A Vitamin Virgin. page

[SheGlowsPale]

Ok...I'm completely new to vitamins except for Vit C...I do take that.

What other vitamins are essential if I'm on this program?

I'm seeing a lot about fish oil, vit d, and zinc? (The only vits I won't take are mult-vitamins)

I'm definitely planning on buying fish oil today...what dosage? what brand? (least expensive without being horrible?)

What vitamins are you taking, what is the dosage and why? And please explain in stupid person terms, I'm a total newbie to supplements

Thanks!!

[healthseekerKate]

Out of curiosity, could you explain why you won't take multivitamins?

>> I'm definitely planning on buying fish oil today...what dosage? what brand? (least expensive without being horrible?)
For me, fish oil is the anchor of my supplementation program. I have read several books by Dr. Barry Sears (Zone Diet), who explains in detail the many benefits of this supplement. However, he warns that you *must* take pharmaceutical-grade fish oil, because anything less is almost guaranteed to be contaminated with heavy metals and other harmful factors. According to him, whichever brand you use should have a 5-star rating by the International Fish Oil Standards organization ( http://www.ifosprogram.com/IFOS/ConsumerReport.aspx ).

The brand that I personally use is IFOS 5-star-rated Life Extension brand Super Omega-3:
http://www.iherb.com/Life-Extension-...els/23722?at=0

From my past research, this appears to be the least-expensive 5-star-rated fish oil. Also, I take very large doses (16 g per day = 16 capsules), and I have found that fishy burps are not a problem, as long as I don't take more than 6 caps at a time (per meal).

If you're in relatively good health, you should use 4 capsules of this particular product per day (which equals about 2.5 g of EPA+DHA). People with more serious health issues need more. Refer to Sears' book, "The Anti-Inflammation Zone", if you want more details about recommended doses for different conditions/health concerns. ( http://www.amazon.com/Anti-Inflammat...6276798&sr=8-1 )

I have heard others on this forum and elsewhere say that an IFOS 5-star rating isn't necessary to guarantee safety of the product. I don't know what's the truth, but I know that supplement makers don't have to prove claims that they print on labels, so anyone can claim that their product is "pharmaceutical-grade" without actually having to certify its purity; personally, I play it safe and stick with the brand that I currently use.
_________________________________

>> I'm seeing a lot about fish oil, vit d, and zinc? (The only vits I won't take are mult-vitamins)
As for Vitamin D, I'd recommend having your 25(OH)D blood levels tested, to get a baseline idea of how you're doing. Optimal levels are 50-60 ng/mL, although some experts recommend optimal levels as high as 80 ng/mL.

Important: Always take Vitamin D in the form of *D3* (cholecalciferol), not D2 (ergocalciferol). D2 isn't harmful, but it's only a fraction as effective as D3 in actually benefiting the body. If some of the supplements you take (e.g., the calcium citrate I recommend in a post below) contain D2, I would consider it an added bonus, but don't count this amount in your total daily intake, just to be safe.

Depending on whether you're Vit-D deficient, and if so, how deficient, it may be efficient to take large doses for a short period to bring your levels up to optimal. I've read accounts of physicians who had D-deficient patients to whom they gave ~1-2,000 IU per day, and it took forever to bring their levels up to the healthy range; some of them recommend anywhere from 10-50,000 IU per day for a short period (days or weeks), depending on the level of deficiency. Maybe post an update once you learn your Vit D blood levels, and the forum members can recommend a good daily dose.

Here are a couple of MDA articles to get you started:

Vitamin D: Sun Exposure, Supplementation and Doses
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/vitam...ion-and-doses/

Don't Let "D" Stand for "Deficiency"
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/vitamin-d-deficiency/

Regarding zinc, I'm not an expert, but here is a useful info page that recommends a daily intake of no more than 40 mg/day (combined food and supplement intake), to prevent copper deficiency.

Linus Pauling Micronutrient Research Institute: Zinc report
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/

[Lovestoclimb]

Cillakat is a super resource for the supplementing questions. Hopefully she'll chime in.

[SheGlowsPale]

Out of curiosity, could you explain why you won't take multivitamins?

>> I'm definitely planning on buying fish oil today...what dosage? what brand? (least expensive without being horrible?)
For me, fish oil is the anchor of my supplementation program. I have read several books by Dr. Barry Sears (Zone Diet), who explains in detail the many benefits of this supplement. However, he warns that you *must* take pharmaceutical-grade fish oil, because anything less is almost guaranteed to be contaminated with heavy metals and other harmful factors. According to him, whichever brand you use should have a 5-star rating by the International Fish Oil Standards organization ( http://www.ifosprogram.com/IFOS/ConsumerReport.aspx ).

The brand that I personally use is IFOS 5-star-rated Life Extension brand Super Omega-3:
http://www.iherb.com/Life-Extension-...els/23722?at=0

From my past research, this appears to be the least-expensive 5-star-rated fish oil. Also, I take very large doses (16 g per day = 16 capsules), and I have found that fishy burps are not a problem, as long as I don't take more than 6 caps at a time (per meal).

If you're in relatively good health, you should use 4 capsules of this particular product per day (which equals about 2.5 g of EPA+DHA). People with more serious health issues need more. Refer to Sears' book, "The Anti-Inflammation Zone", if you want more details about recommended doses for different conditions/health concerns.

I have heard others on this forum and elsewhere say that an IFOS 5-star rating isn't necessary to guarantee safety of the product. I don't know what's the truth, but I know that supplement makers don't have to prove claims that they print on labels, so anyone can claim that their product is "pharmaceutical-grade" without actually having to certify its purity; personally, I play it safe and stick with the brand that I currently use.
_________________________________

>> I'm seeing a lot about fish oil, vit d, and zinc? (The only vits I won't take are mult-vitamins)
As for Vitamin D, I'd recommend having your 25(OH)D blood levels tested, to get a baseline idea of how you're doing. Optimal levels are 50-60 ng/mL, although some experts recommend optimal levels as high as 80 ng/mL.

Here are a couple of MDA articles to get you started:

Vitamin D: Sun Exposure, Supplementation and Doses
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/vitam...ion-and-doses/

Don't Let "D" Stand for "Deficiency"
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/vitamin-d-deficiency/

Regarding zinc, I'm not an expert, but here is a useful info page that recommends a daily intake of no more than 40 mg/day (combined food and supplement intake), to prevent copper deficiency.

Linus Pauling Micronutrient Research Institute: Zinc report
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/minerals/zinc/

Thank you so much for all your info..I will definitely check out all your links...I won't take multi-vitamins because I have taken quite a few in the past and they always break my skin out REALLY badly...I'm not sure if its the iodine or the kelp (both are known acne triggers) so I just stay away from them if I can avoid it.

[Bane]

I've been taking 9 g of fish oil a day for the last month or so. (had been taking it before this, but only 3 g a day) I got the recommended dosage from Robb Wolf:

Robb Wolf's Fish Oil Calculator

Basically it's .5 g (DHA & EPA) per 10lb of bodyweight. That's for someone eating healthy, etc, there are higher and lower doses listed there depending on your situation.

I have made some big improvements in body comp and broken through a plateau recently that I'm pretty certain is related to the fish oil.

[yodiewan]

I recently got some liquid Carlson's fish oil and I love it! It's not as portale as gelcaps, but swallowing a teaspoon is alot nicer than downing those big gelcaps. And from what I could find, it was one of the cheapest options. About 17 cents per gram of omega-3 (EPA + DHA) from LuckyVitamin.com. @healthseekerKate, unless I calculated wrongly, the brand you mentioned was about 33 cents pre gram of omega-3, which is a pretty good price, but almost double the Carlson's price.

i also got some vitamin D and have been taking 2000 IU most days. I need to get my blood levels checked to see if I need to up the dosage.

@Bane, I might have to try uppng my dosage of fish oil. I'd been taking just one or one-and-a-half teaspoons a day (~2.6g EPA+DHA) and eating a can or sardines 3-4 times a week, and I think just that has helped some wrt body composition and general feeling of well-being, but maybe more would be even better!

[healthseekerKate]

>> @healthseekerKate, unless I calculated wrongly, the brand you mentioned was about 33 cents pre gram of omega-3, which is a pretty good price, but almost double the Carlson's price.
I did the calculation, too, and I think you're correct.

I've used Carlson's fish oil in the past, usually to supplement the majority of Life Extension brand caps that I take. I've had no problems with Carlson brand, either.

[healthseekerKate]

@SheGlowsPale, if all you're currently taking is Vitamin C (what dose?), you may want to consider the following very useful supplements: (I'm a big fan of reading the product reviews, to see how others rate them). Note: most of these items are available in different sizes, and of course, different brands; these are just the particular products that I happen to use, after extensive research.

Don't be intimidated... you don't have to start taking a dozen things at once. Once you've started the fish oil and have your vitamin D levels under control (which imho are the 2 most important!), you may want to consider adding one or more of the following, which are some of the highlights of my own daily supplement regimen:

Vitamin B complex "B50"
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-B-50-...sules/410?at=0

or, more potent form: B100
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-B-100...sules/395?at=0

Benefits of B vitamins:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_vitamins
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Bone-health supplements (all are known to be beneficial for maintaining/promoting healthy bone mass):

Calcium citrate (includes magnesium, zinc, copper & manganese)
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Calci...blets/472?at=0

Vitamin K (particularly, K2 -- it ensures that calcium is used for bone formation instead of settling in blood vessels)
http://www.iherb.com/Life-Extension-...els/14619?at=0

Silica complex (includes boron, which is also good for bone health)
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Silic...blets/799?at=0

Strontium Bone Maker (great for building bone; don't take at same time as a calcium supplement, as they compete for absorption)
http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-S...Caps/8006?at=0

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A few supplements that you might consider taking, as they are generally awesome (again, read the reviews, and if you need supporting info, I can provide additional links):

Chlorella (very useful for detoxifying, increasing energy, and great nutrition; I take 2-3 caps per day)
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Chlor...blets/512?at=0

Perfect Food (awesome multi-green formula, great for cleansing and power-packing your diet with greens; I take ~2-5 caps per day)
http://www.iherb.com/Garden-of-Life-...lets/3157?at=0

Ubiquinol (used by every cell in your body, and great for increasing energy and improving cellular function; I take 100 mg/day; these are fairly expensive, so I'm considering going down to 50 mg/day)
http://www.iherb.com/Healthy-Origins...els/12109?at=0

Resveratrol (antioxidant; recommended by many experts to prevent aging; I take 1 cap per day)
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Natur...aps/14767?at=0

Quercetin (supposed to help to amplify the effect of resveratrol; I take 2 caps per day at the same time I take resveratrol... this resveratrol:quercetin ratio was recommended in some of the product reviews I've read...)
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Querc...Vcaps/330?at=0

Curcumin (anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and good for maintaining blood sugar levels, as well as helping bone supplements to absorb; I take these with my bone supplements and particularly with any non-paleo meal that I eat)
http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-B...psules/13?at=0

Lecithin (helps brain and nerve function; I take 4 - 12 caps per day)
http://www.iherb.com/Now-Foods-Lecit...tgels/658?at=0

[healthseekerKate]

Finally, I'll list the digestive enzymes and probiotics that I love:

Enzymes: these help to maximize the benefit you derive from supplements, and to optimize digestion, when taken with supplements and meals. I learned that, according to some experts on metabolism, supplementing with enzymes can significantly extend lifespan and quality of life, because your body only produces a certain number of enzymes in your lifetime; supplementing with them "lightens the load" and prevents the aging and death that results from depleting your body of this limited resource.

forum thread on enzymes: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...hlight=enzymes
my post is #10, if you want to see the several types of enzymes that I use (I rotate them, and use different ones for different purposes; I take enzymes with most meals and snacks)

Taking enzymes on an empty stomach (1 hour before or 2 hours after meals) produces a different effect on the body; this can augment metabolism and cleanse unwanted molecules such as fungi. I take 1-2 of these on an empty stomach once in a while:

Doctor's Best, Proteolytic Enzymes
http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-B...Caps/9941?at=0

____________________________________________
Probiotics: good to promote intestinal health, which can result in drastic overall health improvements

I use Healthy Origins brand, which contains 30 billion colony forming units (CFU) per capsule, and which, from my research, seem to be the most highly-rated probiotic on the market: (I take 1-2 caps per day)
http://www.iherb.com/Healthy-Origins...aps/19518?at=0

links to more sizes of this product (including trial size) at post #11 on this thread:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum...obiotics/page2

[lecz0r]

I recently got some liquid Carlson's fish oil and I love it! It's not as portale as gelcaps, but swallowing a teaspoon is alot nicer than downing those big gelcaps. And from what I could find, it was one of the cheapest options. About 17 cents per gram of omega-3 (EPA + DHA) from LuckyVitamin.com. @healthseekerKate, unless I calculated wrongly, the brand you mentioned was about 33 cents pre gram of omega-3, which is a pretty good price, but almost double the Carlson's price.

i also got some vitamin D and have been taking 2000 IU most days. I need to get my blood levels checked to see if I need to up the dosage.

@Bane, I might have to try uppng my dosage of fish oil. I'd been taking just one or one-and-a-half teaspoons a day (~2.6g EPA+DHA) and eating a can or sardines 3-4 times a week, and I think just that has helped some wrt body composition and general feeling of well-being, but maybe more would be even better!

Yay, <3 Carlson's. I take their liquid Fish Oil (not the cod liver oil) and its awesome... I used to take the pills but never again! A bottle may seem expensive, but you get a ton if you compare the measurements... its actually cheaper than most pills.

Next after fish oil I take 4-6k of vitamin D on days that I know I won't get to play in the sun. My other staple is the multivitamin (animal pak)
In smaller quantities I take magnesium, phosphatidylserine, and zinc.