficial if you're deficient in a specific vitamin, hence whey they're called "supplements." Your body will only use what it needs. Everything else will be expelled through your waste if it's water soluble. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble and metabolized by the liver. It is possible to get fatty liver disease when over supplementing with these vitamins. B and C are water soluble and will mainly just cause diarrhea/loose stool if you over supplement.

It's better to know your vitamin levels by getting serum tests from a doctor before supplementing with any vitamins, especially those that are fat soluble. Most people are only low in vitamin D.

Overall I take 12 different supplements, but on different schedules: some daily, others once, twice or three times a week. I'm 73yo, walk 6 miles each day and I am not on any prescription medications. I don't know if it's just luck, or good genes(considering everyone in my immediate family died of cancer I don't know if the word good applies) or the vitamins and supplements I've taken for more than 50 years(I'm placing my bet on the third option)

I've done my homework and am confident I am not overdosing(really important when you take fat-soluble vitamins as they can build up in the body and cause problems) or taking things which are contraindicated.

r7 I assume you've done YOUR homework, but a word of caution with the Brazil nuts. Their selenium content is quite high(as is their radiation level) and we don't need much of it anyway, my research has told me that one a day is about right.

I feel that our food is not as nutritious as it used to be, or even could be. I don't see a problem with taking supplements upon doing research into this topic(which should be ongoing)

As we age it's more difficult to absorb some nutrients, whether from food, ones our bodies manufacture(even these decline as we get older) and yes, supplements too. Any other long-term users want to chime in and give us the benefit of your experience?

I’ve taken fistfuls for 12 yrs

Expensive Piss.

My doctor put me on D and the bloodwork showed it increased the levels. And I take a Centrum Silver. I figure it can't hurt.

You should see my supplement list. Docs at Mayo Clinic were impressed. Had me discontinue turmeric and probiotic

I'm going to sound like R12. I'm 79, walk my dog every morning, and don't use any prescription drugs. Certain vitamins and supplements are important as they replace what the body may not produce as we get older. Just a simple example: testosterone production reduces and if we don't help it with healthy portions of protein (in my case, red meat) some parts of the body don't function as well.

This is also true, and very important, for keeping the brain working. If it isn't working, neither is your body. I use two great supplements, known as Nootropics, to keep my brain happy. The first is Alpha GPC. It promotes mental acuity and sharpens up your cognition. The other is Noopept. I found as I got older, my brain's Rolodex was slowing down on giving me words. Terrible in a conversation. I began using Noopept and it really helps. Please look up both of these. You may have to look up a dealer like healthybynaturals.com to get them.

As for supplements, I take Vitamin D3, magnesium oxide, calcium, l-arginine, the Bs, and what I call my insurance policy One A Day vitamins.

OK, so I take some other stuff, but what I listed are the essentials I use.

obviously. look into your supplements though - absorption is the primary factor you need to look out for. it's best to get micronutrients from food whenever possible.

I'm back with some other background. Vitamins in and of themselves are aids to fill gaps in what we are not receiving in foods. If we are not eating the right foods, no amount of supplements will keep us healthy. I don't eat fast food, fried foods, processed foods, which theoretically gives more room to the healthy foods. No carbonated beverages, either. Just coffee, tea and water. No cigarettes, alcohol or shoot 'em ups. Been there and done it all. Whatever we remove from this group gives us a better chance to stay healthy.

I take a multi, B complex, D3, and cranberry.

I recommend vitamin suppositories.

r17 All the literature I've read about magnesium supplements say that the oxide form is one of the least bioavailable. I'm very happy with the glycinate form that I take, and there are a few others that are at the top of the list.

You have to be careful with some forms as they will, shall we say, speed things up dramatically colon-wise.

An element like magnesium, which is involved in dozens if not hundreds of bodily processes, needs to be more carefully studied and the information disseminated so people will know how important it really is.

If you have a deficiency then absolutely. If you don't and are regularly taking in 100-200% of certain vitamins- you are upping your risk of certain cancers and heart disease. Eat a plant rich diet, get LOTS of fiber, drink water and supplement only when needed.

Are milk thistle capsules doing anything beneficial for my liver? Also, what about fish oil capsules?

I eat well so I don't need many vitamins pills. I take a fair amount of snake oil supplements.

I've been prescribed B-12 and D because my levels were low and now that I take supplements my levels are not too low. Make of that what you will.

I’m vegan so I have to take B12. Otherwise I don’t bother.

I do take this wellness formula pill when I’m feeling a cold coming on and it helps. A friend recommended it years ago and I’m shocked by how effective it is. It’s a large pill and it smells bad (because it has garlic in it) but I recommend. Probably placebo effect but who knows.

Certain vitamins combos (AREDS and AREDS2) are useful for reducing the severity of macular degeneration. Unfortunately, they don't seem to be prophylactic.

Do water pills count?

Vitamin D deficiency can happen even if you get enough sun. Usually found on routine bloodwork at doctor visit. Also B12 deficiency is more common in the elderly. Other than those two, can anyone else think of what vitamins an otherwise well nourished person might need?

I'm a vegan too R27 and take B12 daily and D with K2 but that is it. Plant based nutrition FTW!

Its makes a world of difference, make sure u buy quality vitamins and buy the over 50. Everything is formulated to aging and what vitamins are essential. Vit b12 will help with yoyr energy level.

When I was hospitalized after a bad fall, my bloodwork showed that I was deficient in a whole litany of vitamins, so I now take supplements. I had surgery to replace my left shoulder joint, and my surgeon advised I would never heal correctly without a Vitamin D supplement, so my expensive urine is at my doctors' orders.

Why were you so vitamin deficient, r33?

R34, I clearly wasn't eating a varied enough die at that time, which I've tried to rectify. But I have my blood tested on a regular basis, and my Nurse Practitioner has signed off on all the vitamins and minerals I now take. I take a senior multivitamin, B complex, potassium, magnesium, and Vitamin D. My shoulder healed well, and I still have a full head of hair and smooth skin at 62.

A doctor friend tells me that a vitamin is too much of one thing at one time and that the vast vast majority of it is just pissed right out in your urine

What *were* you eating, r35?

R37, According to my A1C, too many carbs, which I've now corrected.

Vitamin D is the most important supplement to take - a majority of Americans are deficient and this affects moods and bones. Moods and bones.

Vitamin D is poorly absorbed in vitamin form, it barely does anything.

Leaving aside the pill happy vitamin warriors here who swear by their suitcase of "necessary" supplements, I see headlines that always say taking vitamins in general does absolutely nothing unless one has a severe deficiency.

My PCP tells me to take B12 daily, which I do. I don't take a multivitamin. I think I eat a pretty health diet so I'm not worried about getting scurvy or whatnot.

Great question, OP, I have always wondered the same thing. I remember taking some very good quality supplements from a pyramid scheme (did not know at the time) and ended up in the hospital. Who knows what’s good for you anymore. You take a supplement and then in a year or two you read it causes cancer. I am not sure what is best anymore.

Fish oil has been proven to be bullshit.

It does nothing for you.

You're welcome.

I believe that the research on the relatively new K₂ is remarkable. Taken in tandem with D₃ and Magnesium, it takes calcium/plaque from the heart/valves/arteries and pushes it into the bones where it is supposed to be.

Look it up.

Lots of Americans over 50 have kidney disease, which is going to affect absorption and excretion. Lots of Americans have some form of digestive disease (such as Crohn's), or some other chronic diseases, which are going to affect absorption and excretion. Lots of people take prescription medications that affect absorption and excretion. And finally, a shit ton of people drink to excess, which is going to affect absorption and excretion. Some supplements counteract oxidative stress caused by medications. Things like NAC are very helpful to heavy drinkers. I agree that someone who does not have any underlying disease, has a very healthy and varied diet, who schedules a little time in the sun everyday, and takes few if any medications, can probably do without any vitamins or supplements. But that only describes a minority of us. I'd say, "do your research". Some supplements are given a heavy hype and then only after a few years do we discover that they were worthless for the benefits they were supposed to confer. I would never take a vitamin that promised more than 100% of the minimum daily requirement, because you're probably already getting close to 100% with your diet and don't need that much more. But many vitamins (if you read the labels), say that you take 2, 4, or 6 tablets to get the doses listed on the label, so for those kinds I'd say just take one. They are kind of an insurance policy, good for those days when your diet consisted of a slice of white toast and butter for breakfast, a candy bar for lunch, and a steak and baked potato for dinner. Not nearly as good as eating properly and getting the nutrients from food, but better than nothing.

Paragraph breaks!

I, too, have found that the more vitamins I take, the more paragraph breaks I employ, r46.

R40, Please site reference Vitamin D poorly absorbed in vitamin form. Tell that to those whose D levels were improved after taking Vitamin D supplements.

A brilliant and well-respected doctor once told me that even if you take over the counter vitamins that claim "80% RDA of vitamin xx" that even if you don't really get 80% and only get 10%, you're still better off with the additional 10% than you'd be without.

I take supplements doctors tell me to take. I don’t take vitamins/ supplements because some woo woo says I should.

I don’t take them a few times a week. I switch off. In morning, I take my supplement that has Vit D, Magnesium,, calcium , zinc 4 days a week and I take Vit B complex 3 times a week. Then I switch and do the Vit D 3 times a week and the B bits 4 days a week.

At night I switch off with CoQ10 and iron with colace.

I take AREDs every day,twice a day for my macular degeneration. I throw a folic acid in there a couple days a month,

r50, my Woo-woo suggests you add a K2 to your mornings.

I love the “I don’t even need any prescription drugs” crowd. Live with untreated epilepsy and then talk to me about the fistful of pills I’ve been taking twice a day since god knows when.

I take a daily multivitamin, a daily fish oil type thing, and a couple times a week I take a collagen supplement and a glass of Metamucil to help keep me from needing to take statins for cholesterol. The only one that has a noticeable effect (for obvious reasons) is the Metamucil. The other crap may or may not be doing anything, but it gives me peace of mind on days when my diet may or may not contain a full daily value of chlorine or manganese or whatever.

OP in word, no.

Yeah, cool benefit is it makes your piss a bright almost fluorescent yellow.

Tell me you don’t drink water without telling me you don’t drink water, fluorescent piss queens.

You don't take vitamins to have above-average results. You take vitamins to be normal. Vitamin studies fail because they define success as having above average results. Success should be defined as having health similar to a person who gets all their vitamins naturally and doesn't have any vitamin deficiencies.

[quote] I don’t take them a few times a week

I was distracted. What I meant was “I don’t take all my vitamins every day. I switch off on what I take.”

My feeling is that I’m not very vitamin depleted, so I don’t need to take one of each every single day.

Yes - a study this year by Columbia University shows that it reduces brain decline. I tried to link but it wouldn't work for some reason.

There are other benefits - as listed above in other posts.

It's not ALL expensive piss. Certain things are needed.

What does 'proper nutrition' look like, roughly? Fish, meat, rice and vegetables?

PCP said taking 5,000 mg of Vitamin D3 for long time prevented me from getting Covid,

Sadly, most doctors know little about vitamins and supplements. Nutrition is not taught in medical schools. Doctors are taught to treat symptoms and diseases, not prevent the conditions. The AMA has no interest in promoting nutrition education, too entrenched with big pharma.

[quote]and for people who live in Northern climes, Vitamin D, as a surprising number of people are deficient.

Climate is not the problem. I have my blood work done 2 times a year, live in Southern California where the sun is out 90% of the time and I am Vitamin D deficient. Which I thought was odd since I love the sun, get out a lot. When I asked my doctor about this he said a large amount of people in sunny environments still become vitamin D deficient. It's not as simple as where you live.

[quote]What does 'proper nutrition' look like, roughly? Fish, meat, rice and vegetables?

Not white rice. Empty carbs which turn to sugar, no nutritional value. Basically it's filler for countries who have little meat to put on the table.

Lets be honest, 42% of Americans are obese! Do you really think they know what a perfectly balanced diet is if they cant even control their weight?

U.S. population. Rich or poor, 92 percent of the population is suffering from at least one mineral or vitamin deficiency based current studies.

Not if your piss is yellow

[quote]PCP said taking 5,000 mg of Vitamin D3 for long time prevented me from getting Covid,

When asked back in 2020, Dr. Fauci said he normally takes 6000 IUs of Vitamin D3 per day, and he thought that might be helping him avoid COVID.

I’m vitamin D and B12 deficient despite getting plenty of sunshine and eating animal products. Sometimes our bodies are just fucked up and need help.

R5 bullshit

R67 not really. You just have a short timeline. Plan ahead.

R58 thats a vague statement. What exactly reduces brain decline?

For r58 and r70:

I cant think of any reason why someone would not take vitamin C and D as a supplement. They are cheap and widely available. Most adults will have vitamin D deficiency at some point, and its important for a multitude of bodily functions. I don't even take it everyday either, I only take it twice a week to keep my levels normal.

Vitamin C is a no brainer too, its the only thing that keeps me from getting whatever annoying cold that people in my office pass around this time of year. People with kids are always getting whatever virus their kids bring home from school, to work.

B Complex is the one that turns your piss fluorescent yellow.

I take those every other day, alternating with zinc.

On my daily list is Multivitamin, C, D (5000 iu), fish oil, and cranberry.

In order for fish oil to be effective yiu have to have a ton of it. The fish oil you buy OtC is virtually useless. You need something like Vascepa in order to be effective.

R74, I use it to lower my LDL cholesterol, in combination with Atorvastatin. It has made a difference in the numbers in my bloodwork, sufficiently perceptible to justify its use, which has my primary care doctor's endorsement. I've been using it for probably ten years.

Over the past few months, it has been a trend in online 'sources' to drag the use of fish oil, saying, "it does nothing for your heart." 'My heart' was never the reason I was using it to begin with, nor was it with others using it to improve their cholesterol readings. The attack is kind of a strawman argument, and one wonders where this stuff comes from. "Vitamins do nothing for you; you should stop taking them."

Interesting, PoisonedDragon that you state that you take fish oil to lower your LDL cholesterol, then you say it was not to improve your cholesterol readings? I believe that people take statins and fish oil to reduce their cholesterol because it is an indicator of heart disease.

And can you tell me how this is a strawman argument and not a typical appeal to authority?

I like the appeal to the people, ad populum: most people on DL think you are insufferable, but you will continue to bloviate.

It avoids an ad hominum while actually being an ad hominum.

Carry on.

[quote] Over the past few months, it has been a trend in online 'sources' to drag the use of fish oil

It’s not an “online trend” it’s what research is showing, The claim of reducing cholesterol is this: “may reduce cholesterol.” It may…or it may not.

Same with inflammation. “It may reduce inflammation.” Well, it may …or it may not. It’s the wording that allows companies to make those claims.

Companies that make supplements are in the business of making money, just like pharmaceutical companies are. They’ll sell you whatever they can sell…just like pharmaceutical companies. The difference is that insurance won’t pay for supplements, so the manufacturers have to charge less. Still, fish oil supplements are a $6B/year business.

The current research scrutiny has even cast doubt on Vascepa, the prescription level of fish oil. It’s possible the placebo used in Vascepa trials may have had a harmful effect on subjects, so the drug’s positive results may have been because the placebo group was harmed by the mineral oil placebo.

r77, back away quietly, it is PoisonedDragon. Block him now, read his posts, because he posts to argue AD NAUSEUM.

He is the definition of tl:dr

Jesus told me he is odious.

Jesus also told me that fish oil at worst is benign.

Don't take the bait.

Does Metamucil help lower cholesterol? Mine is 'a bit high' according to my doctor, but not by much. How can I tip the scale back to normal? I stopped my weekly wine...

Good article on vitamin d supplement skepticism (and the reason we all suddenly became vitamin d “deficient”).

[quote] Does Metamucil help lower cholesterol? Mine is 'a bit high' according to my doctor, but not by much. How can I tip the scale back to normal? I stopped my weekly wine...

Metamucil or psyllium husk (you can get it in bulk from health food stores) is relatively cheap and will not do any harm. Why not just try it and see if it helps?

Yes, my doctor said that the reason you follow your cholesterol levels, LDL, HDL, etc., is to monitor your heart condition.

Remember...Chocks?

Chocks

Actually high cholesterol can lead to atheiosclorosis. That's the buildup of plaque on the walls of your arteries. Overtime, this buildup can completely clog said artery and will cause major problems depending on where it is. It can lead to a stroke, it can lead to peripheral artery disease (mostly manifesting in legs), it can prevent blood from properly getting to and nourishing the kidneys causing chronic kidney disease, , or, yes, it can lead to a heart attack. Long story short, HDL cholesterol is good, non-HDL is bad and diet, drugs, and vitamins can all play a role in reducing the bad kind. .

my fast food diet is so deficient in almost everything except fat and salt that I take a multi every day

R80s story against Vitamin D is typical. Be wary of "Scientific Studies" who quietly are paid for by pharma companies

If you personally have a blood test that shows you are low in iron, Vit D or some other vitamin or mineral, then your doctor will tell you to take them as supplements. In the absence of such advice, supplements are most likely not doing you any good and very possibly doing you harm.

If you know your diet is terrible like R86 then a multivitamin is probably better than nothing, but your absorption of a lot of the elements won't be great. In a balanced diet one food will help you absorb vitamins or minerals you get from another, and it's not the vitamins in it that are the helpful bit so your pill can't replicate that effect. So don't think you can have a terrible diet yet rectify the problem entirely with supplements. You might improve things a bit, is all.

In all other cases you are throwing money away, and you could be getting too much of one or more vitamins/minerals, which in some cases can make you sick. (I took magnesium supplements once because helpful friends counselled it would stop my sugar cravings. It didn't, and at my next blood test I asked for my magnesium levels to be tested. My doctor told me to stop immediately because after less than 6 months on supplements I was in the red ABOVE the healthy limit.) Supplements can also interfere with the workings of some prescription drugs, either rendering the drug useless or causing a whole new issue. Some will interact poorly with general anaesthetics, I believe.

Yes, cholesterol and plaque are concerns.

[quote]R76: Interesting, PoisonedDragon that you state that you take fish oil to lower your LDL cholesterol, then you say it was not to improve your cholesterol readings?

I said it was not for my heart. If you're going to reply to me, try not to misrepresent what I said. Cholesterol has been an issue for me because of potential plaque buildup and the possibility of stroke.

[quote]I believe that people take statins and fish oil to reduce their cholesterol because it is an indicator of heart disease. And can you tell me how this is a strawman argument and not a typical appeal to authority?

Sounds to me like you're making an appeal to belief, one which you make no effort to support.

Appeals to the public to stop taking fish oil because it "does nothing for your heart" is a strawman argument when it's not why they've been asked to take it to begin with. I'll go with my physician's advice rather than that of astroturfed articles on the internet (trust me, they 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 have anyone's well-being in mind), or advice from you.

[quote]most people on DL think you are insufferable

You and your socks do not count as "most people," and never will.

If I'm so unbelievably terrible, as you claim in your incoherent screed at R78, why do you risk my replying by addressing me? Sounds to me like you desperately want the attention. And exactly how much attention you get from me depends on how many times you reply to me, and on nothing else. Whether or not you get an endless argument is entirely up to you.

[quote]R78: Jesus told me he is odious. Jesus also told me that fish oil at worst is benign. Don't take the bait.

As with almost all such instances of 'borrowed grievance,' seems like yours revolves around Jesus (you lost an argument - or two - or five - or twenty) and now you're permanently butthurt. Do yourself and your socks a favor and put me on ignore. Don't approach me in random threads and try to troll me - you already know I can unleash a million courteous on-point replies without the slightest effort. Take your own advice and don't risk it.

r90 sir, ... this is a Wendy's

▲The "sir, this is a Wendy's" troll.

[quote]𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞: Sir, this is a Wendy's...

[quote]𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝?: Sir, this is a Wendy's...

B Complex (helps with anemia & a little boost of energy), Vitamin D with K (I'm a hermit), Vitamin C (I'm anemic & it helps absorb iron). But not every day. I do the "sway test", some days my body needs them and other days it doesn't.

r92 sometimes someone just needs to be mocked; I saw a need...

See ladies and gentlemen, Poisoned Dragon is to be avoided.

Beans, beans, are good for the heart. The more you eat, the less you need vitamins.

r95 I believe he taps into the worst versions of himself whenever his blood sugar is low.

[R93] what is the sway test?

I take flax

Still no OP.

I like chewable Flintstones. So I get a little but don't worry about getting too much. Still add D3 and K2, at least occasionally.