I have been wondering about supplements, too, lately. After several years of having odd neurological problems, I finally went to a neurologist. And I was diagnosed as having toxic levels of B6. It hard to find good info on B6 toxicity, but some articles I found seem to suggest that B6 found in supplements might have a worse effect than B6 sourced from food.
It's not just supplements, it's also fortified foods! (I get more into this in next week's article on folic acid). Synthetic vitamins from fortified foods can add up really quickly, a couple cups of cereal and a fortified protein shake and you approach overdose territory for a lot of synthetic vitamins :-/ From what I gather, it's difficult to overdose on a vitamin from whole-food sources, even if you're eating something insanely nutrient-dense like liver.
I found this post about skipping prenatal vitamins for the second pregnancy very eye-opening! It's amazing to see the research behind synthetic vitamins. Excellent work! 👏👏
Yes, some are definitely better than others, and if I were to use them again, I'd go the natural-sources-but-expensive route.
I'm skeptical of meat-heavy diets; I eat meat daily, but more eggs and fruits and vegetables. And nutrition is so bloody complicated. You can be eating a ton of a nutrient you're deficient in, and still be deficient because the deficiency has some other cause and you're not absorbing the nutrient or your body can't use it correctly. One of the reasons I like beef liver and blackstrap molasses is that they essentially ARE multivitamins -- and I think the sun is the best source of Vitamin D.
Yes, morning sickness has always existed! It's probably multifactorial, but heck even in Ancient days the body-protecting-the-fetus-from-toxins hypothesis stands, because you're way more sensitive. Food could still be off or contaminated in some way back then lol. I accidentally ate some brie cheese early in this pregnancy and was sick for two days! I doubt any group has been completely immune, just lower rates in some versus others.
Also I'm still taking supplements of two harder-to-get nutrients, magnesium and inositol.
Ah, responded to the note version but not here for other readers. Copying:
I don’t!! And from what I’ve gathered, going down this rabbit hole, different synthetic vitamins carry different risks. Vitamin D wasn’t one I found a ton of concern for — Vitamins A, B6, B9, C, and E were the biggies. As well, I didn’t find any reason to be alarmed about mineral supplements like magnesium or zinc. And natural supplements (ones that have foods in them) seem to be fine. For Vitamin D, I eat eggs, wild salmon, and take cod liver oil. I’m in Vancouver, so I feel you on the sun issue. The good news is your body can store Vitamin D from the sun for about 30-60 days.
I also imagine good quality Vitamin D supplements wouldn’t have the same issues with heavy metal contamination etc.
The Weston A Price Foundation has an article expressing concerns about Vitamin D; they have some interesting information and arguments but I don't think they're right about everything.
Getting into the tangles of modern healthcare, pharma etc is a head trip. Vitamin D levels can be thrown off by a lot of environmental factors (e.g. fluoride depletes magnesium, and you need magnesium to activate Vitamin D), and it make sense that taking supplements will help counteract that. A lot of medications and drugs deplete either magnesium or Vitamin D. I'm trying to go the natural route as much as possible, but still take a magnesium supplement for this reason.
I have been wondering about supplements, too, lately. After several years of having odd neurological problems, I finally went to a neurologist. And I was diagnosed as having toxic levels of B6. It hard to find good info on B6 toxicity, but some articles I found seem to suggest that B6 found in supplements might have a worse effect than B6 sourced from food.
It's not just supplements, it's also fortified foods! (I get more into this in next week's article on folic acid). Synthetic vitamins from fortified foods can add up really quickly, a couple cups of cereal and a fortified protein shake and you approach overdose territory for a lot of synthetic vitamins :-/ From what I gather, it's difficult to overdose on a vitamin from whole-food sources, even if you're eating something insanely nutrient-dense like liver.
I found this post about skipping prenatal vitamins for the second pregnancy very eye-opening! It's amazing to see the research behind synthetic vitamins. Excellent work! 👏👏
Yes, some are definitely better than others, and if I were to use them again, I'd go the natural-sources-but-expensive route.
I'm skeptical of meat-heavy diets; I eat meat daily, but more eggs and fruits and vegetables. And nutrition is so bloody complicated. You can be eating a ton of a nutrient you're deficient in, and still be deficient because the deficiency has some other cause and you're not absorbing the nutrient or your body can't use it correctly. One of the reasons I like beef liver and blackstrap molasses is that they essentially ARE multivitamins -- and I think the sun is the best source of Vitamin D.
Yes, morning sickness has always existed! It's probably multifactorial, but heck even in Ancient days the body-protecting-the-fetus-from-toxins hypothesis stands, because you're way more sensitive. Food could still be off or contaminated in some way back then lol. I accidentally ate some brie cheese early in this pregnancy and was sick for two days! I doubt any group has been completely immune, just lower rates in some versus others.
Also I'm still taking supplements of two harder-to-get nutrients, magnesium and inositol.
Ah, responded to the note version but not here for other readers. Copying:
I don’t!! And from what I’ve gathered, going down this rabbit hole, different synthetic vitamins carry different risks. Vitamin D wasn’t one I found a ton of concern for — Vitamins A, B6, B9, C, and E were the biggies. As well, I didn’t find any reason to be alarmed about mineral supplements like magnesium or zinc. And natural supplements (ones that have foods in them) seem to be fine. For Vitamin D, I eat eggs, wild salmon, and take cod liver oil. I’m in Vancouver, so I feel you on the sun issue. The good news is your body can store Vitamin D from the sun for about 30-60 days.
I also imagine good quality Vitamin D supplements wouldn’t have the same issues with heavy metal contamination etc.
The Weston A Price Foundation has an article expressing concerns about Vitamin D; they have some interesting information and arguments but I don't think they're right about everything.
https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/abcs-of-nutrition/vitamin-d-supplementation-panacea-potential-problem/#gsc.tab=0
Getting into the tangles of modern healthcare, pharma etc is a head trip. Vitamin D levels can be thrown off by a lot of environmental factors (e.g. fluoride depletes magnesium, and you need magnesium to activate Vitamin D), and it make sense that taking supplements will help counteract that. A lot of medications and drugs deplete either magnesium or Vitamin D. I'm trying to go the natural route as much as possible, but still take a magnesium supplement for this reason.