Is my vitamin regimine okay/ too much?

[youngguy800]

Hey I am a 20 year old white male. I take

1) one a day mens multivitamin
2) fatty acid (just one instead of two)
3) grape seed extract (has different herbs and stuff like ginko etc)
4) juice plus vegetables and a fruit
5) lysine
6) drink a gulp of mineral juice
7) occasionally take more vitamin C if i'm getting sick
8) occasionally take co-enzyme q-10
9) fiber tablet
10) drink green tea everyday

-when im hungover i take a n-acetylcysteine (sp)

I dont always take them all everyday sometimes i alternate and sometimes a skip a few etc.. Is this too many vitamins???.. I feel like they have accumulated over time... Any thing else i should be doing/taking?

Thanks!

[giraffe7983]

The multivitamin would probably be enough. You said you're young and if you're eating a healthy diet, the rest of the pills might be money down the drain.

[gymdandee]

                                        Basic Cellular Health
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 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

[Narble]

You didn't give the actual units (in milligrams, IUs, etc.) for your supplements, so it's impossible to say if you're getting too much of any of them.

Further, if you're eating a relatively healthy diet, you're probably getting an adequate supply of micronutrients there, so are either getting a bit extra that your body is simply dumping, or running the risk of long-term toxicity, as Angebelle mentioned.

The only way to be certain about this is to crunch your numbers. Use a nutrition tool (my favorite is NutritionData.com), enter what you eat, add in your supplements, and see what the results are. Many multivitamins are overloaded with their vitamins and minerals. Some include mixtures of micronutrients that actually end up blocking absorption (calcium and zinc/copper, for instance). Even too much green tea can be problematic (though too much here means about ten cups per day).

So crunch your numbers and see what's actually going on, then make adjustments accordingly. And it's generally better to get your nutrients from food if possible.

[Angebelle]

It sounds like your vitamin and mineral intake is well within safe limits.  If you do add anything to the regimen in the future, just be careful not to double-up on the daily values, especially for iron, zinc, and vit. A supplements.  Many times, long term over-consumption of vitamins and minerals can have a negative effect.