3 ms·

This is missing something, but I can't put my finger on it. Oh yeah: citations.

jrockway 14y ago
This is another anecdote point: my mom is a nutritional biochemist who has done research on vitamins for much of her life. She always tells me to take Vitamin D and that nearly everyone is deficient because we don't go outside enough (and live in high latitudes). Not science, but the author is on to something, I think. If you doubt it, get your blood tested and see what your doctor says. If you don't want to get tested, take a conservative supplement.
- mistercow 14y ago
  I already take a basic multivitamin, but my concern is not that I'm trying to make a personal decision based on this article; I make my health decisions based on more research than that. My concern is that the article makes a strong empirical claim that it does not back up: >However, it also inhibits vitamin D receptors, and as such decreases the body’s uptake of this-much-needed-vitamin. In fact, I can find a couple of studies sort of supporting this, but they have to do with a very specific vitamin D receptor in a very specific subpopulation (elderly women). Some people are going to read this and they're going to assimilate into their "probably true facts" bank the idea that caffeine just generally keeps you from absorbing vitamin D, and then they're going to repeat that fact and it will spread, and we'll have a whole new common belief about caffeine which is probably false.
- beagle3 14y ago
  Does she have any take on B3 (niacin / niacinamide) you can share? My own collection of anecdotes and understanding is that a nontrivial part of the western population is B3 deficient as well - not to the levels that cause pellagra to appear, but nevertheless way below optimal levels. Also, from my collection of anecdotes and some reading, the most popular form of B3 sold these days (inositol hexanicotinate) is useless (0% bioavailability), which kind makes reporting and statistics unreliable, because it is actually confused with the available forms (which have different properties between them)

This is another anecdote point: my mom is a nutritional biochemist who has done research on vitamins for much of her life. She always tells me to take Vitamin D and that nearly everyone is deficient because we don't go outside enough (and live in high latitudes). Not science, but the author is on to something, I think. If you doubt it, get your blood tested and see what your doctor says. If you don't want to get tested, take a conservative supplement.

mistercow 14y ago
I already take a basic multivitamin, but my concern is not that I'm trying to make a personal decision based on this article; I make my health decisions based on more research than that. My concern is that the article makes a strong empirical claim that it does not back up: >However, it also inhibits vitamin D receptors, and as such decreases the body’s uptake of this-much-needed-vitamin. In fact, I can find a couple of studies sort of supporting this, but they have to do with a very specific vitamin D receptor in a very specific subpopulation (elderly women). Some people are going to read this and they're going to assimilate into their "probably true facts" bank the idea that caffeine just generally keeps you from absorbing vitamin D, and then they're going to repeat that fact and it will spread, and we'll have a whole new common belief about caffeine which is probably false.
beagle3 14y ago
Does she have any take on B3 (niacin / niacinamide) you can share? My own collection of anecdotes and understanding is that a nontrivial part of the western population is B3 deficient as well - not to the levels that cause pellagra to appear, but nevertheless way below optimal levels. Also, from my collection of anecdotes and some reading, the most popular form of B3 sold these days (inositol hexanicotinate) is useless (0% bioavailability), which kind makes reporting and statistics unreliable, because it is actually confused with the available forms (which have different properties between them)