Vitamins

[Mooria]

I take a multi-vitamin tablet in the morning, i have just noticed that it says best taken with food, i take it just after i clean my teeth, before i go to the gym and thus not with food. Is there any benefit of taking it with food, of should i just contiune with my current morning routine.
TIAx

[Old_Geezer]

There must be or they wouldn't say so. Probably more stomach acid to break it up and reduce the chance of merely passing through the body whole. I suspect it isn't a necessity though.

[Sqad]

The " experts" will say that taking the vitamins with food preferably breakfast is the best option.

Personally, I don't think it matters a " jot."

[Old_Geezer]

Ah I thought the medical squad could help. I suspect you don't think it matters if you take them either though ;-)

[jake-the-peg]

Oh it might be quite important

On October 10, 2011, researchers from the University of Minnesota found that women who took supplemental multivitamins died at rates higher than those who didn't

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/07/the-vitamin-myth-why-we-think-we-need-supplements/277947/

[Sqad]

O_G.........LOL....you rad me like a book.

[ummmm]

Is there a specific reason you are taking them?

[Sqad]

"read"

[pixie373]

Do they include iron? Because that can be quite harsh on the stomach

[Sqad]

Jake that study compared women who took vitamins against those who didn't....the OP was not "should one take vitamins" but " should they be taken with FOOD.

Getting back to your article, it may well be that those who took the vitamins may have been in worse health than those who didn't, that MIGHT explain why they took them and not surprisingly didn't live as long as those who didn't take vitamins.

[jake-the-peg]

I think it's unlikely that such an obvious factor would be overlooked by the researchers don't you sqad?

[pixie373]

To be honest, what sqad said was exactly what i thought. Are they saying vitamins kill?

[Sqad]

Jake................I really would hope so.............but you never know.

[Mooria]

i was advised to take them, i have been tired alot of the time even with an a regular amount of sleep, i have had all the tests done and they have come back clear, so this is the next step. - the tablets do contain iron yes.

I can't see if that taking supplements is that bad for you, or not worth it how can it be such a multi-million pound industry.

Quite frankly at the moment i am that tired i will try anything! ( I am also trying to loose weight and up my gym time).

Thanks for all your answers though! x

[Old_Geezer]

Not worth it, multi-million pound industries are not uncommon. It's about controlling desire. Just think entertainment industry and how rich they get providing the minimum and charging the earth.

[Nibble]

I take my supplements in the morning when I get up - even if I only have a yoghurt with them, that counts as "food" for me. They are supposed to digest easier if you take them with food.

[boxtops]

^ dammit, that's from me, not him :-)

[LazyGun]

Those of you who regularly take multivitamin supplements or other products termed "health supplements" should take a gander at this Which! report.

http://conversation.which.co.uk/energy-home/food-supplements-health-claims-joint-health-probiotics/

Makes for gloomy reading if you want to see evidence in support of some of the health claims these products make.

The Daily Mail have also featured this report in todays "Health" section.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2399370/Health-supplements-Which-says-firms-like-Seven-Seas-Vitabiotics-exaggerate-benefits.html

From the Daily Mail article;

"The industry has submitted 44,000 commonly used claims for supplements and food products for approval by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) over the past five years, yet only 248 have been successful.".

And then later some spokesperson for the health supplement industry tries to justify this abject failure with the following comment;

"Graham Keen, director of the Health Food Manufacturers’ Association (HFMA), hit back saying: ‘This new report is inaccurate as it infers that manufacturers are misleading their customers – which is simply not true.
'Just because a certain ingredient does not have an EFSA-approved claim, does not mean that it doesn’t have a beneficial effect.’
He said the reason that EFSA has rejected many claims made for these products is because the assessment process has been too strict.
‘The huge quantity of claims that have been rejected is largely a result of EFSA applying an inappropriate pharmaceutical-style assessment to generic health maintenance claims on food ingredients, an approach usually used for assessing illness-related claims on drugs which are obviously completely different,’ he said."

Riiight - the manufacturers health claims should not be subjected to rigorous testing :)

[jim360]

I used to take vitamin supplements as a child. Who knows if they had any benefit? Probably not really. Anyway, if you are going to take them at all I'd take them with food, but really if you are that worried about getting more vitamins and minerals then surely (looks at Sqad) the better thing to do would be to change your overall diet?

[themorrigan]

Can I just add a dose of common sense here and make the point that you could always change the time you took the vitamins and have them with your lunch or evening meal.

[Sqad]

Jim,

\\\ minerals then surely (looks at Sqad) the better thing to do would be to change your overall diet?\\

LOL...don't look at me.......I don't take vitamins (even as a kid) ;-)