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1617164 tn?1308279263

Vitamin killers

Hello! I was taking a handful of vitamins everymorning with 3 cups of a mixture of aloe vera, fat-free or low-fat "random flavor" yogurt, blueberries, blackberries and other "random fruit" smoothie. I still am, just not everymorning.  Recently I was watching Tv and someone mentioned that magnesium bonds with "random vitamin" so it doesn't get absorbed into the body.  I take magnesium, and the supplement mentioned was one of mine.  Now I've found out that Magnesium should be taken with Vitamin E.  I have separated everthing, but now I'm taking vitamins all day and the point of drinking my Aloe Vera Shake with the vitamins is that the av is supposed to make the vitamins stronger...Can someone help? I take 2000 mg of Garlic, 300 mg Magnesium, 2000 mg vitamin B-12, 1200 mg fish oil, 4000 mg cranberry, 400 mg Green Tea, 30 Zinc Picolinate.  Although I think when the Zinc is out, I'm just going to get an Eye Multivitamin.  I don't usually take Mv's, but I just read about the eye ones, otherwise I don't take them because I like to know what exactly what I'm taking..that's why..lol Thanks for the help!!!!!!!!!
Best Answer
Avatar universal
The question is, why are you taking the vitamins you're taking?  And some aren't vitamins, they're food or minerals.  A multi-vitamin is prophylactic, providing the minimum you need given that our modern day food delivery system guarantees old food grown in bad soil, unless you're growing your own food somehow.  If you eat only organic food, you diminish some of the bad soil problems.  But what you're taking has very specific uses.  Cranberry is used to keep bacteria from lodging in the urinary tract; if that's not a problem, you have no need for regular use of cranberry.  Zinc is mainly supplemented for immune system problems, but too much is toxic, so if you notice, multi-vitamins contain only a small amount of zinc.  Some with prostate problems take more, but even then, usually in pumpkin seed oil so it's digested as a food.  Garlic is antibiotic and antifungal, and some think it helps with cholesterol, though the research on that hasn't been that positive, but don't worry about the garlic, that's a food and can be taken anytime you want, as can the cranberry if you really want to keep taking it.  The aloe is a bit odd -- it's used for stomach problems internally, and if you don't have any, there's no reason to take it.  But again, it's a food and it doesn't matter when you take it.  The magnesium is usually only taken by itself when someone has nerve problems or digestive problems or can't sleep or is anxious.  Some forms are more absorbable than others, but minerals generally should be taken with food.  You only need to take minerals once a day.  But normally magnesium is taken with calcium in a 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium, the way it's balanced electrically in the body.  Extra magnesium would be taken only for a specific reason, otherwise you're leaching out some of your calcium.  Now, most Americans take in way too much calcium and not enough magnesium, so this isn't probably a problem, but these things do need to be researched.  I don't know why you're taking the B12, you don't say why you're taking any of these things, but it's usually taken for energy and for mental health and to control homocysteine, but if you take a lot for no particular reason and don't supplement folate and B6, they are in balance with B12 and you will leach them out.  So I guess in summary, I have no idea what you're trying to accomplish, but my advice is to buy a good book on supplements and learn how to properly use them.  Try asking at a good local health food store for the name of one.  By the way, the green tea is fine, it's a great antioxidant, and is probably best absorbed taken with food.  The fish oil is great, too, and should be best taken with a meal containing fat.
9 Responses
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1486688 tn?1333853707
You know Gillian McKeith from "You are what you eat" ?  Get her book..same title as the show.

I have it..and refer to it often.  Very helpful for all health issues.  You could check it out at the library first to make sure it's for you...I checked it out several! times..then finally my sister just bought it for me:O)  
Helpful - 0
1617164 tn?1308279263
Thanks for all the great information and I'm definately getting in on the barely grass!!  The best part of the answer was finding out the reason behind supplements.  Now I know why people buy organic.  I don't because it's expensive, and I'm a students...but I think it's a good thing becuase it support the community.  But now I have a reason to go out of my way and figure out how to make it happen.   I'm so excited now.

Also finding out that I can be pulling from my body other things that I needwas good.  The complete opposite of my intention.   And I'm always looking for reasons to drink milk(yuk!), so that was great too!

Do you have a good supplement reccomendation for a 15 year old boy? He's pretty active, and I've frying less foods.  I never use salt, but we won't be buying organic and coconut oil all the time.

I take so many vitamins because I want to take care of myself.  I think getting a book on supplements is a great idea, so I can have a reference if I need it. It's also very and very do-able since borders is on it's way out..boo!

Aloe vera-skin, intestines, vitamin boost..lol
b-12-mood(incorrect suppostion from b-complex),
cranberry-intestines, blood, urinary, female(sounds like I don't need it.I'm taking 2 spoonful of probiotics a day.  I won't be overdoing it.)
zinc-eyes,( also,I thought I needed it to digest the magnesium)
garlic-skin
magnesium-mood,female
green tea-skin, metabolism
fish oil-skin,eyes,blood

That's why!! lol.. Thanks for the help!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
While barley grass is a wonderfully nutrient dense food, it doesn't substitute for a multi-vitamin.  For one thing, it's low in minerals.  What it's high in are antioxidants, chlorophyll, and many other wonderful things, but it's just one food.  I agree, it would be better if we got all our nutrients from whole food, but in a global economy like the one we live in, you're either going to have to buy locally grown pesticide laden food during its growing season, which can be very short if you're not in Florida or California, grow your own with the same problem, or buy organic food or supermarket pesticide laden food that has traveled a long way.  Nobody knows until the end of their lives how strong their systems turned out to be, so the prophylactic use of a good multi that isn't using poorly absorbed forms of nutrients and doesn't use mega doses really isn't a bad idea, probably.  But keep up the barley grass.  Great stuff.  I alternate it with spirulina, another nutrient dense food.  As for the difficulty of finding organic, if you live anywhere near an urban area these days, organic is pretty easy to get.  You might not find what you're looking for, but if you're flexible and use what's available, it's grown all over the world and shipped all over the world now,  so it is widely available.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello,  I will speak from personal experience and personal belief.  I believe our bodies are designed to live on good nutrition derived from whole foods.  I agree that with our depleted soil and the many processed foods we consume, it's difficult to get proper nutrition thru food.  Organically grown is better but not always readily available.  In 1987, I began supplementing my diet with an organic, nutrient dense food derived from green barley grass. Since that time I have seldom been sick and when I am, I recover quickly.  Occasionally I will have pain in some part of my body, but it seems to go away without any treatment.  To supplement my diet this way is much simpler and I believe more effective than trying to put it all together piece by piece. At 76 yrs. young, I still feel good and enjoy working.  There is much more I could add, but won't try to do it here.
Helpful - 0
757137 tn?1347196453
Listen to Paxiled. I was going to say more or less the same thing (in a less learned fashion), but he beat me to it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Why are you taking so many vitamins?  I've never even heard of anyone taking that many vitamins.  Your diet and a daily multivitamin ought to be enough to reach the daily recommended requirements.  

Your body can only process so much of anything, including vitamins.  What your body can't use, it excretes as a waste product.  With that being said, the liver and kidneys work extra hard to process all of that.  

I'm no chemist/doctor but it seems to me as if your vitamin intake is simply over the top.  I've never heard of aloe making vitamins stronger.  I can't even find a study that says anything remotely close to that!!!

You need to check with a doctor concerning your vitamin intake.  It just can't be healthy.  I know that more is not better when it comes to vitamins.  It can cause all kinds of toxicity issues.
Helpful - 0
1617164 tn?1308279263
Thanks..sorry..my question was what vitamins can I take at the same time.  i don't want any to can cel each other out, bu i don't want to be taking them all day.  I've been taking the cranberry and the garlic together.  The fish oil , magnesium, and zinc by themselves, and the green tea and the b-12 I take together first thing in the moring. Everything is an hour apart so I start taking vitamins at 8 am and I'm done by 12p.m.  See what I mean?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Basic Cellular Health by Dr. Rath
VITAMINS
Vitamin C 600 - 3,000 mg
Vitamin E (d-alpha-Tocopherol) 130 - 600 IU
Beta-carotene 1,600 - 8,000 IU
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) 5 - 40 mg
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 5 - 40 mg
Vitamin B3 (Nicotinate) 45 - 200 mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenate) 40 - 200 mg
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 10 - 50 mg
Vitamin B12(Cyanocobalamin) 20 - 100 mcg
Vitamin D3 100 - 600 IU
Folic Acid 90 - 400 mcg
Biotin 60 - 300 mcg
MINERALS
Calcium 30 - 150 mg
Magnesium 40 - 200 mg
Potassium 20 - 90 mg
Phosphate 10 - 60 mg
TRACE ELEMENTS
Zinc 5 - 30 mg
Manganese 1 - 6 mg
Copper 300 - 2,000 mcg
Selenium 20 - 100 mcg
Chromium 10 - 50 mcg
Molybdenum 4 - 20 mcg
OTHER IMPORTANT CELLULAR NUTRIENTS
L-Proline 100 - 500 mg
L-Lysine 100 - 500 mg
L-Carnitine 30 - 150 mg
L-Arginine 40 - 150 mg
L-Cysteine 30 - 150 mg
Inositol 30 - 150 mg
Coenzyme Q-10 5 - 30 mg
Pycnogenol 5 - 30 mg
Bioflavonoids 100 - 450 mg
mg = milligrams, mcg = micrograms
Helpful - 0
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