LONGECITY

After reading this article that talks about increased cancer risk associated with too much supplemented Vitamin E, folic acid and beta carotene, I'm a little weary to keep buying multivitamins that have high amounts of these. Where can I find a GOOD multivitamin/multimineral supplement that only has 100% of my daily value (or less) instead of crazy amounts like 200-500% of my daily value for each one? I currently take the NOW Foods Adam multisupplement, but I don't like the high vitamin E and folic acid content. Suggestions? Hell, I'd love to take one that says 50% of the daily dosage of every vitamin and mineral on its label. I eat decently, not perfect, but I think microdosing nutrients is the safest approach...is there any supplement company out there that realizes this? If not, someone on here should make one and sell it...I mean, hell, all you have to do is put less ingredients in a supplement and market it as "microdosing".

Agreed. We've tried with Vmortal but 2nd version never eventuated as there are many variables involved. I would like to get things moving again, but I'm about to sleep so will elaborate later.

To be honest, that whole Vimmortal story seems rather ludicrous to me in restrospect.

 

The prime motivation behind creating Vimmortal was that some people obsessed about supposedly harmful "excessive" amounts of B-vitamins - which in fact have never been shown to cause any harm. So they created what essentially was an ordinary RDAish multivitamin like Centrum, with the differences that it did 1) contain fancy "activated" forms of some vitamins, which have been much hyped by certain supplement companies but hardly ever shown in scientific studies to provide any benefits over the ordinary forms; 2) cost 10 times as much; 3) come with much more bulk so it required you to swallow 6(?) pills a day and 4) that bulk was mostly due to the large dose (RDA) of cholin it contained, which not only tends to cause stomach upset if consumed in large supplemental doses but has recently been linked to heart disease via gut metabolism of TMAO. So ironically, while obsessing about completely benign B vitamins in common multivitamins, they have created a multivitamin containing a large dose of the only nutrient that is now mechanistically linked to possible harmful effects.

 

IMHO the real psychological motivation behind Vimmortal was the desire for differentiation. People here like to (rightfully or not) think of themselves as an elite in all things longevity and supplementation and they just don't like the idea of taking a mulivitamin available at Walmart. So they have to come up with all kinds of objections/rationalizations why such multivitamins are to be considered inferior, regardless of whether they really are if kept in perspective of the evidence.

 

Now Food's Adam as well as LEF's Two-per-Day are well-formulated but generally overdosed multivitamins. They are fine if you just halve the dose and take one instead of two per day. Or just take Centrum Silver, which is the only MMV that has actually been shown in a large RCT to reduce the risk of cancer.

 

(The link above also explains why you should ignore such articles indiscriminately warning against multivitamin supplements).

Edited by timar, 22 April 2015 - 10:18 AM.

I take LEF two-per-day, just once a day. It's not a great multivitamin, but then again, outside of the ludicrously expensive Ortho-Core, there isn't one. All multis suck for the most part, and the LEF one seems like the best of the worst. Remember it's supposed to be a supplement, as in it supplements what you do not get from your diet. You should not use a multi as a main source of vitamins.

I've looked into that LEF one before, might go with that, or this one:

 

http://www.amazon.co...t/dp/B0033ZHIJU

 

The values are based on taking it "4 times a day", so I could take just one capsule to microdose the vitamins and not get too high on my vitamin E and whatnot. I like all the other ingredients in it too, what do you guys think of it? My only problem is that it has Cyanocobalamin as its B12, but from what I understand, all that means its that its not absorbed (as well) as the superior methyl-b12.

Edited by NilsOlav, 27 April 2015 - 04:15 AM.

Most of those herbs are in unlisted amounts. This occurs with a lot of multis, and the goal is just to have familiar names on their to sell the product, as the herbs are usually for too low-dosed to be useful (just look at the Resveratrol dose). The vitamins and minerals themselves are nothing of note in their formation, and you'd be wasting your money in this case.

Most of those herbs are in unlisted amounts. This occurs with a lot of multis, and the goal is just to have familiar names on their to sell the product, as the herbs are usually for too low-dosed to be useful (just look at the Resveratrol dose). The vitamins and minerals themselves are nothing of note in their formation, and you'd be wasting your money in this case.

 

Well, its not the Herbs so much that make me want to get it. It's the fact that if I take 1 capsule a day, I'll be microdosing all the essential vitamins Instead of getting 100-200% and crazy amounts like that. Since a study released showed that high levels of vitamin E, folic acid and beta carotene can cause cancer, I don't want to take any vitamin that gives me more than 100% of my daily value of those...it also costs the same as the other two multis I considered (Now ADAM and LEF twice daily)

That might be going too low given that the serving size is four capsules. I take this:
http://www.lef.org/V...blets?checked=1

 

at one capsule per day, and I like the forms better, like methylcobalamin.

That might be going too low given that the serving size is four capsules. I take this:
http://www.lef.org/V...blets?checked=1

 

at one capsule per day, and I like the forms better, like methylcobalamin.

 

I think its fine. I want to microdose my vitamins. It will be around what, 10-50% of my daily value from a single pill for each vitamin. That complements my already healthy diet. I do know that it doesn't have methyl-B12 in it, but it still has a very high amount of B12, even in 1 capsule instead of 4. From what I understand, methyl-B12 is absorbed better. There's already plenty of B12 in the one I'm looking at.

 

I was considering LEF's multivitamin, but still, I want to take as little vitamin E as possible. Even in 1 tablet, its still too much Vitamin E (166% of daily value). I want to maximize gains while minimizing risks, so I'm not gonna risk taking something with so much vitamin E.

Edited by NilsOlav, 28 April 2015 - 05:34 PM.

I suppose that works out then. 

I think Pure Encapsulation O.N.E is a good one. The dose is low.

I think Pure Encapsulation O.N.E is a good one. The dose is low.

 

There's always a problem with every multivitamin.  At a glance, this one has a whopping dose of zinc, no copper to balance it with, and a dose of Vitamin D too high for many.

 

I think Pure Encapsulation O.N.E is a good one. The dose is low.

 

There's always a problem with every multivitamin.  At a glance, this one has a whopping dose of zinc, no copper to balance it with, and a dose of Vitamin D too high for many.

 

 

And no Vitamin K (the same problem I have with LEF Two-Per-Day).

Edited by stan08, 30 April 2015 - 04:16 PM.

 

 At a glance, this one has a whopping dose of zinc, no copper to balance it with, and a dose of Vitamin D too high for many.

 

That's why I take O.N.E and Garden of Life Men's Once Daily (USDA certified) on alternate days. I'm a bit cautious of food-blend multivitamin (who knows what else the food blend has to offer, maybe something bad....) so I take it every 2 days. I thought 2000 IU Vitamin D is the normal dose that many people take though.

Edited by user20, 30 April 2015 - 10:29 PM.

You may consider capping your own.  That's what I do for microdosing.  These are the two I re-cap into #3 capsules:

 

http://www.seekinghe...ing-health.html

 

http://www.seekinghe...n-capsules.html

 

They are high quality, good ratios, and optimal forms.  I take B12 (methyl liquid) and folate (5-mthf) separately.   I am super sensitive to folate, so I take a sub-micro dose (makes me extremely wired). 

 

I am pleased they include copper as well.  There is so much fear mongering about copper on the internet.  Since addressing my copper deficiency (confirmed by labs), I feel remarkably better and have been able to quit ambien.