Do you take vitamins?

#1

Been listening a lot recently to Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, the heart specialist and GP’s teachings, and one of the things he’s advocated besides lowcarb and saturated fats, are the vitamins vitamin D, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. I already take magnesium and vitamin D3, but do any of you supplement with any of the other vitamins, vitamin C and potassium, and what dosage do you take?

(Robin) #2

I take a D/K combo, magnesium, potassium, niacin (for cholesterol). I started off taking higher doses but now I just take the recommended dose. And I take collagen for vanity purposes (hair, skin, nails).

#3

The radio talked about it today too…

No, I don’t take anything. I always was horrible at it, I forget, I feel off… I just want to eat my food and be okay…
I don’t notice problems except a slight extra Mg need when I do keto and don’t eat enough meat (I dislike green leaves so I always avoided them on vegetarian keto too). I take a few Mg pills a year then. But normally none.

I do take collagen peptides because Robin waxed poetry about it :smiley: It wasn’t very long with a small dose and breaks (as I do everything to lower my protein intake, even skip this) but my super weak nails are already a bit stronger, apparently.

Sometimes I wonder about vitamin C as my default woe is carnivore-ish and I fry/roast my meat thoroughly… But I haven’t got scurvy yet :wink:

(Allie) #4

I take D3, K2, ZMA each night (blend of mag, zinc & B6), and a daily dose of this electrolyte blend https://www.bulk.com/uk/electrolyte-powder.html

#5

Hi Robin, how does niacin work with regards to your cholesterol?

I have been listening to Malcolm Kendrick and Dr. Paul Mason, and think I have a better idea now about cholesterol. I understand the saturated fats do not raise LDL, but restore it to the level it should be. And that polyunsaturated fats lower it. But studies point to a high LDL as certainly more beneficial than a number that is too low, thereby raising risk of all cause mortality. The problem is when damage occurs to the LDL like oxidation, and what causes this damage is sugar, carbohydrates, and also vegetable oils.

I haven’t mentioned the part about damaged LDL to my mom as was worried it might confuse her. What I did was share with her all the research showing that high LDL such as hers is actually seen as beneficial, and will reduce her risk of heart disease, not increase it as she gets older. And she believes me now, as she was going to eat low fat butter and low fat cheese, but tells me she won’t now. I have told her about the danger of carbohydrates and sugar, and she is gradually making improvements in her WOE. She told me she will include more saturated fats, but my concerns are that at the same time her carbohydrate intake is still somewhat high, though not as high as it was. And the combination of fat and carbohydrates, well the two don’t mix well. But … babysteps right? Everything begins with a thought, I told my mom, who hopefully, will continue to think about her carbohydrate and sugar consumption.

(Robin) #6

If you have Amazon Prime, watch The Magic Pill with your mom.

I have taken Niacin for so many years for my poor cholesterol…. That it now dawns on me that I have obviously been throwing money away. So, scratch that… at least for me.

(Joey) #7

My wife and I take daily…

K2 (25mg MK4; 0.5mg MK7)
D3 (5000IU)
A fish oil pill.

Oh, yeah, we also pop one (1) Brazil nut from the fridge - supposedly for selenium.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

It also might still be available on Netflix. That’s where I encountered it. It’s a great movie, and the change in the people who adopt a ketogenic diet is astonishing.

#9

Interesting post. First, I have not read any of Dr. Kendrick’s work. Vitamin supplementation is really a personal choice. Doing Keto or Carnivore most do find supplementation with electrolytes does help and most agree. Most doctors say you will be fine when you eat a balanced diet and do not need supplements. If on the other hand, you want to optimize your health then yes, vitamins can do wonders. If I feel that I am coming down with something or it’s the beginning of November, I will take 15,000IU’s of D3 at night for a period of 3-4 weeks. This seems to ward off the bugs. I do not take it during the spring or summer months as I spend much time outside (natural D3). I will take vitamin C about 8 hours after strenuous exercise as I have found it helps with my recovery. There are a host of other vitamins and minerals that I will take to address a specific issue short term. Vitamine B’s are also important as they seem to decline with age. Some new reach on this thinks that it could be lower bacteria in the gut.

#10

Hi Robin, I found the movie available on youtube so have bookmarked it and will watch tomorrow when I have a moment.

#11

Most doctors though believe a balanced diet involves a lot of carbohydrates. This might work for some, but there are others who just can’t handle that amount of carbohydrates, and the doctors generally don’t understand the damage processed food and foods high in sugar can do. And the fact that all carbs are assimilated by the body like sugar, and that a lot of it, when the liver becomes overwhelmed, is stored as fat in the adipose and organ tissues. This leads among other things to the clogging of arteries (commonly and wrongly associated with saturated fats), setting the scene for atherosclerosis, as the sugar continues to do damage to the endothelium.
Anyway, that aside, the necessity of taking vitamins is also due to the problems with how most of our food today has become depleted of nutrients, and so we can’t, with the best of efforts, get everything we need from our food.

That said, I take a much smaller dose than you of vitamin D3, only 3000 IU’s, so now I’m thinking perhaps I ought to up that dose. I am still wondering about the right dosage of these things, vitamin D3, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium.

#12

Hi Joey, thanks for sharing the vitamins you take, and the dosages. I remember Dr. Paul Mason talking about how fish oil can right the omega 6/omega 3 ratio, and how it lowers inflammation. I will be looking into that. And potassium. I am also pretty sure I could do with vitamin C as well, I just haven’t been entirely sure about dosage.

#13

I take vitamin C and potassium supplements as well. I take 500 mg of Vitamin C and 99 mg of potassium per day. I find that this dosage works well for me, as I have experienced improved overall health since starting the supplements. I also take other vitamins and minerals as part of my daily routine, including magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids.

#14

I will take up to 15,000 Vitamine D3. (beginning of flu season) If wake up with a headache I discontinue. 2-3x per year for up to one month. Depletion is definitely an issue, the difficulty is how to dose. Test and see what seems to work for you. Taking every day may not necessarily be a good thing as they may lose their effectiveness - the body senses and adjust accordingly. Food is still the best choice. Food is more than just its macros, carbs included.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

And of course, one of the advantages of higher cholesterol is a greater amount of substrate for the production of endogenous Vitamin D. (Not to mention progesterone and testosterone.)

(Robin) #16

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for contributing and hope to her more from you. Would love to know your personal keto journey.

(KM) #17

Some of my misgivings about vitamin and mineral supplementation are because none of the studies conducted involve a ketogenic diet. If you’re eating grass-fed carnivore and wildcaught fish, do you actually need to fix your Omega 3/6 balance? If you’re eating nose to tail, do you actually need vitamin c supplementation? If you’re out in the sun, is more vitamin d necessary? As Robin just pointed out, niacin has been shown to “improve” cholesterol, but is it really an improvement we want or need?

So many things are different, because we’re simply not processing the same ingredients.

I’ve decided to skip the supplementation route entirely, at least while I’m observing my body on keto for a few years. I am curious about the collagen thing though. Do you feel it’s making a difference?

(Michael) #18

Not at home to provide a link, but one study on a ketogenic diet noted that less potassium is needed when keto. Iirc it was half as much. They need to do more such studies.

#19

ZC. I take nothing. Now.

I did come into this lifestyle with a multi vitamin cause I ‘thought’ I needed it. Dumped that fast. Then I used a little mag when I got some ‘baby cramps’ but those left and dumped it. Other than that I took nothing else and without a Drs testing would I even bother supplementing anything. Only if I know I need it will I take it. Now this is just me, I don’t do ‘guesses’ on me but also I ain’t going to no Dr anytime soon for any testing anyway :wink: 6 yrs off all and so far so good. Got fingers still crossed LOL

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #20

I’d heard that about potassium, but haven’t read the study. I find that sort of study very intriguing and suspect that a lot of research is going to have to be redone on a keto population.

It’s well-documented that the body’s need for exogenous Vitamin C is much less on keto, because β-hydroxybutyrate reactivates the body’s endogenous defences against oxidation, which had been disabled by the elevated insulin from a high-carb diet.

And a number of clinicians have observed that their keto patients’ thyroid numbers seem to be lower on keto, but without symptoms of low thyroid, and they speculate that the thyroid hormones are more efficient on a ketogenic diet. Apparently, elevated insulin interferes with a lot of bodily processes.