Supplements

[Shiny Star]

Some people take supplements so that they can improve certain aspects of their health or to make up for vitamins that they cannot include in their diet. For example, someone with allergies or with a vegan diet may take calcium as they cannot drink milk.

I had some cranberry ones from Holland and Barrett ages ago to try strengthen my bladder. It wasn’t a consistent thing though. 

Who here takes supplements?

[Moonshroom]

I was recommended to do that over and over again by my doctor, but the prices they go for make the whole ordeal entirely pointless... I can --and have-- eat actual food in bountiful quantities to get whatever vitamins I'm lacking for about the advertised price of a couple of pills.

[Kyng]

I used to have some orange-flavoured vitamin tablets (first some hard ones, then some chewy ones a few years later). Haven't had those in a while, though.

[Shiny Star]

I used to have some orange-flavoured vitamin tablets (first some hard ones, then some chewy ones a few years later). Haven't had those in a while, though.

Oh wait yes I forgot about those. Those are the ones that you diffuse into water, right? I’ve had them since I was a kid and still do from time to time. I completely forgot about them!

[Kyng]

I used to have some orange-flavoured vitamin tablets (first some hard ones, then some chewy ones a few years later). Haven't had those in a while, though.

Oh wait yes I forgot about those. Those are the ones that you diffuse into water, right? I’ve had them since I was a kid and still do from time to time. I completely forgot about them!

I never diffused mine into water, but I guess you could .

[Detective Osprey]

Nope, don't need to take supplements.

[Kyng]

Nope, don't need to take supplements.

I'm surprised by that .

Of course, there's more to being healthy than just calcium - so, in your experience, is it common for vegans to take large numbers of supplements?

[Detective Osprey]

Nope, don't need to take supplements.

I'm surprised by that .

Of course, there's more to being healthy than just calcium - so, in your experience, is it common for vegans to take large numbers of supplements?

No, we really don't need them, except for the occasional B12 (but I can get that from energy drinks lol). 
Taking extra supplements, especially man-made don't get absorbed properly...

The complex, harmonious relationship between our bodies and the whole food we eat might explain why the hardworking supplement industry has not been able to produce beneficial products, despite decades of effort and billions of dollars. Consequently, we do not recommend our patients take supplements—with the notable and important exception of vitamin B12— unless a specific deficiency arises that cannot be corrected with whole, plant-based foods. Putting aside the bluster of consumer marketing, the research on multivitamin supplements is consistent: They do not demonstrate benefit and may cause harm.¹ A review of twenty-four randomized controlled trials showed “no consistent evidence that the included [vitamin and mineral] supplements affected CVD [cardiovascular disease], cancer, or all-cause mortality in healthy individuals.”² Single-vitamin supplements have shown similar negative results. In fact, the harm caused by some of them is dramatic. For example, vitamin A, beta-carotene, and vitamin E—while all healthy when consumed in food—have been shown to significantly increase death when consumed as supplements.³

¹Jaakko Mursu, Kim Robien, Lisa J. Harnack, Kyong Park, and David R. Jacobs, “Dietary Supplements and Mortality Rate in Older Women. The Iowa Women’s Health Study,” Archives of Internal Medicine 171 (October 10, 2011): 1625–33.
²Stephen P. Fortmann, Brittany U. Burda, Caitlyn A. Senger, Jennifer S. Lin, and Evelyn P. Whitlock, “Vitamin and Mineral Supplements in the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: An Updated Systematic Evidence Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force,” Annals of Internal Medicine 159 (December 17, 2013): 824–34.
³Goran Bjelakovic, Dimitrinka Nikolova, Lise Lotte Gluud, Rosa G. Simonetti, and Christian Gluud, “Mortality in Randomized Trials of Antioxidant Supplements for Primary and Secondary Prevention: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Journal of the American Medical Association 297 (February 28, 2007): 842–57.

[Megan]

I was taking some regularly for a while. I think Vita-Fusion in gummy form. Also always liked the Flintstones ones, but liked the chewable best. XD

[Kyng]

Well, a new study has come out suggesting that supplements are a waste of money for people who are healthy and not pregnant:

https://interestingengineering.com/nutri...e-of-money

Not entirely sure what to make of this - although, since I no longer take any myself, I am at least glad I'm not wasting any money on them .