Zipvit vitamins

Ted_Hutchinson

renegade wrote:

Are these one and the same? If not, why do we need d3?

The Zipvit 1000iu vitamin D tablets are D2 I emailed them and that is what they told me.
In post #4 I put this link
The case against ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) as a vitamin supplement which presents the case that vitamin D2 should no longer be considered equivalent to vitamin D3 and that vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, should not be regarded as a nutrient suitable for supplementation or fortification.

While I appreciate someone new to the value of vitamin d3 may find the paper hard going I feel that if you made the effort you may grasp that

• vitamin D3 has proven to be the more potent form of vitamin D
• In humans, vitamin D3 is more effective than vitamin D2 at raising serum 25(OH)D concentrations.
• 50 000 IU)vitamin D2 should be considered equivalent to 15000 IU vitamin D3, and likely closer to 5000 IU vitamin D3 (21). (that means it's between a third to a tenth as effective.
• vitamin D3 to maintains a higher 25(OH)D concentrations over time.( that means it lasts longer and benefits you for a greater amount of time.)
• The poorer stability of and greater impurities in vitamin D2 powders may also lead to a higher risk of toxicity than that associated with the vitamin D3 (that means it's not as safe)
• Assessment of vitamin D status after D2 supplementation: challenges to assay methodology ( that means it's harder to be sure that the dose you've taken has done what it's supposed to do)
• there are age-related changes in vitamin D metabolism, impairment with age pertains solely to vitamin D2 metabolism.(this is particularly important for this forum as it is a waste of money older people buying d2 if they are unable to benefit from it in the same way younger people might)

So the answer is that they are NOT one and the same. Both are sold as vitamin d but the D2 version (also called ergocalciferol) is NOT as good, not as safe, not as effective,(particularly for the elderly) and doesn't last as long as VITAMIN D3 CHOLECALCIFEROL.
for these reasons everyone should check the makeup of their multimineral/vitamin d and calcium/vitamin d tablets and if they don't say Cholecalciferol or D3 they should email the makers and ask. If they do contain D2 then DON'T BUY that make again. (they are safe to use up so don't waste them)

PS: This also applies to prescribed formulations of vitamin d and calcium. They are as likely as the ones you buy over the counter to be virtually useless. GP's are as ignorant of the most appropriate form of vitamin d as the general public.

icefall

The OP wants to buy Glucosamine, Ted can you confirm that vitamins generally (apart from vitamin D) from Zipvit are good quality...

Ted_Hutchinson

icefall wrote:

The OP wants to buy Glucosamine, Ted can you confirm that vitamins generally (apart from vitamin D) from Zipvit are good quality...

I regularly order stuff from Zipvit as I think that on the whole their vitamins/supplements are the best value for money.
Until I see evidence to the contrary I think one 500mg of x is different from 5000mg of x from a different supplier I assume they are the same.

There may be differences in the form of the vitamin supplied which is why I've pointed out the inferiority of the form of vitamin d Zipvit choose to supply
but if the strength and form of the substance are identical then I buy by price.

ZIPVIT are the cheapest and best supplier of Carnitine for instance.

The pricing on Glucosamine varies with particular offers available and so I'd check round all the online suppliers before ordering but you do have to check that what you are comparing is EXACTLY the same strength and is in fact the same chemical formulation.

loulou41

Healthspan are doing special online offer at £9.45 for 360 tablets. I have also got a code for £2 if you spend, I am not sure whether it is £18 or £20. I have noticed they are now charging £1 for postage if order is under £15.

I am also interested to know what other members take. At our age, we need a little help, am not sure whether all these vits are effective or not or we could overdose.

I start with myself.

I use Glucosamine 1000mgs twice a day
Osteoplus twice a day
MSM once a day. All from Healthspan
Forever Aloe Vera with MSM once a day. Wonder whether they are any good as they are very expensive compared to H & B. Takes them for stiffness, knee and backpain.
Hubby takes cod liver oil. Does anybody know the difference between cod liver and omega 3? He had a bone density scan although he has not got osteoporosis, his bone is losing his density. No treatment according to GP, but he is taking glucosamine and osteoplus like me, and he has a history of osteoporosis in the family. His brother has got it, which is unusual according to DR.

Am very interested to know what other members take for their aches and pains. I am in my late fifties. Thanks

Ted_Hutchinson

loulou41 wrote:

I use Glucosamine 1000mgs twice a day

The daily amount of Glucosamine that has been shown to be effective is 1500mg so you are taking a 25% more than is necessary. You may find you save a bit and don't notice any worsening of your condition if you split one of those tablets in half so you took the amount that has been shown to produce the best results.

loulou41 wrote:

Osteoplus twice a day

Recommended daily intake: Two tablets, twice daily, taken with food (4 in total)Calcium – 800mg, Magnesium – 300mg, Zinc – 5mg, Vitamin D – 5mcg (200iu), Copper – 1.2mg, Boron – 3mg.If you are taking 4 a day of these they are costing you 14p/d. I think if you have a history of arthritis in the family your doctor would supply

loulou41 wrote:

MSM once a day. All from Healthspan

I haven't yet found any convincing evidence MSM is worth paying for.

loulou41 wrote:

Forever Aloe Vera with MSM once a day. Wonder whether they are any good as they are very expensive compared to H & B. Takes them for stiffness, knee and backpain.

There is more evidence Aloe Vera is no better than a placebo than evidence it does any good at all.
I am certain you are totally wasting your money on these.

loulou41 wrote:

Hubby takes cod liver oil. Does anybody know the difference between cod liver and omega 3?

If he is takingSt Clements rather than the capsules he will be getting Each 5ml (one teaspoonful) serving contains: Pure Icelandic Cod Liver Oil of which total Omega 3 is 920mg, EPA is 345mg, DHA is 460mg. Vitamin A is 967mcg (120% RDA), Vitamin D is 10.35mcg (207% RDA) and Natural Source Vitamin E is 5.5mg (55% RDA). So you see the omega 3 content of this is less than Zipvit omega juice which packs 1.5g of omega3's in one teaspoon.
Cod Liver Oil is better than Omega 3 in that it also contains a small amount of Vitamin D, however you can have too much Cod Liver oil because the amount of Vitamin A is quite high and you shouldn't take too much Vitamin A. So people who are taking Cod Liver Oil should also take some Omega 3 to raise their intake to a really effective amount.
You will find good advice here about Osteoporosis
You should both be aware that there is evidence that calcium is not well absorbed from supplements, it's better absorbed from calcium: foodsources
however in order to take it up the small intestine has to have plenty of vitamin d3 cholecalciferol.


Calcium obtained from supplements may have a greater tendency to be blocked from absorption in the intestinal tract by competing minerals or excreted in the urine, according to Dr. Heyman.

Non-dairy sources of calcium include salmon (203 mg/three-ounce serving), broccoli (62 mg/cup), collards (266 mg/cup), baked beans (127 mg/cup), as well as calcium-fortified orange juice (300 mg/cup) and breakfast cereals (100 mg/cup).

Calcium supplements should be considered as a last resort
So getting that right first by taking a high strength Vitamin d3 cholecalciferol capsule is most important between October and March and get out into the sunshine (without sunscreen,cosmetics) for at least 10 minutes around noon as regularly as possible the rest of the year.

• Exercising with osteoporosis: Stay active the safe way
• Osteoporosis
• Calcium supplements: Study questions benefits

stressedoutmum

WOW Ted - Where do you get all your information from. I bought the Omega Juice from Zipvit after reading about it on this forum for my young son to help his concentration. My husband was sceptical about this until his last bottle finished and we never put him on it again. Well..... did we notice a difference - straight back onto Zipvit. Have had no problems with them and would recommend them. Does anyone know if there are any vitamins that would help plantar facilitis - do you think the Glucosimine would work being an artery think. Dont want medical advice (as we're not allowed) but just want to see if I am looking in the right direction. :j

Ted_Hutchinson

stressedoutmum wrote:

WOW Ted - Where do you get all your information from. I bought the Omega Juice from Zipvit after reading about it on this forum for my young son to help his concentration. My husband was sceptical about this until his last bottle finished and we never put him on it again. Well..... did we notice a difference - straight back onto Zipvit. Have had no problems with them and would recommend them. Does anyone know if there are any vitamins that would help plantar facilitis - do you think the Glucosimine would work being an artery think. Dont want medical advice (as we're not allowed) but just want to see if I am looking in the right direction. :j

A pubmed search for glucosamine plantar fasciitis didn't reveal anything hopeful. The same search at Google Scholar picked up two possible papers but neither had abstracts so I'm none the wise. So I don't think anyone else thinks this may be a move in the right direction. Glucosamine is needed for the development of cartilage development and regeneration.
plantar fasciitis means you have inflamed the tough, fibrous band of tissue (fascia) connecting your heel bone to the base of your toes.

So it's more likely that anti inflammatories such as omega 3, vitamin d3, etc may reduce the pain caused by inflammation but you would need at least 1-3g of Omega 3 EFA's(1 or 2 tsps Omega Juice) daily and spend at least a month on this amount to feel the benefit. Alongside the splint treatment it would do no harm and may have benefits for mental health wellbeing, heart health etc but this is just me thinking aloud and not medical advice and certainly NOT evidence based information. The problem is that Plantar fascitis will calm down given rest/splinting/time and even if you did use natural anti inflammatories you couldn't ever say it was them that improved the situation. But you've got the Omega Juice to hand and if it helps it helps and if it doesn't, it not cost you much. The vitamin d3 will also improve your mood as the nights draw in so if you don't feel so glum it also won't do any harm and it's cheap enough not to bother about (it'll reduce your risk of breast cancer significantly so that won't be waste of money either.) But do be aware in the same way there is no medical research evidence to support the use of glucosamine for plantar fascitis there is equally NO published research to suggest that anti inflammatories such as omega 3, vitamin d3 would help this condition.

You are far better advised to stick with known, tried & tested solutions.

loulou41

Fred, you seem so knowledgeable. From now on I will take only 1500 mgs of Glucosamine, will also drop the MSM and Aloe Vera. I only take 2 tabs of Osteoplus a day instead of four as I am allowing for what I get from my daily diet. Can you please recommend a good calcium tablets or a supplement that is good for the skin and hair? I am also buying the cod liver oil with omega 3 St Clement's one. Thanks again.

Ted_Hutchinson

loulou41 wrote:

Can you please recommend a good calcium tablets or a supplement that is good for the skin and hair? I am also buying the cod liver oil with omega 3 St Clement's one. Thanks again.

Not really as this link Calcium supplements: Study questions benefits implies that the body prefers to obtain calcium from the food you eat in preference to calcium from tablets.
You need 1,200 mg/day of calcium.
If you look at the list here and here
you will see that a glass of milk = 300mg
a yoghurt = 300mg
an ounce of cheddar =240mg
spinach = 224mg
sesame seeds=351.00
orange=52mg
SARDINES= 150MG
so making sure you have a healthy diet with plenty of milk/yoghurt/cheese together with greens and fruit and nuts and seeds and FISH such as sardines/salmon you will do far better than using supplements.

Keeping your skin in good condition is a matter of keeping it well hydrated and that means WATER is probably the best supplement you can take. Plenty of it. Green tea counts as water and is very very good for skin if you can't stand drinking it you could wash in it or put the green teabags in the bath.
For hair LINSEED is a wonderful conditioner. I kept my linseed in a plastic bag under the stairs and the mice nibbled through the plastic and gorged themselves on linseed. You've never seen such smart mice as I caught. Wonderful glossy, shiny sleek and gleaming with good health, it was a shame to kill them. Still the cat enjoyed eating them so it wasn't wasted.
Honestly if it's good enough for cats, dogs and horses coats it's fine for you too. Linseed is a very good source of ALA and this is used by the body to make omega 3 and omega 3 when it gets to your skin keeps the cells in a better state of hydration.
Try some from Tesco's 69p 250g. they need grinding in a mill/spice grinder, you could probably whizz them in a liquidiser, and add a tablespoon to your porridge/cereal/muesli or season your sprouts with a spoonful, mix some in your soup or stir it into your casserole. Bung it in your baking, and chuck it in your curries. Has lots of soluble fibre and insoluble fibre to so it really gets you going.
It also has lots of lignans and these are good for you too.

Savvy_Sue

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

I buy mine from BIO-TECH Pharmacal Inc.The best source for Vitamin D3 Cholecalciferol. With postage they worked out around £17 for 250

I am perhaps being particularly dim: HOW do I order from Bio-Tech? Do you send them your credit card details by email (not something I'm keen to do) or phone them or what?