# What Multi-vitamins, dietary supplements do you take and why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2012, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219 "2012-06-15T10:34:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/41 "2012-06-16T04:30:16Z")
Centrum Energy multivitamin. I’m vegetarian, and have an incredibly poor “eat on the run” diet, so I take it more as a precaution than anything. (And I know multivitamins typically contain animal-derived products of some sort. I’m vegetarian for culinary reasons, not ethical/moral/religious reasons, so there’s no real conflict of interest.) High-fiber cereal bars. Again, compensating for my poor diet. These fit into my schedule and guarantee I’m getting _some_ dietary fiber, something not likely to happen on days when I only have time for one meal, and it’s limited to whatever I can eat in five minutes as I run between classes or drive between jobs. ---
**Author:** ![kjbrasda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/74df32/32.png) [@kjbrasda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kjbrasda)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/42 "2012-06-17T06:41:13Z")
Prenatal because I’m breastfeeding, and an Iron because my son’s pediatrician said I looked pale and recommended it. I have noticed a difference in my energy level since starting the iron pills. My baby takes a vitamin D drop, prescribed by pediatrician. I guess all infants are recommended to take vitamin D for the first few months anyway. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/43 "2012-06-17T11:48:24Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The wife and I both take a Centrum-brand multivitamin once a day. Just seems like a good thing to do. Simple enough statement, but their [homepage](http://www.centrum.com/) is 25% footnotes! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/44 "2012-06-17T13:29:10Z")
> [@manila](#): > > based on your lifestyle, age and history what do you find is helpful to your wellbeing. > > I am looking to garner opinions as to the relative benefits of supplements specifically where your lifestyle, or condition does not guarantee you can eat a balanced diet where supplements may not be required. Also where a balanced diet may not give you adequate nutrition for tasks your body is to under take. I try to get at least 15-20 minutes of direct sunlight without using sunscreen for the vitamin D. As I have the complexion of a vampire that’s probably sufficient and I use sunscreen if I’m out in [del]seething, deadly solar radiation[/del] sunlight more than about 30 minutes, though. In winter when I’m bundled up and its dark a lot I’ll supplement with vitamin D. Based on an analysis by a professional nutritionist I paid for awhile back I am getting plenty of calcium with my normal eating habits but if you don’t get sufficient D your body won’t efficiently utilize calcium. Also based on professional analysis I get LOTS of vitamin A in my normal diet, and plenty of B and E as well. I will take extra vitamin C when I don’t have a lot of fresh fruit/veg on hand. This is sort of rare, between having a large garden and working next door to a grocery store that sells individual fruit portions I can eat at lunch time, but being allergic and somewhat prone to cold sores I find adequate vitamin C intake helps both. Note I said “adequate”, not “megadose”, because too much of anything is not a good thing. One time it does happen is during certain periods of the year when plants I’m allergic to are pollinating, triggering oral allergy syndrome, when I stop eating fresh fruit (keep up with the vegees, though, although usually cooked) for a couple weeks. I probably have enough C to tide myself over those spots but why? Vitamin C tablets are common and cheap. Due to tested high potassium levels I do _not_ take any sort of potassium supplement or multivitamin that contains potassium (which is pretty much all of them) under doctor’s orders. We don’t know _why_ I have had repeatedly tested on the borderline of normal/too high on potassium levels the past few years, the kidneys, heart, etc. all check out fine, but any additional potassium would be a Bad Thing. One hypothesis is that I am eating _so many_ fresh vegees from my garden, and _so much_ fresh fruit, that I’m naturally getting high levels of potassium but there isn’t any way to be certain of that. I also refuse to take anything that “boosts” the immune system, as my allergy problem stems in large part from an already overactive immune system that gets hysterical over innocuous particles. Boosting my hypersensitive immune system even further just doesn’t strike me as a good idea. Other than that, I’ve found that as I’ve aged I really, really need to keep up the fiber intake to, um, keep things moving along. So, right now: 1. intermittent Vitamin C 2. intermittent Vitamin D Hypothetical bad diet situation: 1. Vitamin C 2. Vitamin D 3. Calcium supplement 4. Fiber supplement > [@](#): > > As a starter, it is accepted medical concensus that older mothers need a pre course of folic acid to help a pregnancy produce a healthy fetus. Actually, the recommendation is _all women of childbearing years_ because, after all, not every pregnancy is planned. That’s why folic acid is added to many foods as well. If a woman is _planning_ pregnancy she might be advised to supplement above that. > [@manila](#): > > My lipid profile is crap! cholesterol 205 Triglycerides 301 HDL cholesterol 51 Aldl 117 > > This is a typical range for me for years. Even though I am mainly vegetarian. ( I will eat meat if I cant find anything decent veggie) > > I take statins for the cholesterol. but cant get it below 200. Genetics plays a role here. My mother, for example, suffered from a bad gene that leads to amazingly high cholesterol counts – the _lowest_ she ever had, on full statins and a non-cholesterol diet, while underweight, was in the high 300’s. Her body just didn’t process cholesterol properly. You don’t sound that bad off, but there are various genes that lead to better or worse handling of cholesterol. If you happen to have one of lesser efficiency then you may simply not be able to reduce your cholesterol below current levels. Don’t beat yourself up over it if that is the case. Instead, do everything else you can to maximize your health – don’t smoke, keep your weight under control, keep your blood pressure under control, eat healthy, exercise, etc. Mom’s problem can easily kill in the mid-40’s (and in her family, it being hereditary, about half her relatives did, indeed, die in their mid-40’s) but she made it to 77, a normal lifespan. Her doctors attributed that in no small part to her being otherwise quite healthy outside of her genetic problem. It’s not just supplements you need to consider, but exercise, mental health, and sufficient rest. Do you get enough sleep on a nightly basis? How is your blood pressure and resting pulse rate? Do you wash your hands frequently? (That being the easiest/cheapest way to avoid common illnesses) Do you keep up with your vaccinations? You clearly seem to be monitoring your healthy, which is good as along as it doesn’t become obsessive. You may or may not want to consult with a nutritionist – because I have some dietary restrictions I did so to find out where I might be lacking and find alternative sources of some things I couldn’t use the normal source to obtain (for example: lycopene. I absolutely can not consume tomatoes in any form, and from the hype you’d think they were the sole source of that. They aren’t. Fortunately for me, watermelon also has lycopene and it’s a favorite of mine.) I found it worth the money and the hassle of keeping a food diary for a bit, but as always your mileage may vary. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/45 "2012-06-17T16:22:16Z")
My optometrist & the retina specialist she sent me to recommend a supplement containing Lutein & Zeaxanthin. (And they told me to add more dark berries, fish & green, leafy vegetables to my diet.) They also said a basic vitamin/mineral supplement every day wouldn’t hurt… ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/46 "2012-06-18T19:22:53Z")
I take a B complete supplement because my neurologist told me to take 50mg of B-2 every day and I couldn’t find it alone. I don’t remember why he told me to take it but it doesn’t appear to be hurting me so I just keep doing it. ---
**Author:** ![kmshrader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@kmshrader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kmshrader)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/47 "2012-06-18T19:42:41Z")
Iron, B-Complex, Cranberry Extract, C. For awful diet, energy, and UTI prevention. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/48 "2012-06-18T20:05:14Z")
A calcium/vitamin D and K chew. My mom has a mild osteoporosis case, and I’m mildly lactose intolerant. Since I can’t comfortabely drink milk any more, a calcium suppliment seems the safe way to go. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/49 "2012-06-18T20:32:19Z")
Zinc because it’s hard to get enough through food even with all the red meat I eat, and it helped my skin immensely (10 years of acne, finally gone). And vitamin D drops in the winter and early spring - I take care to get plenty of sun in the warmer months, and my levels usually stay above 40 into November. I eat a lot of animal products and vegetables, it’s fairly easy for me to get adequate amounts of everything else daily. I also eat protein bars (Clif Builder usually) and sometimes drink shakes with whey protein. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/50 "2012-06-18T21:41:09Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > ? . . sometimes drink shakes with whey protein. no. . ., whey? ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/51 "2012-06-19T05:14:30Z")
Thanks to everyone who contributed here. Very interesting and useful information for me. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2012, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219/52 "2012-06-21T02:50:09Z")
Is none an acceptable answer? Although, through reading this thread maybe I’ll start taking some Vitamin D in the Aomori winters. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-multi-vitamins-dietary-supplements-do-you-take-and-why/625219.md?page=2)