Vitamins and Supplements

I have a question about supplements.  I always take a good multivitamin, and when I started my new 'lifestyle change'  I began taking CLA as well.  With all of the changes I've made I've had some pretty good success (15.5 lbs in about 7 weeks).  I also began working out and am now up to aerobics 45 min 3x a week, jogging 2 miles 3-4x a week, weight lifting 3-4x a week, and yoga-type excercise 3x a week.  Because of the jogging ( and being overweight) my knee began hurting so I started on a Chondroitan-Glucosamine-MSM supplement to help my joints.  Someone also mentioned a vitamin B supplement for moodiness and energy (could always use that for a week or so of every month :).  And whey protein powder... so when is all of this too much of good things?  I want to be healthy and fit, and I feel I am getting there.  I want to give my body everything it needs to help it along, but I'm really not used to shoveling in that many pills.

Does anyone have any advice or tips?  What does everyone else take?

Thanks ahead of time!

I am pretty much taking the same thing and they were recommended by my Doctor whom I trust greatly.  I am taking the following:

Glucosamine, CLA, Vit B, Bee Pollen Complex, Multi Vit, Calcium and Garlic/Cayenne

Now, I am 43 and have a healing knee injury and am pre meno as well so the calcium helps especially with those issues. 

I am not sure if this would be considered too much but it might be helpful to have your Doc review it to be sure.

I personally don't take anything.  I used to take a daily multivitamin; after reading a report issued by consumerlab.com, I started researching vitamins and supplements and immediately stopped taking any.  Research so far has ranged from not useful at all (CLA and garlic has shown no more than placebo-effect in controlled studies) to dangerous (too much vitamin A, which many supplements include so you may be doubling up, can lead to health issues).  I'm currently collecting my research and will start writing a series at my site, www.thelifeledger.com, when I am more comfortable with the information.

Since I stopped taking multivitamins, I've started paying more attention to the nutrients and vitamins in foods, and now try to eat a more balanced diet focused on what nutrients I need.  It's a huge learning process, and I'm not finding a whole lot of readily-available information on this, so it's slow going but definitely rewarding.

I would definitely review anything you take now or wish to start with your doctor.  Keep in mind though that there is no governmental oversight for vitamins and supplements - unlike patent medicines, there are no required clinical trials etc to determine effectiveness and safety.  Also, allopathic doctors can tend to be a little under-educated about homeopathic and supplement remedies, so take what you learn with a grain of salt.  The more research you do about the supplements and vitamins you take, the better.

If you eat right (veggies, fibers, proteins, etc.), you don't need any vitamins. Now for pain or things like that, talk to a doctor, he will know better then us.

I am taking a product called Juice Plus.  It is a fruit and vegetable whole food with 17 different fruits and veggies.  I love it and my kids love it. 

I don't really know much about vitamins, but I do have something about the protein powder. Last semester I took a foods and nutrition class and my professor basically said that those powders are a waste of money. She said that even a professional weight lifter can get the extra protein that s/he needs from one glass of skim milk. She said that it's not going to hurt you to take them, but that it is definitely not needed.

This may be a really dumb question, but what is CLA?

Conjugated linoleic acid- it is supposed to aid in fat loss. 

Thank you all for your replies!

In an earlier thread today called, intersesting article about supplements" there is a good article about supplements. Dr. Weil, the Healthy Aging author, suggests a good multivitamin, plus CO Q 10 and Juvenon (a combination of alpha lipoic acid and L-Carnitine. You might check out the websites for those two sources as well.

Good luck!

bippysmom,

I have been taking msm/glucosamine now for over 4 yrs.  It's wonderful for your joints.  I had pelvic and hip reconstruction from a break that occured in a car accident, and anyways, it allows me so much more flexibility with working out and pain.  I also take CLA daily and a whey protein powder after working out.  I don't know if its too much of a good thing.  I mean, I am sure you can get by without the cla and the protein powder, but then again, if its not hurting anything, then I don't see the harm either.  Back before protein powder, the bodybuilders didnt use anything.. (except maybe steroids).  I personally feel that I have absolutely no soreness if I incorporate protein supplement after a workout, where as before when I worked out with out it, I would be sore for days on end....

Just a note on CLA. Conjugated linoleic acid is a trans fat. In fact one of nature's trans fats, it is made by the Bactria in cow's stomachs hence why it ends up in milk and milk products.