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- What's up guys?
Doctor Mike here.
Today I'm going to talk about a subject
I'm incredibly passionate about,
and that's vitamins.
There's a ton of misinformation out there,
from people peddling cancer cures,
heart disease prevention.
I'm going to focus on two major vitamins today
that are causing a stir in this conversation.
Vitamin D and Vitamin B12.
So what are vitamins?
- What are vitamins? (laughs)
She's laughing.
- They make you feel better and they,
- Vitamins are things that our body needs to thrive.
- Supplements to,
- Keep your body on track.
- Sources of energy.
- Vitamins are substances that are found in every day foods,
that allow your body to function properly,
and ultimately grow.
There are two type of vitamins.
Fat soluble vitamins and water soluble vitamins.
The fat soluble vitamins
Are vitamins D, E, K, A
You water soluble vitamins
are Vitamin B1 B2 B3 B5 B6 B7 B9 B12 and Vitamin C.
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First let's take B12.
What's B12?
It's Cobalamin, it's a supplement that a lot of doctor's
are recommending for things like fatigue,
or increased weight loss.
But what does the research say?
Currently there is no evidence that supports
the claim that B12 supplement improves your fatigue,
or helps you lose weight.
There are some patients
who do need Vitamin B12 supplementation.
But those patients are few and far between
with only 1% of the population
having a true Vitamin B12 deficiency.
When you come to your doctor with symptoms of fatigue,
or weight gain, vitamin supplementation
should not be the first thing that's talked about.
Your doctor should do a full physical exam,
a thorough history, and order the appropriate lab test,
to figure out what's the source of the problem,
before jumping right away to supplementation.
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(brakes screeching)
Vitamin D.
Is Vitamin D important?
- Yes, very important.
- Very.
- I don't know why it would be, but I'm sure that it is.
- I'm guessing for your skin, I'm not sure.
- Something helps bone.
- Um, I feel like it makes me happier.
- Is it for your bones or something? (laughs)
- It's touted as a miracle vitamin, the miracle pill.
I've seen some crazy headlines
of people claiming it cures cancer,
cures depression, prevents heart attacks, strokes,
but what evidence is really out there
to support all of these claims?
Currently the good quality evidence
shows that in an average healthy person,
there is no benefit to supplementing with Vitamin D.
So why is everybody talking about Vitamin D
as if it's a miracle pill?
Well, there have been some smaller studies
that have shown promise for Vitamin D,
in prevention of some diseases,
in decreased in respiratory tract infections,
improvements in treating depression.
However, that promise has not yet been replicated
in good quality large studies.
What evidence has shown is that people who get more sick
tend to have a lower Vitamin D level.
What's not clear is this the cause of the illness,
or the result of the illness.
It's really the story of the chicken and the egg, guys.
If you're worried about having a Vitamin D deficiency,
you'd have to remember that mild Vitamin D deficiency
shows no symptoms at all.
And severe Vitamin D deficiency shows very vague symptoms,
like bone pain and muscle weakness.
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What do you do if you think you're Vitamin D deficient?
Well, since we've seen that there's no clear evidence
to supplementing Vitamin D,
you can focus on getting Vitamin D naturally
through your diet.
Tuna, salmon, great examples of fish
that have high Vitamin D content.
Also, dairy foods, cereals.
Another great way to get Vitamin D,
is to spend 30 minutes outside twice a week,
allowing the sun to hit your exposed skin.
If after focusing on the sun and diet,
you still feel like you have a Vitamin D deficiency,
or symptoms of a Vitamin D deficiency,
go see your doctor, have that conversation,
and see if a Vitamin D test is exactly what they recommend.
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Do you know how much Vitamin D you should get in a day?
- No.
- 1000.
- 1000?
If you have low Vitamin D how would you know?
- Uh, how would I know?
Um, if I went to the doctor and found that out.
- Is there such thing as too much Vitamin D?
- I think so, yeah.
- What happens then?
- Uh, you'll just like feel sick.
(laughs)
- If vitamins have been touted to promote general health,
and to prevent chronic illnesses,
but that's simply untrue.
However, there is some promise.
Important to remember,
while all these people are talking about the benefits
of vitamins,
we have to remember that there exists vitamin toxicities,
which means that you're getting too much of a vitamin.
Especially the fat soluble vitamins
that we mentioned earlier D, E, K, A.
Can build up in your system
because they're dissolved
within your bodies own fat tissues.
Those who have a nutritional deficiency,
a vitamin deficiency,
most certainly should take vitamins.
But odds are, that's not you.
Hope I was able to cut through the noise for you
when it comes to vitamins.
I know it's a controversial subject.
Leave your comments, leave your questions,
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