[poetrymom]

I am a believer in taking vitamins and supplements for my body and brain. I heard this news report on public radio this summer, and now NPR has an article out against taking vitamins. This isn't going to change me, but just wondering if any of you have thoughts about it.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013...grows-stronger


Thanks for reading it.

poetrymom

[Mark in Idaho]

The report does not give enough details. It list just a few issues that vitamins do not appear to effect. How about quality of life ? How often are vitamin takers "under the weather" ? I have a killer immune system. My prior disabling sinus allergies are gone. My skin is good. My mood is better.

These characteristics of healthy living are difficult to quantify. I know that vitamins make a huge difference. They may not allow me to live longer but the life I live is much more comfortable when I am consistently on a vitamin regimen.

A point do addressed is simple. Did they just look at people who take a daily multi-vitamin based on the FDA's RDA ? The RDA is sadly lacking. It is only intended to prevent disease. It is not to promote best health. Many food are fortified with vitamins to address the RDA guidelines so taking a weak multi that only reached RDA standards does not do much more than what a non-vitamin taker gets from their fortified food.

We vitamin takers do not need the pharmaceutical companies drugs to stay alive. This annoys Big Pharma. Big Pharma has been fighting vitamins and supplements for decades.

I keep taking mine 21 pieces a day.

My best to you and those who choose not to take vitamins.

[Arty]

Mark - for how long were you on your vitamin regimen?

[Mark in Idaho]

Vitamins are a lifestyle for me. I was put on vitamins by a psychiatrist in 1982. The benefits of vitamins start immediately but most take weeks to months to develop. The body needs to purge the toxins and rebuild metabolic and other systems. I suggest 6 to 8 weeks before expecting to notice a real difference.

Prior to vitamins, I had horrible hay fever/sinus allergies at the change of the seasons ( 4 times a year) I had food allergies, too. Now, none of these allergies effect me more than a sneeze or 2. Actually, I usually need 5 sneezes to solve the sneeze issue.

[Eowyn]

I think another point this report is making is that the daily multivitamin is not specific enough. If you know you need a specific vitamin, take that vitamin. Thinking the "one-a-day" is going to do it for you is not particularly true, though.

[Vanilla Bean]

I heard this report and I had the same reaction as Mark that vitamins will never make as much money as pharmaceuticals and therefore the cards are stacked against them. I believe the study and the report itself was a slick PR tactic which NPR is not immune to.

Personally for me since taking vitamins I have improved symptoms but it is difficult to say at this point whether it is rest or the vitamins or a combination of both. I will continue to take them.

I have been wondering if Magnesium is making me tired as I was taking it during the morning. Now I am not taking it for a week to see if it makes a difference. Then I plan to start taking it again at night. If people have an opinion please weigh in.

[Concussion]

A couple other things about the Allopaths and their studies:

- they went in trying to disprove the value of Vitamins and supplements (biased);

- their subjects were, for the most part, healthy individuals, who would not notice improvements in their health from the use of vitamins and supplements(essentially biased);

- and, from my use of vitamin/supplement recommendations to patients in the past, and with self, they did no follow-up studies to verify later conclusions of how well the subject(s) were doing when off the vitamin/supplements - since many of us can confirm when we are off our supplementations for given time frames we definitely note the loss.

Just my input.........