Vitamin recommendations

[cannabis_flower]

I have in my hand the catalog of a vitamin company. I already take vitamins and was wondering if people in this board would know which vitamins might be the best to take. I am 48, have asthma, impaired glucose tolerance (not diabetic yet), have lost 65 lbs but needs to lose another 60 more.

My boyfriend is 58 and is very healthy. He also takes quite a few vitamins already, but since we are ordering, anyone have any suggestions.

[Clear Blue Sky]

1. Vitameatavegamin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBcdRDB14e0

[silverweb]

7. Oooooooooh, I want some of that!

:rofl:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Believe it or not, I consult my doctor on these matters

She is a holistic physician and uses your health history as well as your current state of health to recommend what you should take. I will say that if you start taking Vitamin C, keep it up. The only time recently that I got ill happened when I ran out and didn't get more for about a week. By that time I had come down with a bad cold that was nearly pneumonia. Found out from Doc's associate, a Naturpath who is also well versed in vitamins, that the body gets dependent upon the Vitamin C dosage and the immune system goes way down when it is suddenly not there.

I do know that some vitamins are best taken in combination--like calcium and magnesium. But they should be in proper balance to be most effective.

[Danieljay]

3. Metagenics: Wellness Essentials Blood Sugar Support

We've seen the testing, its the best on the market. A bit pricey, but worth it.

There is also a women's formula and a men's formula.

You can check them out on our website: http://www.hormonesynergy.com/products/index.html

The blood sugar formula isn't shown but you can still get it.

Also, has he had his testosterone tested? We have many diabetic and pre - diabetic patients that do VERY well when their hormones are balanced and have literally reversed their blood sugar problems.

If you live in the Portland Oregon area, come to our Seminar, its more than hormones, we talk a lot about this issue and optimal aging also.

[Warpy]

4. A plain old over the counter multi with minerals should do the job

while you're on a deficiency diet and losing weight.

Super heavy ultra fortified vitamins just give you expensive urine since your body is designed to eliminate what you don't use. Megadosing the oil based vitamins A, D and E is not recommended because the first two can be toxic at high doses. The jury is still out on E.

The only thing I take is a combo calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamin D tablet. I'm close to your vintage.

[hvn_nbr_2]

6. That's a pretty good short-form version of my much longer answer...

that I was writing at the same time.

[hvn_nbr_2]

5. You're likely to get widely varying answers and will have to make up your own mind.

The answers will range from "OMG! Don't take vitamin pills. They kill. I know it because people sell them to make money." to "The only answer is 'More more more.'"

Seriously, it sounds like you don't take any now and need a basic recommendation. My suggestion would be to get a basic multi-vitamin that includes all the standard vitamins. In the mix, most of the B vitamins should have roughly equal percents of the RDAs for each one. How much A, C, and E to take are controversial, but you probably don't want to start out with megavitamins if you haven't researched it. (Since you're asking for advice on a political board, I assume that you probably haven't done a whole lot of research.) You definitely don't want megadoses of vitamin A and probably not of D, but what exactly constitutes a megadose of those is controversial too. A basic multi won't likely have megadoses of those anyway. Get your A from veggies; they taste better and are more fun than a pill. (I take gobs and gobs of supplements but I make sure my multivitamin doesn't have more than the RDA of A, and would prefer even less since I eat lots of veggies.)

Some people will recommend not taking vitamin E at all because some (somewhat suspect) studies have actually shown increased mortality from that. My understanding is that increased mortality has only been seen with exclusively d-alpha tocopherol (the common form of vitamin E in supplements); there's an explanation for that, which I don't remember. Anyway, if that makes you skittish, you might want to find one that has mixed tocopherols--that will probably be more expensive and will definitely be harder to find.

But don't just think about vitamins. Minerals are important too. Since you're a woman getting to the age when you need to think about bone density, you might want to think about calcium and vitamin D. But you need magnesium reasonably balanced with calcium too and a bunch of less prevalent minerals. A multi-vitamin with minerals will have the less prevalent minerals you need, but since the needed amount of calcium and magnesium are too much to fit in one pill, you'll need them separately if you want to supplement them enough to make a difference.

Finally, diet and exercise are at least as important as taking supplements. They keep finding odd micronutrients in veggies and fruits that have various benefits, and you won't get the still unknown ones from taking a pill. Eat your veggies.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. Eat your veggies, yes!

This is the one dietary recommendation that EVERYONE--vegans, Atkins devotees, Ornish--agrees on.

I watch my carbs (gain weight when I don't), subsist mostly on stir-fries, curries, and stews, and take a multi, a calcium-magnesium-zinc combo, a balanced B combo, C, and D.

The mineral combo and the B are partly anti-depression. I read about them as mood enhancers a few years ago, and I notice decreased mood when I don't take them more than I noticed improved mood when I take them.

The D is a recent addition on my brother's recommendation.

I must be doing something right, because I rarely get sick, and when something is going around, I usually get a lighter case of it than other people (i.e. I'm laid up for two days when other people are laid up for a week.)

[DemExpat]

8. I take one multi-vitamin,

magnesium-calcium, vitamin D, Fish EPA and try to eat more veggies and fruits everyday.

I'm in my fifties.

DemEx

[BuddhaGirl]

9. I'm in my mid-forties

I take a good mulivitamin/mineral, fish oil, MSM (together w/the fish oil, helps control inflammation), a vision supplement (macular degeneration runs in my family), and a mushroom blend tincture. I also never forget my CoQ10.

I think everyone should take CoQ10...our levels deplete as we age and it is very important for heart health!

[Summer93]

10. Folic Acid

Does anyone have the info on folic acid - the amount that makes it toxic? IIRC it was recently in the news about the added amount in prenatal vitamins and cancer.

[newfie11]

11. Folic acid is not toxic

It used to be sold in larger dosage until some government agency decide by taking it people with pernicious anemia may not show symptoms. It is a B vitamin and water soluble.
There is evidence it prevents spina bifida if taken before and during pregnancy.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/spinabifidabasics.htm

[mzmolly]

12. Cinnamon is said to be helpful in your case -

http://diabetes.about.com/od/whatsonthehorizon/qt/cinnamon.htm

Here is some info on asthma:

http://www.raysahelian.com/asthma.html

Puritan.com is a good source for inexpensive good quality vitamins.

Congrats on your weightloss!!

[Orrex]

13. Congratulations on your weight loss!

That's a commendable achievement!
:applause:

However, I would suggest that you seek the advice of a trained nutritionist, dietician, or physician rather than polling us semi-anonymous denizens of the Health forum!

[Emillereid]

14. Based on Ron Rosedale's protocol I suggest people with impaired glucose tolerance to take

the following:

Upon awakening - at least 30 minutes before eating breakfast:
2000 mg of arginine
1000 mg of l-carnitine or acetyl-l-carnitine

With Breakfast:
7.5 mg Bioton
400 mcg chromium picolinate
100 mg co-enzyme Q10
2 tbs cod liver oil for three weeks and then down to 1 tbs. - if you are out in the sun a lot skip cod liver oil, but still take a vitamin A (palmitate) sup - a least 100% rda
If you really can't handle the cod liver oil take a high potency fish oil - costco has some that are inexpensive and have been distilled so they have no contaminants.
500 mg Gymnema sylvestre extract
200 mg alpha lipoic acid
250 mg magnesium
198 mg potassium
1 generic multivitamin - no iron formula
50 mg pregnenolone
20 mg vanadyl sulfate
500 mg vitamin C
1200 mg vitamin E - mixed tocopherals (trader joes has them)
green tea extract

With dinner:

7.5 mg biotin
400 mcg chromium
500 mg Gymnema sylvestre
200 mg alpha lipoic acid
250 mg magnesium
200 mg potassium
1 multi
500 mg vitamin c
200 mg phosphatidylserine (lecithin)

Bedtime:
200 mg arginine
1000 mg l-glutamine
500 mg acetyl - l carnitine
250 magnesium

You don't have to buy the most expensive stuff -- trader joes and costco supplement have been laboratory tested and are fine. Usually the drugs stores have a buy one get one free sale of supplements such as nature's bounty or nature made, etc. The best cod liver oil is carlson's - it doesn't taste too bad. You don't have to take everything forever - just til you get your blood sugar under control.

[BadgerKid]

15. Omega-3's / fish oils.

For your consideration:


1: J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 Mar;105(3):428-40.

n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in type 2 diabetes: a review.
Nettleton JA, Katz R.

ScienceVoice Consulting, Denver, CO 80205, USA. [e-mail]

Historically, epidemiologic studies have reported a lower prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes in populations consuming large amounts of the n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFAs) found mainly in fish. Controlled clinical studies have shown that consumption of n-3 LC-PUFAs has cardioprotective effects in persons with type 2 diabetes without adverse effects on glucose control and insulin activity. Benefits include lower risk of primary cardiac arrest; reduced cardiovascular mortality, particularly sudden cardiac death; reduced triglyceride levels; increased high-density lipoprotein levels; improved endothelial function; reduced platelet aggregability; and lower blood pressure. These favorable effects outweigh the modest increase in low-density lipoprotein levels that may result from increased n-3 LC-PUFA intake. Preliminary evidence suggests increased consumption of n-3 LC-PUFAs with reduced intake of saturated fat may reduce the risk of conversion from impaired glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes in overweight persons. Reported improvements in hemostasis, slower progression of artery narrowing, albuminuria, subclinical inflammation, oxidative stress, and obesity require additional confirmation. Expected health benefits and public health implications of consuming 1 to 2 g/day n-3 LC-PUFA as part of lifestyle modification in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are discussed.


1: Biomed Pharmacother. 2002 Oct;56(8):397-406.

N-3 fatty acids and diabetes.
Sirtori CR, Galli C.

Department of Pharmacological Sciences, University of Milano, Milan, Italy. [e-mail]

Fatty acids of the omega-3 series (n-3 fatty acids) are a well established dietary component affecting plasma lipids (mainly triglycerides) and also major cardiovascular parameters, such as arrhythmogenesis. In view of their peculiar metabolic handling, it has been suggested that they may reduce glucose tolerance in patients predisposed to diabetes. On the other hand, insulin is required for the endogenous synthesis of the long chain n-3 fatty acids from precursors; the heart may thus be particularly susceptible to their depletion in diabetes. This review examines large population studies, carried out particularly by this research group, evaluating the risk of developing glucose intolerance/clearcut diabetes in large series of patients with predisposing conditions. While diabetes development was in no way accelerated in any of these studies, there was, instead, clear evidence of a significant hypotriglyceridemic activity of the supplements. In long-term treatments, there was also a tendency toward a significant reduction of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolemia, with positive effects on high density lipoprotein (HDL). These findings fit well with cellular changes indicative of improved glucose handling. Finally, recent data suggest an improvement of heart rate variability by fish intake in coronary patients, that is also exerted by the n-3 fatty acids given as ethyl esters, thus providing further indication for the potential benefit of such treatments in diabetic patients.