General Supplements Guide - A thread for discussion on various supplements in order to improve your health and well-being.

[Total Annihilation]

I figured I'd start out this thread talking about vitamin D.
For starters, I will link to this excellent video by Dr. John Campbell (a former nursing educator in England) in regards to the benefits of vitamin D (in this video, it's mainly in regard to it helping with COVID).

Vitamin D is a fantastic supplement that, unfortunately, quite a few people do not get enough of. It's something that’s not only important for your bones, but it's also important for your mind. It is something that’s not only important for your bones, but it is also important for your brain health, mental health, energy, etc.
For most of history, people got their doses from being out in the sun and some foods. However, due to today's world, a lot of people don't get enough (due to not being outside as much and living in colder climates away from the equator—the best location for sunlight to vitamin D ratio).
Generally, it is recommended to take about 5000 units (dosing measurement) 2 to 3 times a week in order to maintain good vitamin D levels. However, if you're not taking it on a regular basis, it's a good idea to get your vitamin D levels checked (usually with a blood test).
If your levels aren't sufficient, then you should take 5000 units once a day for about a month, then move towards 2-3 times a week, unless your doctor recommends another dosage pattern.
Lastly, one thing to note is that people with darker melanated skin need to probably take a higher dose, or even a higher dosage if starting to take it, due to their skin not absorbing as much vitamin D from sunlight.
If any of you have any questions about this or want to contribute other supplement recommendations, please feel free to reply to this thread!

 

[Dr. Ricearoni]

Supplements are cool and all especially if you're unable to get vitamins otherwise but don't forget that there's natural ways to get the micronutrients you need. Get outside, enjoy the sun a few hours a day and you'll solve more problems than a vitamin d deficiency.

 

[Total Annihilation]

Supplements are cool and all especially if you're unable to get vitamins otherwise but don't forget that there's natural ways to get the micronutrients you need. Get outside, enjoy the sun a few hours a day and you'll solve more problems than a vitamin d deficiency.

This is true, but if you're far north (northern US and further north); in the winter the sun won't provide enough vitamin D.

 

[User names must be unique]

I recommend a vitamin B complex to everyone but especially if you have lower energy levels and are fatigued or in pain the morning after physical exertion.

 

[Nick Obre]

Does anyone have experience with mushroom-based supplements, like Lion's Mane and things like that?
I've heard good things, but I'm always wary of supplements in general outside of very proven things.
I've also heard bad things but they sound like hypochondriacs or people who have some other problem and blame it on having used Lion's Mane, even if only like once.

 

[Pendulous Dong]

My daily stack is 600mg of ashwagandha, 30mg of zinc, and 420mg of caffeine (in the form of three cans of monster zero ultra).

 

[Quindoll]

Not sure if you make a good case for vitamin D and brain health if you drop something like this:

t's something that’s not only important for your bones, but it's also important for your mind. It is something that’s not only important for your bones, but it is also important for your brain health, mental health, energy, etc.

But jokes aside. It is one of the more useful supplements. I take one in winter, or when I just don't get out much. Though I recommend to have a blood test done to see where your actual levels are and to speak with a Doc to get an appropriate treatment.

 

[Total Annihilation]

Not sure if you make a good case for vitamin D and brain health if you drop something like this:


But jokes aside. It is one of the more useful supplements. I take one in winter, or when I just don't get out much. Though I recommend to have a blood test done to see where your actual levels are and to speak with a Doc to get an appropriate treatment.

Haha, good find. I ran it through a spell checker AI thing I found earlier to double check my writing, guess it fucked up my input
XD

 

[R.U.N.]

What are Kiwi’s thoughts on Fish Oil Supplements? Is it worth taking it despite its risks?
I been hearing all sorts of things about them and taking multivitamins regularly.

 

[Total Annihilation]

What are Kiwi’s thoughts on Fish Oil Supplements? Is it worth taking it despite its risks?
I been hearing all sorts of things about them and taking multivitamins regularly.

I'd say they are, tho you're better off with taking the wild fish oil stuff or lab grown algae based ones. These will have less, (no in the case of lab grown algae ones) mercury contamination.
You generally want DHA (primary Omega-3 compound), which is what is best absorbed by your body, probably 300mg or so at least. DHA Omega-3 can end up lowering high LDL cholesterol.
My dad put ground flax seed (another source of DHA Omega-3) in his plain oatmeal for about a year or so and went from bad LDL levels to normal LDL levels of cholesterol. Do note he still does this in his daily breakfast regiment.

 

[Polarity]

The supplements with the most medical trial evidence for actually doing something are: fish oil (2-4g EPA/DHA a day), vitamin D, and creatine if you're muscle building.

Multivitamins have very little consistent evidence, but there was a study recently where a multivitamin might reduce the risk of dementia. If your diet is garbage you might as well pop a decent one and turn your pee yellow.

For fish oil you want something highly purified and tested with high EPA content. I don't want to shill brands too hard, but stay away from no-name brands and research stuff that has been tested by consumerlab so you don't ingest lead from China. The Costco brand is usually cheap and decent, NOW, Thorne (recently bought out by private equity, watch out), Jarrow, Sports Research, and Life Extension are usually safe bets.

Vitamin D has some bro-science supporting taking it with Vitamin K. It's pretty cheap, so find one mixed with K for the hell of it.

Stuff that has less evidence:

Mushrooms/Probiotics: No consistent research or evidence supporting their use aside from Saccharomyces Boulardii which helps against C. Diff. Take that if you have a course of antibiotics.

Magnesium Taurate: Great for sleep and helps a bit with stress if you're low. Taurine allegedly helps with metabolic syndrome but that's just more bro-science that's currently poorly supported.

Curcumin/Turmeric: Ten billion studies and they still aren't sure if it does anything.

Unfortunately, if you want real health results, start doing some sort of aerobic and anaerobic activity and add fresh fruits and veggies into your diet. A lot harder than popping a pill but you'll get enormous results.

Brad Stanfield had a good YouTube channel going over supplements that have some scientific backing then decided to sellout and make a shitton of money making his own vitamin. Stay away from that shit, but his videos of top supplements are pretty good.

 

[The Mass Shooter Ron Soye]

I saw this and started taking taurine powder. I don't feel any benefits, I just do it.

Other than that, I take a generic multivitamin. Those contain a small amount of vitamin C compared to the megadose pills, but more than enough to prevent scurvy if SHTF and you are eating only oatmeal every day.

 

[Claude Sigma]

there's natural ways to get the micronutrients you need

Haven't found a way to naturally get the 5mg of daily methamphetamine I need to function optimally yet.

More seriously have been deep into the supplement rabbithole and came back (a lot poorer) with the conclusion that except if you are in abnormal circumstances that prevent you from getting stuff naturally, you should aim at getting everything naturally, because it will do more than allow you to get that mineral or vitamin you want.
Eat a bit more beef daily, eat a few more eggs daily, get some liver once in a while.

That being said, except if you're a nudist and work outside all day, you pretty much need vitamin D at least in the winder. 5,000 IU daily is good. More than enough for your needs even if you have bad absorption, and absolutely not enough to be toxic to the body.
A secondary supplement I might recommend is creatine. You can get enough creatine naturally but you have to eat a looot of beef for that, most people don't. Creatine is cheap and necessary for muscle and brain. It's the only thing I put into my workout bottle (alongside with salt) nowadays. And no this is not just a "lifting" supplement.

Finally, get a blood test. It's cheap if you do it at a clinic where you can choose things one by one, and you can see if your levels for vitamins, minerals, etc, are good or not. It's cheaper to get your blood tested than to buy 10 bottles of supps on iherb.


Remember, a pill of Pervitin a day keeps the commies at bay!

 

[Invective Mass]

What are Kiwi’s thoughts on Fish Oil Supplements? Is it worth taking it despite its risks?
I been hearing all sorts of things about them and taking multivitamins regularly.

I should read the thread first, but I have to say this if it hasn't been mentioned already. Fish oil made up for a deficiency I had that I wasnt aware of. I can't recall which B vitamin it was, but its only found in fatty fish (mackeral and the like) and in nuts ands seeds. And, thanks to having mad food allergies as a kid, I couldn't eat any sort of nut, and when the fuck is a landlocked 'Merican going to have Mackeral on the plate.

 

[Manimal House]

I can't remember when it was but Null mentioned on stream that vitamins are worth the extra cost when they're ordered from Europe. According to him, the US has very relaxed regulations with vitamins because so many people in that business have lobbied against that happening so there's this immense selection of vitamins at stores....but most of it sucks. He mentioned that a lot of the fish oil is straight up rancid. Any truth to that?

I use B6, B12, D3 and I'll take a multivitamin if I'm planning on eating junk. Also been trying to lay off coffee and drink more cleaner caffinated stuff like tea, yerba mate and 'cleaner' caffiene drinks.

 

[Topsoil]

Those emergen-c preventative powders work wonders for me. Vitamin c, zinc, and vitamin D. Though, as others have said, a pill won't fix a poor lifestyle.

 

[polar bear]

Other than what's mentioned above, I regularly take/keep the following:
- NAC - n-acetyl-cysteine - it helps get rid of mucus in your lungs, I take it for bronchitis/cold/flu, but it's worth considering also for other long term issues, like asthma and COPD.

- Quercetine - it's worth keeping for its antihistamine effect, for me personally it works for hay fever just as well as normal antihistamine tablets, but without making me feel sleepy or weird.

- Magnesium - mentioned before, but it's really super important to get enough, not just because of how it affects brain, but also heart.

- Collagen powder and soluble fiber - I am definitely keeping it in an expanded emergency stash, for if available food will be limited to only plants or only meats for whatever reason. They both keep for a long time (if you store it correctly ofc) so it's worth it just to keep the old body running more smoothly.

- lastly, maybe not so much of a supplement but it kinda fits here - ground ginger - it's the only thing that helps me with nausea. Put a tablespoon of it in a glass of water, and maybe add a little sugar to taste, mix - and bam, anti-puke drink ready.

 

[Male Idiot]

Vitamin D and Zink. Vitamin C is good, but its effects also work on cancer cells so not when you do chemo.

 

[Lake Cresva Diver]

if you take zinc you need to take copper. zinc and copper are antagonistic, competing with each other for absorption. if you take zinc but not copper you might become deficient in copper.

if you take vitamin d3 you should take one with k2 in it. d3 increases calcium absorption. k2 is a traffic cop that sends the calcium where it should go like your teeth and bones instead of floating around in excessive amounts and ending up sticking in your arteries.

 

[themanwhowalks]

None of this is a substitute for proper nutrition and an active lifestyle, but I do not think that given the realities of MMXXIV that it is possible really to get what your mind and body need to function as it should from what is available to us


Vitamin D; 125mcg 59ml (100 days) $9.99
-Vitamin D is a nuclear steroid transcript regulator, a neuro-steriod, and an important modulator of brain development. Deficiency may have a causal effect on the development of psychiatric disorders (dementia, schizophrenia, depression, hypoxic brain injury). Vitamin D regulates calcium homeostasis and bone integrity, aids the function of neuronal and glial tissue. If you are deficient you will need to mega-dose to correct your levels, 50,000 IU of vitamin D once a week for six to eight weeks seems to be typical.

Magnesium 200mg 60ct $22.99
-Magnesium is a mineral which is essential for metabolism, cardiovascular health, and cellular function. Magnesium is required for the functioning of hundreds of enzymes, especially those which synthesize ATP. Magnesium is needed to activate vitamin D (vitamin D also helps in the absorption of magnesium)

Vitamin C; 500mg 250ct $13.49
-Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and contributes to the immune system through numerous mechanisms. It supports the epithelial barrier function, which helps cells defend against pathogens and environmental stress. At higher doses it is been shown to aid in recovery from both respiratory and systemic infections.

Zinc; 50mg 100ct $5.99
-Zinc is a element found throughout the body. It plays an important role in immune system functioning and metabolism. About 1/3 of people have a zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency at growth periods results in growth failure. Zinc deficiency also harms reproductive health, nervous system function, and epidermal health.


Melatonin 1mg sublingual 100ct $5.39
-Melatonin is a hormone secreted by the penal gland, it role in circadian rhythm and sleep are well known - darkness stimulates production of melatonin, light inhibits.

I'm going to go pray at my shrine to George Washington, might come back and flesh this out a bit more in the next few weeks. Happy 4th to the free world.