How long do you take supplements?

[joyandfaith]

I was wondering how most of you are taking your vitamins and supplements. Do you decide on a regimen and stick with it indefinitely, or do you do 3 months on and 1 month off (for example).

I'm coming to the end of some of my supplements and I think I may want to take a break from some of them to give my body a rest (don't know if that makes sense erplexed) before continuing on.

TIA

 

[Lovie]

In order for just about vitamin to be the most effective, it must be introduced to your circulatory system long enough to respond positively. Since you flush your nutrients out each day with water, sweat, and other circulatory functions, it is important to feed yourself with vitamins daily for a consistent stretch so your body begins to establish the environment as a standard. Most educational sources will tell you that 90 days is a safe estimate for how long it will take for a vitmin to truly work. Which means that you should give vitamins (esp. hair vitamins) about 3 months to start really kicking in, to include hair/nail/skin/metabolism/energy changes.

I have been taking the same multi, omega 3, and phytophanere vitamin supplements for almost 2 years straight. Some days I miss it, sometimes I may forget for a whole week. But its usually no harm or difference since I am consistent over the long run.

My grandmother looks wonderful, with baby smooth skin. She has taken low dosage vitamins every day, all her life. Somtimes, I believe she will do 6 months on, 2 months off of minerals (which are different from vitamins that our body naturally produces). She also takes many other vitamins that would cancel each other out if she didn't watch what she did carefully.

I would suggest that you understand and listen to your body's physical needs, and discuss it with your doctor or a licensed medical practicionor. Sometimes, if you are taking other medications, it can offset the work of vitamins, so it may not seem like it is working. Depending on what your situation is, it could work for/against you to continually take certain supplements at various dosage levels.

Hope this makes sense. So to summarize - give yourself at least 90 days to make sure its working, and from there, learn about your body and find out what is the healthiest choice to avoid any complications from taking a vitamin that has side effects you may not be aware of. When you stop taking the supplement, your body won't be supplemented anymore with the nutrient you were providing; so the benefits you were seeing before will likely begin to gradually digress back to the original state before you took supplements.

Lovie

 

[Lovie]

PS: I would say at least get the vitamin in your system before you break from it. I think 3 months on and 1 month off might be a waste of money, your body really isn't ever seeing the benefit of the supplement.

 

[joyandfaith]

Thanks for the thorough response. I totally agree with the notion that it needs a good amount of time to get into your blood stream and work. However, sometimes I feel like taking all the stuff I take can't be good for long periods of time. I may just be paranoid though.

 

[joyandfaith]

PS: I would say at least get the vitamin in your system before you break from it. I think 3 months on and 1 month off might be a waste of money, your body really isn't ever seeing the benefit of the supplement.

I would probably continue with my multi-vitamins packet. I was more concerned about the MSM, Biotin, Flaxseed and Silica that I take.

 

[Lovie]

Vitamins become toxic when they are taken in large amounts and not released from your system. With that said, Iron and Calcium are usually the vitamins that can quickly build up. As long as you are flushing the vitamins out of yoru system each day, and stay within the daily intake limit for you, you are OK.

I think if you're concerned medically, you should really discuss it with a licensed doctor/medical practitioner. They will know what your specific daily limit for certain vitamins may be (could be higher or lower than the generic postings) and could provide more background information thatn those of us not licensed in the study of medicine -- such as myself ).

With that said...


I just googled a few articles that were interesting to me when I was taking multiple supplements a few years back -- Not meant to scare you, but rather just provide insights and things to avoid/remain cognizant of as you continue in your journey of good health.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Warm Regards & Signing Off,
Lovie


"As with most substances, it is the amount consumed that is the key. Almost anything is toxic if consumed in excess, including salt, alcohol and even water or oxygen! Provided that supplements are taken in the amounts recommended on the pack by the manufacturer or retailer, and the recommended doses are not exceeded by combining too many different supplements, then it is highly unlikely that supplements will cause toxicity.

Water soluble vitamins - such as the B group vitamins and vitamin C - cannot be stored by the body to any great extent, so if you take in more than your body needs, they are simply excreted. However, the fat soluble vitamins A and D can accumulate in the body, but pose no danger to your health if consumed within the safe upper limits indicated for them. The exception is in pregnancy, when large amounts of vitamin A may pose a risk to the developing infant.

Combining supplements will not normally interfere with the way they work and in some cases may be beneficial. However, certain supplements may interact with each other, for example, there is competition within the gut for the absorption of different minerals and a large dose of one might decrease the absorption of another or cause excessive absorption of another. Generally speaking though, this is not a problem. Take vitamin D and calcium for instance. No matter how much calcium you take, it will not be anywhere as beneficial as if you took a moderate amount of both vitamin D and calcium together.

Therefore a high quality liquid multivitamin and/or mineral product is best for all-round supplementation because it delivers nutrients in the right balance. Before combining supplements, people should consult their doctor, pharmacist or the company manufacturing the supplements for advice, or simply stick to a high quality multi that has most of what you need and simply add the additional nutrients you seek for your own specific needs.

As our bodies age, they become less efficient at absorbing some of the nutrients from our diet making it important to ensure that the right quantities of relevant vitamins and minerals are consumed. For example, as we get older our bodies are less able to absorb iron but Vitamin C can help increase absorption, as can multivitamins in liquid form. On the other hand, we are also more prone to toxicity as even water-soluble vitamins are not excreted as much because of our less efficient kidneys. Individual sensitivities and variations in response can occur, so if any unexpected symptoms appear whilst taking a particular supplement, medical advice should be sought."

Source: http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/vitamin-overdose.html


Additional Reading:

[Edit: Added 1 More Link]
Vitamin Toxicity
http://www.healthatoz.com/healthato...RI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/vitamin_toxicity.jsp


Multiple Vitamin Overdose
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/ency/article/002596.htm#Poisonous Ingredient


Time Article: Vitamin Overdose
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,996706,00.html

Dietary Reference Intake - Our Daily Dosage Limit for Vitamins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Reference_Intake#Vitamins_and_minerals

Vitamin Poisoning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_poisoning

 

[joyandfaith]

This is great information. Thanks!

 

[RENIBELL]

Vitamins become toxic when they are taken in large amounts and not released from your system. With that said, Iron and Calcium are usually the vitamins that can quickly build up. As long as you are flushing the vitamins out of yoru system each day, and stay within the daily intake limit for you, you are OK.

I think if you're concerned medically, you should really discuss it with a licensed doctor/medical practitioner. They will know what your specific daily limit for certain vitamins may be (could be higher or lower than the generic postings) and could provide more background information thatn those of us not licensed in the study of medicine -- such as myself ).

With that said...


I just googled a few articles that were interesting to me when I was taking multiple supplements a few years back -- Not meant to scare you, but rather just provide insights and things to avoid/remain cognizant of as you continue in your journey of good health.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Warm Regards & Signing Off,
Lovie


"As with most substances, it is the amount consumed that is the key. Almost anything is toxic if consumed in excess, including salt, alcohol and even water or oxygen! Provided that supplements are taken in the amounts recommended on the pack by the manufacturer or retailer, and the recommended doses are not exceeded by combining too many different supplements, then it is highly unlikely that supplements will cause toxicity.

Water soluble vitamins - such as the B group vitamins and vitamin C - cannot be stored by the body to any great extent, so if you take in more than your body needs, they are simply excreted. However, the fat soluble vitamins A and D can accumulate in the body, but pose no danger to your health if consumed within the safe upper limits indicated for them. The exception is in pregnancy, when large amounts of vitamin A may pose a risk to the developing infant.

Combining supplements will not normally interfere with the way they work and in some cases may be beneficial. However, certain supplements may interact with each other, for example, there is competition within the gut for the absorption of different minerals and a large dose of one might decrease the absorption of another or cause excessive absorption of another. Generally speaking though, this is not a problem. Take vitamin D and calcium for instance. No matter how much calcium you take, it will not be anywhere as beneficial as if you took a moderate amount of both vitamin D and calcium together.

Therefore a high quality liquid multivitamin and/or mineral product is best for all-round supplementation because it delivers nutrients in the right balance. Before combining supplements, people should consult their doctor, pharmacist or the company manufacturing the supplements for advice, or simply stick to a high quality multi that has most of what you need and simply add the additional nutrients you seek for your own specific needs.

As our bodies age, they become less efficient at absorbing some of the nutrients from our diet making it important to ensure that the right quantities of relevant vitamins and minerals are consumed. For example, as we get older our bodies are less able to absorb iron but Vitamin C can help increase absorption, as can multivitamins in liquid form. On the other hand, we are also more prone to toxicity as even water-soluble vitamins are not excreted as much because of our less efficient kidneys. Individual sensitivities and variations in response can occur, so if any unexpected symptoms appear whilst taking a particular supplement, medical advice should be sought."

Source: http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/vitamin-overdose.html


Additional Reading:

[Edit: Added 1 More Link]
Vitamin Toxicity
http://www.healthatoz.com/healthato...RI=/healthatoz/Atoz/ency/vitamin_toxicity.jsp


Multiple Vitamin Overdose
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/MEDLINEPLUS/ency/article/002596.htm#Poisonous Ingredient


Time Article: Vitamin Overdose
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,996706,00.html

Dietary Reference Intake - Our Daily Dosage Limit for Vitamins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Reference_Intake#Vitamins_and_minerals

Vitamin Poisoning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_poisoning

wow really good info, do you know what time od the ay is best to take vitamins?

 

[RENIBELL]

i meant to say what time of the day

 

[Irresistible]

I'm sticking to my regimen for life, nothing in my regimen right now or in the past involves a 'high intake' just for hair growth, everything is comprehensive for health