I didn’t realize that. Interesting.
My uncle sells feed to cows, pigs and horses. These animals are getting way more nutrition than the average human. Why? Because the farmers have to keep their livestock healthy, they can’t afford to lose any to sickness. My daily supplements: Vit E, Vit C, calcium, selenium, l-carnitine and a multi-vitamin.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/01367.html
Actually B-1. Thiamine.
B-12 is the one that us vegetarians have trouble with. Of course I really pity the vegans, they can’t even get their b-12 from milk n cheeses, they have to stick with supplements.
Come to think of it, the other sources of b-12 for vegetarians are miso, tempeh, and seaweed, and that’s only cause of bacteria. Can vegans eat bacteria?
Hey, I learned it in public grade school. I also learned that Columbus “Discovered” America and became best friends with the Natives. Lets not even get started on Thanksgiving.
Thanks for the TRUTH . . .
activgurl, I presume that you’re somewhere between puberty and menopause? Women can lose a lot of iron in menstrual fluid-- Try having it checked at different times of the month, and eat more than the USRDA, which is averaged for all Americans, male and female.
Incidentally, the easiest way to supplement your iron is to regularly cook acidic foods like tomatoes in cast-iron cookware: A little of the iron leeches out into the food, at just about the right dosage.
All,
Thanks for the info. A lot of good stuff here. A question I should have been more specific with in the OP:
What is the take of medical professionals on multi-vitamins? Is taking them regularly recommended by any respected bodies? How does it compare to other “health-related” activities, like diet, excercise, drinking, smoking crack, etc.
For many activities, there are well-understood benefits. For example, if you stop smoking at age X, you’ll gain an average of Y years to your life. Are there estimates of average benefits of taking multivitamins? (If any)
Bill H.
I am not a doctor. But I’ll go out on a limb and say that no respected bodies recommend smoking crack.
As for vitamins, I’ve recently become a student of life extension via caloric restriction, as described by Dr. Roy Walford of the Biosphere II project.
You may make your own judgment as to his qualifications or distinction, but he seems (to me) to be on solid scientific footing. He recommends the following daily supplements:
a multivitamin containing 50% RDA of standard vitamins and minerals
300-400 I.U.'s of Vitamin E
500 mg Vitamin C
25,000 I.U.'s of beta-carotene (which the body converts to Vitamin A on demand)
100 mcg selenium
I take all these except the selenium, because I haven’t yet found a drugstore that sells it in 100 mcg capsules. I’ve found 200 mcg, but I couldn’t remember to take it every other day instead of daily.
Just to clear some things up, though IANAD.
Vitamins are complex chemicals (not minerals) that the body cannot synthesize. If you do not get them in the right amount (whatever that is), you will get some vitamin deficiency disease and die.
They are pretty sure that there are no other vitamins, since comatose patients can be kept alive for years with sugar, the known vitamims, and trace minerals. (Sorry, no cite.)
Whether excess amounts of some vitamins cause other health hazards and benefits is a horse of a different color, and I won’t get into it.
One important vitamin for expectant and trying mothers is folic acid to prevent neural tube defects in babies.
I decided to go to the horse’s mouth. (What is it with all the horse analogies, already?)
Here is a link to what quackwatch has to say:
http://www.quackwatch.com/03HealthPromotion/supplements.html
Though this is about all supplements, I think the advice is sound.