Food Supplements/ vitamins - any real value to them?

windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Upon reading some recent posts about vitamins and food supplements, I have personally felt such items were just another part of a marketing effort for drug companies to make additional profits. My parents lived until 89 and 92. My grandparents from Poland also lived nearly as long. Mom died from breast cancer and dad from emphysema (he had smoked since he was a teen ager). My dad never used supplements and only went to the doctor a few times in his life. My mom, was a hypochondriac, on the other hand.

The article in the NY Times shows that living close to the earth is better than any supplements you can take. That is very possible to do here in the DR. The article contains a collection of items that are taken from around the world where people have led naturally long lives. You have probably seen the list. Less meat, more fruits and veggies, olive oil etc. It is unlikely supplements will help you. Live long and prosper..

Personal Health - Healthy Aging, With Nary a Supplement - NYTimes.com
 

DavidZ

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Aug 29, 2005
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I think it's hard to dispute that if you don't eat a helthy, well balanced diets, vitamins and certain supplements are beneficial to your health...but if you eat well, which as you mentioned is pretty easy to do here, they may be less effective as hopefully you're already getting everything you need from the food you're eating.

That being said, I would guess that less than 20 or 30 % of the people here and elsewhere eat as well as they should.
 

J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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I am a supplemented guy! :D
There are some things which work, others which work for some time only and other things which only seems to work on everybody else and a lot of waste too.
Then, there are some companies which can be trusted to have "in it" what the promise to sell and others which will fail you.

Just few of MY experiences:

  • Astragalus Root extract and Selenium works in order to boost the immune system against colds. So can Magnesium.
  • Vitamin C in form of ascorbic acid only will only be assimilated up to 100mg/day! Even reputed pharmaceutical companies peddle 1000mg ascorbic acid which will only feed you toilet. The ticket is poliascorbates as in "EmergenC" and a few other quality supplements.
  • Glucosamine, MSM and Chondroitin supplements can WORK big time... and keep on working.
  • If you are in body building, everybody will tell you that Creatine (especially the newer stable forms of) is THE safe stuff which WORKS without putting your health or legal standing at risk. It does! And so do NO products.
  • Some natural "men's health" supplements have popped up in recent years which I am not ashamed to confess work beautifully!
  • I don't consider RoGaine (Minoxidil) a supplement... but it's OTC and I have now, after almost 2 years of use more, stronger and thicker hair than my 15 year old son.
In order to try to steer this interesting thread out of being somewhat OFF topic (not DR related), let me bring this up too:

There are local and Caribbean "supplements" in many Dominican stores. So far I've only tried one and with success: RHP's 100% Fibra. I lost 6 Lbs in less than 2 weeks and came out of that colon cleansing celebration with a flat stomach.
There are however some products being peddled around here I would not touch so flimsy cheap and fake or suspicious does only the packaging look.
We also seem to see Chinese stores bringing more and more "stuff" to our streets which claims to do all sorts of unbelievable things. I buy some green tea there and some ginseng extract. The green tea must have been good it had me jittery for days... I quit that. The ginseng... well, I forgot about it and don't miss it... didn't do much apparently. Then there are things on their shelves I would not take the risk to squeeze into my body, even if they'd pay me.

... J-D.
 

DavidZ

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Ok J-D... spill the beans... what are the natural "men's health" supplements you speak of...last I checked LaPela wasn't natural! :D

Also..what are NO products?

Also, I use EmergenC...especially if I feel a cold coming on...but it does have the 1000mg of ascorbic acid...probably 10X what your body can absorb, right? ...and the package suggests taking it 2 to 4 times a day! That's some pretty expensive pee! :bunny:
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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Glucosamine sulphate (& Dr. Jim's manipulations) have prevented me having to have a hip replacement for about 15 years now.

For those who need to watch cholesterol levels, check your triglyceride levels as well and if too high try red rice yeast. The Chinese have been using this for about 2000 years; I've only been using it for about 10 years but have found it really works.

And no amount of vitamins & supplements will replace an unhealthy diet so you can't expect to load up the fat content, not eat fruits & veg, swallow a whole lotta supplements and get away with it. :cheeky:
 

J D Sauser

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Ok J-D... spill the beans... what are the natural "men's health" supplements you speak of...last I checked LaPela wasn't natural! :D

Also..what are NO products?

Also, I use EmergenC...especially if I feel a cold coming on...but it does have the 1000mg of ascorbic acid...probably 10X what your body can absorb, right? ...and the package suggests taking it 2 to 4 times a day! That's some pretty expensive pee! :bunny:


At least one type of EmergenC has 1000mg of POLYascorbates (Calcium ascorbate, Manganese ascorbate, Copper ascorbate, Magnesium ascorbate, Zinc ascorbate, Chromium ascorbate and Potassium ascorbate).
In case EmergenC should have downgraded their formula, you might want to try "Superior Vitamin C (1000mg)" by Country Life, available on the net in the US.

What was your other question again?? :p

... J-D.
 

J D Sauser

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Ok J-D... spill the beans... what are the natural "men's health" supplements you speak of...last I checked LaPela wasn't natural! :D
NO La Pella or Cialis, these are medicines which should only be handed out under medical supervision (I know, you can buy them at la bomba here) and have nasty side effects. I am speaking of herbal supplements. This being a family forum, I suggest you check out the many supplement sites and brows their "men's health" sections. If in doubt feel free to PM me.

Also..what are NO products?
Nitric Oxide supplements.

... J-D.
 

rickboz

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Feb 5, 2006
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We have had excellent personal experience with many herbal supplements and the Chinese have used them for centuries. Our difference I believe is the access to an herbalist/iridologist and the willingness to spend $ on them. Dietary choices and fitness have also been critical.
 

Lambada

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Really? :D

... J-D.

Did I have too many negatives ;)? What I meant was you can't chug down a diet dripping in animal fat & think that a few supplements will counteract the harm done to the arteries etc because well..........they won't. You need to both eat healithily AND take whatever supplements float your boat.

I actually disagree with the OP's premise that a good diet these days is nutritious enough. In our grandparents day food was grown in mineral rich soil and as such helped to prevent many of the degenerative diseases (heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer). Nowadays food tends to be grown in mineral-deficient soils on 'factory farms' where the main goal is to produce high quantity rather than high quality food. Nowadays we eat a lot more cooked food, our foremothers were probably better off eating uncooked food. And many people peel fruit and veg even though most of the antioxidant properties are in the peel or just below the skin.
 

oneironaut

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Dec 28, 2009
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here is what works for me...

- Not having cable or satellite TV
- Drinking only on special occasions
- Follow a Dominican style diet (ride, beans, chicken, fruit)
- Walk 1-2 hours briskly each day
- No white bread, sugar, fired food, junk food

When forced back to the cold dark tundra, I find that Vitamin D and several bright halogen lights in my office really helps offset the lack of sunlight.

Brad