What supplements do you take? Benefits?

[OfficeSpace]

None, just eat a balanced diet to get all the vitamins and minerals I need.

I use Cronometer to track consumption / exercise and then supplement as needed (fish oil w/ D, B Complex, E Annatto, etc.).

I didn’t know what CoQ10 is, which many have mentioned. Here’s what the Mayo Clinic has to say about it:

Coenzyme Q10

It's often recommended for those prescribed a statin, which disrupts the mevalonate pathway.

Statin medications and Coenzyme Q10

Mayo Clinic Q and A: Statin use doesn’t always mean coenzyme Q10 supplement is needed

For most people, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish is enough to keep their coenzyme Q10 at a healthy level, and a supplement is not necessary.

Sure, but for most people, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish is enough to keep their lipids at a healthy level, and a statin is not necessary!

Why Is American Food So Unhealthy?

 

[bmcgonig]

Vit D. It was low at one stage
B12. It’s was lowish and causing homocysteine to be high, which is a risk factor for both cardiac and cognitive issues.
Theracurmin. Recommended by Peter Attia.
Niacinamide recommended by dermatologist
Zinc, suggested by doc.
Probiotic..cos why not.



Big old shake every morning consisting of :
Creatine
Beneful rec by gastroenterologist
Collagen
Protein
Cocoa
Cinnamon
Blueberries

 

[brett]

In addition to vitamin D.....one glass of Malbec, Cab, or similar every day. Sometimes two on the weekend.

 

[Badger]

Collagen peptide powder in my coffee every morning.

I stopped when I finished a big tub a few months ago and within three weeks I noticed the difference in my knee joints.

I use the Orgain or the Vital brands usually, whatever Costco has on offer.

I do the same thing in my morning coffee. I use the chocolate flavor and a bit of milk. Kind of like hot chocolate.
I occasionally take other supplements (multi-vitamin, B12, Magnesium, D3, and C) when I remember. I don't swallow pills well so most are chewable. I don't know if anything really works since I am always tired. We don't eat junk/fast food since we cook at home and rarely eat out.
If there is anything to help with tiredness I'm listening.

Cheers!

 

[Time2]

On a different note, my wife and I started taking glucosamine/chondroitin about thirty years ago when it made a significant difference for our arthritic old Golden Retriever. We figured she was not subject to the placebo effect so it must be working for her (forgetting that observers can be affected). About ten year later I read a meta-analysis that debunked the supplement, and we dropped it. I have heard rumblings lately that maybe it is useful after all so it may be time to take a fresh look.

I never took to glucosamine/chondroitin after my favorite Radio Doc, "Dean Edell" said the studies just don't show it effective, that was over 20 years ago. My wife does take it. I wish there was a definitive study, but I do like meta-analysis as being top of the heap. On the other hand, as Peter Attia points out, so many studies have major flaws built in and or ignore confounding factors.
Some say "Maths is hard" they haven't tried teasing actionable truth out of study data!

 

[donheff]

Some say "Maths is hard" they haven't tried teasing actionable truth out of study data!

+1

 

[Time2]

Only what my doc recommends. I save a lot of money that way.

There is such a huge market in supplements, it must be in the billions of dollars, and I believe a high percentage is just hype in commercials and they do nothing except produce expensive urine. I often wish government would do the studies to prove or disprove effectiveness, on the other hand, I want less government involvement.
Now where is my OmegaXL----NOT.

 

[aaronc879]

Just a basic one-a-day multi vitamin.

 

[Markola]

.

If there is anything to help with tiredness I'm listening.



Cheers!

One simple thing to to try is to make sure you’re drinking lots of water. A coach taught me that and it works. I start my day with two glasses of water, then have one just about every time I go in the kitchen throughout the day.

 

[Markola]

Sure, but for most people, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish is enough to keep their lipids at a healthy level, and a statin is not necessary!

Why Is American Food So Unhealthy?

Thanks for the detailed info, especially this article. The Mediterranean diet is where we’re headed more and more.

 

[DallasGuy]

* D3 - I'm a firm believer in taking this...I stopped it once and felt achey/crappy...no proof that stopping it was the cause though
* Omega-3
* Turmeric (there's anecdotal study evidence that it helps with the multiple myeloma I have)
* Baby aspirin
* Multi-vitamin

Used to take more but sometimes I would get headachy feeling afterwards....weird.

 

[RetireAge50]

Costco mature multi-vitamin
D3 Per doctor
C Tastes good

 

[Maximus]

Vit D. It was low at one stage
B12. It’s was lowish and causing homocysteine to be high, which is a risk factor for both cardiac and cognitive issues.
Theracurmin. Recommended by Peter Attia.
Niacinamide recommended by dermatologist
Zinc, suggested by doc.
Probiotic..cos why not.



Big old shake every morning consisting of :
Creatine
Beneful rec by gastroenterologist
Collagen
Protein
Cocoa
Cinnamon
Blueberries

Interested in the creatine. What is the benefit for the senior crowd?

 

[braumeister]

At my last physical, I asked my doc if the vitamins I was taking were doing anything besides producing expensive urine. She laughed and said you can probably make that decision by taking a good look at your diet and figuring out what might be missing. However, she did admit to taking Vitamin D herself.

 

[misanman]

No supplements for me.

 

[Markola]

* Turmeric (there's anecdotal study evidence that it helps with the multiple myeloma I have).

Gosh, best wishes for your treatment and you.

 

[Koolau]

- Mult-Vitamin for men over 50
- Vitamins A, D - to address deficiencies detected in blood tests, they have raised the levels to normal range.
- Iron - was borderline anemic at times, and rejected half the time for blood donations. Not any more.

Sticking my nose in: Be certain your doc knows about your Iron pills and approves - and monitors. My doc told me NOT to take Iron pills, even though my Hgb was a bit low (not below established norm) and I, too, was occasionally rejected for blood donations. YMMV

 

[mpeirce]

At my last physical, I asked my doc if the vitamins I was taking were doing anything besides producing expensive urine.

I often hear that term "expensive urine". What are you all talking about?

At Costco: Centrum Silver Adults 50+ Multivitamin, 325 tablets at $19.99 works out to roughly 6¢ a day!

Kirkland is 4¢ per day...

 

[bloom2708]

I take something daily, kind of a rotation.

Daily: NMN and Resveratrol
Monday: B12 and E
Tuesday: D3 and Glucosamine/Chondrotin
Wednesday: Iron and Co-Q10
Thursday: Iodine and Folate
Friday: Selenium and Glucosamine/Chondrotin
Saturday: D3, B12, Iron (Weekly revisit)
Sunday: Magnesium

Maybe I have expensive urine, maybe some of these help when my body senses a shortage. For me, doing something is better than doing nothing.

Oh, I also do/live a whole food, plant based lifestyle. 5 years in.

 

[Markola]

^^^^^ Of course, I have no idea if you had weight goals but I’m curious if eating a plant based diet for five years has meant any changes, up or down?

 

[bloom2708]

^^^^^ Of course, I have no idea if you had weight goals but I’m curious if eating a plant based diet for five years has meant any changes, up or down?

I am 52, 6-1. My weight is steady at 161-163 for the past few years.

Pre change I was in the 172 to 178 range. Not heavy by any means, but a spare tire.

At one point I weighed just over 200. On my frame that was not good and I took evasive action. I couldn't really get below 170 eating meats, cheese, dairy etc.

Just not carrying around those 10-15 really makes a difference. Grab 1 or 2 full gallon milk jugs and carry them around for an hour or 2. 10lbs does make a difference.

The best part is the simplicity of meal prep and the cost differences. Skipping meats and cheeses and all things dairy laden makes grocery shopping quite amazing even though inflation is blasting everything.

My wife says I have "discipline". I guess that is true, but most anything is easy if you want to do it. My dad, uncles, grandfathers all had heart attacks, stents, bypass surgery, high cholesterol, type 2, etc.

I find that diet/food choices are passed along by heredity, but health issues are not passed along if you choose a different path. But, you have to want to. Then it is easy.

 

[Koolau]

I often hear that term "expensive urine". What are you all talking about?

The concept is: Most people who take vitamins and supplements simply pee them out. The body doesn't need them and (thankfully) doesn't store most of them. The kidneys simply filter out the stuff the body doesn't need. Thus "expensive urine."

The bad news is that some extra vitamins do get stored in the fat which can be problematic - especially if someone loses a lot of weight which releases the stuff into the blood very quickly. YMMV as always.


AND speaking of expensive urine, during WWII (I think) when penicillin was first introduced, it was so valuable (and hard to make in quantity) that those taking this wonder drug had their urine collected so the excess penicillin could be extracted and reused. Kinda gross, but what a life-saving idea!!

 

[schenbew]

The topic of vitamins and supplements is, unfortunately, complicated. There are two primary problems.

First, many mineral supplements come in different forms, which can have large effects on how well the body absorbs them.

Take magnesium for example. Elemental magnesium is what your body needs, but the many different forms of magnesium you can actually take - oxide, carbonate, malate, citrate, glycinate, etc. - are all absorbed differently. Research studies on magnesium in food and supplements show it is absorbed by the body somewhere in the range of 4 - 50%, so at best you're getting half of what your taking metabolized into your blood stream.

The second issue is the dose. To be effective, most supplements normally have a minimum effective dose. The results of taking a supplement are more akin (not exact) to a step function where once the effective dose is reached "results happen", versus the commonly believed (but usually wrong) idea that if you take 20% of the min effective dose you get a 20% improvement. This is also true for many pharmaceutical drugs as well and one of the things determined in drug trials.

Continuing with the magnesium example, a rule of thumb for magnesium dosage is somewhere in the range of 3 - 4.5mg/lb, or approximately 600-900 mg per day for a 200 lb person. The above multivitamin label only contains 50mg of an unknown type of magnesium, which is typical for most mass market multivitamins sold in the US.

 

[old medic]

I am one to not take any kind of pills. Up until a few years ago, If I asked DW for something like aspirin or naproxen, she was ready to call an ambulance. Then I started taking a multi vitamin, and glucosamine chondroitin. Well after the docs got done with me I have a shoebox full of bottles

 

[JackJester]

CholestOff - doc wanted to put me on Lipitor statins this summer. I said No, I'll try a diet change plus some natural plant sterols/stanols. Its been 3 months so I'm about due for some blood work to see if my approach has worked. FYI, 1 cup of low fat cottage cheese has the same cholesterol as a 1" cube of cheddar (30mg).
Fish Oil - For the heart. While I live in the Great PNW, I don't really like the taste of salmon.