Vitamin advise please

[kazb1966]

Would somebody be able to advise if I’m taking the best vitamins. Took advice from here for igennus super b complex and take 1 per day. I take the better you vitamin D MK2 spray was only spraying once until @slowdragon advised it should be more (Thankyou)

I take Holland and Barrett zinc (gluconate) 15mg and Holland and Barrett selenium 50ug. It’s the H&B brands I’m wondering whether are the best. Thankyou

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

kazb1966

Generally H&B own brand are not recommended, like most high street/supermarket brands they are cheap for a reason - usually using the cheapest and least absorbably forms of active ingredients.

Is this the selenium:

hollandandbarrett.com/shop/...

If so I am actually amazed that they are using the correct form - L-Selenomethionine - as I'm sure they used to use either Selenite or Selenate forms before.

As for Zinc, do you know you need it? Have you tested? Zinc needs to be balanced with copper and we Hypos tend to often have low in one and high in another, so it's a good idea to test before supplementing long term.

[kazb1966 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi SeasideSusie

Yes that is the correct Selenium. Regarding zinc a couple of years ago at an Endo appt I mentioned supplementing with the vitamins I listed and he just replied ‘yes absolutely’ but no haven’t tested as GP won’t allow vit testing. Shall I continue with the selenium? Thankyou

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to kazb1966]

kazb1966

With the dose of selenium you are taking I think you should be OK to continue with it. I take 100mcg and haven't tested. It's worth knowing signs of too much selenium which are:

Garlic breath

Nausea

Diarrhea

Skin rashes

Irritability

Metallic taste in the mouth

Brittle hair or nails

Loss of hair or nails

Discoloured teeth

Nervous system problems

I've read that zinc should be half way through range and balanced with copper.

The RDA for zinc is about 7-10mg and for copper about 1.2mg and much of this can be obtained from food.

If we do need to supplement then we have to be careful because taking high doses of zinc reduces the amount of copper the body can absorb. This can lead to anaemia and weakening of the bones. Hence this is why it's not a particularly good idea to take zinc long term without testing.

From NHS website:

Good sources of zinc include:

meat

shellfish

dairy foods – such as cheese

bread

cereal products – such as wheatgerm

Good sources of copper include:

nuts

shellfish

offal

My breakfast every day is muesli which I make myself and is nut/seed heavy, and I eat liver every 7-10 days.

[kazb1966 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thankyou so much for all that. Side effects noted re selenium. I’m not very good at all with meat or fish apart from chicken. Perhaps I’ll stop the zinc