Jim Gaffigan on Vitamins

Agreed. His “hot pockets” bit makes me want to rip my eardrums out. However, for a mainstream comedian…he’s not so bad. I feel like so often his jokes come thiiis close to actual relevant criticism/parody/whatever, but he never scratches the surface to keep his mainstream audience happy. They don’t make me LOL, but he can drag a reluctant chuckle out of me from time to time.

(Of course, my only source for this is that godawful hot pockets segment, a few times I’ve been forced to sit through his standup on Comedy Central, and one live show in Fort Wayne, Indiana…which was the perfect audience for the guy. Middle aged white people who are just tickled to death that hot pockets come in baking sleeves. In another sense…easily impressed.)

So what is your basis for saying that vitamins don’t work?

One search out at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov yields dozens of double blind studies that have shown success for various things with vitamins.

Don’t get me wrong, there has been a huge amount of exaggeration by some (vitamin C initial claims in the 1970’s), but to claim that there is “no proof they actually work” seems to be factually wrong.

There is no question that you need vitamins to live.  The question is whether or not normal people live with vitamin deficiencies such that they would benefit from taking supplemental vitamins.

I have an intestinal disorder that results in my not absorbing enough vitamins.  To counter this, the standard method is to take extra vitamins.  I have lab results showing deficiencies, my doctor has me take more vitamin pills, and then the lab results show my levels rising to normal levels.  I have evidence that I need vitamin supplements.

Many people have deficiencies of Vitamin D because it is made in the skin.  If you, unlike our evolutionary ancestors, work inside most of the day, you may not have enough Vitamin D.  If you have dark skin and live in latitudes more extreme than your skin type evolved in, you may not have enough Vitamin D.  If you wear sunscreen (good for you!) when you go out in the sun, you may not have enough Vitamin D.  Seriously, go get tested.  Vitamin D is required for calcium absorption.  If you don’t have enough, you may not be getting enough calcium either and then your body will pull it from your bones.

If everyone was taking Tylenol, even if they didn’t have a headache, we wouldn’t say that Tylenol doesn’t work just because it did nothing for people who don’t have a headache.  Yes, some people take vitamins and they don’t need to.  That doesn’t mean they don’t work.

Natural vitamin preparations do work:  Nicotinic Acid does lower cholesterol, improves circulation.  Vitamin D3 is showing tremendous promise in cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, and blood pressure research.  Omega 3 fatty acids from fish also work for a many purposes.  A simple google search brings us peer-reviewed studies from respected journals shows that.  

Now, there are a lot of vitamin preparations that do not because they are manufactured in the lab and do not occur naturally in the bio-active forms and a lot of people toss those bs preparations back like aspirin.  

Distinctions need to be made.

Well said, Vicki.  My daughter required Vitamin D for many years, due to a deficiency caused by medical treatment.   Without the supplements her growth very well may have been affected.  But at the same time, so many people choose to take vitamins when a proper diet would probably be far more beneficial.  I prefer to spend my money on locally grown produce, so we eat it when it’s fresh and shortly after its harvested.

And according to our son’s doctor, everybody in Maine (unless you work outside with at least your arms bare, I surmise) is vitamin D deficient. Year round. Northern latitudes can do that to you… we didn’t evolve here.

Yes, I was going to say the exact same thing. I avoid the sun because I’m afraid of skin cancer, I’m afraid of premature skin aging, and I like my Irish pallor. Last time I had bloodwork done my (real) doctor said I’m way vitamin D deficient, and I need to either get in the sun or take supplements. I chose supplements. 

I think Jim is actually talking about people who take vitamins just because they think “vitamins make you healthier.” Vitamins you don’t need don’t make you healthier; vitamins you do need do. 

I still love Jim. 🙂