"Vitamins have never been shown to do anything."

So said my co-worker on Friday. His point: they've never cured a single disease that wasn't related to (da da daaa) vitamin deficiency, e.g. scurvy.

I know when I take my multi, I feel better. This, however, is just the kind of quackery nonsense I deride in other people ("the crystal in my pocket makes my eyesight better"), so I thought I'd put it out here.

Vitamins. Yes? No?

:shrug:


And I seem to have more energy than when I don't take them.

Before I thought that I'd just feel the same - but I do honestly feel better. So I'm a converted sceptic here.

vitamins and minerals in their diets.

Tell your co-worker that your vitamins aren't a "cure" for anything, but rather a supplement to a sometimes inadequate diet. That's all.

I need, amongst other things, B12 regularly.

And, yeah, I don't get enough so I've turned to poppin' vitamins to make up for that difference! :evilgrin:

of stones. Different colored ones, they were each supposed to do something different but beneficial for me. I think they must've suffocated in the perfume the velvet bag had been previously soaked in, those rocks didn't seem to do much. I'm not sure where they are right now, probably making some landfill rat feel better about itself.

"energy".
i threw it out the window to see if it could catch up to that "love".

...that if one is healthy enough to walk to the store to buy vitamins, one doesn't need them. He also said that it is possible to live on potatoes and butter, though he certainly didn't recommend it.

I take a multivitamin maybe once a week, when I can remember to, just as insurance against any deficiency in my diet. I don't know whether it does me any particular good or not.

that we have the most expensive urine in the world.

I take a store brand multi plus 1000 C every few days, just in case, ya know - I know I don't always eat right and the next day I DO seem to have a little improvement in energy sometimes. Could be a coinkydink, but it doesn't cost that much and I am all for placebo effect!

I'm not sure what's in it for them, if they don't work. Are the vitamin makers bribing them? Or maybe it's the "can't hurt, might help" philosophy.

Yes, dammit, YES! But only if they are high quality, pharmaceutical grade stuff. Investigate what you are getting, how it is sourced, how it is preserved, etc. Then pay the extra money for the good stuff, it is very worth it.


An immediate family member developed bladder cancer. She had to go to the doctor every so often to have the little tumors scraped from her bladder. I went with her. Not fun. One day she read a newspaper article about a vitamin regimen specifically designed for bladder cancer. In my family we are very health conscious, and open to such ideas. She adopted the vitamin regimen, thinking, why not? When she returned to the doctor for her next "scraping"... there were no tumors. Same thing next visit. It has been several years now, with no tumors. None. Her SIL's husband developed the same cancer. Her SIL asked her for the vitamin regimen. The husband undertook it, with the same success. Coincidence? I'll take that chance. Along with a high quality, high potency, daily multi, thank you.

I'd really like to start taking a daily vitamin, but I tried only one kind and actually thought I felt a little *worse* when I was taking them.

My energy has gone up considerably since I became vegetarian, but I still sometimes feel tired. But it is "that time of year" so maybe it's just a cyclical thing and nothing to worry much about...

...and ask to speak to the resident "vitamin expert." Then ask what brand s/he recommends, and why. Maybe get a few opinions from different people like that before deciding, as sometimes stores carry different brands. Some of the bigger "specialty" brands (meaning not the stuff you see advertised on tv) in health food stores are pretty good, from what I know. But you know, do the usual internets research, too. I don't really know what all is out there any more, as I've been buying all my vitamins/supplements from a private company for about six years now.

I get mine from a local company which has them made in Europe (European standards for vitamin and supplement freshness and potency/bio-availability are much higher than ours, btw). I also get a PMS/cramps vitamin supplement from this place, and it works really well. Having tried a lot of different vitamins/supplements over the years, and finding many of them lacking, I was pleasantly surprised. The only other thing that works as well is a massive dose of aspirin, which, while it gets rid of the cramps, makes me feel like a nasty hole is burning in my stomach.

I'll PM you the info re: my company if you're interested; I'm not sure if the company does mail order, but I don't see why they wouldn't. Again, it's more expensive than what you'll find on the supermarket shelves, but surely worth it, imho. I can definitely tell the difference when off them and on.

but I certainly notice a difference when I DON'T take them. I have much less energy, get stressed out more easily and my skin and hair don't seem quite as healthy.

If you eat a well balanced diet, there should be no need for a multivitamin. However if you have a nutrient absorption problem or you eat meals that consist mostly of burgers and ho-hos then you should consider taking them.

Everyday I take a multivitamin, Vitamin B50 complex, Vitamin E, Calcium, Vitamin C.

Vitamins and exercise cure THAT. Just ask Tom Cruise.

I also take a calcium supplement and concentrated fish oil.

And yes, I notice a big difference when I don't take them.

I also feel better when I eat a vegetable or fruit with every meal.

I don't know if it's the placebo effect, and I don't care. Just as long as I'm functional.

diet you shouldn't need them. But the food supply today is produced much differently than it was 60 years ago. Do some research into food production pre WWII and then how it drastically changed after the war and you will see how much the quality has changed. Apples today for example are a whole lot prettier than they used to be for our grandparents and greatgrandparents, but they don't taste as good nor are they as nutritious. Nor are there as many different varieties because a lot of the kind that could not withstand being transported far eventually became extinct or are rarely found anymore. For a good read on the subject I suggest "The Real Food Revival" by Sherri Brooks Vinton and Ann Clark Espuelas.