vitamins and supplements do you partake and do they make a difference?

Intersting, thanks Jalima.

I used to eat quite a few eggs, but after I got pregnant, I could never look at eggs in quite the same again.

I need to make a new years resolution[bit late I know] to eat more eggs.

No end to your talents Anya

The Telegraph article wouldn't let me read it unless I turned off my ad-blocker (no way!), but I'm pretty sure it didn't advocate eating only two raw eggs a day!

You would definitely get constipated and develop scurvy on an egg only diet! You might also griw feathers and start clucking,

Ego sum ingenio (or should it be ingenia) ?

Quidem.

Not sure about the feathers, although you certainly might start clucking...

I was concerned a few months ago that my hair seemed to be getting thinner.
I started taking a hair nails & skin supplement (with some scepticism) but 3 months later I have new hair on the top of my head.
As far as glucosamine/chondroitin is concerned, according to the arthritis.org website, there is evidence of some benefit for some people. Those most likely to benefit were those with moderate to severe pain in the knees IIRC.

I take the Hair, Sin and Nails tablets from Holland and Barret. If I don't take them I can see the effect on my nails within a very short time. I stopped dying my hair too so can't say if it's the pills or an absence of dair dye making my hair thicker . I have always had good skin but I do think it is in better shape now. I have looked at the label of contents of these pills but they just seem to be multivitamins so will continue with them.

Sorry ! Hair, Skin and Nails! If only we could buy those others, might make life more fun!

I take flaxseed oil capsules for joints and heart and co enzyme q10 for energy levels and cholesterol control ,my Gp tested my thyroid and said it was borderline underactive so I was taking kkelp for a wee while and it seemed to help but a friend told me it can harm your liver so I stopped,might get tested again and see if it made a difference to the thyroid level

Oh dear Niobe I was looking forward to a daily dose of 'sin' pills

I bought some powdered collagen capsules because I read they were as good as glucosamine for arthritic knees.

My knees are just the same but my frown lines have disappeared.

A healthy well balanced diet should provide all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals required to sustain a healthy body. A simple blood test can determine whether you are deficient in any area that requires attention. It is worth remembering that too much of any one thing can be just as harmful as not enough and many over the counter vitamins, health remedies can interact with prescription medication.

Yes, a simple blood test. Just like that...

But can you move your forehead merlotgran?

I wonder what the GPs would say if we all rushed off to ask for blood tests to check all our nutrient levels?
'The worried well'

I take Vit C, Cod liver oil capsules and iron tablet each day.
I am bewildered by the choice of supplements in Holland and Barratt, and have no idea what else I could possibly need. I eat a healthy varied diet and feel ok for my age.
Have stayed free from coughs and cold so far this winter.

Not actually true Gmamilly that a well balanced diet always does the job.

As we age, our ability to absorb everything we need from our food declines. Also we don't get enough Vit D from our diet but rely on sunshine to top it up. It is well documented and researched that Brits ought to take a Vit D supplement in the dark, winter months.

Also, as many of our animals are not grass-fed any more, and many of our grasslands are over farmed and mineral depleted, we cannot assume that our diet does contain everything we need these days.

I wouldn't recommend taking an iron supplement though, not without consulting your GP first.

A nurse once told me that the blood test for Vit D deficiency is expensive and so is not randomly given.Also I wonder why more women have this deficiency than men?

Are women more careful about using sunscreen?

I have to nag DH who hates using it.

I was told at the bone clinic that regarding Vit D, you get enough of it by exposing your face and hands to the sun for 20 minutes a day, five times a week, between May & September. Your body stores it well so it isn't necessary to take supplements in winter.

However, geography makes a difference! I live in the northern reaches of Scotland and people here have more need to supplements than those who live in sunnier climes.

NOT what I was told by the consultant just this year Sue

Here is the latest advice from NHS website

"The new advice from PHE is that adults and children over the age of one should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10mcg of vitamin D, particularly during autumn and winter.
People who have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency are being advised to take a supplement all year round.
SACN's review concluded that these at-risk groups include people whose skin has little or no exposure to the sun, like those in care homes, or people who cover their skin when they are outside.
People with dark skin, from African, African-Caribbean and South Asian backgrounds, may also not get enough vitamin D from sunlight in the summer. They should consider taking a supplement all year round as well."

I asked my GP about taking Vitamin D, because I'd read the same advice. Her advice was that as I eat copious amounts of oily fish, liver and eggs, that I probably didn't need to take a supplement. I also spend quite a bit of time outdoors, even in Winter. Apparently, too much Vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis (ironically), heart and kidney problems. I'm not really in danger of a calcium shortage either. I asked about being tested, but the GP looked a bit horrified and said I really didn't need it. I'm wondering now if she was worried about her budget.

My feelings DD is that GPs are not specialists when it comes to diet especially. They receive very little training on this. I take the advice of the experts I saw this summer.

I eat plenty of oily fish and eggs, and some liver. I certainly wouldn't recommend 'copious' amounts, that's plain silly, when good supplements are available. I don't ingest 'too much' as I'm careful about my supplementation, as this thread shows. If I took the recommended dose of Ca tablets my D3 intake would be 200% of RDA, which is why I only take half that and prefer my Ca to be upped through diet.

Though I do take your point that some people could easily overdo supplements if they weren't very careful.

Interesting, Anya! The advice I was given was three years ago so yours is obviously more up to date. I suppose people spend much less time out of doors nowadays, as we dont travel on foot as we used to, and many people don't have gardens either.