I'm trying to improve my overall health and while my diet is not always where I should have it, I'm trying my best to eat right but still feeling tired and lethargic at certain times of the day
A friend of mine suggested I start trying some multivitamins. After having them for a week, my friend claims he felt better overall and is less immune to illnesses and has more energy.
I'm getting mixed reviews on the internet. Some say people should get into it but other reports are saying it's just a load of BS
Based upon the totality of evidence the best current recommendation is to have a well-rounded diet with sufficient fruits and vegetables, which should be able to provide most people with all the micronutrients they require. There is no evidence to support routine supplementation. There is also reason to avoid taking megadoses of vitamins, as this can cause toxicity, and even short of toxicity the evidence becomes more compelling at higher doses of the risks of supplementation
Beware of friends selling vitamins through MLM operations like Usana.
"The message is simple: Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified and they should be avoided," the physicians wrote in an editorial published along with the studies.
This message is especially aimed at people who have no signs of nutritional deficiency — meaning most supplement users in the United States, the researchers said.
"Study after study comes back negative — yet people continue to take supplements, now at record rates," said Dr. Edgar Miller, one of the five authors of the editorial and a professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
There may be a psychological component to taking supplements, Miller said. Despite evidence showing supplements hold no benefit for the general population, some people may rationalize they need supplements because their diets lack necessary nutrients, Miller told LiveScience.
The new findings are in line with those of previously published studies that have found no benefits from dietary supplements, including B vitamins and antioxidants, and even suggested possible harms. Results of clinical trials involving tens of thousands of people have shown that beta-carotene, vitamin E and possibly high doses of vitamin A supplements actually increase death rates, the researchers said.
"We believe that the case is closed — supplementing the diet of well-nourished adults with most mineral or vitamin supplements has no clear benefit and might even be harmful," the researchers wrote in their editorial.
Pretty much the only supplement that's really suggested for Canadians is vitamin D, since we all get less sun exposure living further north. I don't buy into the vitamin D megadoses though, I think it's 600IU recommended for most people. Vitamin B12 is also something I've seen prescribed by doctors for specific people.
Self reporting of effects from taking supplements is difficult, partially because it's a known phenomenon that we will naturally feel a benefit from taking a positive action. It's also why people buy $10,000 power cables for their TV and then claim it looks better. The placebo effect is a real effect, just not a result of the actual pill being taken.
Also feeling better it could be the result of any number of things, the body is complex and our environments changing.. correlation does not equal causation.
I agree with troutman, unless for some specific deficiency then mostly useless.
__________________ Uncertainty is an uncomfortable position.
But certainty is an absurd one.
I'm trying to improve my overall health and while my diet is not always where I should have it, I'm trying my best to eat right but still feeling tired and lethargic at certain times of the day
A friend of mine suggested I start trying some multivitamins. After having them for a week, my friend claims he felt better overall and is less immune to illnesses and has more energy.
I'm getting mixed reviews on the internet. Some say people should get into it but other reports are saying it's just a load of BS
Any testimonials here?
Sounds like you don't believe it will work so than the links above that they do nothing are valid. However if you happen to believe in it you ccan get yourself some of that sweet sweet placebo affect.
Now the Placebo affect is a real affect so if you can harness its power a multi vitamin would probably provide you with some real benefits. However the fact that you are skeptical likely means it won't work.
I'm trying my best to eat right but still feeling tired and lethargic at certain times of the day
A friend of mine suggested I start trying some multivitamins. After having them for a week, my friend claims he felt better overall and is less immune to illnesses and has more energy.
Drink enough water, get the right amount of sleep, avoid processed food, and engage in some physical activity. All of these things will increase your energy and motivation levels more than a multivitamin.
What your friend is likely feeling is a placebo effect and you'd likely experience the same. A short period of increased feeling of wellness with little-to-no real improvement. How long that feeling of wellness remains depends entirely on you, but it shouldn't be confused with actual wellness.
Go to the doctor, tell them your symptoms, and ask for advice before you start self medicating with vitamins. They can do blood tests to find out if you're actually vitamin deficient or if your issue is related to something else like thyroid issues or depression or whatever. If it IS a vitamin deficiency, getting it through food is the number 1 best way, but supplements help.
Talk to your doctor. That's what they're there for.
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There isn't a thing you need in a supplement that you won't get from a proper diet. And by proper I mean a diet that includes a basic amount of proteins and plant matter.
I dunno. I like my multi. It's a gnc product but has a lot of extracts and minerals and green stuff not just vitamins. I notice a difference. There's a couple amino acid supplements that have worked wonders for specific issues. That has really encouraged me to keep finding what works and what doesn't.
This might be a tough one for the average family doc. You'll likely get the standard "eat more fruits and veg" answer. I'll probably get slammed by the "it's not science" crowd, but nutritionists might be better suited to help you out.
Drink enough water, get the right amount of sleep, avoid processed food, and engage in some physical activity. All of these things will increase your energy and motivation levels more than a multivitamin.
Well, when you put it that way, multivitamins it is.
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Turn up the good, turn down the suck!
When people talk about proof they usually mean the kind of process drug makers go through, years and years and hundreds of millions in research and testing and study. No one is going to do that for bee gunk that anyone can sell for .10 cents a pill. Curing hep c for $1500 a pill is another story. So a lack of clinical proof doesn't mean every otc supplement is bunk. There are several products that have believed to be positive results or potentially positive results.
One of the single biggest thing you can change in your diet that will have an insane level of benefits health wise is your sugar intake. I can't emphasis that enough.
If you start tracking how much sugar you may be eating within your diet, you would be amazed. Its usually hidden in the things you least expect too. Everybody knows that Coca-cola and cheesecake is loaded with it but nobody ever thinks about the pasta sauce, the bbq sauces, the regular iced coffee's, the bread etc.
One of the biggest change I have personally noticed is the bastardization of Greek yogurt.`Being Greek myself, I grew up on the real stuff at home but the overwhelming majority of the stuff in the supermarket is pure garbage that is just laced with an insane amount of sugar. The dairy producers will throw a "Greek" label on it for the so called health benefits but the truth is the stuff is pretty much a milk candy bar.
People would be amazed at how many pounds of sugar they consume on a weekly or monthly basis. Its mind boggling.
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Multivitamins...Do they work?
