Mainstream press trashes vitamins

[GreenGuy]

I was shocked yesterday to see a number of mainstream stories in the media declaring that multivitamins have been proven worthless. A little digging shows that the source of this disinformation is Big Pharma (of course). While it's true that there are any number of nearly-worthless analog vitamin products on the shelves, that's not what the stories say. They say that all vitamin products are ineffective at improving health - and that is a bald-faced lie.

This article from Natural News is a good summary on yet another scurrilous attack of quality nutrition products - and shows once again that we do not have real health care in the United States. What we have instead is disease promotion and management for profit.

When corporations are allowed to take over the reins of government, you have a nation that cannot stand. When no values other than money and enrichment of the few are guiding the nation's leaders, that nation will implode. Don't be fooled! If you take a multivitamin, get a good one from a health food store, one that is based on natural sources not laboratory analogs.

If nothing else, this attack on health by the pharmaceutical companies and their whores in the press should make it easier to demonstrate to your neighbors and your kids that you can't trust the press.

[DeDukshyn]

Here's a full analysis into this phenomenon perpetrated by big Pharma and the media we should never trust anyway - exactly because there is no "journalism" any more - media is all about who has the biggest bucks to pay for the propagation of their filth.

Excellent article here called "The Making of Killer E" -- it goes into exactly how these types of headlines are artificially created by people getting paid to say certain things, and taking studies completely out of context.

Enjoy! Worth the read! (2 pg article)

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2005/...iller_e_01.htm

[LivioRazlo]

I wonder what brands of multivitamins are the best to consume. I currently use a Walmart brand and another called Theragran-M every other day. I can say I feel like they are working, but if there was concrete evidence that they weren't the best, I'd look for the best to consume.

[transiten]

I always buy supplements and vitamis in a health store. F.i your body cannot "take up" magnezium bought in an ordinairy pharmacy.

[carriellbee]

My interpretation is that vitamins are good and we should all be taking them.

The mainstream media has been nothing more than a propaganda machine for a long time now, but it has been become even worse. As of last year, only SIX companies owned 90% of the media. And I'm reasonably confident that there are several connections between the big pharma corps and these corps. I don't believe anything they say!

[risveglio]

http://www.lef.org, same site as the link posted above by DeDukshyn offers some high quality vitamins. Membership is also pretty cheap and comes with a very informative magazine and they are currently running a yearly 25% off sale.

[Violet]

You know, I was thinking about these vitamins just this week as some other - probably more truthful - news sources keep warning for pesticides in our food. And I was wondering if concentrated vitamin supplements would not prove better for us in the long run than "tainted" original food sources...

But if you take totally organic food (pesticide-free) and a vitamin cocktail matching it best. Would you still say that the cocktail was better for your health?

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

The HFCS that's in most foods depletes the body of naturally obtained vitamins, especially B vitamins.
My most recent medicating physician said that vitamin B deficiency is behind much mental illness and can run in families.

He gave a prescription strength vitamin B (deplin, L-methylfolate) as a first blow against my depression.

Once people start getting better and thinking clearly, they will reject the products that cause the illness and the MSM will be holding the conspiracy bag.

[Nick Matkin]

Does anyone actually KNOW what's in the vitamins they're taking? Where the chemicals come from and how they are refined, and from what?

I thought if you had a balanced diet vitamins are unnecessary - our grandparents didn't take any and all mine lived into their 80s.

If you want/must graze on junk food month after month then perhaps a few vitamins won't do any harm. But hey, how about buying an apple or eating some fresh veg once in a while?

Nick

[Blacklight43]

WHAT ARE MOST VITAMIN/MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS ACTUALLY MADE FROM?



WHAT IS VITAMIN B-12 MADE FROM?

Vitamin B-12 comes from one of two sources – ground up cow’s liver which has been overloaded with steroids, antibiotics and the herbicides/pesticides in the feed the cow eats. The second source is activated sewage sludge – fecal matter. It’s high in B-12 and inexpensive to obtain. All such manufacturers and their lab people consider that a vitamin is a vitamin – where it comes from is irrelevant as long as the public doesn’t know and form an “emotional aversion” to it. The rest of the B vitamins are processed from coal tar and petroleum chemicals.

I always make sure my vitamins are made from whole(not previously eaten)food and preferably organic. Nature's Way Alive is my current daily.

[DeDukshyn]

Posted by risveglio (here)
http://www.lef.org, same site as the link posted above by DeDukshyn offers some high quality vitamins. Membership is also pretty cheap and comes with a very informative magazine and they are currently running a yearly 25% off sale.

I just checked over some of their LEF brand formulas and these products look very well made. I speaking to forms and ratios in the formulations - for example the B formula contains the methylcobalamin form of B12 and the P5P form of B6 -- both of which are considered superior forms of these vitamins for utilization in the body; the methylcobalamin b12 has neuro-protective effects, unlike any other form of B12, and requires less processing by the body than say a cyanocobalamin form -- which during processing into it's biological form releases a cyanide molecule into your body.

I work for science based supplement company from Canada, I know a little about how to spot good supplements, and the forms and dosages are two quite important factors.

I'll give another example of how pharma even takes advantage of the different forms of vitamins. If I am not mistaken, it is in the article on "Killer E" that there is an E molecule associated with potential heart issues when taken in isolation (for those who don't know vit E are actually eaight molecules - each distinct and each important - a deficiency in one or a few is still a deficiency, even though we may only supplement with one).

the molecule DL-alpha-tocopherol is a purely synthetic form of one of these molecules (the "L" is the indicator for the synthetic form), and there has been some evidence of this molecule when taken in isolation as a supplement may cause heart issues (if it's not in the article I posted earlier I'll try to dig it up). When I was visiting my mom earlier this summer, I checked out her "Woman's 50plus" or whatever it was called vitmin supplement and looked on the label - a single DL-alpha tocopheral for its vitamin E source. I was rather disappointed to see that - especially in a formula developed for seniors! So then I looked for the manufacturer -- non other than Bayer! The company that with the product #1 prescribed for patients after having a heart issue! (Aspirin) Makes perfect sense now, doesn't it?

[DeDukshyn]

Posted by Violet (here)
You know, I was thinking about these vitamins just this week as some other - probably more truthful - news sources keep warning for pesticides in our food. And I was wondering if concentrated vitamin supplements would not prove better for us in the long run than "tainted" original food sources...

But if you take totally organic food (pesticide-free) and a vitamin cocktail matching it best. Would you still say that the cocktail was better for your health?

My 2 cents is that if you eat really well -- and by this I mainly mean a very large weekly variety of nutritious foods, then you probably don't need to take vitamins. Keep in mind our food as it gets more and more GMOd and processed is becoming nutritionally bankrupt. I don't think really cheap vitamins are a good bet either, as you'll likely just pee them out -- often these contain the least biologically active forms. It depends on the vitamin in question.

Even though I get discount on high quality vitamins, I only take them when I know my diet hasn't been great - just to make sure my body isn't taking any steps backwards.

[DeDukshyn]

Posted by Blacklight43 (here)
WHAT ARE MOST VITAMIN/MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS ACTUALLY MADE FROM?



WHAT IS VITAMIN B-12 MADE FROM?

Vitamin B-12 comes from one of two sources – ground up cow’s liver which has been overloaded with steroids, antibiotics and the herbicides/pesticides in the feed the cow eats. The second source is activated sewage sludge – fecal matter. It’s high in B-12 and inexpensive to obtain. All such manufacturers and their lab people consider that a vitamin is a vitamin – where it comes from is irrelevant as long as the public doesn’t know and form an “emotional aversion” to it. The rest of the B vitamins are processed from coal tar and petroleum chemicals.

I always make sure my vitamins are made from whole(not previously eaten)food and preferably organic. Nature's Way Alive is my current daily.

While I am not contesting that B12 can't be made from fecal matter (I'd say from urine would be more believable), unless your vitamin brand is buying their b12 raw material from a shady looking Italian guy , it's most likely made through pharmaceutical synthesis.

[DeDukshyn]

Posted by Nick Matkin (here)
....

If you want/must graze on junk food month after month then perhaps a few vitamins won't do any harm. But hey, how about buying an apple or eating some fresh veg once in a while?

Nick

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=BOyebcrVWb4

[DeDukshyn]

Posted by LivioRazlo (here)
I wonder what brands of multivitamins are the best to consume. I currently use a Walmart brand and another called Theragran-M every other day. I can say I feel like they are working, but if there was concrete evidence that they weren't the best, I'd look for the best to consume.

Looks like a staged post ... does anyone get high quality "anything" from Wal-Mart?

[GreenGuy]

Posted by LivioRazlo (here)
I wonder what brands of multivitamins are the best to consume.

I use Garden Of Life's Vitamin Code for men. All natural, no fillers or binders, contains probiotics and digestive enzymes. A good product though not the only good one.

To answer some other questions from various posters...

vitamin B deficiency is behind much mental illness and can run in families.

This is true...laboratory analogs are pretty much useless. A lot of people, older folks especially, can benefit from B12 (cobalamin) supplements. The most common ingredient used is cyanocobalamin, which once again is mostly useless as it is not well absorbed by the body. It's also a cyanide based synthetic - the cyanide is not at a harmful level but the body still has to get rid of it. Find a B12 that's methylcobalamin. Costs more, but you won't be wasting your money.

Does anyone actually KNOW what's in the vitamins they're taking?

Most vitamins are laboratory analogs - "chemically equivalent" synthetics. These are the vitamins that are useless. Get a natural vitamin that your body can use.

Vitamin B-12 comes from one of two sources – ground up cow’s liver which has been overloaded with steroids, antibiotics and the herbicides/pesticides in the feed the cow eats. The second source is activated sewage sludge – fecal matter.

Methylcobalamin is produced in the liver by bacteria. It is not produced by the liver. The better manufacturers use cultures of liver-derived bacteria to produce natural methylcobalamin. It is not polluted. As for making it from fecal matter, I wouldn't put it past them but I have never heard of that.

The Alive! line of natural vitamins from Nature's Way are very good. So are Garden of Life, Source Naturals, and several other manufacturers. A good health food store can advise you....stay away from the corporate so-called health food stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods etc. These companies select employees based on how little they're willing to work for, not what they know. Your smaller stores are more likely to give you good advice. If you live in San Diego County, Jimbo's is a very good place to shop.

Good vitamins are expensive, and worth it. Cheap vitamins are a waste of money that simply make you feel like you're doing yourself some good. And in some cases they can actually be harmful. No, you can't get anything worthwhile at MalWart - and even if you could, you'd be harming your local economy and further enriching a ruthless family that already has more money than most countries.

[RunningDeer]

Vitamin Study: A Certified Hoax!

Alex begin show on vitamins and minerals, then then goes off topic. Below are a several quick links.

• Vitamins and minerals do nothing and the case is closed @ 7:13
• Let’s move to the big announcement @ 9:48
• The Journal of Pediatrics says that mercury is good for your brain aired nationwide @ 11:19
• Here’s the bottom line & “Father of Statistical Lies” @ 21:50

Other information referenced in this video:

• Many Vitamin Studies are Absolutely Worthless
• Top Pharma-Brand of Children's Vitamins Contains Aspartame, GMOs, & Other Hazardous Chemicals. (see below)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=xxPrmDZtyWc

Published on Dec 17, 2013

Alex is joined by Anthony Gucciardi to discuss headlines discussing vitamins having no effect on health they can prove and the falsification of medical studies on a regular basis to discredit natural medicines.

http://www.storyleak.com/

"Top Pharma-Brand of Children's Vitamins Contains Aspartame, GMOs, & Other Hazardous Chemicals"

This article is referenced in “Vitamin Study: A Certified Hoax!”

[complete article & resource links here]

Bayer's Flintstone's vitamin brand is far from a natural product, and the consumer should be aware
of the unintended, adverse health effects that may occur as a result of using it. 

The #1 Children's Vitamin Brand in the US contains ingredients that most parents would never intentionally expose their children to, so why aren't more opting for healthier alternatives?

Kids vitamins are supposed to be healthy, right? Well then, what's going on with Flintstones Vitamins, which proudly claims to be "Pediatricians' #1 Choice"?  Produced by the global pharmaceutical corporation Bayer, this wildly successful brand features a shocking list of unhealthy ingredients, including:

• Aspartame
• Cupric Oxide
• Coal tar artificial coloring agents (FD&C Blue #2, Red #40, Yellow #6)
• Zinc Oxide
• Sorbitol
• Ferrous Fumarate
• Hydrogenated Oil (Soybean)
• GMO Corn starch

On Bayer Health Science's Flintstones product page designed for healthcare professionals they lead into the product description with the following tidbit of information:

82% of kids aren't eating all of their veggies1. Without enough vegetables, kids may not be getting all of the nutrients they need.
References: 1. Lorson BA, Melgar-Quinonez HR, Taylor CA. Correlates of fruit and vegetable intakes in US children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009;109(3):474-478.
The implication? That Flintstones vitamins somehow fill this nutritional void. But let's look a little closer at some of these presumably healthy ingredients....

ASPARTAME

Aspartame is a synthetic combination of the amino acids aspartic acid and l-phenylalanine, and is known to convert into highly toxic methanol and formaldehyde in the body.  Aspartame has been linked to over 40 adverse health effects in the biomedical literature, and has been shown to exhibit both neurotoxicity and carcinogenicity [1]  What business does a chemical like this have doing in a children's vitamin, especially when non-toxic, non-synthetic non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia already exist?

CUPRIC OXIDE

Next, let's look closer at Cupric Oxide, 2mg of which is included in each serving of Flinstone's Complete chewable vitamins as a presumably  'nutritional' source of 'copper,' supplying "100% of the Daily Value  (Ages 4+), according to Flintstones Vitamins Web site's Nutritional Info.[2]
But what is Cupric Oxide? A nutrient or a chemical?

According to the European Union's Dangerous Substance Directive, one of the main EU laws concerning chemical safety, Cupric Oxide is listed as a Hazardous substance, classified as both  "Harmful (XN)" and "Dangerous for the environment" (N).  Consider that it has industrial applications as a pigment in ceramics, and as a chemical in the production of rayon fabric and dry cell batteries. In may be technically correct to call it a mineral, but should it be listed as a nutrient in a children's vitamin? We think not.

COAL TAR ARTIFICIAL COLORING AGENTS

A well-known side effect of using synthetic dyes is attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. For direct access to study abstracts on this topic view our Food Coloring research page.  There is also indication that the neurotoxicity of artificial food coloring agents increase when combined with aspartame,[3] making the combination of ingredients in Flintstones even more concerning.

ZINC OXIDE

Each serving of Flinstones Complete Chewable vitamins contain 12 mg of zinc oxide, which the manufacturer claims delivers 75% of the Daily Value to children 2  & 3 years of age.  Widely used as a sun protection factor (SPF) in sunscreens, The EU's Dangerous Substance Directive classifies it as an environmental Hazard, "Dangerous for the environment (N)."  How it can be dangerous to the environment, but not for humans ingesting it, escapes me.  One thing is for sure, if one is to ingest supplemental zinc, or market it for use by children, it makes much more sense using a form that is organically bound (i.e. 'chelated') to an amino acid like glycine, as it will be more bioavailable and less toxic.

SORBITOL

Sorbitol is a synthetic sugar substitute which is classified as a sugar alcohol. It can be argued that it has no place in the human diet, much less in a child's. The ingestion of higher amounts have been linked to gastrointestinal disturbances from abdominal pain to more serious conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.[4]

FERROUS FUMARATE

The one clear warning on the Flinstone's Web site concerns this chemical. While it is impossible to die from consuming iron from food, e.g. spinach, ferrous fumarate is an industrial mineral and not found in nature as food. In fact, ferrous fumarate is so toxic that accidental overdose of products containing this form is "a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6." The manufacturer further warns:
Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL

Finding hydrogenated oil in anything marketed to children is absolutely unacceptable. These semi-synthetic fatty acids incorporate into our tissues and have been linked to over a dozen adverse health effects, from coronary artery disease to cancer, violent behavior to fatty liver disease.[5]

GMO CORN STARCH

While it can be argued that the amount of GMO corn starch in this product is negligible, even irrelevant, we disagree. It is important to hold accountable brands that refuse to label their products honestly, especially when they contain ingredients that have been produced through genetic modification. The 'vitamin C' listed as ascorbic acid in Flintstones is likely also produced from GMO corn. Let's remember that Bayer's Ag-biotech division, Bayer CropScience, poured $381,600 of cash into defeating the proposition 37 GMO labeling bill in California. Parents have a right to protect their children against the well-known dangers of genetically modified foods and the agrichemicals that contaminate them, don't they? GMO corn starch is GMO, plain and simple. We'd appreciate it if Bayer would label their "vitamins" accordingly.  

In summary, Bayer's Flintstone's vitamin brand is far from a natural product, and the consumer should be aware of the unintended, adverse health effects that may occur as a result of using it. 

[complete article & resource links here]

[Blacklight43]

I used to work next door to a waste water treatment plant. The men who worked there would come into the little store for their coffee break for snacks and one day I saw truck loads of stuff being hauled away so I asked the manager of the plant what it was and where it was going. He told me it was the dried sludge and it was being sent to the valley for fertilizing potato farms and to be turned into vitamins. I found it hard to believe (or didn't want to). I have since done the research and found it to be true!

I guess being a manager of such a plant he would know where his end product was going.

[risveglio]

A response to the study from Life Extension.

Headline news stories yesterday parroted an editorial that advised consumers to "stop wasting money on vitamin and mineral supplements."

As it relates to products like Centrum® Silver Adults 50+ and One-A-Day® that most people today rely on, we at Life Extension agree.

Be it the miniscule doses of nutrients in commercial multivitamins, or improper form of nutrients like synthetic vitamin E, these research findings do not support disease-prevention effects.

For example, the tiny potencies found in Centrum® Silver Adults 50+ include:
Vitamin B1 1.5 mg
Vitamin B2 1.7 mg
Vitamin B6 3.0 mg
Vitamin B12 0.025 mg
Lutein 0.250 mg
Magnesium 50 mg

These minute potencies are unlikely to provide a reduction in degenerative disease risk. Yet the government has spent tens of millions of dollars on human studies to prove low potency nutrients provide little or no health benefits.

Even with greatly increased-potency formulas like Life Extension's twice a day multivitamin, if one takes no other supplements (like CoQ10, fish oil and curcumin) and neglects their overall health (as most Americans do), there should not be an expectation of overwhelming benefit.

When it comes to protecting against pathological aging processes like heart failure, cancer and dementia, broad-spectrum nutrient, hormone, and healthy lifestyle choices are essential.

There are at least 20 pathological mechanisms of aging and disease that maturing individuals need to guard against. Taking just a Centrum® Silver Adults 50+ or One-A-Day® will do little to prevent disease, yet that is what the majority of the American public use.

View the preliminary rebuttal to the headline news reports that blared across the world yesterday. Our report exposes flaws in these studies that were used to discredit multivitamins and call into question their relevance. We also describe studies where even low potency nutrients have shown a benefit, though we don't think these favorable studies should form a basis to ignore healthy living habits and rely solely on low-potency formulas like Centrum®.

The opinion and analysis of inadequate nutrient studies parroted by the media have nothing to do with the aggressive multi-modal program Life Extension members follow to stave off disease and premature aging.

For longer life,

William Faloon

And here is the link to the rebuttal.
http://www.lef.org/featured-articles...mpaign=INL303E

[DeDukshyn]

Oddly enough, if a pharma company makes your vitamins, such as Bayer, or most of your "popular" store brands -- it'll be garbage -- poorest forms and wrong dosages.

There are companies out there that seek out only the best or most applicable forms, and you get dosage amounts that reflect actual scientific peer reviewed studies on therapeutic results based on those dosages. Anything you buy from a big chain store like Safeway or Walmart or whatever equivalent, will be hardly worth your money.

If anyone is to supplement with vitamins - it is worth seeking out a proper brand, and pony up a few extra bucks. Research will be required.