trail vitamins

[Jonas Winslo]

I've been reading that many hikers load up on calories, and supplement nutrition with vitamin/mineral supplements. Knowing only a little about the different kinds of vitamin supplements available and how they work (EG: cheap vitamins are often broken down in the stomach and never get into the blood, some are not broken down in entirety and pass right through you, more expensive vitamins have very specific delivery systems to ensure absorption, some liquid vitamins are absorbed in the mouth...etc) I wanted to ask:

What specific products do people use? How have they worked for you?

[Blissful]

I take a multi vitamin, calcium, glucosomine, co q. The regimen worked well for me.

[Wise Old Owl]

Doesn't matter if its a good or bad vitamin they all (pass).....Yellow. 5 hour energy (B) and Korean Ginseng actually have a measurable affect - So does a Banana - for mentally being awake. General multi tabs aren't what they are hyped up to be.

[max patch]

I believe that vitamins from Costco or Sams are just as good as expensive vitamins from GNC or where ever.

I believe that everyone on a thru should take a multi vitamin (I did on mine) and females may want to add calcium.

On next years thru I'll continue to take a multi, and will add Co Q 10 and Fish Oil to the regimen.

[Odd Man Out]

Agreed - If you want to, take a cheap multivitamin. Expensive multivitamins with "specific delivery systems" are expensive because they spend a lot of money paying for expensive marketing campaigns that promote their "specific delivery systems" and convince you that cheap vitamins are "broken down" or "pass right through" (BTW, the yellow is the riboflavin - B2). Also the different formulations optimized for specific applications are also marketing hype designed to separate you from your money. Of course there are many people who thru hike without dietary supplements. Your choice. At least a store brand multivitamin is cheap, lightweight, and harmless.

These are of course just my opinions. There will probably be people who cite studies indicating the importance of one particular formulation (possibly studies funded by the people who hired the marketing firm to develop that particular formulation, hmmm). Sorry if I sound a bit down. I just find that the nutrition field is permeated with pseudo-scientific drivel. It just isn't worth the effort to sort it out anymore. Hence my quick and easy answer - taking a cheap multivitamin is fine.

[perrymk]

Make of it what you will, but many big name supplement companies outsource much if not all of their manfacturing. This usually means foreign (Chinese, Indian) made product and foreign quality control. The only big company that I am aware of that still manfactures their product themselves in the US is GNC. I am have no financial or other interest in saying this.

What specific products do people use? GNC DHEA Vitapak (vitamin and mineral supplement plus DHEA).
Has it worked? Well, I'm still in good health. That has to do with more than just vitamins I'm sure.

It is my opinion that long term vitamins can (not will) help. Vitamins are supplements, not replacements. They are meant to supplement a good diet, not replace nutrients missed by a bad diet. That's my opinion, no one has to agree and I'm certainly not going to get worked up about it if someone disagrees.

[Altarboy]

Yeah off brand vitamins (no iron -I'm borderline hemachromatosis) have served me well.

[10-K]

All vitamins are not created equal.. Consumer Labs website is currently down but check out this table: http://www.multivitaminguide.org/#comparison-table.

Note that I don't take any supplements at all, not even a multi.

[Odd Man Out]

All vitamins are not created equal.. Consumer Labs website is currently down but check out this table: http://www.multivitaminguide.org/#comparison-table.

Note that I don't take any supplements at all, not even a multi.

Frankly, this web site looks like an ad disguised as a consumer group. As always, I see much snake oil in nearly all nutrition info.

[Mountain Mike]

Balanced diet is best bet. I try & include dried fruits & veggies in my trail foods. Normally the one thing lacking for LDHs. I also take a multi vitamin & b-12 plus some other supplements per my personal problems.

[Deacon]

To keep this simple, he comments on the vitamin's delivery system is virtually everything as far as absorption. Those vitamins that are labeled "food based" are the most beneficial. There are only a couple brands labeled as such.


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