What is your daily vitamin stack?
- Thread starter Jon
- Start date
Bee, according to my Gastro guy, vitamins are OK with a couple of caveats.
First, it is DEFINITELY possible to overdose on vitamins, and your kidneys have to get rid of the excess "stuff" that your body couldn't use. Therefore, only take vitamins up to the recommended daily allowance level. The mega-dose vitamins are NOT for people with kidney, liver, or pancreas problems. It is ABSOLUTELY possible to overdose on vitamins. Therefore, read the label regarding normal doses.
Second, watch out for the substrate of the vitamin tablet. For non-chemists, a substrate in this context is what you use to mix in with something else to act as a carrier for the something else. If you have a pharmaceutical substance with microgram dosages, the pill of that chemical in pure form would be too small to pick up - but if you add a substrate to turn into a tablet, you can handle it. In some vitamins, the actual chemicals are suspended in fish oil. That was what messed up my liver, by the way. I have an oil sensitivity - not quite as pronounced as an allergy, but we still don't get along well. (Thank goodness for tuna packed in water!) The substrate is supposed to be inert, but if you are allergic or sensitive to it, it can hit you hard. And some substrates are solid, not liquid. You can often identify them when you see some phrase like "and 45% of XYZ as an inert filler." XYZ, whatever it is, is your substrate.
Third, UNLESS you have specific absorptive deficits in your stomach and intestines, or you eat really CHEAP and LOUSY food, your body can absorb all of the natural vitamins without assistance. Which is why vitamin supplements are normally not needed. If your doctor actually prescribes some kind of vitamin, you might correctly infer that either (1) s/he thinks you have a digestive deficit or (2) the vitamins are a test to SEE if you have such a deficit or (3) you have an enzyme deficiency that causes your body to be inefficient in processing the natural vitamin, so you need a higher dose to be sure you get enough of the particular vitamin.
So if you wanted to take vitamins, go right ahead. Just don't take too many.
First, it is DEFINITELY possible to overdose on vitamins, and your kidneys have to get rid of the excess "stuff" that your body couldn't use. Therefore, only take vitamins up to the recommended daily allowance level. The mega-dose vitamins are NOT for people with kidney, liver, or pancreas problems. It is ABSOLUTELY possible to overdose on vitamins. Therefore, read the label regarding normal doses.
Second, watch out for the substrate of the vitamin tablet. For non-chemists, a substrate in this context is what you use to mix in with something else to act as a carrier for the something else. If you have a pharmaceutical substance with microgram dosages, the pill of that chemical in pure form would be too small to pick up - but if you add a substrate to turn into a tablet, you can handle it. In some vitamins, the actual chemicals are suspended in fish oil. That was what messed up my liver, by the way. I have an oil sensitivity - not quite as pronounced as an allergy, but we still don't get along well. (Thank goodness for tuna packed in water!) The substrate is supposed to be inert, but if you are allergic or sensitive to it, it can hit you hard. And some substrates are solid, not liquid. You can often identify them when you see some phrase like "and 45% of XYZ as an inert filler." XYZ, whatever it is, is your substrate.
Third, UNLESS you have specific absorptive deficits in your stomach and intestines, or you eat really CHEAP and LOUSY food, your body can absorb all of the natural vitamins without assistance. Which is why vitamin supplements are normally not needed. If your doctor actually prescribes some kind of vitamin, you might correctly infer that either (1) s/he thinks you have a digestive deficit or (2) the vitamins are a test to SEE if you have such a deficit or (3) you have an enzyme deficiency that causes your body to be inefficient in processing the natural vitamin, so you need a higher dose to be sure you get enough of the particular vitamin.
So if you wanted to take vitamins, go right ahead. Just don't take too many.
Thanks, Doc. I had always assumed that I could get the nutrients I need from my diet. My diet has massively improved (Jon, we could do with a dietary thread - mind fodder) and I eat pretty healthily, with the odd blip. I also take Metformin (for diabetes) and Levothyroxine (after a total thyroidectomy) so I'm less keen to upset the balance of those two particular drugs as they are keeping me alive.
I've pimped my supplementation stack today. Yesterday, I ordered £107 worth of the stuff. I hope it has some noticeable effect. The difficult with anti-aging stuff is that if you don't notice an effect, it might be working! But then you are not sure if you are getting any effect at all. Alas...
So, after reading the recommendations in The Kaufmann Protocol, this is what I ordered:
For me, I find NR the most interesting. Lots of research going on with this compound at the moment. It is a precursor to NAD+, which does positive things in cells. The take from the Kaufmann Protocol book basically says we are the sum accumulation of our cells. So if you focus on the quality of your cells, then that aggregates to the whole you. Improve cell function for the win. This led to the recommendations in the book.
So, after reading the recommendations in The Kaufmann Protocol, this is what I ordered:
- Astaxanthin £16.97
- L-Carnosine £24.99
- Nicotinamide Riboside £40.79
- Trans-Pterostilbene £24.90
For me, I find NR the most interesting. Lots of research going on with this compound at the moment. It is a precursor to NAD+, which does positive things in cells. The take from the Kaufmann Protocol book basically says we are the sum accumulation of our cells. So if you focus on the quality of your cells, then that aggregates to the whole you. Improve cell function for the win. This led to the recommendations in the book.
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Hmmm, this is interesting. I took my NR supplement for the first time last night. It is supposed to be good for helping with sleep. According to my Fitbit, I got my best nights sleep in ages! See diagram below.
It could be chance as I only have one data point and I was tired yesterday. But I have been tired for the last few days too.
If I was a betting man, I think the odds are slightly in favour of NR having an impact, rather than not, since it was 28 days since I had more sleep than I got last night. Given more data, that opinion could change in either direction. Interesting for me, nonetheless. I would hope for some impact from my NR since it cost me £40 for one months supply. Not sure if the placebo effect works if you are unconscious!
It could be chance as I only have one data point and I was tired yesterday. But I have been tired for the last few days too.
If I was a betting man, I think the odds are slightly in favour of NR having an impact, rather than not, since it was 28 days since I had more sleep than I got last night. Given more data, that opinion could change in either direction. Interesting for me, nonetheless. I would hope for some impact from my NR since it cost me £40 for one months supply. Not sure if the placebo effect works if you are unconscious!
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