Trying to convince my hard-headed wife that she should take a multi-vitamin, but she is hesitant. Went out to pubmed to do the research to ‘prove’ to her that I’m right (cause that always works out so well for me…). Only one problem…I can’t find the research.
I can’t find where there’s any consensus that a vitamin is necessary. In fact, most bodies EG ACSM, ADA, say that a balanced diet is enough.
My cognitive dissonance is kicking in here, and I feel that 1) IM training and racing is so far different than normal that the same rules don’t apply 2) there are deficiencies that exist already in our diet that our overlooked (EG: Vit D) and 3) science is always playing catch-up to sport, and they’re just behind the curve on this one.
Insofar as supplements go, my wife would like to see that they are 1) effective and 2) safe. 1 is difficult to get from the science and 2, nothing has been out that long. We’ve been taking a certain tibetan herb blend for about the same period of time Freud was prescribing cocaine before we figured out that was a bad idea. Same for LSD - great prescription…oh wait, nevermind. (Her arguments, not mine, but she has a point, and I very much respect her thoughts on being sure before putting anything weird in her body).
I know many of us here take vitamins and supplements. Please don’t post your anecdotes, n=1s, "my friend said"s, or "but the pros do…"s
Peer reviewed studies<Reviews of Research<Position Papers
vitamins are safe and effective in treating dietary deficiencies and are relatively cheap.
even if your wife does not take vitamins, shes not likely to be deficient. even a diet considered not balanced by most, contains the vitamins and trace elements you need. while you might think that ironman training amplifies these deficiencies, her increased hunger will make up for it proportionally. if she has any type of abnormality or disease state, these general rules do not apply.
i take a vit d and a daily vitamin, b/c theres nothing to lose.
Vitamins are necessary, but you only need a little. So most people in today’s world get plenty. And too much of anything can be toxic, for example water. People have died by drinking too much water. And your kidney’s do an excellent job of getting rid of excess vitamins. What I do is take a multivitamin about once a week. Therefore if you’re worried you are not eating a balanced diet, that multivitamin once a week should take care of it.
And your worried that being more active, your body uses up more vitamins. I don’t know about that… I suppose some vitamins but it probably doesn’t change that much.
As others have stated, most individuals will never notice a vitamin deficiency or necessarily have one so long as a somewhat decent diet is followed. However, the vitamins that are most important from a multivitamin are the water soluble vitamins. Water soluble vitamins have incredibly high toxicity levels or none listed at all. Also, these are the vitamins that are used on a daily basis and are not readily stored for long periods of time within our systems. Thus, in theory, taking a multi everyday helps to alleviate any shortcomings one might have from a lack of a certain water soluble vitamin.
Personally, the only time that I have noticed a marked improvement in my performance while taking a multivitamin (I took animal pak) occurred during double day practices for preseason college soccer. Compared to a lot of my teammates I was in far better shape after a week of almost non-stop running. Then again, I like to think that I was in better shape to begin with too ;).
To summarize, take a multi as an insurance policy against possible deficiencies and certainly during high volume training as they can make a difference for some individuals. Besides, macro-nutrients are better absorbed and utilized by the body once the need for various micro-nutrients are satisfied. Thus, taking a multi can be beneficial to the uptake of other larger nutrients. Try to buy capsules vs. hard pressed tablets as well. They tend to get into your system better.
Hope this helps. Also, that link for the 129.00 recovery formula seems a bit strange. I sell supplements for a living and I would never spend more than a dollar a day on a vitamin pack. Unless I read something wrong that 129.00 only is for a months supply. That seems awful steep regardless of the other additives to the formula beyond simple vitamins.
“A surprisingly high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency
has recently been reported worldwide. Although very little is known
about vitamin D status among athletes, a few studies suggest that poor
vitamin D status is also a problem in athletic populations.”
At 55, I still take a multiple vitamin w/ minerals. Although I get far too much sunshine, my vitamin D levels were low and the doc prescriibed a vitamin D supplement. As a science teacher I think it is a waste of money, but I take them anyway–can’t hurt unless you over-do on the fat soluable vitamins.
I am bit concerned about my magnesium levels and will have it checked on my next dr. visit.
I must say your posts are useful Rebecca. I did have a gross misunderstanding of Vitamin D.
"Vitamin D is found naturally only in fish and fish-liver oils. However, it is also found in milk (vitamin D–fortified). Cooking does not affect the vitamin D in foods. Vitamin D is sometimes called the “sunshine vitamin” since it is made in your skin when you are exposed to sunlight. If you eat a balanced diet and get outside in the sunshine at least 1.5 to 2 hours a week, you should be getting all the vitamin D you need.
Vitamins alone will not take the place of a good diet and will not provide energy. Your body also needs other substances found in food such as protein, minerals, carbohydrates, and fat. Vitamins themselves often cannot work without the presence of other foods. For example, fat is needed so that vitamin D can be absorbed into the body." - from mayoclinic.com
So this is saying that vitamin d is consumed in diet, but is only able to be utilized by the body when the skin when is exposed to sunlight?
I tend to stay away from the overkill theory on vitamins. Since too much of certain vitamins can have negative effects.