Five Vitamins and Supplements That Are Actually Worth Taking

Smithsonian ^ | Feb 14, 2014 | Joseph Stromberg

[Innovative]

Vitamin D

...the researchers found that adults who took vitamin D supplements daily lived longer than those who didn't.

Probiotics

...they're useful in very specific circumstances, but it's not necessary to continually take them on a daily basis.

Zinc

...the mineral significantly reduced the duration of the cold, and also made symptoms less severe.

Niacin

...Also known as vitamin B3, niacin is talked up as a cure for all sorts of conditions (including high cholesterol, Alzheimer's, diabetes and headaches) but in most of these cases, a prescription-strength dose of niacin has been needed to show a clear result.

At over-the-counter strength, niacin supplements have only been proven to be effective in helping one group of people: those who have heart disease. ​

Garlic

...on the whole, taking garlic daily reduced blood pressure,

[BlueYonder]

>>I never understood all the fuss made over the smell of garlic<<

Consider the old Yiddish proverb: A nickel will get you on the subway but garlic will get you a seat.

LOL

[Brandybux]

I suggest that you consider another search:

liver damage from niacin

People vary widely in their metabolic response to high-dose niacin, as well as to statin drugs. Some do not tolerate either of them well, and liver enzyme tests are standard monitoring strategy for people who take either kind of therapy for cholesterolemia.

My GP (and other information I've seen on the net) tells me that there is no additional benefit from niacin higher than 3000mg daily, and many people (my brother, for example) seem to max out the benefit at 2000mg daily. Again, monitoring the lipid panels and liver enzymes while commencing niacin therapy is SOP.

My GP also confirms that timed-release versions of niacin have a much higher incidence of liver toxicity than simple nicotinic acid. The timed-release versions are supposed to alleviate the common "flushing" side-effects of high-dose niacin. But, if one cannot develop a tolerance for straight niacin over time, it were best to just leave it alone.

I'm fortunate, I guess. My last cholesterol numbers were HDL--64, LDL--51, total cholesterol -- 135. This was with niacin at 1000mg 3xdaily and simvastatin 40mg once daily. Liver enzymes were completely normal.

[dangerdoc]

Niacin sounds like a no brainer, it does elevate good cholesterol so adding it to a statin should dramatically improve risk.

Unfortunately, the only research I’ve seen in the matter shows Niacin + statin is no better than the statin alone.

[Ragnar54]

Those are pretty good numbers. Are you taking any COQ10?
After I started taking significant amounts of ubiquinol, I noticed a drop in LDL.

[dangerdoc]

With numbers like that, you should be thanking your parents.

[Brandybux]

"Are you taking any COQ10?"

No, never tried it. I'm getting good results w/o it, so don't want to multiply supplements. If, for some reason, I need to drop niacin in the future, I'll give it a go.

I forgot to mention that I do take fish oil capsules -- six a day, which is probably more than I actually need. But, they are plentiful and cheap ...

And, on the subject of fish oil capsules, I stumbled onto a dietary "solution" to my Cavalier Spaniel's furious itching/scratching (not related to fleas, btw) -- a dietary supplement for dogs [eyes rolling back in head]. Reading the fine print at the product's website indicated that omega 3 and 6 fatty acids were a big component of this supplement.

So, since I already have a lot of that on hand anyway, I've been dosing the dog with two a day -- one in the morning, another in the evening. It seems to be working! We're only a week into the experiment, but she's scratching way, way less than before.

[B4Ranch]

>>And chewing slowly on a fresh clove can be quite the experience... I did so as a home-ready once when traveling, and wow!<<

Did you forget to put your teeth in?

[Ragnar54]

I have my doubts that they are due to genetics. My brother is on a radically different diet and supplement program and has radically different numbers (and a triple bypass). I'm trying to get him to change. So I'm hoping that Dr. Sears is the one I should thank.

[dangerdoc]

Luck of the draw, you hogged all the good genes.

[Ragnar54]

You might want to look into either having your COQ10 level measured (expensive) or taking a supplement (cheap). All the cells in the body except red blood cells have mitochondria, and mitochondria need COQ10. The mechanism by which statin drugs shut down cholesterol production in the liver also shuts down COQ10 production.
When I travel, I take 8 fish oil capsules in lieu of 2 tsp of fish oil (needs to be kept refrigerated). So 6 seems like a reasonable number.
My dog gets 1 fish oil capsule a day along with a some special dog vitamins. A while back, she was not doing well and the vet determined that her triglycerides were too high. The vet was going to put her on a special medication (to prevent pancreatitis), but we started her back on fish oil and the level was normalized within a week.

[Ragnar54]

I hope you are wrong. We should find out in a few months.

[steve86]

Probiotics ...they're useful in very specific circumstances, but it's not necessary to continually take them on a daily basis.

I've actually found it works better for me to take them about three times/week (Phillips Colon health). Taking them every day seem to do bad things to my colon after about three months. Found that with another formulation as well.

[steve86]

Zinc ...the mineral significantly reduced the duration of the cold, and also made symptoms less severe.

I don't think the dietary form is of any use with respect to colds. It has to be a form that can be distributed to the nasal mucosa. Even then it hasn't seemed very useful to me vs. rhinovirus.

[steve86]

Yes, garlic has a smell to it but it's not an unpleasant smell.

Refer to the Yiddish proverb the other FReeper posted and I happen to know that chronic overuse of garlic has led to broken marriages.

[apocalypto]

Is anybody familiar with wheat grass juice? A friend of mine recommended it (the frozen kind) and claimed it caused her mother's cataract to improve. Since taking it, I have more energy. It might be just a coincidence.

[old and tired]

I would add iodine. Iodoral has changed my life.

Niacin in prescription strength? Just take more of the OTC. Easy, cheap, and the flush is good for you. Start with 500 mg and work your way up. Less if you're afraid of the flush.

[old and tired]

Was that the flush free niacin? That’s the bad stuff. Regular flush inducing niacin has never been proven to cause liver toxicity.

[bravo whiskey]

i now take 1500 niacin (not flush free) down from 2000. i take it right before turning the lights out so i am asleep when the flush hits. even if not the flush is annoying only since i know what is causing all the symptoms. i take red rice yeast, also at night, as i can't take statins. my numbers are fine and my family has a history of heart disease.

[Ragnar54]

The article does not indicate which kind was used by the patient in the case history. However, the article does say:

SR niacin can be taken once daily and is less likely to cause flushing, but is not approved for use in hyperlipidemia and has been associated with a high rates of hepatotoxicity in some studies.

So you might be correct. The authors should have made it clear. Good catch.

[AppyPappy]

I’m doing Niacin, Zinc and Vt D. All three work for me as reported.