Posted on 07/06/2008 10:56:21 PM PDT by neverdem
Last year Americans spent $22.5 billion on dietary supplements, taking everything from a standard multivitamin to fish oil for the heart to magnesium for healthy bones. But how do we know which vitamin pills we need and which we don't? And at what doses do the risks outweigh the benefits?
Dr. Eric Rimm at the Harvard School of Public Health sat down with ABC's Medical Editor Dr. Tim Johnson to discuss some of the more talked about vitamins, how much of them we should be taking and whether too much can be detrimental to our health.
In a field filled with controversy, most nutrition experts agree on one thing: food, not pills, is still the best way to get essential micronutrients. Our bodies seem to process the vitamins in food better. And people who eat a healthy diet getting at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, along with whole grains and lean proteins get the vitamins and minerals they need.
Unfortunately, these days most Americans are falling short of that goal. But reaching for a vitamin pill should not be the first step toward solving that problem, Rimm says. "A supplement is called a supplement because it's supposed to be supplementing a healthy lifestyle," he said.
If your diet is just average, here's Rimm's advice: "Get yourself off the average diet and move to a healthier diet, and exercise three times a week."
Your A-B-C's A diet that includes breakfast cereal, juices,...
--snip--
So what's the bottom line? According to the experts, eat a healthy diet, but a generic multivitamin is a good nutritional safety net, and don't forget to add 1,000 units of vitamin D. Rimm reminds people to watch their weight, exercise and stop smoking. It's still the best way to stay healthy.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
I notice a huge difference when I take my vitamins and when I don’t. I ‘d rather continue taking my vitamins. thanks.
Protect your skin from the sun at all costs, but take a vitamin D capsule.
Your body would produce the “d” you need, but you might get skin cancer.
Nutritionists and doctors who write tripe like this article deserve the reputation they have for quackery. It’s a pity they reflect so badly on the good ones.
I take a multi Vite, Fish Oil and a couple of other only my Keeper knows and she is sound asleep
So I can’t take dietary supplements with my beer or Jack Daniels?
I need some really strong legal uppers. I need energy
Mountain Dew?
That is still illegal in these parts. :^)
Something more like an over-the-counter version of meth. And I don’t mean methadone.
Something to make me not feel like I’m dragging a ship anchor.
Are you taking any Statin drugs? I take Zocor and it does that to me most of the time...
No, I’m just taking Synthyroid for an underactive thyroid gland.
A couple of questions:
How's your exercise? Start off doing SOMETHING every day, set up even the weakest of routines. Start off with walks, even slow walks. Then move up to power walks. After that's going for a week or so, start throwing in some short jogs into your walk. You get the idea....
Next: How's your diet? I know when I'm on a diet with high-glycemic carb items (and not exercising at a true race training level) I get lethargic too. Take a serious look at the South Beach diet. (http://www.southbeachdiet.com)
Even though everyone gets a bit weak in the 2-week long "Phase-I" period (where all high- to moderate-glycemic index foods are eliminated), I feel SO much better for going through it. For one thing, I'm no longer feeling sleepy after lunch!
Of course, go to the doc, too. But I'm telling you, FRiend, you can work through this!
Get your TSH level checked. They have tougher quality control problems with hormones. Are you getting the real Synthyroid made by Knoll, or are you getting some other company's Levothyroxine Sodium?
The pituitary gland is tied to your optic nerve and is sensitive to sunlight. When light enters your eyes, it triggers your pituitary gland to produce a melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH) that activates your melanocytes to produce melanin. This means that wearing sunglasses can actually cause sunburn.
If we were not so bombarded with GMO seeds/food and exposure to pesticides and mercury....this might be a true statement....
I swear by vitamins.
My regimen:
Ester C (1,000mg, cap)
B-Complex (”100”, cap)
A/D (20,000iu/800iu, softgel)
Coenzyme Q10 (100mg, softgel)
Big mouthful of raw bee pollen
Big gulp of flax seed oil
Occasional softgel of natural E (200mg)
The benefits from the sun are much greater, less depression, anxiety, vitamin D and evidence that it may have a positive effect in preventing internal cancers.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coenzyme-q10/NS_patient-coenzymeq10
Your body stops producing it when on statins.
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