My 21 yr old daughter had j-pouch surgery 4 yrs ago. Any advice for her regarding vitamins or supplements for better general health? Is smoking cigarettes a HUGE mistake on her part? Of course I think so, but perhaps the opinion of others in her shoes would be more credible to her.

I just try to eat as healthy as possible. I do take a multi-vitamin and a probiotic supplement -- just an over-the-counter one, which might not be very effective. I drink V8 daily for my veggies, because I have to be very careful with eating them. I do know that regular exercise and good sleep make a HUGE difference, as well.

I don't smoke and never did, so I guess I don't really have the experience to comment. I do know that, depending on whether she still has her cuff, etc., she may be more prone to certain cancers now, and I personally wouldn't want to tempt fate with another risk factor. But at 21 she's going to have to make those decisions for herself (which I know you already know!).

VirLuc

A good chewable multivit should be good, as far as defiencies they tend to be more individual. If she has fatigue some blood work might be in order. I tend to run low on B12, vitC and Magnesium, but others seem to do fine.As for the smoking.....while some studies find it protective in UC...she is also at risk for extraintestinal manafestations , which can include lung issues. She's got to decide that one I'm afraid. I've never heard anyone recommend smoking.....
LoriP

Smoking is, of course, a bad choice for an otherwise "healthy" person, and I think a poor health choice for anyone. I know there have been some studies to suggest that it might be "helpful" for UC b/c some patients who smoked and later quit flared after quitting, but I do not see this as an excuse to smoke and put yourself at risk for other health problems. Smoking is definitely contraindicated in Crohn's, which is what I have. I make a point to stay away from second-hand smoke and am sure to tell friends and family who smoke that it is bad for my Crohn's and ask them to please refrain from smoking in my presence. (Like it's not bad for everyone!!) As you can tell, I am not a fan of this habit, and I would think that if her goal is to be healthier, quitting smoking would be a good place to start.
As for vitamins, Forvia is a good one that a lot of people on this board, including me, take. It is specifically formulated for those with IBD. Calcium, of course, as a young woman with history of IBD, is important.
She should probably discuss all this with her doctor...

As long as she eats a balanced diet, she should be fine. However, I do take a multivitamin (as insurance) and probiotics (mostly because I have chronic cuffitis).

As far as smoking goes, there is not one single citing in the medical literature that recommends smoking for anyone with IBD. Unfortunately, some people see the correlation of UC with being an exsmoker as a reason to continue to smoke. It may be protective in UC, but it is just plain deadly in so many ways that it is foolish to continue to smoke in the face of overwhelming evidence of its connection to so many life threatening diseases. But, the young tend to think that they are invincible. The best thing to do is to quit ASAP and hope that there is not damage that will show up 20-30 years from now.

Jan