"Vitamins = expensive urine" not true?

[slackerinabox]

I've always believed this and have skipped taking supplements based on this belief that vitamins are just gimmicks and that food fulfills our nutritional needs... I recently countered my doc's suggestion to start taking a supplement by saying that very line, which my doc countered with "malarky, vitamins can play an important role if you're not getting certain nutrients adequately in your diet."

I saw the wisdom of his words and got a one a day - my point is though, why is this saying so popular and given off as wisdom? It's just old world thinking, nutrients in your urine imply over abundance, and that's better than not enough right?

 

[dainthomas]

If you have a balanced diet, you probably don't need them.

I had some blood work done and my doctor said I had extremely low vitamin D, so she put me on a heavy supplement for five weeks, then recommended I take a multivitamin with vitamin D after that.

I think there are only some vitamins where the excess is flushed out (C being one).

 

[drebo]

Taking too much of a vitamin will cause the excess to be secreted via sweat or urine, yes. There's a certain limit to what your body can process. This is where that line comes from.

If you already eat a balanced diet that has enough of all of the vitamins you'd get from your supplements, then taking the supplements is pointless. No one eats that well, though, so supplements are useful for whatever you're missing.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I've always believed this and have skipped taking supplements based on this belief that vitamins are just gimmicks and that food fulfills our nutritional needs... I recently countered my doc's suggestion to start taking a supplement by saying that very line, which my doc countered with "malarky, vitamins can play an important role if you're not getting certain nutrients adequately in your diet."

I saw the wisdom of his words and got a one a day - my point is though, why is this saying so popular and given off as wisdom? It's just old world thinking, nutrients in your urine imply over abundance, and that's better than not enough right?

If you are not getting certain nutrients adequately than your answer is to adjust your diet so that you get them.....not supplements

 

[GagHalfrunt]

The saying is both true and false. You *can* get everything you need through a proper diet and if that's the case you're literally pissing away money. But let's face facts, how many of us have a diet that good? Even people who stay out of McDonalds most days and only have pizza once a week are probably missing something important. Taking a multi-vitamin daily is cheap, won't cause any damage and will help those of us who are not fanatical about watching what we eat. Anything beyond that is overkill.

 

[Homerboy]

I've never heard the saying that vitamins are just gimmicks...

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I think a normal multi vitamin is a good idea but I do agree some people really over rate the effectiveness of vitamins.

I have seen a couple of my 600 pound life episodes where they have people that weigh around 600 lbs that are malnourished because most of them seem to eat a lot of pasta, potatoes and cheese puff or similar. They put those people on a vitamin regimen to get them nourished after they prove they can loose weight they talk about stomach stapling.

 

[tynopik]

Taking a multi-vitamin daily is cheap, won't cause any damage

Depends on what's in it, some can in certain situations

 

[MrSquished]

depends on what vitamin you are taking. these are superior:

https://megafood7-px.rtrk.com/products/

 

[highland145]

depends on what vitamin you are taking. these are superior:

https://megafood7-px.rtrk.com/products/

And the opposite.
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/new...gus-herbal-supplements-ny-charges-020315.html

 

[Oyeve]

depends on what vitamin you are taking. these are superior:

https://megafood7-px.rtrk.com/products/

Probably cheaper to just eat right.

 

[thesmokingman]

I've always believed this and have skipped taking supplements based on this belief that vitamins are just gimmicks and that food fulfills our nutritional needs... I recently countered my doc's suggestion to start taking a supplement by saying that very line, which my doc countered with "malarky, vitamins can play an important role if you're not getting certain nutrients adequately in your diet."

I saw the wisdom of his words and got a one a day - my point is though, why is this saying so popular and given off as wisdom? It's just old world thinking, nutrients in your urine imply over abundance, and that's better than not enough right?

Ugh gross. There was this boxer who though this too. He actually drank his own piss on camera during training for a big fight. Iirc he lost the fight anyways. Then he tried steroids. That worked a lot better lol.

 

[PenguinPower]

Taking a multi-vitamin daily is cheap, won't cause any damage and will help those of us who are not fanatical about watching what we eat. Anything beyond that is overkill.

That's not true, and a dangerous statement to make.

A recent review of the last 20 years of literature on the subject, presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 2015 meeting, found an overall increased risk of cancer among vitamin users. Dr. Tim Byers presented the study, which echoes the result of a 2012 review that he and others published. He specifically refers to two famous studies showing an increased risk of cancer from vitamins.

The 2011 SELECT trial found an overall increased risk of prostate cancer among men taking vitamin E.

Link

Vitamin and mineral supplements are more likely to reduce cancer risk in people who do not have enough of a certain nutrient and therefore require more to correct their deficiency. People who eat well and get enough nutrients may not benefit and could be harmed by extra supplementation.

Link

 

[Rakehellion]

why is this saying so popular and given off as wisdom? It's just old world thinking, nutrients in your urine imply over abundance, and that's better than not enough right?

A better question is why do you believe every random cliché you hear instead of actually researching it yourself?

 

[ControlD]

And the opposite.
https://www.consumeraffairs.com/new...gus-herbal-supplements-ny-charges-020315.html

Damn. Perhaps a little more regulation is in order there.

 

[PenguinPower]

depends on what vitamin you are taking. these are superior:

https://megafood7-px.rtrk.com/products/

"with carrots, brown rice, broccoli, cabbage, and oranges"

Why not just eat those things? Combined that could make a pretty nice stir fry dish. Just add your choice of protein.

 

[pontifex]

by this logic how are vitamin supplements any different than food? wouldn't the food and any vitamins from the food end up in bodily waste anyway?

 

[SlitheryDee]

by this logic how are vitamin supplements any different than food? wouldn't the food and any vitamins from the food end up in bodily waste anyway?

At least the food also has calories and proteins and stuff. Also it seems like the extra calories your body doesn't need doesn't get wasted, but is instead stored as fat or muscle. You may later decide to "waste" those calories by burning them off through exercise though.

 

[vi edit]

B vitamins (Riboflavin in particular) do some interesting things to your pee. High amounts of them make it look like you are whizzing Mountain Dew.

So at least it's interesting and expensive urine.

 

[Jeff7]

What I know of it is that excess water-soluble vitamins are excreted through urine. (I take a multivitamin, and haven't noticed any increase in the amount though.)
Fat-soluble ones....I don't know how those are taken out. Liver? I seem to remember hearing that these are not as good an idea to OD on.

Some supplement manufacturers go nuts, and so you've got those "400% Daily Value!" things, with the mindset that anything can be solved simply by throwing more of it at the problem.

Some things taken in excess, like potassium, can be dangerous if the dosage is too high.

I tried out a zinc supplement once after a blood test showed really low levels. It was some 300%DV thing, I believe. Pretty high, whatever it was.
My heart typically has a flutter or something where a beat partially skips anywhere from 3x a day to once every few days, depending on stress I think. There's a momentary feeling of tightness in my chest and an urge to cough lightly. Doctor didn't seem to concerned about it though. Ok then.
Well after the zinc tablet, that started happening about once every minute or two for awhile. I kept a phone next to me in case it decided to escalate. The zinc tablets went in the trash afterward.
Doctor wasn't concerned about that either when I mentioned it to him the next time I was there.

Damn. Perhaps a little more regulation is in order there.

They tried once. The industry did a FUD advertising campaign and people fought the regulation.
Don't worry though, industries always self-regulate for the benefit of society.

by this logic how are vitamin supplements any different than food? wouldn't the food and any vitamins from the food end up in bodily waste anyway?

It's more difficult to OD on vitamins with food, due to the extra water, carbohydrates/protein/fat that are along for the ride.

 

[Brainonska511]

Damn. Perhaps a little more regulation is in order there.

Some senators, in particular, Senator Orrin Hatch, have been standing in the way of proper supplement regulation since they aided their relative deregulation in 1994 under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994.
http://www.quackwatch.com/02ConsumerProtection/dshea.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/us/politics/21hatch.html

 

[IronWing]

depends on what vitamin you are taking. these are superior:

https://megafood7-px.rtrk.com/products/

Do you have reason to believe you aren't getting enough selenium or chrome in your diet? We spend a fair amount of money keeping those metals out of our water supply.

 

[thesmokingman]

Doctor wasn't concerned about that either when I mentioned it to him the next time I was there.

Your doctor, he sounds like he's on the ball.

 

[Zargon]

"with carrots, brown rice, broccoli, cabbage, and oranges"

Why not just eat those things? Combined that could make a pretty nice stir fry dish. Just add your choice of protein.

because its boring to have stir fry every night?

vitamins can provide some freedom

unless I eat spinach, I never seen to get enough iron. but I dont LOVE spinach, at all.

 

[Jeff7]

Your doctor, he sounds like he's on the ball.

He's a cardiologist at a hospital, so I didn't exactly feel like I was in a position to question him.

Looks like he got his degree in.....1983, so he's been at this for awhile.