Only asking as I was in Holland & Barrett today for Chinese Rice Crackers and they have a LOAD of stuff on their shelves.
Anything worth taking for the times when a…ahem..”balanced diet” is not always an option!?!?!
Or for keeping away the bugs in the winter..
Or should I just eat an orange?

first slice of christmas cake this year..
it’s all downhill from here! 😳

Nothing. Most of us have no need of them.
The health benefits of most are zero in controlled trials..

Cod liver oil, genkgo biloba and glucosamine. For circulation and joint care.

I get VERY cold fingers and toes ( ginkgo really helps) and ropey knees are helped by CLO and glucosamine.

Now no evidence that glucosamine better than placebo for knees
Cod liver oil…. Maybe

How and why is a balanced diet not an option?

Supplements can work if you have a deficiency due to illness, otherwise its money down the drain. (have several relatives who are docs).

Vit D
There seems to be a reasonable amount of data that suggests that we’ve deficient of it in the UK come winter time.

Been taking cod liver oil for about 10 years. My knees certainly seem to feel better for it (particularly when pushing big gears in cold weather).

Glucosomine – Placebo? Mebbe. Have forgotten to take it for series of days before and wondered why joints are aching. Maybe not placebo.

Prefer not having aching joints so carry on taking it….

CaptainFlashheart – Member
How and why is a balanced diet not an option?

Posted 13 minutes ago # Report-Post

that’s for me to resolve.

IanMunro – Member

Vit D
There seems to be a reasonable amount of data that suggests that we’ve deficient of it in the UK come winter time.
Probably less of an issue for those who get outdoors a lot, but your right about many in the UK. There is a strong link to Vit D deficiency & MS, guess where the highest incidence in the world is IIRC.
Scotland

Glucosomine – Placebo? Mebbe. Have forgotten to take it for series of days before and wondered why joints are aching. Maybe not placebo.

Possibly.
However the proposed method that Glucosomine works – by promoting the creation of cartilage building proteins would not appear to a have an effect measurable in days.
I.e to the best of my knowledge, cartilage levels do not change on a daily or weekly basis.

A multivitamin, fish oil, glucosamine, glutamine and probiotics.

All of these work FOR ME. I’ve tried loads of supplements and these are the few that I will feel the effects if stop taking them.

flax seeds ground up – vegan so it ensures Omega 3 intake and I am careful with green veg to get iron

not sure i would take a supplement tbh

I take cod liver oil every day and have done so for many years. If I get a cold I usually take VitC, zinc, and echinacea, mainly for their placebo effect. And it seems to work – my colds go quicker if I take them.

I’m hoping to extend that to treating all aliments and conditions which I may encounter with placebos, after all, I am assured that placebos can’t harm you as they actually do nothing.

I take creatine as I find it difficult to get bullshark testosterone these days. My muscles don’t look this good by themselves you know.

Balanced diet is the best option, but the micronutrient content of foods is hugely dependent upon how they are produced, stored and cooked.

All the fat soluble vitamins (A, D & E) are able to be stored by your body so in a healthy person they will not require supplementation.

Water soluble vits (B complex & C)are not able to be stored to any significant degree. Vit C is relatively easy to come by as long as your diet contains a normal amount of fruit/veg.

B complex can be a useful supplement and is the most common diet related deficiency as many good sources are unprocessed foods.
It is present in meat, pretty much irrespective of it’s “quality” and processed wheat products often have B vits added during the manufacturing process to bring the levels up to (or over) the “natural” level for the particular foodstuff.

Mineral supplementation is the most complex to manage as their metabolism and storage is highly dependent upon their chemical format – so while a multivit can quite legitimately say it has 100mg of mineral X, the mineral may be in a chemical form (sulphate, phosphate, carbonate etc) which make it all but useless to the body.

Fatty acids, ?-3,6 fatty acids are essential nutrients and the best dietary sources are fish, green leafed veg and seeds – all foods which can figure high on peoples “don’t like” lists.
If you take a ?-3,6 supp the I’d go for flaxseed sourced rather than fish oil sourced – more palatable (no fish breath!!) and less liable to be contaminated.

So, a one-a-day multivit/mineral and/or B complex is not going to harm you and may top up any dietary deficiencies and a flaxseed cap is also not a bad idea if you don’t eat much fish or other ?-3,6 sources – the rest, well as a consumer it’s your choice but make sure it’s an informed choice.
There’s plenty of info “out there” on the vit/mineral content of foods, these links are a pretty good place to start…

http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-35-45-00
http://www.foodcomp.dk/v7/fcdb_default.asp
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/fiche-nutri-data/index-eng.php

Or should I just eat an orange?

well it’s a start

remember “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”? some sense in these old school thingys

personally? i think that there is a big difference between dried out vitamins and those that are kept ‘alive’ by the process that keeps the seeds fresh inside a fruit. get your vitamins from living fruit/veg and your essential fatty acids (they are essential) from seeds and nuts [there is no need to be eating cod liver they are endangered species ffs – you wouldnt eat tiger bones would you]
i realise i sound like a sandal wearer but im not, i just get it that your body deserves the best it can get (its the only one you can ever have) and there is no need to spend money or kill endangered species to do that.
so fresh fruit and nut and seeds is my advice

Junkyard, not sure if you know this.. but if you ever find yourself with iron issues, fry up sliced tomatos on a cast iron pan. The matos will absorb the iron from the pan itself and give you a massive boost.

If I fry them on a non stick pan will I become super smooth? That could give my karaoke night a real boost.

I’ve been taking a multi vitamin with B, D and and a separate one for Vit C. The B vitamin one has made my wee go bright yellow!! Florescent even 🙂 only taking loads at the moment to get through winter while I learn to eat proper. Ive been putting flax seeds on my porridge first thing too.

you wouldnt eat tiger bones would you

I dunno – how delicious are they?

Stoatsbrother – Member
Now no evidence that glucosamine better than placebo for knees

But the placebo effect can be pretty powerful.

Mother to be multi vitamin with folic as it is cheap and easy. Not preggers but there is significant medical opinion suggesting all women of child bearing age should be on folic – just in case….

Garlic. To keek the vampires away, and the bugs.

Nothing. Because a “balanced diet” is… ahem… always possible.

I generally eat well, but take a general multi-vitamin with minerals most days, figuring I work irregular shifts so my eating routine is a bit all over the place. Can’t remember the last time I was ill or had a cold, so I figure it can’t do any harm.

Biking wise I was considering loading with beta-alanine before the race season starts as I tend to bit sluggish coming out of winter despite not slacking on the training, but I remain a bit unconvinced.

Berocca all the way here !

Never felt a need to take anything other than food

I take an el-cheapo multivitamin through the winter months for the vitamin D, but that’s it. Also for the same reason as smell-it – dodgy shifts and shite food.

although I don’t eat that bad, sometimes with a job where I can be in the car from early doors to early evening, three square meals is just not possible. Most of the time the diet is OK, fish, veg meats etc but just to top up those bad days.
Thanks for the advice for those with advice. I’ll just ignore those judging my lifestyle so no further need for those kind of comments if you don’t mind ta very much.

I’ll just ignore those judging my lifestyle so no further need for those kind of comments if you don’t mind ta very much.

Show the red rag to the bull…

Multi vitmain and mineral combo,Zinc with Vit C,Omega 3,6,9,Garlic,Milk Thistle,and a multi B vitamin.Not every day though.
Who needs food? 🙂
FWIW it works for me but I can’t be bothered getting drawn into a long fatuous debate with those who know better
My rationalisation works for me.In fact this is going to be my stock response to all future STW posts. 🙂

I take starflower oil to stop me turning mental just prior to grumpy week. It seems to work.

CaptJon – Member

But the placebo effect can be pretty powerful.

+1

I’ve recently read a number of scientists are starting to research the placebo effect for its healing powers.

i run vit c among a couple of others already discredited here for joints an’ ting.
‘fitness’ article in the mag suggested big doses of vit c when having colds and stuff? isn’t the chap who writes that supposed to know stuff about stuff?
seems to help the hangovers anyway….

Started taking a multivitamin with zinc in it a year or so ago after spending most of 2010 with a cold of one form or another (Three-year old boys who attend nursery are the most effective disease vectors known to man).

It’s entirely anecdotal I know, but I now seem to be staying clear of colds most of the time and I shook off the couple that I had this year much faster.

Bushwacked – Member

+1

I’ve recently read a number of scientists are starting to research the placebo effect for its healing powers.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1Q3jZw4FGs[/video]