Amounts spent by PFers on dietary supplements

  • Thread starter hitssquad
  • Start date
In summary, Americans spend some $821 billion on food today ? from supermarket produce to restaurant meals to snack foods at vending machines. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports this figure will grow to $1.2 trillion over the next decade. Americans spend some $821 billion on food today, but some of that budget is being spent nutritionally supplementing with food, with some cheaper to supplement with supplements than with food. The most that can be said is that one or more components limited to those in the supplement you took made you sick.

I spend per year on dietary supplements

  • Less than $30

    Votes: 20 71.4%
  • $30-$100

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • $100-$300

    Votes: 5 17.9%
  • $300-$1000

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • More than $1000

    Votes: 3 10.7%

  • Total voters
    28
  • #1
hitssquad
927
0
How much do PFers spend on dietary supplements? For this poll, a dietary supplement is any item specially packaged as a dietary supplement. (If you supplement your diet with, for example, green tea that is not specially packaged as a dietary supplement, please don't count that in this poll.)
 
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  • #2
$0. I do spend a lot on fruit and veggies, though.

- Warren
 
  • #3
$0, I like fruits and vegy-tables too. Especially oranges and celery. And oregano.
 
  • #4
100-300$. I take vitamin pills because I suck at eating vegetables. I like fruits but rarely buy any besides bananas, satsumas and grapes. I also take fish oil capsules to keep my joints in check. I do bjj, judo and submission wrestling so my joints get mangled a lot. I also use recovery drinks during periods of intensive training.
 
  • #5
More economical to supplement with supplements than with food?

chroot said:
$0. I do spend a lot on fruit and veggies, though.
As many persons do.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m4021/is_2002_March_1/ai_85016181

--
Americans spend some $821 billion on food today ? from supermarket produce to restaurant meals to snack foods at vending machines. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports this figure will grow to $1.2 trillion over the next decade.
--


Assuming, since American food spending is growing 50% per decade, that the figure is going to be ~$900 billion for 2005, and assuming that there are ~290 million Americans, each individual American currently spends (or has spent on his behalf) an average of ~$3,000 per year on food. That works out to $8.22 per day.

If Americans are spending some of that budget nutritionally supplementing with food, perhaps it would be more economical for them to be supplementing with supplements.
 
  • #6
€0, only natural foods for me. I once took vitamin supplements, but those things actually make me feel sick.
 
  • #7
100-300 $ ... 'amyloin', sports bars, recovery drinks ... depending on mileage & intensity, but since it's running getting the energy from 'normal' food is at times difficult.
 
  • #8
alot of sports drinks.

its over 1000
 
  • #9
Gatorade's not a dietary supplement!
 
  • #10
who said gatorade, silly.
 
  • #11
Where's the zero option?!

I get all the goodness I need from a diet of OJ, spinach, Coca Cola, red meat, curry and tea!
 
  • #12
Monique said:
I once took vitamin supplements, but those things actually make me feel sick.
Did you rule out somatization disorder?
 
  • #13
You imply that my feeling of getting sick is psychological? I can rule that out; the first time I didn't know that the supplement was making me sick and I didn't even suspect it. Later I found out that the symptoms correlate with taking the supplement. I'm quite sure there is some component in there that I have a sensitivity to.
 
  • #14
0 - unless you include alcohol... In which case it would be somewhat higher!
 
  • #15
Monique said:
I'm quite sure there is some component in there that I have a sensitivity to.
Then the most that can be said is that one or more components limited to those in the supplement you took made you sick. What was the supplement that you took?
 
  • #16
Multivitamin (13) / multimineral (18), with all vitamins at 100% daily advised dose.
 
  • #17
Monique said:
Multivitamin (13) / multimineral (18), with all vitamins at 100% daily advised dose.
Those make me sick (mildly nauseous) too. I used to take them when I was a student and didn't think dining hall food was very nutritionally complete, and it took me a long time to realize it was the vitamin making me nauseous (I attributed it to stress, the dining hall food, lack of sleep, etc., and it wasn't until I stopped feeling sick when I ran out of vitamins and didn't have time to buy more for about a week that I realized what was causing the sick feeling).

I've read recently that some prenatal vitamins now have something added to reduce nausea because too many pregnant women were stopping taking them because the vitamins make them nauseous (though I'm not sure how they can tell it's not "morning sickness" in that case).

So, no supplements in my diet now. If you eat a balanced diet and don't have any digestive/metabolic disorders, you don't need them.
 
  • #18
Supermarket supplements vs real supplements

I meant the exact supplement, by name.

  • Components are sourced from different places and there are several different compounds that can each individually serve as a given vitamin or mineral.

  • There are components in supplements besides the listed nutrients.

  • Supermarkets and "drug stores" tend to sell extremely cheap supplements, some of which have been sitting around in storage in sub-optimal conditions for years. If you let B vitamins sit around at room temperature, they can go bad.


with all vitamins at 100% daily advised dose
Except for some fat-soluble vitamins, 100% RDA is an extremely low dose. (And maybe you meant the RDA in Holland, which might be quite different from the USRDA.) If your supplement had only 100% RDA, that tells me you probably got it from a supermarket or "drug store."
 
  • #19
hitssquad said:
[*]Supermarkets and "drug stores" tend to sell extremely cheap supplements, some of which have been sitting around in storage in sub-optimal conditions for years. If you let B vitamins sit around at room temperature, they can go bad.[/list]
They have expiration dates on them, so they haven't been sitting around for years if they are nowhere near the expiration date. If the vitamin is labeled for storage at room temperature, then the expiration date needs to be based on that storage temperature.

Except for some fat-soluble vitamins, 100% RDA is an extremely low dose. (And maybe you meant the RDA in Holland, which might be quite different from the USRDA.) If your supplement had only 100% RDA, that tells me you probably got it from a supermarket or "drug store."
If you're truly using it as a supplement to and not a substitute for a reasonably balanced diet, there's no need to exceed 100% RDA. Indeed, with some vitamins, you wouldn't want to exceed the RDA.

Monique didn't say RDA, she said "daily advised dose." I don't know what that means in Holland. RDA means "recommended daily allowance."

I'm not sure about supermarkets near you, but around here, everything on the supermarket and drug store shelves has way more than the RDA in them (around 1000% or more on some vitamins). If you just want a low dose supplement, you have to hunt all over the place to find it.

I don't know what in a multivitamin makes me sick. I suspect it might be the zinc (I once tried one of those echinacea/zinc tablet things that are supposed to help speed up cold recovery...didn't do anything to help the cold, but did make me nauseous also). All brands I've tried have the same effect (I tried several once I realized it was a problem with the supplement, on advice that it could be an inactive ingredient in the brand I was using). Others I know have told me they've narrowed it down to the high doses of iron in them, and if they get a supplement formulated without the iron, they can tolerate them. Someone else who is lactose intolerant has trouble because they seem to contain some amount of lactose in the inactive ingredients.

But, unless you're pregnant and need to ensure you're getting enough folic acid, there's really no need for them if you have a balanced diet.
 
  • #20
hitssquad said:
I meant the exact supplement, by name.
No, it's not a cheap supermarket supplement. The name is Centrum http://www.centrumvitamine.nl/, a trusted brand.

Ingredients are the following:
Calciumfosfaat, magnesiumoxide, microkristallijne cellulose
(vulstof), kaliumchloride, ascorbinezuur, ijzerfumaraat, dl-alpha
tocoferolacetaat, crospovidon (vulstof), niacine, biotine, zinkoxide,
bètacaroteen, mangaansulfaat, pantotheenzuur, luteïne
(E161B), stearinezuur (antiklontermiddel), magnesiumstearaat
(bevochtigingsmiddel), siliciumdioxide (antiklontermiddel), pyridoxine,
thiamine, ribofl avine, kopersulfaat, fytomenadion, retinolacetaat,
kaliumjodide, chroomchloride, natriummolybdaat,
natriumselenaat, foliumzuur, cholecalciferol, cyanocobalamine
Tabletomhulling bestaat uit: hydroxypropylmethylcellulose
(E464), kleurstoffen E110, E171, glyceroltriacetaat, polysorbaat 80
(E433).

The daily advised dose is determined nationally, defined as the minimum advised daily amount of vitamins.

Funny that Moonbear also reports that she feels weird when taking them. I get palpitations from it and a general feeling of un-wellbeing.
 
  • #21
I'd estimate around $1500 per year.
 
  • #22
Centrum vs real supplements

Monique said:
No, it's not a cheap supermarket supplement. The name is Centrum http://www.centrumvitamine.nl/, a trusted brand.
Centrum is a famous supermarket/"drug store" brand. It is not carried by any reputable supplement retailers and there do not seem to be any life-extensionists who trust it or think it is a quality brand.
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.life-extension/search?q=centrum [Broken]
 
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  • #23
Normally, I don't take vitamins because my diet is very good. Since I am pregnant however, I do take a multi-vitamin "stress formula" (no, not a pre-natal). What I have noticed is when I do take the vitamin with food, I don't feel nausious and I have energy all day. If I don't take one, I am super tired come about 7:30 pm. I also take Lysine occassionally when I get run down also. My husband cannot take vitamins, as he also feels ill if he does. I think the key for some people is to take the vitamin with food.
 
  • #24
hitssquad said:
Centrum is a famous supermarket/"drug store" brand. It is not carried by any reputable supplement retailers and there do not seem to be any life-extensionists who trust it or think it is a quality brand.
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/sci.life-extension/search?q=centrum [Broken]
And why should we believe these life-extensionists? I read through a bunch of their threads, and they seem to be just a bunch of people sold on the hype of their own brands and who seem to believe they need to take high doses of vitamins to be healthy. No, Centrum is not providing huge mega-doses of vitamins, it's just intended to supplement, not replace your food.

Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2004;13(3):222-5.

Search for the most complete multivitamin.

Furlong VE, Truswell AS.


The group descriptor "multivitamin" doesn't guarantee that all vitamins are included in the product or that they are present in proportion to nutritional requirements. In fact the great majority of multivitamin preparations do not contain all the 13 established vitamins. We have reviewed the stated composition of all vitamin products registered with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration. All containing fewer than five vitamins were excluded and so were those containing non-culinary herbs or amino acids, or intended only for export, or designed for children and pregnancy or in the form of powder and injections. 163 multivitamins were left for scoring. One point was awarded for each vitamin but a point was deducted if the amount was below or clearly above the Recommended Dietary Intake (RDI). We found two multivitamin preparations containing 13 vitamins at levels close to the RDIs: Centrum Complete (our score 11) and Centrum Select 50+ (score 10); five multivitamins containing 12 vitamins: the best Avon Women's Complete (score 12) and Pluravit (score 10). Others contain fewer vitamins (or scored less than 10). Centrum and Pluravit are available at major outlets and their cost is moderate. We recommend that these most complete multivitamins should be clearly listed in MIMS and dispensed in public hospitals when " Rx multivitamins" is prescribed. People who take a multivitamin supplement to insure that they obtain their vitamin requirements would be best to ask for a multivitamin that contains all (or nearly all) the 13 true vitamins.

This one surprised me:
Pediatrics. 2004 Jul;114(1):27-32.
Early infant multivitamin supplementation is associated with increased risk for food allergy and asthma.

Milner JD, Stein DM, McCarter R, Moon RY.

OBJECTIVE: Dietary vitamins have potent immunomodulating effects in vitro. Individual vitamins have been shown to skew T cells toward either T-helper 1 or T-helper 2 phenotypic classes, suggesting that they may participate in inflammatory or allergic disease. With the exception of antioxidant protection, there has been little study on the effect of early vitamin supplementation on the subsequent risk for asthma and allergic disease. The objective of this study was to determine whether early vitamin supplementation during infancy affects the risk for asthma and allergic disease during early childhood. METHODS: Cohort data were analyzed from the National Center for Health Statistics 1988 National Maternal-Infant Health Survey, which followed pregnant women and their newborns, and the 1991 Longitudinal Follow-up of the same patients, which measured health and disease outcomes. Patients were stratified by race and breastfeeding status. Factors that are known to be associated with alteration of risk for asthma or food allergies were identified using univariate logistic regression. Those factors were then analyzed in multivariate logistic regression models. Early vitamin supplementation was defined as vitamin use within the first 6 months. RESULTS: There were >8000 total patients in the study. The overall incidence of asthma was 10.5% and of food allergy was 4.9%. In univariate analysis, male gender, smoker in the household, child care, prematurity (<37 weeks), being black, no history of breastfeeding, lower income, and lower education were associated with higher risk for asthma. Child care, higher levels of education, income, and history of breastfeeding were associated with a higher risk for food allergies. In multivariate logistic analyses, a history of vitamin use within the first 6 months of life was associated with a higher risk for asthma in black infants (odds ratio [OR]: 1.27; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.04-1.56). Early vitamin use was also associated with a higher risk for food allergies in the exclusively formula-fed population (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.21-2.20). Vitamin use at 3 years of age was associated with increased risk for food allergies but not asthma in both breastfed (OR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.19-2.21) and exclusively formula-fed infants (OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.03-1.88). CONCLUSIONS: Early vitamin supplementation is associated with increased risk for asthma in black children and food allergies in exclusively formula-fed children. Additional study is warranted to examine which components most strongly contribute to this risk.
 
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  • #25
Some more:
Journal of the American Dietetic Association
103: 1185-1187, 2003

Vitamin A in dietary supplements and fortified foods: Too much of a good thing?*1
Kristina L. Penniston MS, RD*, , , Sherry A. Tanumihardjo PhD

Abstract
Vitamin A consumption by many Americans is quite high, in part because of the consumption of fortified foods and the use of vitamin supplements. Most multivitamin supplements provide two or more times the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin A because the daily value (DV) is based on 1968 and not current RDAs. Consumption of just one multivitamin often provides excessive vitamin A, the majority of it as preformed vitamin A esters. Given recent epidemiologic evidence that suggests a link between chronic intakes of vitamin A that exceed the RDA and hip fractures, it may be time to reexamine food and supplement fortification policies and to discontinue the clinical practice of prescribing two multivitamins to the elderly and other patients whose needs for certain micronutrients are high.

Recent epidemiologic studies 1, 2, 3 suggest an increase in the incidence of hip fracture with intakes of 1,500 to 2,000 mg of retinol per day, which is approximately twice the current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for adults 4 . Although more research is clearly needed to understand the temporality, influence of genetics, and mechanisms of action of retinol on bone, the data thus far seem compelling. It may be time to question food fortification with vitamin A and the safety and efficacy of the clinical practice of prescribing two daily multivitamins for certain patient populations (eg, elderly, HIV [human immunodeficiency virus]-positive, postgastric bypass) whose needs for selected micronutrients may be high. Geriatric and other medical practitioners may, for example, prescribe two multivitamins daily to their elderly patients whose vitamin D needs are not being met through dietary intake and/or skin synthesis. A recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, referenced widely on Web sites and in advertisements by vitamin supplement manufacturers, advocates that all adults should take a multivitamin daily and cautiously supports a dose of two daily multivitamins for the elderly, noting the high prevalence of low vitamin B12 and vitamin D intake 5 . Individuals, especially those taking more than one multivitamin per day, may be at an unappreciated greater risk for hypervitaminosis A given that the current daily value (DV) for vitamin A is 5,000 IU (1,500 mg) because it is based on the higher 1968 and not the current RDAs 6, 7 . DV is a standardized term that appears on food and nutrition supplement labels and was designed to help consumers gauge whether a product contains “a lot or a little of a specific nutrient” 6 .

1. Recommendations and intake

In lowering the RDAs for vitamin A in 2001 4 , the Institute of Medicine moved the US recommendations closer to those of other nations. - Table: [ 1] provides the current vitamin A RDAs and tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) by life stage group. There is a disconnect, however, between the RDA and the DV as shown on food labels. Consumers and health practitioners alike may be confused by what, in actuality, are conflicting recommendations. The consumer who measures his or her daily intake of vitamin A by the percent DV appearing on food labels could easily consume more than the RDA and possibly come close to the UL. The UL for vitamin A is 3,000 mg (10,000 IU)/day for adults and less than that for children. (Refer to - Table: [ 1] for the specific ULs for vitamin A by age and gender.) The ingestion of preformed vitamin A beyond recommended levels may be especially common with the routine ingestion of a multivitamin and other dietary supplements, a practice that approximately 50% of the US population follows, with higher percentages of intake among certain subpopulations 8, 9, 10 . Although some major vitamin manufacturers now provide 20% to 25% of the vitamin A as beta carotene, a provitamin A carotenoid from which there is little risk of toxicity, preformed vitamin A (usually as retinyl acetate or palmitate) predominates. An individual who consumes even one multivitamin per day in addition to consuming foods fortified with preformed vitamin A will easily exceed 1,500 mg per day. Using commonly consumed foods, - Table: [ 2] illustrates the ease with which a high amount of vitamin A may be obtained. The 2,520 mg of vitamin A shown in the table as the daily total would exceed 4,000 mg if two multivitamins were figured into the calculations.
 
  • #26
Addressing Vitamin A's osteoporotic characteristic

Moonbear said:
hitssquad said:
Except for some fat-soluble vitamins, 100% RDA is an extremely low dose.
Some more: [Consumption of just one multivitamin often provides excessive vitamin A]
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin (and 5,000 IU of vitamin A is 1,500 mcg (1.5 mg), not 1,500 mg).

Many things have both desirable and undesirable effects. Vitamin A is recognized in the establishment medical-research literature as one of these things. And undesirable effects are not necessarily unaddressable in any given case. A supplementer might choose to address vitamin A's osteoporotic tendency by also ingesting "adequate amounts of bone-protecting nutrients such as manganese, zinc, copper, vitamin K, and magnesium" and homocystiene-lowering substances.
http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-154.shtml
 
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  • #27
The best that can nutritionally be achieved - the bar has been raised

Moonbear said:
If you're truly using it as a supplement to and not a substitute for a reasonably balanced diet, there's no need to exceed 100% RDA.
That depends upon what the nutritional goal is, and upon what is classified as food and what is classified as supplement. If the goal is to prevent or reverse Beriberi, that can be accomplished while ingesting only a fraction of the daily value (DV) of thiamine. If the goal, instead, is the optimum compromise of high-functioning and low-rate-of-senescence in today's food-drug-and-supplement environment, that cannot be accomplished while abstaining from supplements.

In other words, if there were no supplements available, the best that could be done (in terms of high-functioning and low-rate-of-senescence ) could be done with food alone. Adding the current supplement market to the picture raises the bar. The best that can be achieved now is better than the best that could be achieved before there were supplements. You are right, partially. If your goal is only the best that could be achieved in regards to personal biology two centuries ago, there is no reason to ingest supplements to a food diet that covers the popularly-speculated "reasonably balanced" spectrum.
 

1. How much do PFers typically spend on dietary supplements?

The average amount spent by PFers on dietary supplements varies greatly depending on individual preferences and budgets. Some may spend only a few dollars per month, while others may spend hundreds of dollars per month. It is important to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.

2. What types of dietary supplements do PFers usually spend the most on?

The types of dietary supplements that PFers spend the most on can vary, but some common ones include protein powders, multivitamins, pre-workout supplements, and protein bars. These are often used to support muscle growth, improve athletic performance, and overall health.

3. Are there any recommended guidelines for how much to spend on dietary supplements?

There are no specific guidelines for how much to spend on dietary supplements. It is important to carefully consider your budget and consult with a healthcare professional to determine which supplements are necessary for your individual needs. It is also important to research and compare prices from different brands to ensure you are getting the best value.

4. Can spending too much on dietary supplements be harmful?

While dietary supplements can be beneficial for some individuals, it is possible to spend too much on them. This can lead to excess intake of certain vitamins and minerals, which can be harmful to your health. It is important to follow recommended dosages and consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.

5. Are there any ways to save money on dietary supplements?

Yes, there are several ways to save money on dietary supplements. It is important to research and compare prices from different brands and retailers. You can also look for sales or discounts, buy in bulk, and consider purchasing generic versions of supplements. Additionally, focusing on a well-balanced diet can help reduce the need for expensive supplements.

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