Is There Really Any Benefit to Multivitamins?

[Lizard King]

I think I read the same thing. Thank God we have gummies now.

Gummies can't hold iron as an fyi

Only difference I noticed from a multi was the smell and color of my pee , stopped taking them years ago

 

[Jayne Scott]

I’m not a fan of supplements so I’ll start by saying that I’m not even trying to be neutral here, lol.

But consider for a second what you just proposed. My aging body will have trouble getting what I need from eating whole food, but that same exact digestive tract will be able to get what I need from a pill that was made a year ago in a laboratory?

I feel like I should’ve have to say this out loud but whole food is still and will always be the best way to get everything your body needs, nutritionally. Strapped for time, supplies, money, etc, then supplements can supplement, but otherwise, whole food is king.

Muscle loss and bone density loss happen with age regardless of what overpriced powder you take. What really slows it down is resistance training and a diet high in protein.

To each their own, but we all need to step back and consider the logic of what the industry has been pushing for decades.

The truth is, there is never a wrong or right on the issue. What works for an individual may not necessarily work for others. But as old age comes, the body has a hard time getting all its required nutrients from a food source, that is not to say that real food is not important. It just means that the body needs extra support by way of supplements. The required nutrients from supplements get into the bloodstream via digestion quicker than the nutrients from a food source as we grow older since they don't need to be broken down in the gut the same way as food would. Like I said, we are talking of an older individual here and not a young lad, so things are a bit slower, digestion is a bit slower.

 

[Jayne Scott]

Substantial evidence for this common belief is extremely scant.
There is in fact some evidence to the contrary — that vitamin supplementation may in fact harm health, and decrease lifespan.

A couple quick grab articles as reference to this, citing some study:

Vitamin supplements don't undo harm from a bad diet, study finds

Dietary supplements not only didn't extend life, but can be harmful at high doses, new study finds.

www.google.com

BBC NEWS | Health | Vitamins 'may shorten your life'

news.bbc.co.uk

Thanks for sharing. However, it is difficult to substantiate or dispute because we all have different physiology, so while it may seem dangerous to some, it would be advantageous with others. Nevertheless, the article is worth a read or two.

 

[testboner]

Thanks for sharing. However, it is difficult to substantiate or dispute because we all have different physiology, so while it may seem dangerous to some, it would be advantageous with others. Nevertheless, the article is worth a read or two.

True to some extent— but we all need water, oxygen, sunlight, sleep….
Our physiology shares far more in common than not.

 

[ValeTudo8080]

So far as bioavailability, my present level of belief is that isolated nutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc) aren’t of any use. In whole/real foods, the nutrients are in a profile that we’re designed to utilize. What I mean; consider the macro, protein — if it’s amino sequence is incomplete, then it’s utilization / bioavailability is pretty much useless.
Taken individually / isolated, nutrients/supps are more likely to screw up our homeostasis.
Consider electrolytes: sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium all work together balancing one another’s effects. If we overdo one, it creates an unnatural chain of events that can and will impact heart rhythm, bp, water balance….. so on and so forth.

Our AAS / Ped use is the same; we effect the homeostasis of our total hormonal and nutrient profile when we take them. That’s why cycling them, moderating dosages, using ancillaries to help mitigate the negatives are just a few of the things we come to learn and understand with experience.

This is the exact reason I stopped taking vitamins a long time ago and just switched to eating high-quality real food!