5 ms·

Is there some kind of semi-credible, concise, "here are the vitamins most people in the US should probably take[1], and here's the specific kinds to look for[2]

• francis-io 4y ago
  Not a doctor, but remember that most vitamins and minerals (and hormones[0]) can be used to supplement a diet low in those things. Ideally everyone would get enough from food, but it seems like most people don't. Vitamin D is important because most people don't get enough sun, and in areas away from the equator it becomes almost impossible to create vitamin D from sunshine for some/all of the year. If you have the money for a blood test, that will give you a good idea of what you might be missing. A DNA test can also direct you in a similar way. I just found out I might have an issue with converting b12 at the usual rate. This was found when i used my 23andMe raw output in some 3rd party websites. If you really want to do things right, I think you should also pay attention to the bio availability of supplements. My understanding is that not all vitamins are made equal. This can lead to headlines dismissing the usefulness of supplementation altogether. I try to focus on whole food supplementation when I need it. I personally take Athletic Greens at 1.5x the recommended dose, along with D3 as 10,000 IU (much higher than the base recommended dose because I live in the UK) and calcium (because I can't eat dairy). [0] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33549285/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33549285/
  • BaculumMeumEst 4y ago
    I would URGE anyone reading this to talk to a doctor before taking anywhere near 10,000 IUs of vitamin D daily. That’s almost 17 times the recommended upper limit, and there are consequences to overconsumption.
    • PuppyTailWags 4y ago
      Also note that Vit D increasing is fairly slow (my vit D was low and 10k IUs was my prescription for 4 weeks) so you might not see the consequences for a long while and therefore might not attribute them to the supplementation at first...
    • dchristian 4y ago
      You need to treat D3 as a hormone with an ideal range. When your blood levels gets too high (typically over 100) you have trouble sleeping and might have restless leg syndrome. When it's in the ideal range (60 - 80) you sleep like a baby. Dr Gominak has done a bunch of research on D3 levels and sleep. Her RightSleep program will walk you through how to properly supplement into the ideal range. She has a few videos on YouTube with all the background info. This is my current favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1Qm5x7Lxgc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1Qm5x7Lxgc Having said that, most doctors don't have a clue about D3 dosing. You'll have to do some research. Most people will overshoot in a month or two if they take 10,000 a day, but I know of people that have taken that level for long periods without ever going too high. It's super personalized.
      • teilo 4y ago
        Age also has a big effect on serum levels. When you are mid-40s+, you cannot absorb D3 as well, and it takes a significantly higher dose to get your serum levels up. This is why testing is important. It is also important to take K2 when you are taking higher doses of D3. Even if you have a higher than normal serum level, K2 mediates the metabolism of D3, and prevents issues. I've seen numerous examples of this, verified by CAC tests which consistently score 0 in people taking 10,000 IU of D3 with 100mg K2 for extended periods of time.
    • kerkeslager 4y ago
      Can you point to links on consequences of overconsumption? I wasn't aware of any major downsides to consuming vitamin D in this dosage range. It seems like one issue is restless leg syndrome, but with an issue like that, you can just shoot high anad lower your dosage if you discover that to be an issue. The unfortunate problem in the US is that those suffering most severely from many of the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency are often unable to obtain healthcare, so a lot of people out there are left to make guesses their own healthcare on issues like this. Getting vitamin D serum levels tested is a luxury reserved for those in first world countries.
  • throwaway24124 4y ago
    Mind linking those websites where you can post 23andme raw output?
    • pavonis 4y ago
      I became interested in this last year after doing an AncestryDNA test. One website I found that you might be interested in is Promethease [0]. I haven't tried it myself yet, mostly because I am not fully comfortable with the idea of the report telling me things I don't yet know I don't want to know :) I also found it is backed by SNPedia, and that - at least with AncestryDNA - you can download a text file containing your sequenced DNA and then grep through it for specific things you are interested in from their wiki. (I have no idea if that's in any way sensible, however...) [0] https://promethease.com/ https://promethease.com/ [1] https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/SNPedia https://www.snpedia.com/index.php/SNPedia
      • jjcc 4y ago
        These 2 sites are not quite user-friendly. You need to have a lot of knowledge. Personally I use the service from Ronda Patrick. https://www.foundmyfitness.com/genetics https://www.foundmyfitness.com/genetics BTW, I also found my Vit D absorption efficiency is not good due to gene. The blood test corroborated the DNA report. So I supplement with 10K to raise the Vit D level. It's very important to supplement with Vit K2 combined with mega dose Vit D. Otherwise there's risk.
        • icelancer 4y ago
          Both this site and Promethease helped me make some lifestyle choices that have paid off quite well. It's possible the life changes I made would help anyone, but having some guidance was definitely valuable - specifically around increased risk of T2 diabetes and exercise types that would help me.
    • dsabanin 4y ago
      I'm a fan of https://selfdecode.com/ https://selfdecode.com/.
• scetron 4y ago
  Definitely agree on 2. [1] Seems to be available in certain forms, but not as concisely as we'd like. However, I always have trouble finding any information on labs and manufacturers that is itself a credible source to me.
• TheAceOfHearts 4y ago
  Magnesium deficiency is a huge problem in the US. If you're not regularly eating large amounts of leafy greens like spinach, you're probably deficient. Anything that follows Good Manufacturing Practices should be fine. While there's room for additional optimization, I think you start to experience diminishing returns so it's not worth it for most people.
  • cameldrv 4y ago
    I’d caveat this — probably anything is fine as long as it’s not Magnesium oxide, which many supplements are. Magnesium oxide is about 30x less bioavailable than essentially all other forms of Magnesium commonly available in supplements. This is generally true for other minerals as well. The problem is that the oxide form is usually the cheapest and smallest/most dense form of these minerals. This lets them say you’re getting 100% of what you need in one reasonable sized pill. The problem is that over 90% of it goes straight into your poop.
    • post-it 4y ago
      Magnesium oxide is also a laxative so the real bioavailability is ~0% if it's triggering diarrhea. Magnesium (bis)glycinate is good, though it's formed by reacting magnesium oxide with glycine and often has substantial amounts of magnesium oxide remaining in it, so again if it's triggering diarrhea you're not absorbing any of it and need to find a different one.
• Traubenfuchs 4y ago
  The numbers might fluctuate widely between studies and countries, but are generally harrowing even in first world countries. Luckily the amount of essential micro nutrients is actually very limited and it's easy to gain an overview. https://thebiostation.com/bioblog/do-you-have-vitamin-deficiency https://thebiostation.com/bioblog/do-you-have-vitamin-defici... Purely US: 90% potassium, 70% calcium, 80% vitamin E, 50% vitamin A&C + Magnesium, 50% vitamin D (90% of POC!). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-common-nutrient-deficiencies#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-common-nutrient-defic... Purely US: 70-80% Magnesia https://healthcare-in-europe.com/en/news/iron-deficiency-anaemia.html#:~:text=The%20average%20prevalence%20of%20iron,is%20five%20to%2010%20percent https://healthcare-in-europe.com/en/news/iron-deficiency-ana.... 5-10% iron (in Europe) https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/110/5/1088/5555582 https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/110/5/1088/5555582 20% Folate (USA) https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%20and,older%20than%2060%20%5B33%5D https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB12-HealthProfessio.... 6% vitamin B12 (under 60, USA)
  • canucker2016 4y ago
    Get tested for ferritin levels before iron supplementation. There's a HFE gene that's responsible for regulating a protein that controls iron absorption in the body. But more than 30% of the American population is estimated to have one or more faulty copies of the HFE gene. Links to too much iron in the body and various diseases are described in the following link including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. see https://nautil.us/iron-is-the-new-cholesterol-237280/ https://nautil.us/iron-is-the-new-cholesterol-237280/ One way to reduce iron in the body - donating blood.
• mattficke 4y ago
  There’s not really any way to say universally what supplements people should take since it depends on the specifics of your diet, lifestyle, age, genetics, etc. Vitamin D is probably the most broadly useful supplement (it’s also the only supplement pediatricians recommend across the board for children). Best way is to just get a basic blood test, that will show your specific levels of the various vitamins and tell you what you need to increase, either through supplements or dietary changes.
• hestefisk 4y ago
  Sunlight!
• danuker 4y ago
  Use Cron-o-meter for a few days to track your food & drinks. It will show you what levels of nutrients you're at, and where you should be. https://cronometer.com/ https://cronometer.com/
• jmulho 4y ago
  1) https://nutritionfacts.org/optimum-nutrient-recommendations/ https://nutritionfacts.org/optimum-nutrient-recommendations/ According to this source, depending on your location , diet, age, and gender, you may need to worry about: Vitamin B12 Vitamin D Calcium Omega-3 Fatty Acids Iodine Iron Selenium You are probably getting enough of everything else from food. 2) https://www.usp.org/verification-services/verified-mark https://www.usp.org/verification-services/verified-mark According to this organization, their verification mark means: Contains the ingredients listed on the label, in the declared potency and amounts Does not contain harmful levels of specified contaminants Will break down and release into the body within a specified amount of time Has been made according to FDA current Good Manufacturing Practices using sanitary and well-controlled procedures The UPC mark means it is what is says it is. It does not mean you need it, or it is good for you.
• SuoDuanDao 4y ago
  Based on a Tim ferris episode with a highly-successful trainer, my list is Zinc, Magnesium, vitamin D and possibly Omega 3 fatty acid.
• cheald 4y ago
  It'll vary based on a whole host of factors, both genetic and environmental. Your best bet is to get bloodwork done and see where your various levels are, then start supplementing appropriately.
• mrguyorama 4y ago
  Go to the doctor, get your yearly blood panel, and then ask them about what supplements you should take. If you have even a mildly varied diet, with occasional vegetables, you shouldn't need much in terms of supplements. The supplement industry doesn't like that answer though because they can sell turmeric at $20 a bottle as a supplement instead of the $4 a bottle it is in the spices section. Remember that there is NO regulation on supplements, and there's no requirement they even contain the vitamin they claim.
  • vl 4y ago
    Vitamin D specifically is not included in the standard panel, you have to ask for it specially.
    • ClumsyPilot 4y ago
      learnt this the hard way It is really stange, as everyone I know who ever had it tested was too low.
• comte7092 4y ago
  Personally I take 5,000 IU of vitamin D in the winter, and less in the summer when I have more sun exposure (I live in a northern climate). Realistically if you are trying to dial things in properly you should work in concert with a physician and base things off of longer term blood levels. The other supplement I take is B12, because the risk of over supplementation is seemingly none existent, and the magnitude of risk should I become deficient is unacceptably high. Past that, you are really running into issues that have too much to do with your individual diet and circumstances. People will note that magnesium deficiency is common in the US, but it’s also notable that Americans typically don’t eat many foods rich in magnesium (ie, nuts/seeds/whole grains/legumes and greens). Mineral absorption in particular tends to be the trickiest when it comes to supplementation, so it should really be addressed at the dietary level first. I will note, though, that I do use iodized salt, which is an exception to the above, and has proven to be an incredibly successful public health story that we often forget about these days.