Multi-vitamin dilemma

ReaperX

Well-known member
I've been thinking about this the past few days and I'm gonna put it out here and see what the rest of you think. On the surface you pick up a multi-vitamin (like AST Multipro 32X) and turn the bottle, see the long list of ingredients and throw it into the basket...like me.

Here's where I am confused:

In a multivitamin there are SEVERAL different ingredients that conflict with each other. When I think about it, I wonder if all the ingredients are actually being absorbed and taken in or if I am only getting some of it.


Here's an example:


Classic case: Zinc + Calcium. There is both zinc AND calcium in my multivitamin. The body competes again the 2 ingredients and prioritizes calcium over zinc. Does that mean that my zinc in my multivitamin never gets absorbed ?

Another issue is Vitamin A + Vitamin D. These are also 2 vitamins that the body competes for when both are introduced simultaneously. So what happens to Vitamin D since the body takes Vitamin A first ?


The only thing that I can think of is the supplement companies lists all the competitive ingredients and seperates them into layers with time-released enteric coating that VERY CAREFULLY releases each ingredient through the pH interaction thus using a time controlled distribution of these 'conflicting ingredients'.


Anyone know ?
 
wow!! you know your board when you start analizing your multivitamin bottle...:blink:
 
and yes i am wearing pants in my avitar(in response to your comment).....i just rock a little sagg...;)
 
How much did you say you weighed ? I thought I remember you saying you weighed 189 or something, but you look like you'd be atleast 210 ?
 
ReaperX said:
How much did you say you weighed ? I thought I remember you saying you weighed 189 or something, but you look like you'd be atleast 210 ?
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yea im 5'11 190ish......
 
Jesus Reaper, you change your avi and sig more than anyone I've seen... I thought the DDT one was genius, but you may have outdone yourself with this pseudo-Arnold quote! Funny stuff man.

As for the multi-v, good question. I really don't know, but I'm going to keep an eye on the other responses to see what you get.
 
EctoPower said:
Jesus Reaper, you change your avi and sig more than anyone I've seen... I thought the DDT one was genius, but you may have outdone yourself with this pseudo-Arnold quote! Funny stuff man.

As for the multi-v, good question. I really don't know, but I'm going to keep an eye on the other responses to see what you get.
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Glad you like it. Hopefully I'm wrong about the multi, b/c I'd hate to go buy all these ingredients seperately and take them seperately.
 
I take a multi and I also eat a pretty balanced diet. I figure the multi is just for what I miss eating. I also take a variety of other supps.
 
Honestly, this is not what you're looking for but, I think you're splitting hairs at this point. Assuming you've got a quality diet, I wouldn't be worried about not getting all of each mineral/vitamin if they are in competition with eachother.

You should be getting most of your vitamins from the foods you eat already. The multi will act to fill any gaps along the way and provide those peripheral minerals (none of the ones you've mentioned so far) that you might not get on a day to day basis.

I'm curious as to what the answer is as well, but I'm more curious as to how much from the vitamin gets used by your body anyways, provided your diet is solid.
 
I have a few issues with multi-v's in your original question along with just how much you get regardless...Along with takingh in 10x the rec amount in a lot of those. A recent article stated that they found many of those multi's not to contain what they said they did.
 
Ok, I'm not sure where the whole 'you should get your vitamins from your food' comes from.... that was not really the question and that is not really what I was getting either.

It was about getting in your body what is actually in the vitamins. Thanks Jay for bringing up that other issue.
 
I think about this a lot myself (just about anytime I take one), if someone has an answer that would be sweet.
 
johnyq...please tell me that isn't bon jovi in your avitar..:wtf: :blink:
 
Well, I'll ask Patrick Arnold, he might know.



Anyways, In my opinion, without know what really happens, I would guess that there are certain vitamins/minerals that ARE being negated due to the presence of competitive vitamins/minerals.

^That's the Reaper opinion as of now.
 
ReaperX said:
Ok, I'm not sure where the whole 'you should get your vitamins from your food' comes from.... that was not really the question and that is not really what I was getting either.

It was about getting in your body what is actually in the vitamins. Thanks Jay for bringing up that other issue.
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If you read the beginning of what I said, you would have understood that I meant that it really is a non-issue. You are getting your vitamins and minerals from the food you eat and the multi is only filling in the holes. You are probably getting plenty as it is. :study:

But if you really are that worried about getting well over 100% the recommended allowance then:

I finished with wondering how much of each vitamin gets absorbed in the first place (independent of competition). ie, if there are X mg of a certain vitamin, what percent is your body actually using?

I think questions like that (and Jay's) should be answered first before you need to care about competition among the vitamins. I was just trying to make the discussion a little more robust so you could get to the heart of the issue and work from the bottom up.
 
JJC said:
If you read the beginning of what I said, you would have understood that I meant that it really is a non-issue. You are getting your vitamins and minerals from the food you eat and the multi is only filling in the holes. You are probably getting plenty as it is. :study:

But if you really are that worried about getting well over 100% the recommended allowance then:

I finished with wondering how much of each vitamin gets absorbed in the first place (independent of competition). ie, if there are X mg of a certain vitamin, what percent is your body actually using?

I think questions like that (and Jay's) should be answered first before you need to care about competition among the vitamins. I was just trying to make the discussion a little more robust so you could get to the heart of the issue and work from the bottom up.
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Ah I see. I must have rushed too fast reading your post my bad. I understand why you and Jay are bringing up that point about the actual content and its absorption. Zinc Oxide is much different vs. Zinc Chelate or Zinc Mono-bleh-bleh (ZMA Zinc).

It has always been my understand where the stuff acts like a conveyor belt in the body. If the body needs it, it takes it and uses it. Water soluble vitamins get whizzed out if they are not needed, and fat soluble vitamins get stored within the fat of the body which hopefully does not build up into toxic levels.

There are some documented cases in the effeciency of the substance in its given form.

Case in point: Calcium carbonate, calcium citrate, calcium phosphate, calcium chelate, etc.
 
johnyq said:
My friends like to joke on me, saying I look like JBJ, and singing crap like living on a prayer when I walk by.


so yes, it is him. Just a joke.
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wow.....if someone compared me to bon jovi..i think i would have to beat them with a ball pein hammer.......just me tho
 
Five tips to finding a better multi-vitamin/mineral supplement
By Charles Poliquin

It is a real challenge for the average consumer to go a health food store and select a quality multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. Here are five tips that can help you to get your money’s worth.

Tip 1: What type of magnesium does it have?

This consideration eliminates virtually 80% of the choices out there. Inclusion of magnesium oxide is a dead give-away indicator of a poor supplement. If it has magnesium oxide as the source of magnesium, avoid that brand.

Magnesium oxide is the cheapest form of magnesium available. You might assume that a company that includes this ingredient cares only about the bottom line. It is possible that they don’t give a hoot about your health. Magnesium oxide is at best only 5% absorbable compared to other forms that are like magnesium citrate (25%) and aspartate (58%).

Here is a simple tip - if the magnesium is good, it should a word attached to it that ends in “ate” (e.g. magnesium taurate, magnesium fumarate, magnesium glycinate etc…)

Tip 2: All minerals should be chelated.

Chelation means that they are bound to an amino acid, which facilitates absorption. The gold standard in the industry is Albion chelates (check for it on the label.)

Albion minerals are mainly chelated to the amino acid glycine, due to its low molecular weight. It helps to slow the degeneration of muscle tissue, aiding the synthesis of creatine. Glycine is involved in enery production, formation of amino acids for the immune system, CNS function, and prostate health.

Tip 3: Check for the levels of manganese.

Your daily dose should not give you more than 5-7 mg of manganese. The margin for error for minerals is far smaller than it is for vitamins.

High dosages of manganese are neuro-toxic. That is why giving soy-based formulas to infants has been linked to the increased incidence of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD.)

Soy infant formulas have 80 times the concentration of manganese of human breast milk. Many store brands of MVM give 20 mg or more per day.

Tip 4: Gamma tocopherol should be the primary fraction of vitamin E supplied.

Many individuals and even researchers are unaware that natural Vitamin E is a family of four tocopherols and four tocotrienols, which occur in various ratios in different foods. Since humans and animals do not synthesize their own vitamin E, they primarily acquire tocopherols from plants, which are the only living things capable of making vitamin E. Gamma-Tocopherol is often the most prevalent form of vitamin E in plant foods and seeds.

Tip 5: Balanced in iodine and selenium content.

Both trace minerals must be present in the correct order for thyroid health to occur.
Imbalanced intake of iodine and selenium should be avoided as this may impair thyroid function.

Please consider these tips when buying your supplements. They may provide you with the edge you are seeking.
 
i think i'll call him.........mini...me...lol i love that dam movie
 
Damn Trip, do you and johnyq want to get a room or something ? Seems like you young guns are playing a intense game of grab ass here. haha
 
Good article Markoni. Those are the same recommendations that I come to recognize over the years.. Mag oxide is junk.

The really good quality multis are expensive..LEF, NOW (not so bad, really), et al are typically regarded as the best in the industry.

I can't afford them, lol, so I take a few vits seperately that I worry about not getting enough of..folic acid, vitamin D, B6, B12..methylcobalamin, gamma E, selenium and chromium along with fish oil, a rotating regiment of antiox's like grape seed, bilberry, rezveratrol.
 
So what's going on with this ? Lotsa people know about IFG-LR3 but nothing about the multi here ?
 
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