Micronutrients? Fad or something to try?

[Shellydon]

Has anyone tried the micronutrient supplements? Thoughts?

[Laurie4b]

If we eat good food, lots of fruits and veges, etc, we will get micro-nutrients. If we don't, imo supplements are unlikely to make up for it (but they do make someone else money.) Not only that, they could cause harm. 

 

Our food from nature apparently comes packaged in the optimal combinations and there have been way too many "fails" where scientists discovered that a nutrient seemed beneficial, then pulled that specific nutrient out, and did controlled studies with it and lo and behold, not only did people not do as well as they did when consuming the nutrient, they did worse than those on placebo. Some examples: beta carotene . Consumption levels of beta-carotene in food were positively correlated with a positive impact on lung cancer in smokers. So they took a group of smokers with lung cancer, gave half of them beta-carotene supplements, and had to stop the experiment because those taking the supplements were dying at significantly higher rates. Other examples: vit e for heart disease, calcium, etc.

 

In addition to the potential harm of being pulled out from whatever combination is beneficial, food supplements aren't regulated by the FDA very stringently if at all, so there is no way to know for sure what is in the supplements anyway. 

 

The only reason to supplement imo is if your body has something wrong and can't get what it needs from food, sun, whatever. This happens as we age with B12, for instance. 

[Guest]

Only if you have a genetic or medical issue...otherwise you are better off eating a variety of whole foods.  Eat nose to tail too..don't just stick to chicken breast and hamburger. Too much is as bad as too little if no issues. 

[gardenmom5]

I have issues with absorption and have tried a micronutrient liquid sup. I did notice a difference. however,I was able to figure out which one I was responding to - and stick to that.

[Carrie12345]

I suppose it depends on which macronutrients you believe you're lacking.

 

My husband is a sucker for extra vitamin C supplements when the kids are sick, regardless of what science actually says.  Because the quantities he futzes with are so harmless, I humor him while trying to explain it all to the kids.

[rose]

Idk, I wonder about nutrients too. I just read a news article about a scientist who showed that rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere are making plants less nutrient dense then they once were. There's also the issue of depleted soil to consider. The standard American diet is pretty sad too. Even when people start eating healthfully I still question how healthy this really is in a larger picture sort of way. Really, when was last time you ate liver or kidneys? Do you eat fermented food daily? How about nuts? Do you eat legumes regularly? Do you avoid food additives?

 

That said, I take a few supplements because I'm pregnant and always become anemic. My dh wonders if woman are made to become anemic so that they don't get an iron overload after birth which can cause strokes. I just can't function without my iron though. I then take a cal/mag because I don't have much dairy in my diet and then an extra magnesium supplement to counter the iron induced constipation and it also seems to help relieve Braxton Hicks contractions and leg cramps.

[ktgrok]

I absolutely have a difference in how I feel if I am taking my vitamins versus not. Absolutely. 

[KungFuPanda]

I think because of large scale farming practices, it's entirely possible that my grandmothers apples were more nutrient rich than mine. So much of our food varieties are chosen for hardiness rather than nutrients or flavor. I can see an argument for trying to close that gap with pills. Granted, I'm too lazy to take a vitamin EVERY day, but I can see and argument for it. ðŸ˜

[Liz CA]

My naturopath mentioned that a carrot 50 years ago had a lot more trace minerals and was more nutrient dense, evidently the same is true for apples.

On and off, this naturopath has rotated some trace minerals into my vitamin rotation. I would say it is not likely to harm you but I would not waste money on run of the mill stuff but research which product is deemed actually effective.