Are your multivitamins a waste of money?

[greygoose]

naturalnews.com/046464_mult...

More reasons why multivitamins are pointless.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Very interesting and it makes sense. I'll forward the link to my husband who takes multvitsmins 😉

[greygoose in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Yes, it's something I hadn't thought about, but it's true. I really am very anti multi! I think they're one huge great con taking advantage of people's desire to do the best for their health, but not really knowing anything about it.

People often say they're taking a 'good' multivit, but I often Wonder what exactly they think 'good' means...

[humanbean]

I wonder if the same problems occur with multi-minerals i.e. pills with no vitamins, just essential minerals. I've thought of buying a multi-mineral product but haven't got round to it yet because I'm still dithering.

[greygoose in reply to humanbean]

Well, I think it would be the same in that there's not enough of anything to treat a real deficincy. And, it does rather depend on what's in it. Also, minerals like magnesium and zinc work with vitamins, so taking just the minerals might not be such a good idea. They might become unbalanced.

[humanbean in reply to greygoose]

What appeals to me about multi-minerals is that they usually contain some minerals which I would be reluctant to buy separately, for example, boron, manganese, phosphorus, molybdenum, and maybe even strontium. I've never knowingly supplemented with any of these, but feel that perhaps I ought to.

[greygoose in reply to humanbean]

Yes, I know what you mean. But on the other hand, you need such small amounts of these, you maybe get enough from food. I Don't know.

I did buy some boron, but didn't find it added anything to my life! So, I've stopped taking it. It certainly wasn't the holy grail that some people make it out to be!

What would be nice would be a multi mineral with just those trace minerals in it, leaving out things like magnesium that you need more of. Or am I deluding myself? lol

[humanbean in reply to greygoose]

I agree! That would be a product I would be interested in buying.

When I have some spare time I'll look into which foods contain those things I mentioned, and make sure I'm eating them occasionally.

[spongecat]

In the large and wider scheme of things I think a lot of multivitamins are just another mass marketing exercise and ad-man's dream.

In the West we generally get what we need from our diet. Now there is the popularity of vegetarianism and veganism leading to vitamin/mineral deficiencies and the loud shouts of "wear sunscreen ALWAYS", mean that rickets are making an appearance again in children, as one example.

Of course there are those that need topping up due to health problems (like us) but there is a lot of ad-man/media hype/snake oil salesman talk with so much of it and that is where good money goes down the drain. Partly because when you have many vitamins and minerals in one convenient tablet, the quality or efficaciousness may not be that good (eg. using cyanocobalamin versus methycobalamin in oral doses).

It's a huge subject for sure!

[greygoose in reply to spongecat]

Yup, and folic acid instead of methylfolate; D2 instead of D3; K3 instead of K2; magnesium oxide instead of citrate or malate or something good, and so on and so forth. And the worst of it is, that if doctors are forced to prescribe vitamins, they always always prescribe the cheap ones, instead of the bioavailable ones! We really do live in a cheap-skate world!

[spongecat]

Don't even get me started on the subject of fluoride! .......a waste product from aluminium smelting FFS! (pardon my French).

[Coastwalker]

Pediatrician told my Grandchild's Mum to give a multi vitamin to the child who's vitamin D blood was far lower than mine, yet I was vitamin D 'deficient' and given a so called 'very high dose' of vitamin D3 1000iu. Child is far heavier than me, yet gets given a multivitamin ??? How is a multivitamin going to help ???

[greygoose in reply to Coastwalker]

Well, it isn't, is it. But they're too stupid to see that!