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Health

Do we need supplements

(106 Posts)
RIJ146 Sun 05-Feb-23 19:13:22

I am an active 75 year old, as in taking the dog short walks everyday and longer ones on a Sunday with hubby. Go to zumba class once a week. Eat a balanced diet, well I try to anyway. Have odd aches and pains but nothing major. We have both been taking supplements for years, as in vitamin D, turmeric, and joint care supplements, amongst others. Am I wasting my time and money

Shinamae Wed 12-Mar-25 17:30:10

Took myself off amitriptyline and a statin a few months ago (with my doctors blessing)
I’ve been taking these supplements for years because my diet is not what it should be 😬
I also either take Actimel shots or Kiefer every day

katie9832 Wed 12-Mar-25 17:19:30

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katie9832 Wed 12-Mar-25 16:54:45

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Stillness Wed 01-Jan-25 06:29:08

I take a multivitamin and extra vit c if unwell. My husband takes nothing. We are both in our 70s and both well. It’s impossible to know whether we need supplements sometimes isn’t it and I’ve heard the theory that’s it’s more about whether our body can absorb them anyway. I’m not sure that all medical practitioners are qualified at all, to give advice and I think advice is definitely needed if separate supplements are taken together as there may be some interaction between them.

paddyann54 Tue 31-Dec-24 23:19:13

On the advice of my gynaecologist I take Vit D with K2 and a b complex .I,m a near vegetarian who ate a lot of carbs.After a type 2 diabetes diagnosis my fruit intake has been slashed so I,ve added vitamin c to the mix and virtually no carbs.
I,ve got the diabetes under contro in 6 months of diet restriction and exercise .
It’s a lifestyle change though not a quick fix I ,m happy to say the new meal planning isn,t as hard to live with as I feared

tateeea Tue 31-Dec-24 18:17:25

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crazyH Mon 30-Dec-24 10:42:10

My mother lived till 93, with no supplements and no balanced diet, no five-a-day. Had low BP . Genetics plays a big part. And what someone up there has planned for you .

tateeea Mon 30-Dec-24 10:27:15

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Skydancer Tue 08-Oct-24 21:36:42

I only ever buy organic veg and meat. Some may say it’s expensive which it is but I prefer to cut back on other things than compromise on this. A non-organic farmer I know has annual blood tests to test for chemicals in his blood. That says it all.

halfpint1 Tue 08-Oct-24 20:05:33

Vitamin D is needed by most people as they age. The skin
becomes much drier and does not absorb as well from the
sun plus I find now the hot days are too hot for me and I
cover up or seek the shade.
Alot of veggies are now grown in much depleted soil with
little mineral take up and sprayed excessively, if you cook
them you loose even more , if you eat them raw you risk
chemicals, we can't win.

khonni Tue 08-Oct-24 19:37:42

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AreWeThereYet Wed 18-Sept-24 18:28:06

Agree about the food grown in depleted soil.

Also many people don't realise that a number of drugs also deplete the body of vitamins and minerals.

beautybumble Wed 18-Sept-24 18:23:25

K2, B12 and Magnesium are very important as well I think.

Llamas99 Tue 17-Sept-24 08:57:36

This thread has reminded me of years ago when my two younger brothers had a very bad year of colds, sore throats etc in grammar school. Pediatrician had my mum give them cod liver oil and it truly kept them well all school term for years.

Llamas99 Tue 17-Sept-24 08:51:01

I have had sciatica for years. Had to yelp when I sat down, sometimes a sensation of fire going down the outside of my thigh. I take COQ10 and since the first day of this, sciatica pain is gone. 300mg is what I take daily. It doesn't work for everyone, I'm sure. but does for me. 2 years on now and cannot tell you the relief I have felt!

Alexpro Tue 17-Sept-24 07:05:43

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SOCIALXAT Mon 16-Sept-24 16:46:36

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Allex50 Wed 27-Mar-24 12:29:26

There's no such thing as a superfood. Blueberries it was a while ago. All foods have a share of nutrients but never all of them. The last fruit which had them all and more was the tree of life in the garden of Eden (that pair messed it up for us!). It's difficult finding a supp which is genuine (can we even trust Zoe and the other respected ones?). I take vit D and pop in a magnesum, Zinc, B complex every few days (on the basis ones normal diet is sparodic in taking in nutrients so may as well treat supps the same and no risk of overdosing on them. Cost as well of course. Grow my own veg for most of the year and make own bread form organic flour. Only consume organic oild esp Rapeseed and Olive. Trouble is I LIKE cakes!

M0nica Fri 10-Feb-23 19:45:36

effalump I agree with you. This is why I try to grow as much of my own fruit and veg as I can or buy organic.

rubysong Fri 10-Feb-23 07:56:11

Doctor has just put me on iron tablets as a blood test showed I am anaemic, with no apparent reason. During the conversation about diet etc. she asked if I drank tea soon after meals. I didn't know that the tea prevents the absorption of iron so now I wait an hour before having a cuppa.

MayBee70 Thu 09-Feb-23 19:09:43

Brigidsdaughter

I used take a lot. Currently I take Vitamin D as I was very deficient a few years back. Plus I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis where low Vit D is a symptom. I also take vitamins for my eyes as Mam had Macular Degeneration and her sister Glaucoma.
In a couple of months I'll be on a food programme by Zoe, linked to Tim Spector and Joinzoe. Their podcasts are fascinating. Definitely worth listening too.
I've been making Kefir and Kombucha for a month or two also

ZOE really is the way forward for health isn’t it. I did complain that their diet recommendations were far too expensive for most people but a recent one was about healthy eating on a budget. I don’t know whether to buy Tim’s book or if it will just end up on the shelf with my other unread books. I just seem to be a podcast person these days.

Brigidsdaughter Thu 09-Feb-23 18:05:37

I used take a lot. Currently I take Vitamin D as I was very deficient a few years back. Plus I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis where low Vit D is a symptom. I also take vitamins for my eyes as Mam had Macular Degeneration and her sister Glaucoma.
In a couple of months I'll be on a food programme by Zoe, linked to Tim Spector and Joinzoe. Their podcasts are fascinating. Definitely worth listening too.
I've been making Kefir and Kombucha for a month or two also

growstuff Thu 09-Feb-23 17:40:21

This scientific article claims that blueberries can even be beneficial with osteoarthritis:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6413191/#:~:text=Blueberries%20Improve%20Pain%2C%20Gait%20Performance,with%20Symptomatic%20Knee%20Osteoarthritis%20%2D%20PMC&text=The%20.,gov%20means%20it's%20official.

growstuff Thu 09-Feb-23 17:37:57

It appears that even tomatoes aren't really "bad guys":

www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/ss/slideshow-rheumatoid-arthritis-food-myths-and-facts

There are loads of other links about this.

halfpint1 Thu 09-Feb-23 17:04:55

Bijou

I take Vitamin D, turmeric/black pepper, cod liver oil, iron.
Have a Guiness a day. Avoid oranges, blueberries and tomatoes which are bad for arthritis. Found glucosamine useless. Have a lot of salads and an apple a day.

I was suprised to read that. Oranges and blueberries are
good for Arthritis as they contain Vitamin C
Tomatoes are the only bad guys. Please check it out Bijou.