Pills - So what should I be looking at taking regularly?

**honesty** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 8:10am

So what should I be looking at taking regularly?

I currently take a multivitamin/multimineral, what else should I be looking to take and what are their benefits?

**A.D.D** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 8:17am

I never miss an opportunity to mention how great fish oil is.

http://www.bullshido.net/forums/show...highlight=fish

There are lots of other things you can add of course but this should be at the top of your list.

**honesty** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 8:28am

So is it worth getting an omega 3 supplement, a cod liver oil supplement, or an omega 3 6 and 9 supplement?

**A.D.D** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 8:37am

Originally Posted by honesty

So is it worth getting an omega 3 supplement, a cod liver oil supplement, or an omega 3 6 and 9 supplement?

The first one most likely. Though I think that is all covered in the link I gave you.

Try to get a molecularly distilled fish oil either in pill or liquid form, which most should be.

Lool at the total EPA and DHA you get per serving. The more of those two the better.

There are too many health benefits to mention but at the very least your joints will love you for it.

If you want to see the benefits for your joints you are going to have to take more than a pill or two a day.

I think it is all covered in the link I gave you.

**honesty** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 8:48am

Doh, missed that, must have had a brain spaz or something!

So omega 3's it is. I'll be getting some tonight.

So what else, should I be looking at ginkgo, or glucosamine, or others as well?

Ta!

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 8:58am

A multi, fish oil (on top of a good diet), and additional vitamin C (1,000mg/day out of food or additional supplements) is all a sedentary person should need.

If you are doing some sort of sports, then you need to time your vitamin C intake (about 300mg to 500mg 1-2 hours prior to your workouts/training sessions.)

If you are experiencing lack of energy throughout the day, you should consider a B-complex to increment the amounts of vitamin B's already taken from food and your multi.

Additional zinc every other day (30mg-50mg) in addition to your multi (making sure never to get over 100mg a day). Split zinc pills if necessary to make sure you are within those limits.) Zinc is even more important if you have skin conditions such as acne.

If you are having problems recovering from hard, frequent workouts, consider Glutamine (5-10mg a day at least) as well as BCAAs supplements - this should only be necessary if the workouts are strenous and frequent.

Most multis are weak when it comes to supplement Potasium and Magnesium - see if you can supplement them (via foods or potasium/magnesium supplements.)

In summary, you have to pay attention to your food, the quality of it and its nutritional content. Then based on that you take your multis, fish oil, vitamin C, additional vitamin B (b6 and b12 specifically, and folate for women), zinc, potasium and magnesium.

All of this would depend on your current levels of physical activities and fitness/nutritional goals.

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 9:03am

*** I'm linking this thread to the nutrition thread in the sticky, and updating the thread title ***

**honesty** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 9:14am

When you say weak, what are you considering weak? The multi I take has 100mg Magnesium, and 40mg Potassium as well as 15mg Zinc

Also, what about glucosamine?

**Teh El Macho** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 10:25am

Originally Posted by honesty

When you say weak, what are you considering weak? The multi I take has 100mg Magnesium, and 40mg Potassium as well as 15mg Zinc

I'm referring to the recommended daily intake of nutrients. People need to get familiar with those so that they know how many mg to take from each.

100mg of Magnesium is just 26% of the dietary reference intake (DRI)

40mg of Potassium is just about 1% of DRI (may as well not take anything). You need at least 4000mg.

15mg of Zinc is supposed to be 100% in the old RDA standards, but one might need to supplement additional zinc (never over 100mg, ideally around 50mg), specially if your food intake is devoid of animal protein and fats (because of lower absorption of zinc from plant foods). Alcohol also affects absoption of zinc and leads to zinc loss in urine.

Gastrointestinal problems, diarreah and Crohm's disease lead to zinc malabsorption (which is compensated by additional zinc intake.)

Here you have to play with those numbers and make sure never to take over 100mg of zinc from supplements (as this would lead to malalbsorption of other minerals such as copper.) If your diet is constantly and consistently rich in seafood (such as oysters, red meat and fortified cereals and grain-based foods), then 15mg of zinc a day from supplements should be fine.

Please read the above as constantly and consistently rich for what it means, not as I take those foods every once in a while.

Originally Posted by honesty

Also, what about glucosamine?

That depends on the conditions of your joints. If it is within your budget and you have already procured your intake of the esssencial nutrients listed above, then go for it.

What kills me is when people spend $$$ in glucosamine, BCAAs, glutamine, this and that, and yet forget to make sure they eat well and take the minimum of the most important things like the essencial vitamins and minerals.

That's like spending $$$ on the finest, highest quality car oil without ever changing the oil filter or cleaning the oil cranker.

Basic stuff always come first. Get your basis first and then explore other supplements as needed.

**new2bjj** · Posted On: 6/04/2008 10:47am

Eating fish, has a lot of benefits- that is, if you drop the red meat to eat them. I saw my bad cholesterol plunge when I gave up the red meat for a while and eat fish 5 nights a week. MY family couldn't take it, as fish isn't for every one, but there are a lot of benefits. Of course, you could get a nice load of your RDA of mercury, but how many people have o.d.'d on mercury? I also mention this, as I had a crappy diet and took fish oil tablets twice a day for quite some time and so no reduction in Cholesterol and that fat that gets in your blood. Fish diet, blammo! 30% reduction. Also, I dropped all the stuff that had corn syrup (coca cola, 7 ups, cookies) in it.

El Macho is right on this one- you could be spending your money on really good food (organic etc) and lots of vegetables and fruits that will provide your nutrients and a few choice vitamins, or spend a fortune on pills. It think you'd be better off with the good food, but some people are always looking for that magic bullet.

PS I mention the red meat not to be tree-hugger, cause I love me some steak (had it the last two nights), but most cattle are corn fed right now, which makes them fat and much less healthy. Tasty, but not as good for you as grain fed (which is very expensive).