vitamin absorption...waste of time or not?

[toexist]

I take many vitamin supplements. Krill oil, fish oils, omega3s, D3, B6, etc etc. I keep many backup bottles as well. Though as of late I'm questioning what percentage of these vitamins just end up getting pissed away?

My thing is how much is the body actually absorbing and how much is wasted?

I'm legitimately interested in this. If anyone has any knowledge on this subject I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

 

[Brent S]

I take many vitamin supplements. Krill oil, fish oils, omega3s, D3, B6, etc etc. I keep many backup bottles as well. Though as of late I'm questioning what percentage of these vitamins just end up getting pissed away?

My thing is how much is the body actually absorbing and how much is wasted?

I'm legitimately interested in this. If anyone has any knowledge on this subject I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

I have mixed feelings on supplements and vitamins. I have talked with many health care professionals about them as well. First, if you eat a well balanced diet, you don’t need them. In the real world though, how many eat really well? I think taking a multi vitamin is probably a good thing, but not near enough study has been done long term to know all the risks of taking many of these things. There are literally thousands of different supplements out there claiming to cure almost anything. I say many are snake oil. One other thing to remember is moderation. All good things can be overdone. I do think in shtf, a multivitamin would be an excellent thing to have on hand, and believe it would be a wise prep. I’d like to look into the longevity of them as well, and try to compare what form would have the best shelf life.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Brent,

I agree that having a reasonable stock of multivitamins is a smart prep item. Even if your calorie intake is low, a supplement would help avoid illness.

There are 2 primary things to keep: multivitamin, and Vit C. Unless you have a specific need, that's the short list. I take one particular other supplement that is the difference between being a cripple/needing surgery and functioning fairly well. That particular pill I stock up when I drop to a 10 year supply (30 bottles?). But I give them away regularly to people I meet who could benefit, so I never have 'old' pills. Not that expensive, $20/bottle.

One more thing for some to think about as a 2nd-level prep. The problem with Vit C is that your body only absorbs 5-7% in it's normal form, and if you take too many it'll flush you out. There is something called 'lecithin vitamin C' (google it). It's expensive, but you can make it with just water, alcohol, vitamin C powder, and lecithin. Tools are just a blender & little heat/refrigeration. The key advantage is that you can get 90+% absorption. And when you are fighting an illness, the one thing your body really wants/needs is Vit C. BTW, I got something like 10 lbs of Vit C powder. Way overkill, that will do 50 people with a daily doze for (years?), a long time. I don't have enough lecithin to mix it all, but I have the Vit C, so no big deal (and again it wasn't that much, $50 maybe, can't remember). And you could take the powder straight up rather than pill form. But the lecithin form is a nice all-purpose anti-illness preventative/treatment.

 

[toexist]

I have mixed feelings on supplements and vitamins. I have talked with many health care professionals about them as well. First, if you eat a well balanced diet, you don’t need them. In the real world though, how many eat really well? I think taking a multi vitamin is probably a good thing, but not near enough study has been done long term to know all the risks of taking many of these things. There are literally thousands of different supplements out there claiming to cure almost anything. I say many are snake oil. One other thing to remember is moderation. All good things can be overdone. I do think in shtf, a multivitamin would be an excellent thing to have on hand, and believe it would be a wise prep. I’d like to look into the longevity of them as well, and try to compare what form would have the best shelf life.

I order out a lot. I eat healthier than most however not as healthy as I should. I kinda formed a habit of taking vitamin supplements years ago. Its almost ritualistic now more than anything. I also juice organic vegetables every other day.

I agree it's better to just eat healthy but with so many good restaurants around its convenient to just eat/order out.

I just question whether or not I'm wasting my time with these vitamins.

 

[Proud Prepper]

Most vitamins have a low absorbtion rate overall unless you take them with certan food or drink. I take mine with aloe vera juice which increases absortion of most vitamins like C, B6, B12, D3. And is itself very good for you, helps with digestion, metabolism and intestinal health.

 

[Silent Earth]

You body will take what it needs from either a god healthy diet And / OR Multi Vits, so now in normal times we eat well and simply top off with a multi vit in the winter. But if the SHTF long term and Fresh food becomes scarce and dried / tinned foods start to lose their full nutritional value ( and esp in winter) then Multi Vits, Calcium, Vit D suppliment will be almost an essential.

 

[Brent S]

Just remember, all good things in moderation. Too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing. I’ve read a lot of people are having liver and kidney damage from too many suppliments.

 

[Silent Earth]

Just remember, all good things in moderation. Too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing. I’ve read a lot of people are having liver and kidney damage from too many suppliments.

on the BBC healthy eating show recently they had some nutrition experts, dieticians and other ologists and they said if you take to many multi vits you just create some expensive pee and any excess to your bodies needs just goes straight through.

 

[Brent S]

on the BBC healthy eating show recently they had some nutrition experts, dieticians and other ologists and they said if you take to many multi vits you just create some expensive pee and any excess to your bodies needs just goes straight through.

Many things like vitamin c just go thru your system, but some things are absorbed and can build up to high levels. I think moderation and balance are key to most things in life.

 

[Silent Earth]

Just remember, all good things in moderation. Too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing. I’ve read a lot of people are having liver and kidney damage from too many suppliments.

Damn so I now have to only have sex 14 times a week then?

 

[TexasFreedom]

on the BBC healthy eating show recently they had some nutrition experts, dieticians and other ologists and they said if you take to many multi vits you just create some expensive pee and any excess to your bodies needs just goes straight through.

Many things like vitamin c just go thru your system, but some things are absorbed and can build up to high levels. I think moderation and balance are key to most things in life.

It's actually worse than that. If you take a bunch of vit C pills, you will get the runs and have dehydration issues. Specifically with vit C, your stomach walls/intestines will only allow so much through. Your body could use more when you're sick, but your digestive system prevents it. The lecithin vit C I mentioned increases your absorption from 7% to 90+% and you can increase your total absorption by 1000%. If you're fighting an illness, there is almost no such thing as too much vit C. When sick, I can take 3+ teaspoons of it. And it can cut my recovery time in half. It's the nastiest tasting stuff, but it does work.

In general, as was said, moderation is good. But there are times to go into overdrive. Note that vit C is flushed out of your system fairly quickly, some experts say taking it every 8-12 hours is req'd to maintain a certain level. Note that I don't do any of this on a regular basis, only when I'm feeling like I'm coming down with something.

 

[Maverick]

Supplements and vitamins are being proven to cause more harm than good in young people, though for some of the elderly it may be a good thing. I'm still on the fence with Supplements and vitamins, if one eats healthy than no need to take these.

 

[Brent S]

Damn so I now have to only have sex 14 times a week then?

I said to go in moderation, not become a monk! I think three times a Day is still acceptable.....

 

[Mountain trapper]

I think if a person eats a healthy diet, gets plenty of exercise and lowers their stress levels, vitamins and supplements are unnecessary. Before I retired I was in pretty poor health. I was diagnosed with glaucoma, my eyesight was so bad I needed glasses, had high BP and the doc thought I had diabetes. Within 3 years of quitting my job I lost 30 pounds, my BP is now normal, my eyesight is 20/20 and I don't have any sign of diabetes. I don't take any vitamins, supplements or drugs and have reduced my stress level considerably. I do eat a healthy diet (most of the time), which includes lots of meat, eggs and pizza, and get plenty of exercise, fresh air and clean water. The vitamin, supplement and pharmacutical manufacturers are huge industries with a large network of pushers (doctors). For full disclosure; I do invest in pharmacutical companies because I know that most people want to take a pill to fix everything.