Connor Andrew Clark-Lindh

I have been trying to figure out the best vitamin to take and really I can't find any one. This journey has also made me really confused about what sort of vitamins I really need to take and how to deal with this whole mess... So to help others along my same path, I have come up with a few posts on vitamins and handling the whole mess of things.

The situation with vitamins isn't helped much because there is so much marketing. And most countries don't even regulate the statements of vitamins.

However, I will repeat this a few times - I am not a medical professional, so please please please talk to a professional before making any judgments about your diet or health choices. Here I am just giving a short guide on the process I have gone through.

Now on to Part 1 - the Rules

Rule 1) Everything on the bottle is likely a lie or pretty close to one. When I read the labels on vitamins, I always get really excited. According to all these companies, if I take their vitamins I can lose weight, gain weight, gain muscle, get stronger bones, become immune to sickness, age slower, remove lines on my (insert body part), eliminate pain in my (insert body part), increase performance in (insert sport, sexual act, social event), and any other number of things. Yet, honestly can any of this really be true? Almost none of these statements are really tested and in the end are just coorilations between two possibly related facts - which brings us to...

Rule 2) Just because the facts are related doesn't mean one causes the other. Most of the claims associated with vitamins are based on relationships between two "possibly" related facts. For example: Fact1: Strong bones break less often, Fact2: Calcium helps make bones strong. Vitamin Label: Take more calcium for stronger bones.

Wait a minute.... there is a major missing void of information here, and the best way to see it is by asking the simple question "is that all?" for each fact -

Fact1: are strong bones all that matter? Answer: No. Muscle strength, available fat, flexibility and weight all influence whether you break your bones or not. You can have the strongest bones in the world, but if you are inflexible and low on muscle, you are more likely to fall and break your bones in a nasty way.

Fact2: is calcium the only thing that helps make bones strong? Answer: No. The health of your bones is influenced by a mess of factors including your general diet, health and genetic factors. Yes calcium is important in making your bones strong, but so are many other vitamins and environmental factors.

Rule 3) Diet and Vitamin balance is important to your overall health, but it is also really complicated. Which means, you really should see a professional Nutritionist or Dietitian before spending money on any of those supplements. And this finally brings us to the last rule...

Rule 4) Don't believe everything your are told or read. Vitamin and dietary science are still very young feilds and there are always new studies and information popping up. It is possible that your Nutritionist will suggest a vitamin that will turn out to be not as effective as something else. Do your own research and question why things are the way they are until you can understand and accept the reasons.

Up next week? Part 2 - Look at your Diet, Activities