Multivitamins - work or placebo
Multivitamins - work or placebo
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Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Tuesday 31st May 2016
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[redacted]

grumbledoak

32,566 posts

262 months

Tuesday 31st May 2016
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They could be. Vitamin D is quite an effective mood improver, and we do get precious little sunlight here in the UK. And Linus Pauling was quite keen on Vitamin C...

I take a Berocca every day. I probably don't need each and every one of them, but so what. At worst you pee them out.

HTP99

25,142 posts

169 months

Tuesday 31st May 2016
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The wife used to take Berocca and other supplemenst, she claimed it helped her, I always say that if your diet is good and varied enough then you don't need vitamin supplements; her diet wasn't great, she ate decent meals with us as a family but she wouldn't eat fruit and she always caught colds and sniffles etc.

Over the years her diet improved, she got into smoothies; fruit and veg ones and she ditched the supplements a couple of years ago; she has never been healthier.

wombleh

2,365 posts

151 months

Tuesday 31st May 2016
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I've had non stop colds and tiredness this year and last, both times fixed with a week long dose of vitamin d. I think small amount of sun we get over winter doesn't give enough.

Can't say I notice a difference from taking multi vitamins but then I eat quite well. OP what's your diet like?

popeyewhite

23,012 posts

149 months

Tuesday 31st May 2016
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Placebo. Unless you're undernourished.

Alucidnation

16,810 posts

199 months

Tuesday 31st May 2016
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I started to take multi vitamins a few years ago, but found they made me feel rough as hell so gave up after a few weeks!

Saleen836

12,489 posts

238 months

Tuesday 31st May 2016
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As Dr Cooper said to Penny..."your body will only take in so much vitamins, then it becomes expensive urine!"

popeyewhite

23,012 posts

149 months

Wednesday 1st June 2016
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wombleh said:
I've had non stop colds and tiredness this year and last, both times fixed with a week long dose of vitamin d.
I'm wondering how a vitamin has any effect on an active virus. Hasn't Vit D only been linked with the possibility it may help against catching the winter influenza?

TwigtheWonderkid

48,970 posts

179 months

Wednesday 1st June 2016
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Why ask? If people convince you it is placebo, then you might stop feeling the good effects. Just be glad that you feel better. Does it matter why? (unless they are costing you fortunes, which I doubt).

callmedave

2,686 posts

174 months

Wednesday 1st June 2016
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I notice I have a little more energy on the occasional days i take a multi vitamin.

Silver993tt

9,064 posts

268 months

Wednesday 1st June 2016
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popeyewhite said:
wombleh said:
I've had non stop colds and tiredness this year and last, both times fixed with a week long dose of vitamin d.
I'm wondering how a vitamin has any effect on an active virus. Hasn't Vit D only been linked with the possibility it may help against catching the winter influenza?
Correct. A common cold lasts between 3-7 days, so taking D vitamin once you have it is pointless. The reason it was 'fixed' within a week is the normal result of a normal immune system whether you had taken D vitamin or not.

Sam All

3,101 posts

130 months

Wednesday 1st June 2016
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popeyewhite said:
Placebo. Unless you're undernourished.
What he said. In this land of plenty, very few undernourished people - drugs users often.

wombleh

2,365 posts

151 months

Wednesday 1st June 2016
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Silver993tt said:
orrect. A common cold lasts between 3-7 days, so taking D vitamin once you have it is pointless. The reason it was 'fixed' within a week is the normal result of a normal immune system whether you had taken D vitamin or not.
I'd simplified, was the tiredness fixed rather than the cold. Have got a toddler so no chance of avoiding those!

Liokault

2,837 posts

243 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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If you think you need a vitamin pill, you really just need to add better things to your diet. 'D' and Folic perhaps being the exceptions.

944fan

4,962 posts

214 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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Vit D is worth taking in the winter. I had my Vit d levels tested recently and they were very low. The Dr said she knew that before the test because most people in the UK have low Vit D.

Some people do have a need for higher levels of certain vitamins, but these levels can all be got from a healthy and varied diet. Vit D is hard to get from diet so supplementation can be beneficial.

Vit D is fat soluble which means you need to take it with some fat, but also you need to be mindful of the dose you are taking as it can build up. Also when the sun comes out slap some suncreen on and get outside - that Vit D is free and get enough and your body can store enough the get through the winter.

andy-xr

13,204 posts

233 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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Specifically vitamin d3 for me, somewhere around 5000IU's of it a day. You can buy it cheap from Amazon, dont bother with the Holland and Barrett 400IU ones, they're crap

dandarez

14,012 posts

312 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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Ha ha.

You should all be watching 'The Truth about Healthy Eating with Fiona Phillips.

She teamed up with leading scientists.

Multi-vitamins. She took loads for 2 weeks, afterwards tests showed no benefits ...whatsoever.
Scientist said she would just pee it out ...or at worst do herself harm, even cancer!

Also did tests on antioxidants so she was downing smoothie after smoothie for two weeks.
Again, waste of time! She had checks and found level of antioxidant rose, them within no time found the level they should be at: exactly where they were without downing rip-off smoothies!

More interesting stuff too on milk, detox diets etc.
'Fat' real milk unhomogenised comes out best (no surprise to me there).
Great one too about bottled water... laughable, fools thought it was wonderful bottled, but it was ...tap!

So what's the bottom line?

MONEY MAKING! People are mugs.


Edited by dandarez on Thursday 2nd June 22:02

AlexC1981

5,755 posts

246 months

Thursday 2nd June 2016
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I take a multivitamin+minerals tablet, a garlic capsule and an omega 3 fish oil capsule daily. Heart problems run in the family.

I might be wasting my time, but it doesn't cost a great deal and it gives me some peace of mind that I should not be short on any nutrients. I try to eat a good diet, but I fail sometimes and I am especially not very disciplined when it comes to cooking and making up meals with lots of vegetables.

tenohfive

6,276 posts

211 months

Saturday 4th June 2016
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TwigtheWonderkid said:
Why ask? If people convince you it is placebo, then you might stop feeling the good effects. Just be glad that you feel better. Does it matter why? (unless they are costing you fortunes, which I doubt).
Spot on. Either way they aren't doing you any harm.

Silver993tt

9,064 posts

268 months

Saturday 4th June 2016
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tenohfive said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Why ask? If people convince you it is placebo, then you might stop feeling the good effects. Just be glad that you feel better. Does it matter why? (unless they are costing you fortunes, which I doubt).
Spot on. Either way they aren't doing you any harm.
That depends. Water soluble vitamins are pretty harmless but fat soluable vitamins need to be taken very carefully as they can build up to toxic levels if taken against the recommended doses.