Vitamin Junkie

[VicDorfman]

Paul, vitamin and mineral intakes have optimal ranges. Too little is no good and too much is harmful - the dose makes the poison.

Various substances also affect one another. For instance, I noticed you're taking a zinc supplement. Is it packaged with copper? The total amount of zinc and copper in the body are important but not as important as the RATIO between the two.

If you're taking your multivitamins in the morning along with your vitamin D, the magnesium in your multi competes for absorption with the D3.

As an athlete I know it's impossible not to overthink supplementation but if you get diet, sleep, and the Big 2 supplements handled, you'll cover most of your bases. The big 2 being:

1. Vitamin D3
2. Krill Oil

As coach Zog said, stepping outdoors (even in subtropical Miami Beach where I live) for a few hours isn't typically enough for your body to produce sufficient vitamin D, so supplementation with a D3 supplement (never D2) is necessary. But Vit D bioaccumulates and if you go above optimal range, inflammation markers start to rise (http://blog.wellnessfx.com/2012/09/1...amin-d-levels/).

You can order a cheap test kit from ZRT labs (http://www.zrtlab.com/) to test your blood levels. Vitamin D correlates directly with testosterone levels, immunity, inflammation markers, and a laundry list of other stuff. It's the true supervitamin and worth getting this one right.

Krill oil is similar to fish oil except that purity issues aren't...issues, since they're harvested from pristine antarctic waters. The reason to take fish oil or preferably krill oil is because the ratio of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats is chronically high in our diets, and just like the zinc/copper relationship, it's this RATIO that sets off highly inflammatory processes in the body. That makes recovery from jits harder and puts you at risk for a lot of health issues down the road.

I've just written a book on this stuff so please excuse me if I've totally geeked out on you! Hopefully somebody will find it useful! :-)

[rock d]

I enjoy the Robb Wolf "Paleo Solution" podcast. They cover studies about supplementation that might be counter productive. (Calcium, Vit D, etc...) Interesting to say the least.


Also, I have a plantar fibromatosis afflicting one of my feet. Dr. said it might be from taking too much Vit C over the years as it causes build up of collagen. There are a number of "possible" reasons, they don't know. I no longer take Vit C over 200mg/day as recommended for those with this condition.


Best supplements I've found: http://www.newchapter.com/ as they're food based.

[Aaron Gustaveson]

So, I'm a biology major finishing my BS now. My uncle who I'm very close with is a physician specializing in internal medicine; he also has a master degree in biochemistry from Berkley. I did some research on multivitamins when I was working on my AS degree. To sum up our opinions (not presenting professional medical advice) on vitamins and supplements; if you are eating a well-balanced diet in accordance with your activity level and don’t have a condition which inhibits your bodies’ ability to uptake/use/produce nutrients, it is overwhelmingly likely that you are meeting all you nutritional requirements. On the topic of dietary supplements (completely different topic than vitamins) recent history provides many arguments for extreme caution. O-mega 3 for example which is just one type of poly unsaturated fatty acid with similar properties, absolutely has been shown to have positive effects on the cardiovascular system; it may also have serious negative effects, especially if taken in excess of 3mg/day. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/conten...wr027.abstract
Many have died from taking non-fda approved dietary supplements. Grant the FDA is not a flawless organization but they have undoubtedly prevented tens of thousands more deaths than all of their "mistakes"/oversights have allowed. I could fill this post with links but you can find the research yourself and most of mine are to medical journals you have to subscribe to for access. Your genetic makeup is also worth considering. For example people of Scandinavian descent, need only a fraction of the exposure to sunlight that other equatorial peoples may need in order to synthesize D3. Initial studies on the benefits of Omega 3's was also done on Inuit people, who diets have included high levels of poly unsaturated fatty acids for many thousands of years. If you are concerned that you are not getting enough of any dietary requirement SEE A DOCTOR. It is fairly simple to identify dietary deficiencies. Pro-biotic have a place in modern medicine and are well accepted by the medical community. Unfortunately most pro-biotic products marketed to consumers are absolutely worthless because they are not human specific organisms and will likely ether rapidly die or never become active at all. Bacteria are normally highly specialized/adapted to the environment they have evolved in. Beneficial microorganisms that naturally occur in the human digestive tract are almost all human specific organisms. Medicines like flourastore for example, while not yet approved by the FDA are widely believed by physicians to aid in the restoration of gut tract microorganism. You should only see benefit from probiotics is you have taken antibiotic of antifungal drugs which may have killed the natural flora of your digestive tract.
Be skeptical about what you put in your body, whether it is prescription or not and take the time to research for yourself. The scientific method is no bullshit. The fact that we are using computers and don’t have people walking around with polio are a pretty strong testament to that.

[Aaron Gustaveson]

Yes, Gluten is the devil.

There is nothing wrong with Gluten. 0.5-1% of our population has an immune disease which makes them intolerant to the protein. Wheat allergies are often confused/combined with this disease but only occur in about .21% of the population. The rate of Celiac disease is believed to be increasing in recent decades; it is not yet known why but is not believed to be due to more frequent diagnosis, as it is not difficult to identify individuals with the disease. Common symptoms are far more than just bloating and doctors can easily test for gluten anti-bodies to diagnose the disease.

[Eddie Bravo]

I take 16 vitamins, about 70 minerals, 12 amino acids(protein), 3 essential fatty acids every day. I've been taking all that shit plus more like acidophilus for over 20 years and I feel great.

Our produce has very little mineral content, our soil is garbage, look into it. We are definitely not getting all the nutrients from our diets, listen to Herzog. If vitamins and minerals weren't crucial to our overall health and vitality then why has big pharma been trying to ban them for over 20 years? They are still working on it too, don't be surprised if supplements become illegal in our lifetime while tobacco and alcohol thrive

[Chris Herzog]

There is nothing wrong with Gluten. 0.5-1% of our population has an immune disease which makes them intolerant to the protein. Wheat allergies are often confused/combined with this disease but only occur in about .21% of the population. The rate of Celiac disease is believed to be increasing in recent decades; it is not yet known why but is not believed to be due to more frequent diagnosis, as it is not difficult to identify individuals with the disease. Common symptoms are far more than just bloating and doctors can easily test for gluten anti-bodies to diagnose the disease.

LOL you're welcome to believe that bullshit, I refuse to.

[Chris Herzog]

BTW Aaron works for Wonder bread

[Chris Herzog]

Celiac and Gluten-Free Fast Facts:


Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.


One in 133 Americans have celiac disease.


An estimated 3 million Americans across all races, ages and genders suffer from celiac.


It is estimated that 85% of Americans who have celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions.


6-10 years is the average time a person waits to be correctly diagnosed. (Source: Daniel Leffler, MD, MS, The Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center)


5-22% of celiac patients have an immediate family member (1st degree relative) who also has celiac.


Celiac disease can lead to a number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers, and other autoimmune diseases.




Burden of disease over four-year period per patient:

Females: $4,019
Males: $14,191
(Source: Long et al, 2010)


There are NO pharmaceutical cures for celiac disease.


A 100% gluten-free diet is the only existing treatment for celiac today. Get gluten-free recipes and tips on where to shop »


The celiac disease diagnosis rate may reach 50-60% by 2019, thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of celiac disease. (Source: Datamonitor Group, 2009)

[David Rosado]

Yes, Gluten is the devil.

But....but.......beer.

[Chris Herzog]

But....but.......beer.

Relax there is gluten free beer