4 ms·

All right, but apart from Vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, B12, K2, iron, iodine.... what have supplements ever done for us?

0xfeba 9y ago
caffeine, taurine...
gascan 9y ago
Northerners with a vitamin D deficiency, 3rd-worlders with iodine deficiency, vegans with B12 deficiency, carnivores with K12 deficiency, women with iron deficiency, etc- yes, supplements are quite helpful, when you're acutely deficient. But if you're not actually deficient, they can be legitimately harmful, and your average person reading HN is probably not acutely deficient in any of these things you listed except possibly vitamin D.
- truculation 9y ago
  I'd rather not wait until I'm 'acutely deficient' before acting -- mildly deficient is good enough for me, especially given the concept of triage: metabolism prioritises certain processes over other still important processes according to intake of key nutrients. Hence recommended minimal amounts may be sub-optimal in various cases. Also, given the increased tendency to ban and censor stuff nowadays, I want to help protect individual choice in this area. If medics have to prescribe them you know they'll be slow and 50X pricier.
  - gascan 9y ago
    At least seek to be smart about it, and perhaps supplement with low values- 10% of DV instead of 10,000%. Toxic iron dosage can be as low as 2x the therapeutic dose, and men are especially at risk (most of us on this thread are probably men). Long term studies have also repeatedly found negative expected outcomes from supplementing various vitamins/minerals in large quantities (Calcium, C, E, & A come to mind)
- ryandrake 9y ago
  The cynic in me believes that for every salesman out there (vitamin or otherwise), there's someone or some article telling you that you are "deficient" in some way.
  - gascan 9y ago
    I'll drink to that. See the link elsewhere in this thread arguing, based on literally 100% assertion and 0% evidence, that we are all probably 10-100x deficient on daily iodine intake.

caffeine, taurine...

Northerners with a vitamin D deficiency, 3rd-worlders with iodine deficiency, vegans with B12 deficiency, carnivores with K12 deficiency, women with iron deficiency, etc- yes, supplements are quite helpful, when you're acutely deficient. But if you're not actually deficient, they can be legitimately harmful, and your average person reading HN is probably not acutely deficient in any of these things you listed except possibly vitamin D.

truculation 9y ago
I'd rather not wait until I'm 'acutely deficient' before acting -- mildly deficient is good enough for me, especially given the concept of triage: metabolism prioritises certain processes over other still important processes according to intake of key nutrients. Hence recommended minimal amounts may be sub-optimal in various cases. Also, given the increased tendency to ban and censor stuff nowadays, I want to help protect individual choice in this area. If medics have to prescribe them you know they'll be slow and 50X pricier.
- gascan 9y ago
  At least seek to be smart about it, and perhaps supplement with low values- 10% of DV instead of 10,000%. Toxic iron dosage can be as low as 2x the therapeutic dose, and men are especially at risk (most of us on this thread are probably men). Long term studies have also repeatedly found negative expected outcomes from supplementing various vitamins/minerals in large quantities (Calcium, C, E, & A come to mind)
ryandrake 9y ago
The cynic in me believes that for every salesman out there (vitamin or otherwise), there's someone or some article telling you that you are "deficient" in some way.
- gascan 9y ago
  I'll drink to that. See the link elsewhere in this thread arguing, based on literally 100% assertion and 0% evidence, that we are all probably 10-100x deficient on daily iodine intake.