5 ms·

I take a multi every day, but I’ll try this.

rapsey 5y ago
Multi vitamins are generally a complete waste of money. Check how much magnesium and what type yours has. Magnesium oxide for instance practically does not absorb into the body.
- highmastdon 5y ago
  Indeed, same goes for Vitamin D and Zinc. To know your Vitamin D shortage, take a look here: https://vitamind3-cholecalciferol.com/vitamin-d-deficiency-treatment/#:~:text=if%20you%20have%20not%20taken%20the%2025(oh)d%20blood%20test%2C%20you%20can%20make%20an%20informed%20estimate%20of%20your%20vitamin%20d%20status.%20see%20how%20to%20estimate%20your%20vitamin%20d%20level https://vitamind3-cholecalciferol.com/vitamin-d-deficiency-t...
  - danparsonson 5y ago
    That link is interesting, thanks, but it doesn't appear to be run by a medical professional and some of its advice directly contradicts the NHS' own advice (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-...) - I would suggest anyone contemplating overdosing vitamin D (more than 4000IU/100ug per day according to the NHS) should only do so under guidance from a doctor.
    - highmastdon 5y ago
      Yes of course, consult your doctor on any health related stuff. Anecdotal: Around the time that I started my day job, I experienced light depressions during winters. For me it was just a winter-dip. I didn't think much of it but my then girlfriend (now wife) recognised that we got into fights much more often than during summers. She studied something along the lines of "Biology, Food and Health", and she thought I'd have a minor Vitamin D deficiency. I've started taking 75mg every day and after about 3 weeks I started seeing more vividly. I remember very well that when I walked out of the office during winter, even though it was near dark, I saw all colors much more bright and it was like a sort of pressure on my sight was gone. Now, when I'm not in the sun during the day for at least 30-60 minutes (for maintenance in the garden, or working for clients during WFH in the garden), I take on avg 50mg (2000IU) every day and I've never had a dip anymore.
      - danparsonson 5y ago
        Interesting; a relative of mine was diagnosed with a mild deficiency and was told that it's very common in the UK - presumably even more so now we've all just spent the last twelve months stuck indoors. Seems like we could probably all benefit from supplementing at least some.
- arbuge 5y ago
  The one you recommend above seems to have at least some of it in oxide format: "Elemental Magnesium (Oxide, bisglycinate, glycerophosphate, malate, aspartate)" Unclear what ratio of each of the above.
  - rapsey 5y ago
    Regardless it absorbs well. I've tried many and this one works best for me.
- epicureanideal 5y ago
  > Multi vitamins are generally a complete waste of money. I think we should be more careful about saying this. I've heard both professors and doctors say this, and then I've personally read the (reputable, mainstream) research papers showing that double digit percentages of people have various vitamin deficiencies. I'll just Google real quick to see if I can find some examples of common vitamin deficiencies, but these are obviously just web articles, not research papers... https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfession... "Dietary surveys of people in the United States consistently show that many people consume less than recommended amounts of magnesium" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10357726/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10357726/ This one recommends 120mg of vitamin C, but I've seen another that recommends 200mg, and I suspect a lot of software engineers are not eating enough fruit on a daily basis to meet the recommended level. Also, what's the harm in taking a multivitamin? At a cost of under $1/day, if you don't need the vitamins, it's a small cost (< 1% of Bay Area rent), and if you do need them it may have an impact on your health. I agree that a multivitamin doesn't usually include enough magnesium or vitamin D, but that's an argument for adding additional supplements, not to stop taking multivitamins.
  - rapsey 5y ago
    Multivitamins are a waste because they are generally low quality. Vitamin d and magnesium are both very common deficiencies and like the OP demonstrated, they give people a false sense of security. Unless we are talking about some high quality stuff like athletic greens.

Multi vitamins are generally a complete waste of money. Check how much magnesium and what type yours has. Magnesium oxide for instance practically does not absorb into the body.

highmastdon 5y ago
Indeed, same goes for Vitamin D and Zinc. To know your Vitamin D shortage, take a look here: https://vitamind3-cholecalciferol.com/vitamin-d-deficiency-treatment/#:~:text=if%20you%20have%20not%20taken%20the%2025(oh)d%20blood%20test%2C%20you%20can%20make%20an%20informed%20estimate%20of%20your%20vitamin%20d%20status.%20see%20how%20to%20estimate%20your%20vitamin%20d%20level https://vitamind3-cholecalciferol.com/vitamin-d-deficiency-t...
- danparsonson 5y ago
  That link is interesting, thanks, but it doesn't appear to be run by a medical professional and some of its advice directly contradicts the NHS' own advice (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-...) - I would suggest anyone contemplating overdosing vitamin D (more than 4000IU/100ug per day according to the NHS) should only do so under guidance from a doctor.
  - highmastdon 5y ago
    Yes of course, consult your doctor on any health related stuff. Anecdotal: Around the time that I started my day job, I experienced light depressions during winters. For me it was just a winter-dip. I didn't think much of it but my then girlfriend (now wife) recognised that we got into fights much more often than during summers. She studied something along the lines of "Biology, Food and Health", and she thought I'd have a minor Vitamin D deficiency. I've started taking 75mg every day and after about 3 weeks I started seeing more vividly. I remember very well that when I walked out of the office during winter, even though it was near dark, I saw all colors much more bright and it was like a sort of pressure on my sight was gone. Now, when I'm not in the sun during the day for at least 30-60 minutes (for maintenance in the garden, or working for clients during WFH in the garden), I take on avg 50mg (2000IU) every day and I've never had a dip anymore.
    - danparsonson 5y ago
      Interesting; a relative of mine was diagnosed with a mild deficiency and was told that it's very common in the UK - presumably even more so now we've all just spent the last twelve months stuck indoors. Seems like we could probably all benefit from supplementing at least some.
arbuge 5y ago
The one you recommend above seems to have at least some of it in oxide format: "Elemental Magnesium (Oxide, bisglycinate, glycerophosphate, malate, aspartate)" Unclear what ratio of each of the above.
- rapsey 5y ago
  Regardless it absorbs well. I've tried many and this one works best for me.
epicureanideal 5y ago
> Multi vitamins are generally a complete waste of money. I think we should be more careful about saying this. I've heard both professors and doctors say this, and then I've personally read the (reputable, mainstream) research papers showing that double digit percentages of people have various vitamin deficiencies. I'll just Google real quick to see if I can find some examples of common vitamin deficiencies, but these are obviously just web articles, not research papers... https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/ https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfession... "Dietary surveys of people in the United States consistently show that many people consume less than recommended amounts of magnesium" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10357726/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10357726/ This one recommends 120mg of vitamin C, but I've seen another that recommends 200mg, and I suspect a lot of software engineers are not eating enough fruit on a daily basis to meet the recommended level. Also, what's the harm in taking a multivitamin? At a cost of under $1/day, if you don't need the vitamins, it's a small cost (< 1% of Bay Area rent), and if you do need them it may have an impact on your health. I agree that a multivitamin doesn't usually include enough magnesium or vitamin D, but that's an argument for adding additional supplements, not to stop taking multivitamins.
- rapsey 5y ago
  Multivitamins are a waste because they are generally low quality. Vitamin d and magnesium are both very common deficiencies and like the OP demonstrated, they give people a false sense of security. Unless we are talking about some high quality stuff like athletic greens.