Do you believe vitamins work

I don't see why your diet should be short of the necessary vitamins if it is as you describe, flickety. Sweet stuff doesn't contain much in the way of essential nutrients. Fats do, of course. Maybe you're losing out on the fat-soluble vitamins if your diet is very low fat. I only eat small quantities too. That doesn't mean I need supplements. It's the proportions that count. If your diet is healthy and the right amount for you, then it's healthy. If you can't get all the nutrients you need from your diet in this country, with all the massive choice we have, then it's not a healthy diet. I am, of course, as before, excluding medical conditions that prevent absorption of any particular, or several, nutrients.

Yes, nelliem, you will lose out on the animal fat vitamins (such as D and A) if you are a veggie.

Beta carotene from vegetables such as carrots, is not vitamin A, though it can be made into vitamin A with the right fat enzymes and bile salts. This looks like a good description.

I'd be interested to know what people who know more about such things think of that page.

I wouldn't presume to say I know more about this than you Bags but it seems sensible advice to me .
Another myth that is prevalent is that eating porridge will kower your cholesterol - it will, but only if you eat several bowls of it every day.
I heard a doctor on the radio yesterday saying that the pattern of disease had changed radically over the last century - that we no longer need fear micro-organisms so much as all the conditions that are caused by lack of control over our lives - failure to control our alcohol intake, diet, stress and so on.
I'm paraphrasing what he said before anyone jumps down my throat!

To get all the micro nutrients you need, you need to eat enough of all the foodstuffs necessary for a balanced diet. If you eating only half the amount you ate in the past and have equally halved the portion size of everything you eat it is quite possible that you are not eating enough, even of the most nutritious foods to consume the recommended minimum requirements for vitamins and minerals.

The question is, are you eating enough? Just because you may not eat as much as you used to, or as much as other people, doesn't mean you aren't eating enough. If you can't get the nutrients you need from eating the right amount of food, but you are maintaining a reasonable body weight, then what you are eating is the wrong stuff, not the wrong amount. The only reasons for needing vitamin supplements are illness (poor absorption caused by some medical ailment or aberration) or not eating the right stuff.

I still contend that the amount is irrelevant if it is correct for you. It's the content that counts, not just calories. If, for instance, you felt you weren't getting enough vitamins, you could stop eating pasta and rice and bread, which are not vitamin-high foods, and fill that space with vegetables or fruit or nutrient-rich foods like meat and fish. The calorific 'quantity' you eat would not change.

Besides which, you don't need a 'lot' of micro-nutrients. The recommended daily intakes for adults are averages. This means most people won't eat (nor do they need) exactly those amounts.

And besides again, you don't have to take in every kind of nutrient every day, or even every week. A sensible, varied diet is adequate. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be here. Vitamin pills did not feature in our biological evolution.

I agree bags - well put.
Even if you were eating just doughnuts and chips, vitamin tablets are not necessarily a good idea. The Guardian article is very good.
The only exception might be vitamin D due to where we live on the planet, its climate and our habit of wearing clothes. Also older skin makes vitamin D (should it ever see the sun) more slowly than younger skin (and darker skin slower than lighter). It is very hard to eat enough oily fish, butter etc to get a good supply of Vitamin D via diet. There are a couple of threads on Vitamin D I think, in the health section. There is a lot of interesting research going on into it at the moment. I take cod liver oil capsules unless the weather is glorious...

That all sounds sensible, Bags and Jess. I take cod liver oil capsules in winter too. We do have oily fish, but too much sets off gout in OH. My cholesterol was up a bit recently and since I love milk and use butter (not a lot) rather than any kind of substitute, the doctor suggested I gave up cheese and that has brought it down again. We have masses of different fruit and vegetables because we grow a huge amount and I do find that at certain times of the year I crave certain things like dark green leaves (usually spinach or cavolo nero), or citrus fruits or red fruits. I presume this is my body telling me what it needs to maintain a balance.

Lack of vitamin B12 can have serious effects. While you may get more than enough in your diet, malabsorption for a variety of reasons ( decreasing stomach acid, medication, gut bacteria, antibiotics, infection, etc) is quite common in the 'elderly'. The effects of low levels of B12 are not always obvious but over time can be serios and may become irreversible. B12 deficiency has been estimated to affect about 40% of people over 60 years of age. It’s entirely possible that at least some of the symptoms we attribute to “normal” aging – such as memory loss, cognitive decline, confusion, decreased mobility, etc. – are at least in part caused by B12 deficiency.
So while I generally agree that you can and should get all the vitamins and minerals you need from your diet, there are times when supplements are indicated, especially as you age. Whether you should self-prescribe is another question, but I can understand how some prefer to pop a pill rather than go through the rigmarole of the GP system.

Does anyone have any thoughts on glucosamine? I was advised my a chiropractor to take it every day, but perhaps that's unnecessary too

I googled 'Does glucosamine help' and found that there are no reliable studies to prove that it does - most of the positive studies were funded by the manufacturers.

blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewmcfbrown/100053833/glucosamine-supplements-for-arthritis-do-not-work-new-study-shows/

Whereas this study conducted by reputable universities found a statistically significant correlation when glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate were taken together for moderate to severe knee pain.
study

The best kind of overview is a systematic review, as single studies are not a reliable guide. There might be another study that contradicts the findings. A systematic review looks at all the good quality evidence and is independent. Cochrane website is the place to go for these.
Here is a review of glucosamine for osteoarthritis. Conclusion is that it may have an effect - but it is not a big one, handful of points on a scale of 1-100 is not very impressive.
http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD002946/glucosamine-for-osteoarthritis

Sorry
summaries.cochrane.org/CD002946/glucosamine-for-osteoarthritis

I took glucosamine with chondroitin for years saw sense eventually and stopped. It did nothing.

Same with me, jingle. Also nine years of Diclofenac, before I discovered the risks which I decided outweighed the benefits, a year on Naproxen which is not quite as dangerous, then I started walking and it appears to have done the trick.

Probably placebo effect! I've seen better results with WD40 spray in patients!

Jess I shall stop wearing clothes forthwith. It might improve my poor vitamin D status which my GP seems to think might be the cause of my current aches and pains.

My choice is a lack of Vitamin D or Hypothermia.

Seriously! Do get your cod liver oil and sunshine. I was very Vit D deficient last year and I am waiting to find out if I am again.

It doesn't help that I am a vegetarian.

Yet there was a flurry of excitement on the UV front last week in N Wales. In fact I found myself on a deserted beach in the sunshine and for the first time in many years sunbathed topless. We were there for about an hour and a half and nobody walked past. A raven lurked a few 100 metres away on the sand for no apparent reason for the whole time. All became clear when we got dressed and started walking. Raven swoops in and lands on "our" bit of sand to check for any discarded food. Patient bird but unlucky on that occasion.

Where did our resident doctor jeni go?

Galen's Gone to Iceland! Or will have very shortly.

Ok! There are conditions that give rise to vitamin deficiencies!
Example pernicious anaemia.
Such conditions do need supplements.
The majority of people in this country who do not cover up for cultural reasons should not need supplements. However there are a few who do not seem to get enough and need supplements.
Basically, unless there is a medically proven deficiency, you're wasting your money!

Can I now go on holiday?
Pretty please?
With marshmallows?

It's Iceland the country. Not the store!

Hey! If I'm a resident doctor, why aren't I paid?
I'm also writing blogs for diver travel adviser (unpaid).
After their question time on here they asked me to do a short thing for them on solo travelling with a mobility scooter and they've published it.
They now want me to do one on my Iceland trip.