SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing? - PaleoHacks.com

SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-04T14:07:17Z

I may be addicted to supplements. Here is what I'm currently taking: FYI (I don't eat enough vegetables)

Daily Multivitamin Triple Strength Fish Oil 1400mg (1000 omegas) 3x Daily Zinc (50 mg, For Pimples) B-Complex plus C Vitamin D (5,000 IU, When I am not getting sunlight) Calcium (I eat no dairy) Probiotic (Capsule, 20 Billion Live Bacteria) Is this necessary? Vitamin E

I also take a caffeinated pre-workout, BCAA powder when training fasted, and drink whey/creatine an hour post-workout.

Answer by MotoXgirL for SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-04T14:39:26Z

I think you need more fish oil. 4,000 - 6,000mg/day.

Answer by matt H. for SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-04T14:48:13Z

That is not ridiculous, really. Just make sure that all of them are of high quality and are of the proper delivery system for absorbtion. But from your post they all semm prophalactic. You could get a hair test or something and see what really is deficient or excess and dial it in more. There is probably an alternative healthcare provider in your area that offers this: maybe $100 at most and surprisingly accurate. Or just go on reading the internet and buying supplements and seeing how you feel. I have done both.

Answer by sarah-ann for SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-04T14:59:15Z

Don't supplement what you can get from food with a reasonable effort.

Zinc - Oysters or calves liver, Calcium - bone broth, Fish oil - fish!

The three above have track records of possibly causing harm in some cases.

Probiotic - fermented foods along with some oligofructose containing food.

Vit C over supplementation is hard to do due to the laxative effect. I supplement this and D myself, but only because I know I don't get enough C unless I eat a lot of fruit and that upsets my stomach. I also tested low for D

Answer by CaveRat for SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-04T15:32:53Z

How strict on the dairy? Kefir is a fantastic probiotic AND Calcium source, and most of the lactose is fermented away, so it's its low-carb and ok for many who are intolerant.

If you make your own from the 'grains' it's more actively alive than any pills you can take, with a much greater variety of bacterial species.

Answer by Namby Pamby for SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-04T15:55:23Z

I would go easy on calcium. Most basic blood tests include serum calcium levels. So if you have a doc, you would have the result. Check that and supplement accordingly. No reason to be "high normal" in calcium.

You're doing almost a full tablespoon of fish oil. I would say that's okay but I would reference some new research if you think you've gotten your inflammation under control.

Answer by Travis Culp for SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-04T16:06:43Z

Taking zinc like that will almost certainly lead to a copper deficiency. Try eating oysters in the morning or at night, away from your sources of copper (meat, organs). The probiotic is probably unnecessary, as is the fish oil if you eat a lot of grass-fed red meat. If you're eating nuts, olive oil or avocado, you probably don't need the vitamin E.

Answer by none for SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-04T23:15:28Z

Addiction? Like you're physically addicted to them? IF so, then you must re-evalute what you are taking for sure.

Maybe it's more like "Supplement Neurosis". I myself suffer from this very condition. It manifests like this: First, I listen to a Robb Wolfe podcast or read a new article on Mark's Daily Apple or something in which they talk about a study (or some such thing) in which it was discovered that modern people are drastically deficient in "such and such" which causes obesity, acne, unattractiveness and general lack of cool factor. Next, I run out and buy a crap load of "such and such" and take it morning noon and night until one day I forget what the heck I was taking it for (hmmmm maybe some Gingko Biloba?). I stop taking it and by that time I am on to something else.

I guess what I am saying is sure, cover your bases with some basics, stay paleo (which should reduce your need for mongo antioxidants anyway), save some of the $$ you are spending on pills and buy some good food.

Some guy I was listening to on a podcast once said (I can't remember who or when - so I am going to get some Gingko for sure now), "Supplements are the most refined food you can get."

PS Most of the ingredients come from China anyway - and we won't even let our kids play with toys made there!!!!

Answer by Namby Pamby for SUPPLEMENT ADDICTION: Is there such a thing as Over-Supplementing?

2011-06-05T07:14:49Z

I would look at your B vitamin levels. Why are you taking both multivitamins and also a special B complex? Do you know your B levels? Any particular reason? Those who start multivatmins are usually in their 40s and 50s, and want to strenghten their immune/nerve functions. Not that you shouldn't take them if have the need. But what are you thinking when you're supp'ing with both a multivitamin and B complex?