Irishsean

I need to start taking a good multivitamin, but am not sure what to go for. I worked at GNC for a year or so, and refuse to ever buy anything from them, they're such a ripoff, but there are a couple other good vitamin places in town.

I just started getting over my sedentary lifestyle, cut junk food and soda completely out of my diet, started eating only healthy food, and working out a lot more. The energy surge I've gotten is enormous, but I just want to make sure I'm getting the vitamins I need even tho I'm eating less.

ShaniFaye

I am extremely happy with Centrum...Im 36 but I have to take Centrum silver because I can't have the extra iron because I have Hemochromatosis, but since I started taking them I've got a LOT more energy than I did have

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CoachAlan

It's my understanding that for most people, multivitamins are unnecessary. Our bodies are designed to pull the nutrients we need out of the foods we eat. Some of the nutrients that are harder to come by, our bodies can make themselves.

If you're becoming a vegetarian or otherwise drastically confining your diet, then a multivitamin is a good idea. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

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gremlinx8

I take a "naturally complete multivitamin" made by Spring Valley. I take it because I'm a vegetarian and the doctor says I have iron and vitamin B12 defeciencies. I chose this one specifically because it is gelatin free.

thingstodo

My wife and I have been taking DualTab by Twinlab for at least six years. Have only had 1-2 colds since then. It has everything including minerals and buffer to aid absorption. I got started on them after trying to figure out the best assortment of individual vitamins along with good quality. A nutritionist said to take the Dualtabs because they had it all and were high quality. Plus, most of their ingredients are time-release, which also aids absorption.

Many on-line sites have great rates. I purchase from http://www.vitacost.com/ as they have the best prices I've run across.

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Looften

I recently check out the multivitamins at some local stores; seems that most are fairly similar with the exception of centrum: performance, which has about 100-300% daily recommendations on most of it's ingredients. I'm pretty sure that these extra doses are fairly worthless as most vitamins are urinated out when not needed, but I'm no personal trainer. Anybody with experience that can confirm the (lack of) benefits of these higher doses?

gremlinx8

I'm not a professional on this either, but I thought I read somewhere that the body only needs a certain amount per day and the rest were not used.

Seaver

I just use the generic kinds.

Yes most people get enough nutrients from the foods they eat. I work out a lot (in Texas summer heat) so I have a tendency to overhydrate to compensate. This has a tendency to make you piss out a lot of valuable nutrients. So I take the pills to counter that. Lets be honest though, a bottle of generic ones will cost you $4 and will last about 1-2 months. So it's not going to hurt anything if you go over your required intake, excess will just be pissed out. But if you lack in any perticular vitamin things can go kinda wrong.

thingstodo

The big problem with the cheap stuff is absorption rates. I knew a guy that knew a guy years ago that clean porta-potties. Man, what a job. He said the one thing left on the screens after cleaning was undisolved vitamin pills. If it doesn't disolve, it doesn't get absorbed!

I've read testing results on the Twinlab stuff I mentioned previously that shows a better absorption rate. Plus, a time-release system is good because you don't get hit with certain things at one time. It's much better, for example, to get the B complex material over time to keep everything balanced. Kind of like eating a candy bar, having the sugar rush and then crashing.

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If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves.

Stangers have the best candy.

pocon1

plus, how do you know what is the appropriate rate for each individual vitamin? for instance, I weigh about 250, I work out 3 to 6 times a week, and I am outside several times a week doing stuff. do you really think the RDA's dietary needs are the same for me as for a 140 lb 46y.o. woman who does no exercise? It is better to err on the side of too much than too little. Vitmamins are not expensive, they are not by any means dangerous, and they might level out deficencies in your diet and body.

bing bing

if you're "eating only healthy food", you'll be wasting your money on a multivitamin as it's likely you're getting all the vitamins and minerals you need through less synthetic means.

pocon1

first, define what "healthy" is. Then, wonder if the nutrients are gradually being pulled out of the ground and that there are simply fewer nutrients left in the soil. NPK fertilizers allow for wonderful plant growth, but plants don't need a whole lot to grow and survive. Finally, consider that certain areas and soils may be deficient in key vitamins and minerals. Then, amke the conclusion that a few pennies a day is much better for your health and insures that you are at least meeting the basics for general life, to say nothing for anabolic growth.

I am not taking any chances, I take a multivitamin and some others, and I can feel it when I have not had them for a few weeks.

bollocks

You can tell a good multivitamin tablet by taking a piss about 2-4 hours after necking one. If you see that your piss is almost "atomic" green/yellow then the multivitamin has been absorbed well into your body. I buy my multivitamins from Holland and Barrett. I don't think they have branches in the U.S. They're good quality tho, the colour of my piss almost scares me.

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Val_1

Alot of people are saying that you get all your nutrients out of the food you eat. If you ate food purely based on nutritional value for eavery meal of everyday, sure. But, what are the chances that you are getting "all" the vitamins and minerals you need from the food you eat on a daily basis. I try to eat healthy, but I'm sure my vitamin intake varies from day to day depending on what I'm eating. And if i'm full, I'm not going to eat more just to make sure I've got enough vitamin A in me. So, I take a multi-vitamin. Usually Centrum. They make a lot of vitamins every year so, i assume they do a good job at making them. Generics are good for alot of things, but I tend not to trust them too much. They usually don't have a strong R&D department, so their product sometimes suffers.

thingstodo

I'm not too sure what food we are able to purchase is as high in nutrients as years ago with all the over farming, chemicals, etc. What looks good on the outside can be bad underneath. We eat a lot of organic stuff now, which I hope helps.

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If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves.

Stangers have the best candy.

chickentribs

The bad news for you is that GNC does make one of the best quality multi-vitamins out there (Twin Lab gets high marks as well). The good news is that if you have a Target nearby, you can buy the exact same vitamin produced in the same facility for half the price and not give your business to the bastards!!

As far as the vitamin "conspiracy" debate, I can tell you that your body will need supplemented differently every day depending on things like your food, sleep, stress, exercise habits, etc. A good multivitamin will help keep you covered. I tell anyone to just take it for 2 weeks, and if you don't feel healthier and sharper, quit taking it. I always felt that my energy was significant enough to outweigh any placebo effect that may be happening.

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Oft expectation fails...
and most oft there Where most it promises
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