Multi-Vitamins

[cuda-dude]

Guys,

I am looking for some guidance on a good multi-vitamin. I have knowledge of good or bad.

Some backgorund on me. 39 years old, semi active with biking, karate. Have done some sprint tri's in the past and will look to get back into them. Also looking getting back to free weights and some body weight exercises.

Thanks for anything that you may offer.

Cuda

[Domino]

Why worry about a good multi-vitamin? Just eat a good balanced proper diet! The medical community seems to be split fairly evenly between the view that a multi-vitamin can't hurt and the view that a multi-vitamin only produces more costly piss for people who eat a good sound diet.

When I was doing triathlons, I never bothered with vitamins other than Cs ~2000/day and sometimes B12, especially racing. We used to make "bombs", defizzed half Coke/ half water, mushed up banana, Advil, B12, to fit a bike bottle. The "science" of sports nutrition may have advanced a bit since then, but these were good enough! Better running through chemistry!

[PocketKings]

If you are looking for a brand, try Douglas Laboratories. They are a great company that can package custom combos for your need. Keep in mind, their multi (Ultra Preventive X)is actually 8 pills that you take throughout the day. 'One a day' multis can't absorb into the system quick enough, so you need to stretch the dosage out, hence the 8 horse pills.

I don't take 8, however, more like 5 over the day. I figure I get the rest from my diet.

[poison]

here's a very high quality vitamin/mineral combo. The minerals are in a Kreb's Cycle complex, and separate, as that company believes minerals are best taken at night. Many athletes are deficient in minerals, especially magnesium and zinc. The vitamins are in bio-available forms, and it's iron-free. They have a write up on their site:

http://www.millenniumsport.net/mvp/mvp.html
http://www.millenniumsport.net/zmk/zmk.html

If you email the owner, he'll give you a coupon to buy from his site, or just buy here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ms/mvp.html
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ms/zmk.html

[GPC]

I use GNC Mega Man Sport.It works for me with a balanced diet.

[24/7]

Do you have a indication that you're are deficient in some way? If not, you're most likely getting everything your body requires.

Everybody has a different point of view, that's mine.

[Red Flag 1]

In general a good balanced diet is all you need. Ask your doc for his opinion, my guess he/she will say a one-a-day if you like. Next would be talk with a dietition for suggestions about diet intake.

Diet suppliments are not looked at by the FDA. Though vitamins are "pills" they are not pharmacuticals. Quality control is not as tight. Bioavalibility is not as predictable from manufacturer to manufacturer meaning you may not get all the benefits of what is in the pill.

RF 1

[poison]

Do you have a indication that you're are deficient in some way? If not, you're most likely getting everything your body requires.

Everybody has a different point of view, that's mine.

That's cool, and might be true if you're the average sedentary joe. Somehow I doubt many here are that; I mean, it's SOCNET, in the 'Fitness' area, right?

I'd bet many here are pretty athletic, or better. And it's been shown that many athletes ARE deficient of many nutrients. Hee's one:

Dietary intakes of magnesium in the United States have been declining over the last 100 years from about 500mg/day to 175-225mg/day (10) and a recent national survey suggested that the average magnesium intake for women is as low as 228mgs per day (11). But since this figure is derived using a one-day diet recall method, it may actually be an overestimate of actual magnesium intakes (12).
Meanwhile, the UK's Food Standards Agency estimates that the average daily intake of magnesium in Britain for both men and women is just 227mgs - only two thirds of the US recommended daily amount (RDA).

The figures above suggest that many people fall short of optimum magnesium intakes, and this has been confirmed in a number of studies. For example, American researchers found that more than 60% of US adults were failing to meet even the previous (lower) RDA for magnesium(13).

Magnesium Deficiencies In Athletes


Even athletes, who might be expected to take greater care with their diets, are not immune from magnesium deficiency; for example, studies carried out in 1986/87 revealed that gymnasts, footballers and basketball players were consuming only around 70% of the RDA(14), while female runners fared even worse, with reported intakes as low as 59% of the RDA(15).

Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 54(Supplement 217):5-9 (1994)

Clinical Nutrition of the Essential Trace Elements and Minerals:49-67 (2000)

J Am Diet Assoc 93:462-464 (1993)

Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board, Washington, DC: National Academy Press, (1997)

J Am Diet Assoc;86: 251-3 (1986) and Nutr Res;7:27-34 (1987)

Med Sci Sports Exerc; 18(suppl):S55-6 (1986)

Am J Cardiol, 91(5): 517-21 (2003)

Cardiovasc Drugs Ther, 12 Suppl 2: 153-6 (1999)



I'd actually put soldiers at higher risk: they're generally expected to perform like paid athletes, but on no sleep and with crappier food.


But that's just my opinion.

[Execprotec]

No one has a perfectly balanced diet. Vitamin supplements are just that-a supplement to a perfect diet. An insurance policy to make sure you are not deficient or close to being defcient in any one vitamin or mineral. Different multi's for different spec's, active, older, male, female. One thing to keep in mind...no iron for men--unless you loose blood on a regular basis LOL!!!

[pagoda_warrior]

Stay away from the vast majority of multi-vitamins... It's usually SYNTHETIC rubbish and your body just pisses it all out. (they normally put your kidney's under unnecessary pressure over time potentially leading to complications).

I'm truly amazed people spend their hard earnt cash on half these supplements believing they're doing themselves some good. For the most part they're doing you MORE HARM than good! There are some good products out there for sure but they're very expensive. Mainstream I'd take a punt on at least 90% of the products out there being complete crap.

As already mentioned, a balanced and healthy diet should suffice. If you feel you need something extra then try a green powder such as Greens Plus. It tastes like pond water but it's probably one of the best ways I've found of ensuring you get everything you need from natural/ organic sources when your diet might not be giving you what you need.

http://greensplus.com/product_info.php/cPath/84_21_23/products_id/34