supplements - but which company???

[rolf1]

i read a lot about the advantage of taking supplements and i support the idea to help the body with additional intake of vitamins and minerals in form of tablets. but my question is, which company to choose? there seem to be so much different kinds on the market, from cheap to very expensive, from hip to natural, from potent to basically nothing (i read there have to be certain chemicals added, so that the body can easily absorb the vitamins and minerals - otherwise the good stuff get flushed out).
i for myself use at the moment the company blackmore. i think they are from australia, but not sure as i get the description of the bottles in another language.
i don't want to promote any of these companies, but would be very interested in what you take and what experiences you have. it would be a waste of time and money if someone take expensive supplements which have no or very little result.
waiting for your recommendations...

[risred1]

Douglas Labs - AMNI - Added Protection without Iron is my multi of choice. Contains 200 mcg of Selenium and is in a chelated form.

[madbrain]

Hi,

i read a lot about the advantage of taking supplements and i support the idea to help the body with additional intake of vitamins and minerals in form of tablets. but my question is, which company to choose? there seem to be so much different kinds on the market, from cheap to very expensive, from hip to natural, from potent to basically nothing (i read there have to be certain chemicals added, so that the body can easily absorb the vitamins and minerals - otherwise the good stuff get flushed out).
i for myself use at the moment the company blackmore. i think they are from australia, but not sure as i get the description of the bottles in another language.
i don't want to promote any of these companies, but would be very interested in what you take and what experiences you have. it would be a waste of time and money if someone take expensive supplements which have no or very little result.
waiting for your recommendations...

My advice (which is free and worth every penny) is to look for supplements that are USP verified. The bottles will carry a "USP verified" logo. See http://www.usp.org/USPVerified/dietarySupplements/ . The site has a partial list of verified supplements. I have seen many more with this logo. This will at least prove that what is stated on the bottle is what you get - ie. the right ingredient, in the right quantity, without contaminants. There aren't that many brands that have this. One of them is Nature made that you find at many drugstores, and at Costco. Not all of their supplements are USP verified, but about half of them are. The Costco brand (Kirkland) also puts several supplements through USP verification. Sometimes you will find some Walgreen or Longs drugs store brand vitamins that are USP.

If you can't find a USP certification, the next best thing is statement from the company that they follow GMP practices. There is sometimes a GMP logo.

Of course, this merely addresses from which vendor to get the supplements from, not what type to actually get. There is a very wide variety of opinions about that. On my lost hours I like to go to http://scholar.google.com and search for terms like CD4, HIV and a supplement or vitamin name. It almost always finds interesting studies.

One thing most doctors do agree on for HIV support is to take a multivitamin every day. After that, there are a few other supplements with more or less support. Selenium is one that my doctor agrees on, with a recommended dose of 200 micrograms/day.

The multivitamin I take is called "Adam superior multi" and made by Now foods. It is GMP, not USP. See http://www.nowfoods.com/?action=itemdetail&item_id=13564 for more details on the ingredient list. It includes the 200 mcg of selenium already, so you don't need to buy a separate supplement. This is much better than, say, your typical Centrum. You can get it either in tablet form (2 big tablets) or capsules (3 capsules). I use the tablets right now since they are cheaper. I buy them from iherb.com, which has pretty good prices and fast delivery. One year supply will run you about $120. If you can only afford one supplement or just don't want to take too many, I would recommend that one. I don't have any affiliation with Now or iherb except as a happy customer.

Other supplements with less support but still of note include alpha lipoic acid, l-glutamine, n-acetyl cysteine, high doses of vitamin B6, B12, C and E, EGCG, beta-carotene, coq10.

[mousey]

Was wondering whether Super Multis from GNC is sufficient?

Nature's Farm Super Multis is designed to optimize your vitality and energy. Bursting with natural vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and a super-energizing green food complex, it delivers 57 nutrients in synergistic harmony. Nature's Farm Super Multis is also fortified with heart friendly Co-enzyme Q 10.

http://naturesfarm.com/product.asp?ID=61   

Is there specific ingredient to avoid from supplements?

[madbrain]

I think iron is one element to avoid for us . Unless you are a vegeterian.

[BT65]

I take a women's multi-vitamin that has iron in it.  And that's it-no extra supplements, no other vitamins etc. etc. etc.

[madbrain]

I take a women's multi-vitamin that has iron in it.  And that's it-no extra supplements, no other vitamins etc. etc. etc.

It's probably OK at low dose, but you still may want to think about a multi without iron next time you buy one.
It seems the women's multis tend to include it more frequently than the men's multis. For example the NOW "adam" male multi I take is iron-free, but their "eve" multi for women has it ...

Nevertheless, some more info :
http://www.pronutrition.org/archive/200407/msg00009.php
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0306987701913684
http://www.hivplusmag.com/column.asp?id=584&categoryid=5

From the last link, "Iron supplementation in subgroups with HIV infection has been associated with progression of HIV disease, higher mortality, and shorter survival times."

[CaliGuy22]

Hey Mad! I am way behind on this topic but could you explain why the Iron is bad for us? Or why I want to avoid it, anything else we should avoid? and do you have any studies or anything to show it. I am just new at this and starting to study and pick out what supplements to take. Thanks a ton!!!
~Jay

[BT65]

I've been taking a women's mutli-vitamin with iron for years and it's not directly caused HIV progression or any other adverse effect. 

[redhotmuslbear]

It's probably OK at low dose, but you still may want to think about a multi without iron next time you buy one.
It seems the women's multis tend to include it more frequently than the men's multis. For example the NOW "adam" male multi I take is iron-free, but their "eve" multi for women has it ...

Mad,
While you attempt an air of expertise on nutrition by tossing about googled links to studies, the increased demand for dietary iron among women has been long been understood in the context of menstruation despite some compensation due to size differences between the sexes:

http://www.healthyeatingclub.org/bookstore/foodqa/ch5/5-6.htm

In the age of highly active antiretroviral therapy, the potential for anemia without supplementation remains a greater concern for women that any kick given to the bugs.

[MYSTERY]

I have been taking K-PAX vitamins and also Juven for working out along with a protien drink 2 times a day. Seems to be working. K-PAX is a little expensive.

[Matty the Damned]

Working? How is it working?

MtD

[MYSTERY]

Well prior to taking the Juven my bench press was around 250. Now I am benching 275 for 2 reps not bad. I think the Juven has helped with lean muscle mass and has given me more energy. I think however you probably can go out and just by some HMB and the other 2 supplements that are in the Juven and it will do just as well for you. K- PAX has also helped with my energy level. Once again you probably can get it cheaper, but I buy it because I can afford it and it has all the important stuff you need.

[Matty the Damned]

Cheers!

MtD