1. Lawrence March 11, 2012 at 7:46 pm

   Hi Paul:
   Hope your doing well.
   Paul, I came across a very interesting, if something controversial article in ‘Macleans’ magazine, in the January 2012 edition. The article is titled ‘The End of Illness’. There is a lot of writing in it by a ‘Dr. David Agus’ who is a professor of medicine at University of Southern California, and claims to ‘look at death two or three times a week’. He doesn’t like advocating chemo drugs, and with most types of cancer, he wants instead to look at a few simple lifestyle changes. He argues that keeping inflammation at bay is the key to living a long and healthy life.

   Paul, my question to you however, is that Dr. Agus does not support taking any vitamins at all. He states that Tumours eat Vitamin C like ‘candy’, and argues that evidence on vitamin supplements are ‘useless, and dangerous.
   He recommends on taking aspirin instead, along with some statins.

   Paul, it is possible that I am taking too many vitamins, in addition to your recommended supplementation. However, what is your take on Dr.Agus’ theories?

   Paul, in closing, I intend to still take my vitamins, however, am wondering if taking too many vitamins is putting a strain on my liver, and with all the multitude of information that is out there, is it possible that too many vitamins could alter one’s condition, and lead to complications such as cancer, and or otherwise?
   I thought that taking vitamins is a good insurance policy, then again I have noticed that I am urinating too much, and could this be a result of taking too many vitamins?
   Thanks Paul!

   Reply
2. Paul Jaminet March 11, 2012 at 9:07 pm

   Hi Lawrence,

   It’s a good question. We know that SAD dieters benefit from taking vitamins, but they are also relatively malnourished. On an optimally-designed food-based diet, there might be few supplement needs other than magnesium and vitamin D.

   We’ve been getting our diet progressively more nutrient-rich. I need to weigh my food for a week and see how much we’re getting of the various nutrients.

   I can’t agree with the statin recommendation, however.

   Best, Paul

   Reply
3. Ramon March 12, 2012 at 3:41 pm

   So paul Sense I cant find A multi That truly Satisfied my perception of the optimal multi, Do you think its okay to build your own. Take a co enzyme B vitamin Complex, then take each mineral separate (albion Glycinate chelates) Add some Vitamin C and E maybe some extra choline/inositol. Seems like alot but It worked out pretty economical. Thanks Paul!

   Hi Ramon,

   Yes, I think that’s an excellent approach. But don’t get too much folic acid in the B complex.

   Best, Paul

   Reply
4. My experience with the Perfect Health Diet’s supplement plan | Adventures in Nutritional Therapy - pingback on March 13, 2012 at 5:19 pm
5. Ramon March 13, 2012 at 6:57 pm

   Thank’s paul! the folate I will be taking will be this type, not Folic acid, Good? http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SWU714/ItemDetail

   My diet is line with the book of course, supplements haven’t been there though lot’s of nagging health problems, so im hoping “over nourishing myself” in your words 😉 would be good, Ive always been wary of whether or not Supps have biological action, the more I read your stuff the more I see, they do and they work great. So hoping that this approach will help my issues. I am to young for this. Joint pain, tired (need stimulants) chronically clogged nose,

   Hi Ramon,

   It’s probably good but the dose is high. It might be good to take that one once a week.

   best, Paul

   Reply
6. Ramon March 13, 2012 at 8:31 pm

   Its actually that type in a B complex- same dose though. Do you think A b vitamin with synthetic folic acid would be better if the RDA is only %100 as opposed to one that contains active folate yet is %200 percent? I though the problems came from the artificial folic acid and not folate specifically….

   Hi Ramon – Folic acid has its own problems, but any form can be a problem if the dose is too high.

   Reply
7. Ramon March 14, 2012 at 10:04 pm

   So paul thanks for the advice, I think I am just going to go with this one- http://www.swansonvitamins.com/JR009/ItemDetail

   Reply
8. T van Dijk March 17, 2012 at 4:20 pm

   What do you think of the supplements offered by Mark on http://primalblueprint.com/products/Advanced-Health-Formula.html ??

   Seems a bit lacking in Iodine and you’d need extra K2 (I found a nice one on Vitacost, http://www.vitacost.com/Vitacost-Ultra-Vitamin-K-with-Advanced-K2-Complex) – I get my Iodine from a supplement from Ortholon (“Jodiol 750”, consisting of 10 mg kalium iodine –> 600 mcg iodine, and 150 mcg kelp -> 150 mcg iodine)

   Reply
9. crystal March 18, 2012 at 11:14 pm

   So paul I want to say I love your site! Recommended by a friend. I have a question regarding supplements. Do you think it’s okay from your recommendations you state above just to supplement minerals and not vitamins?

   Reply
10. Paul Jaminet March 19, 2012 at 7:16 am

    Hi Crystal,

    Yes, I think supplementing minerals only is just fine. The only vitamins you really need to supplement are vitamin D in the northern winter or when sun exposure is lacking, and vitamin K2 and C when you don’t get enough from food.

    Reply
11. Wout March 19, 2012 at 7:58 am

    Hi T van Dijk,

    I don’t think Paul will answer that one so I’ll try to do it instead 🙂

    At first glance, there are a few things that aren’t in line with what Paul recommends in his book. In order, skipping the compliant stuff:

    – Vit A is a bit higher (7000UI) than recommended (5000UI or less)
    – Vit C is nice, even still on the low-ish side
    – Vit D is a rather personal supplement depending on genetics, location and lifestyle so the 2000UI may result in too much 25OHD.
    – Vit E should be from food only or as low doses of mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols
    – The book isn’t entirely clear on niacin but 100mg is much higher than the probably-safe 40-50mg recommended through multi+food
    – Folic acid, Chris Kresser’s big thorn in the eye, is high (800mcg). I read a study recently that found that only 266mcg/day gets converted and the rest just hangs around, possibly with ill effect. The book recommends not supplementing it or less than 400mcg.
    – B12 is slightly higher (600mcg) than the “maybe beneficial, maybe risky” recommendation of 500mcg
    – Calcium should come from food
    – The selenium comes from selenium methionate which was discussed on the blog as not being the best form (read the posts for more details, it’s not damning or anything)
    – Then there are a lot of extra things that I haven’t seen Paul voice an opinion about and are probably not harmful and might be beneficial.

    I hope all the above is correct 🙂

    All in all I would prefer a Perfect Health Diet brand supplement that I can buy easily. Go for it Paul and Shou-Ching 🙂

    Reply
12. Paul Jaminet March 19, 2012 at 8:12 am

    Hi Wout,

    Thanks for helping out. You did great. I may do a blog post on folic acid shortly.

    I’m starting to lean toward making the diet very nutrient rich, skipping a multi, and supplementing individual nutrients. You could almost replace the multi with the Jarrow zinc-copper and still be well covered, if you eat bone broth for calcium and things like liver and green leafy vegetables. A PHD brand supplement would be great, but we have no experience in that business, so it won’t happen anytime soon.

    Reply
13. Darrin March 20, 2012 at 11:39 pm

    Paul, you mentioned above http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?page_id=1066&cpage=11#comment-18253
    that you would recommend the magnesium aspartate form (and citrate form).

    I have read somewhere that it is a good idea to avoid/minimise intake of excitotoxins, such as glutamate, aspartate & cysteine.

    So if aspartate is an excitotoxin maybe we should avoid magnesium aspartate?

    What do you think.

    Reply
14. Paul Jaminet March 21, 2012 at 7:35 am

    As most people get ~8-10 g/day aspartic acid from diet, a hundred milligrams in a magnesium supplement isn’t going to do much harm.

    Reply
15. Jeremy March 22, 2012 at 1:04 am

    Hi Paul,

    I was wondering whether you know anything about the controversy over the FDA’s proposal to more tightly regulate the production of dietary supplements. I believe this was proposed in the summer of 2011, but I’m just becoming aware of it now.

    Most of the web petitions opposing the measure are pretty alarmist, claiming that it will essentially make nearly all supplements completely unavailable. This frightens me, as I am utterly dependent upon 3 or 4 key nutrients that have kept my precarious health afloat over the past year.

    I know virtually nothing about this, so please excuse my ignorance if this is old news.

    Reply
16. Paul Jaminet March 22, 2012 at 7:03 am

    Hi Jeremy,

    Yes, I’m watching it. I think I mentioned something about it in the “Attack of the Killer Vitamins” Around the Web post — when the FDA is pushing to regulate vitamins, they get friendly academics to do studies with 16-variable adjustments purporting to show that vitamins are dangerous. So even though vitamin takers have a 5% lower chance of dying, the analysis is able to generate hazard ratios as high as 10% after adjustment.

    I do believe it would make most supplements unavailable, as it would be extremely expensive to get through FDA review, and once through anyone could sell the supplement, so margins would be low and there would be no incentive to fund the FDA-required trials and paperwork.

    However, I have a hard time believing Congress will allow it. We’ll see. It probably will require people to get organized and pressure Congress.

    Reply
17. Bill March 22, 2012 at 7:04 am

    Paul wrote:

    “As most people get ~8-10 g/day aspartic acid from diet, a hundred milligrams in a magnesium supplement isn’t going to do much harm.”

    But isn’t there a big difference: free amino acids from supplements, MSG, etc. vs. amino acids bound into proteins in food? IIRC, neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock’s argument is that it’s the free amino acids—artificially introduced substances not found in food—that provoke excitotoxicity. Of course Blaylock does not oppose eating protein.

    Reply
18. Paul Jaminet March 22, 2012 at 7:16 am

    Hi Bill,

    Proteins are broken down into amino acids during digestion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestion#Protein_digestion). So I’m not sure how that would work.

    Reply
19. Bill March 22, 2012 at 2:04 pm

    Paul wrote:

    “Proteins are broken down into amino acids during digestion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestion#Protein_digestion). So I’m not sure how that would work.”

    Blaylock says the difference is speed and physiological regulation. Normal protein digestion leads to slow, regulated, balanced release of amino acids into the bloodstream, whereas consumption of free amino acids can lead to rapid, unbalanced accumulation of particular amino acids in the blood and, most importantly, the brain. He believes these sudden spikes are neurotoxic.

    This is similar, I think, to Lustig’s belief that consuming fructose (or sucrose) can overwhelm the liver with rapid, toxic fructose spikes, whereas consuming, say, fruit, leads to gradual fructose release that can be tolerated by healthy people.

    In both cases, if they’re right, eating actual food, that we’re well adapted to, is normal and safe, but eating quantities of novel food-like variants of it can be very toxic since they are not processed the same way and no regulatory safety mechanisms have had time to evolve. With fructose, the liver takes the hit. With excitotoxic amino acids, the brain does.

    I think any evolutionarily novel variant has the potential to harm since normal regulatory mechanisms may be circumvented. Not all do, of course, but it seems prudent to assume they might be guilty until proven otherwise.

    Another important example of this phenomenon is mercury. We do pretty well ingesting it from fish, since the fish has already worked to detoxify it and we’re at least somewhat adapted to the forms we consume that way. We don’t do as well when the mercury is injected into us with vaccines or plastered into our teeth. Chemist Boyd Haley has written extensively about this.

    Reply
20. MM March 22, 2012 at 3:56 pm

    Bill and Paul,

    For what it is worth, I had a disastrous — clearly excitotoxic — reaction to glutamine the couple of times I tried it, in small doses no less. And this is the most abundant amino acid!

    Yet I can eat meat all day long without a problem.

    So nobody needs to convince me that there is a crucial difference between isolated amino acids and food. I do not dare go near free glutamate or aspartate.

    That said, the real question is WHY I am sensitive in this way, since most people can supplement high doses of glutamine without risk of glutamate toxicity. If I could figure this out, I would probably have an important key to my disease.

    It does not help that those who regularly prescribe supplemental glutamine (usually for gut repair, but sometimes, ironically, for brain calming, on the assumption that it will convert to GABA!) seem unaware that it can be a serous problem for some of us. I have encountered only one health practitioner who acknowledged that there are people who respond very badly to glutamine, and he had no idea why.

    Reply
21. Acai March 23, 2012 at 3:55 pm

    Hi Paul,

    What is you take on ionic minerals. This product: http://www.iherb.com/Eidon-Mineral-Supplements-Iodine-Liquid-Concentrate-2-oz-60-ml/26006?at=0 states its 100 bioavailable due some proprietary process. Is it ok as an iodine supplement and is this just the same as regular potassium iodide or what?

    Reply
22. Robin March 25, 2012 at 4:45 pm

    Hi Paul,

    Currently enjoying the book very much! I have mycotoxin illness (Real Time Lab test)it seems from a mold containated house with stachybotrys and other toxic and infectious molds as well as Dr. Ritchie Shoemakers multisuseptable HLA type (unable or problems naturally eliminating biotoxins).

    I just read in the book where you refer to BMAA’s as a potential cause of ALS.

    I have gotten mixed info on spirulina (it has or can have BMAAs according to some sources; Shoemaker at one point was warning against using it as a supplement I think) and hope you can clear this up for me since one of the multi vitamins you recommend has this in it.

    Also wondering what you think about the supplemental form of folic acid blocking or occupying receptor cites in cells preventing more bioavailable forms like metfolin or the food form of 5-L-methyltetrahydrofolate from being utilized by the cell for methylation, especially for those of us with MTHFr polymorphisms who have less enzyme capacity to break down FA and tetrahydrofolate into the most bioavailable form. Dr Yasko limits FA and other methylation specialists recommend avoiding it.

    Thank you,

    Robin

    Reply
23. Craig Price March 26, 2012 at 5:29 pm

    Hi,

    I have been following the PHD as reasonably as I can given I am a college student with little time for about a year now. In particular I have been taking your recommended supplements for about 10 months too. However, I had an interesting episode that I thought I should share.

    About 3-4 months into taking your recommended supplements, I started to get nauseous and have an upset stomach about 5 min. after taking the pills. It would last maybe 30min. and then go away. I don’t normally get nauseous and am generally very healthy. To say the least it was very strange. And a bit painful.

    Then, about a week later it got worse such that about 10 min. after taking the pills I was nauseous and then threw up. Immediately after, I felt perfectly fine. This happened for about 3-4 days in a row – all immediately after taking the supplements. So I stopped, and the nausea stopped too. Over the next two weeks I eventually determined (through trial and error) that the 2mg of copper was the sole vitamin that was causing me pain and to throw up.

    As soon as I stopped taking that, I had absolutely no more problems. I meant to post this a while ago, but things were busy. My multivitamin at the time had about 1mg of copper and I was eating a pound of beef liver about once every other week. Other than that I wasn’t in contact with any sources of copper that I know of.

    Do you have any thoughts on what was going on here?

    Hi Craig,

    It was just copper overdose. If you eat beef liver, you shouldn’t supplement copper. Beef has about 50 mg copper per pound. With 3 mg copper/day from supplements including multi, plus almost 4 mg/day from liver, you were getting 7 mg/day from those sources alone, plus more from the rest of your food. That’s well outside our estimated “plateau range”.

    In the book, p 209, we recommend eating a 1/4 lb beef or lamb liver per week and eschewing supplements. Copper tablets are an alternative to liver and should not be combined with it.

    You did well to recognize it as a nutrient excess and to stop supplementing and experiment to find the cause. Very good that you caught it.

    Best, Paul

    Reply
24. Lilian March 27, 2012 at 12:08 pm

    How valid are the concerns that additives such as magnesium stearate in supplements can contribute to the formation of biofilms?
    Lilian

    Reply
25. Laura March 27, 2012 at 4:12 pm

    Dear Paul and Shou-Ching,

    I was recently referred to your site and have been devouring as much as possible (and still awaiting your book–Amazon takes a long, long time!). Love it!! I am unsure which supplement to order as I already take about 1/2 tsp of cod liver oil daily and supplement with Vitamin D, K, and Magnesium already. (I wished I liked beef or lamb liver, but I just cannot get it down!) As a woman in my forties, I assume I will still need the multivitamin, but wasn’t sure if the multi-mineral would be more appropriate? Too much Vitamin A with the cod liver oil? Or perhaps I’m still not getting enough…

    I am ready or order the supplements and thought I would ask.

    Thanks so much!

    Hi Laura,

    You’re doing very well. You won’t need a multi if you eat a nutrient dense diet. Mineral deficiencies are common, so a multimineral might be suitable; if you try the one suggested here take 1 tablet a day, not 2 as the label says. Vitamin C is good. With the things you’re already taking, you should be good to go.

    Best, Paul

    Reply
26. Laura March 27, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    Thank you, Paul! I will order the mineral supplement. I want you to know how appreciative I am you took the time to answer my question (and everyone else’s). You are helping a great deal of people with your insight and thoughtful responses. Many thanks.

    Hi Laura,

    Thanks! Shou-Ching has a thought – she couldn’t tolerate liver, but she found that fresh grass-fed beef or lamb liver, made into a pate, is just fine. A quarter-pound a week of liver is plenty. If you eat liver and bone broth, you can cut down the multimineral to fewer days per week. Also, I forgot to mention iodine. You can find 3 mg iodine tablets and cut them into quarters for 750 mcg a day, which is a good dose.

    Best, Paul

    Reply
27. Ramon March 27, 2012 at 6:35 pm

    Hey paul I was wondering what you thought of Fulvic Acid as a Mineral Supplement?

    Reply
28. Katherine March 28, 2012 at 4:54 pm

    @Laura, I’ve found a solution for the liver! (for me at least:))

    I take frozen grassfed beef or calves liver, partially defrost it till it’s just the right consistency to be easily cut. After cutting it into 1/2 cm cubes, I freeze the little cubes in mini muffin trays or paper or silicone muffin cups in “doses” of 14-16g per portion. If I recall correctly, it’s about a heaping tbsp.

    Once frozen, I place all of them in a ziplock in the freezer. Every am, I take one out and defrost it in a glass on the counter. It tends to defrost quickly. At some point, I rinse it a couple of times (straining through my fingers), then swallow the little chunks of raw, defrosted liver with water or something savory. While I still very much dislike the taste and texture, I’m able to get it down b/c I don’t have to chew it…and knowing that I’m giving my body vital nutrients helps override the ick-factor.

    Chris Kresser does something similar: he cuts the peices a bit smaller, spreads them on a baking sheet or similar in order to freeze separately, then takes them frozen every day – like a vitamin pill (but lots of them)

    I didn’t have luck with that method – maybe my peices were too big. But if you could just take them frozen, it’d be *way* easier and the taste would be essentially nonexistant.

    Occasionally, I’ll make chili, using about 1/5 liver, 1/5 heart, 3/5 grassfed beef – that’s usually ok with lots and lots of seasonings on the day I make it, but as it “keeps” the liver flavor gets stronger and the texture changes as well.

    Some other ideas I’ve heard: mixing a little liver in with raw ground beef to make meatballs, and mixing some liver in with the beef for making tacos…in both cases, lots of seasoning is key as is controlling the amount of liver.

    I did stop taking CLO as I figured it would be more important to get the nutrients liver provides (choline, copper, A, zn). For some time, I continued with fish oil but in an attempt to further refine my fatty acid ratios, I’m onboard with Paul’s “pound of fatty fish per week” plan. I take D as a stand alone supplement as well as a few others.

    All the best to you!

    Reply
29. Laura March 30, 2012 at 12:11 pm

    @Katherine

    You are wonderful, THANK YOU. I had heard about freezing liver and taking it like a “pill,” but was completely unsure of how to do this. Your suggestions are awesome (and hoping the frozen pieces will mitigate the ick-factor and barf-response. I think I will try it frozen a la Chris Kresser first, THEN try it defrosted as you do.

    I actually still have some beef liver from Whole Foods in the freezer. It’s neither calf nor grass-fed (I assume), so is this still okay? I am unsure if calf is superior to beef (and I already assume grass-fed trumps grain fed). I will attempt this experiment right away.

    Thanks again for your gracious input. Wish me luck!!

    OH, and if it works, I guess I should d/c my CLO, too. We shall see… 😉

    Reply
30. Laura March 30, 2012 at 12:20 pm

    @Paul

    Whoops! Didn’t see your response above. Thank you, too, for the advice from Shou-Ching. I had thought about making a pate a while back, but would have to SERIOUSLY mask the flavor. Will need a good recipe and will then attempt it. Geez, what’s wrong with me? Ha. (Flashbacks to bad childhood memories of vomiting my regular liver that Mom forced us to eat. No bueno…)

    I will definitely look into the iodine. The recommended dose you listed (750mcg/day), I assume, would be the correct dosage for someone who doesn’t do liver, or does? Perhaps it doesn’t matter.

    Love your site and, again, I thank you for your responses.

    Hi Laura,

    Liver doesn’t have much iodine. That’s a good dose for anyone regardless of food intake.

    Thanks!

    Best, Paul

    Reply
31. Katherine March 30, 2012 at 12:39 pm

    @Laura: Just be sure to chop the peices very finely for swallowing frozen. My initial peices were too big – and the experience of having a bunch of frozen peices of liver stuck in one’s esophagus is quite frightening. O_O I’m a very good pill swallower and can easily take 10-20 full size caps/tabs with one swallow of water, so I’d not expected to have an issue. A more prudent person will certainly take care:)

    I think the beef liver you have is probably quite acceptable. Beef liver is probably somewhat higher in nutrients than calf’s liver. One of the WF near me just started carrying local pastured beef liver – I suspect that with enough request, yours may be willing to investigate a local liver source. They really are working on partnerships with local farms. While I prefer to buy directly from the farmer, sometimes convenience wins, yk?

    I do continue to try liver recipes (occasionally) and just today, in an effort to be sure I am doing everything possible to get over some wicked and lasting bronchitis (replete with asthma, ER visits, steroid shots and high dose 21 day prednisone taper), I made a new liver recipe.

    I don’t love it. I might not even actually like it. However, it didn’t make me gag. It didn’t make me sick. And I *could* actually eat it.

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/calfs-liver-with-bacon-caramelized-onions-and-sherry-recipe/index.html

    Make no mistake. It is not yummy. It is liver. 🙂 But either my taste buds (and texture sensors) are becoming accustomed to liver, or this recipe really does make liver more tolerable. Either way, I’m grateful and did probably 2-3 oz cooked liver.

    Best to you!

    Reply
32. Laura March 30, 2012 at 7:23 pm

    @Paul,

    Thanks againI I will purchase the 3mg of iodine, pronto. (I have secondary hypothyroidism due to some unknown pituitary disorder — no tumors, however. I do take thyroid medication and have to supplement with sex hormones, too. I assume this small amount of iodine won’t have much of an effect on my treatment? I have been wanting to supplement for some time now and didn’t know where or how to begin, so thank you.)

    @Katherine,

    You make me laugh! Thank you, too. I looked at the recipe, and hey–if it has bacon in it, it cannot be half bad, right? I think I could probably eat pulverized insects so long as there was enough bacon mixed in…

    I do hope you get over the bronchitis. I’m sure the liver will help! Oh, and I will check to see if my local WFs will purchase grass-fed liver (or search for a local farmer).

    Hope the two of you have a great evening!

    Reply
33. Michelle March 31, 2012 at 7:46 am

    @Laura,

    JMO, but I think it is prudent to start iodine at a lower dose, say 225 mcg, and work up from there by doubling the dose every month.

    Reply
34. Laura March 31, 2012 at 11:24 am

    @Michelle,

    Thanks for the recommendation. I was looking into purchasing the Standard Process Prolamine on Paul’s site as it appears to come in 3mg tabs. I would have to break it into more than 1/8ths. Is that even possible?? Again, thanks for your input.

    Reply
35. Linda Seidman March 31, 2012 at 11:55 am

    Paul;
    What are your thoughts about Arachidonic Acid
    (sp?, the ‘bad stuff’, if I’ve spelled it wrong…
    Linda
    P.S. I’ve asked before and not received a reply.
    I hope there’s not something in my reply box that
    indicates that I don’t want a reply. I do want one
    and want my question to be printed on your site.
    Thank You,
    Linda

    Hi Laura,

    Arachidonic acid is normally a closely regulated component of cell membranes. Its purpose is to be converted into various prostaglandins and other signaling molecules. In effect, it monitors the cellular environment and depending on what that is, stimulates various responses. Many of those responses are inflammatory.

    We don’t want to eat too much of it, but normal dietary amounts are fine. PHD suggests normal amounts of meat (1/2 to 1 lb per day), not a high meat diet, so I don’t think dietary arachidonic acid amounts will be excessive.

    AA is constantly being destroyed and recreated in the body, so providing some from diet is OK.

    Best, Paul

    Reply
36. Randle April 1, 2012 at 12:23 am

    Paul, recent studies have linked branch chain amino acids (BCAAs) to insulin resistance on high-fat/high-protein diets. Should we be concerned about whey protein and amino acid supplements (like the leucine that you recommend above)? For example, studies found elevated BCAA levels in people long before they developed T2 diabetes.

    http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/3/80/80re2.abstract
    http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v17/n4/full/nm.2307.html

    Also, animals studies showed high BCAAs, when combined with a high fat diet, could promote IR.

    http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131(09)00040-0
    http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/too_much_protein_eaten_along_with_fat_may_lead_to_insulin_resistance

    Is this perhaps another reason for protein restriction, i.e., not just for longevity or waste (nitrate) creation but for blood sugar homeostatis?

    The most intriguing is that severe T2 diabetics, when given gastric bypass surgery, were able to reverse diabetes and showed significantly decreased BCAAs. The implication seems to be that high circulating BCAAs could promote IR or at least seems to be a biomarker for IR. And those who underwent gastric bypass, perhaps via protein malabsorption (my guess), is able to reverse IR and diabetes. What do u think? I’m interetsed in your opinion!

    Reply
37. Chris April 7, 2012 at 4:14 pm

    I would strongly recommend against Primal Defense Probiotics. They is some evidence of them containing gluten and I don’t think they are as of high of quality as indicated.

    Reply
38. BG April 10, 2012 at 5:44 pm

    Hi! Just a heads up that Carlson Vitamin D3 2000 IU, 360 Softgels have sunflower oil and may have corn oil and the tabs are fairly large for some reason. NOW D-3 uses olive oil. The amount of oils is small either way but I wanted to share that NOW seems like a better option for the PHD sticklers out there.
    Best,
    BG

    Reply
39. Lance Strish May 7, 2012 at 12:31 pm

    What do you think of Creatine?

    From DrGreger’s studies.
    http://is.gd/JsLSXe ‘brain enhancement.pdf’

    “Oral creatine monohydrate supplementation
    improves brain performance: a double-blind,
    placebo-controlled, cross-over trial

    Owing to its pivotal
    role in energy homeostasis, creatine may similarly boost
    brain performance. Indeed, creatine has been shown to be
    neuroprotective in various neurological conditions
    (Wyss & Schulze 2002). Recently, brain creatine levels in
    humans have been shown to increase in response to mental
    training (Valenzuela et al. 2003), and acute oral creatine
    supplementation has been shown to reduce mental
    fatigue and decrease task-responsive oxygen delivery
    (demand) to activated areas on performance of a serial
    calculation task (Watanabe et al. 2002).”
    –
    http://is.gd/O0xmIK http://examine.com/supplements/Creatine/ labeled as ‘nootropic’

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 7, 2012 at 2:29 pm

      I think it’s a good supplement. Not aware of anything harmful to it.

      Reply
40. Thomas May 7, 2012 at 2:15 pm

    Paul,

    To piggyback on Lance’s question, do you think creatine is problematic if the user has an infection? Some folks over at cpnhelp seem to think that creatine can be beneficial, but I wonder if it has the potential to “feed” an infection. I vaguely recall that creatine increases the amount of ATP? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 7, 2012 at 2:34 pm

      Hi Thomas,

      At a glance I don’t see anything directly on that question. Elevation of creatine kinase is associated with worse flu outcomes, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22527080. But that’s probably due to dissolution of cells releasing CK, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22178984. A lot of infections produce muscle damage which creatine supplementation might mitigate.

      Reply
41. Michelle May 7, 2012 at 3:53 pm

    @Laura,

    I started with NOW Potassium Iodide at one tablet ~225 mcg. Or, you can look for a kelp product with a low dose.

    If you double the dose once per month, you will get to ~ 1500 mcg or 1.5 mg. At that tier, you can switch to 1/2 Std Process Prolamine Iodine. Dividing those in half is not pretty, but it can be done. You may want to have some empty gel caps on hand for the crumbles.

    Once you double 3 mg, you are at 1/2 Iodoral, and those divide beautifully.

    Reply
42. Shomna May 7, 2012 at 8:49 pm

    I have hashimotos ,and I was told to never take iodine, it’s suppose to be harmful. What are your thoughts on this?

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 7, 2012 at 9:18 pm

      Hi Shomna,

      That’s a topic we’ve discussed extensively. Read the posts in the Hypothyroidism category. There are both risks and potential benefits to iodine supplementation in Hashimoto’s, so it is not a simple decision.

      Reply
43. Jason Voegele May 8, 2012 at 9:29 am

    Hi Paul,

    The links to Amazon.com for each of the recommended supplements does not show up in my browser. I’m using Google Chrome on Mac OS X Lion, but I’m not sure if the problem is with my browser or something wrong with the HTML on this page.

    I’ve just tested it on another browser (Safari) and it seems to work fine there.

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 8, 2012 at 9:43 am

      Hi Jason,

      Do you have ad blocking on in Chrome? It rejects iframes I believe.

      Reply
      • Jason Voegele May 8, 2012 at 9:56 am

        Ah yes, you are right. It is the ad blocker in Chrome. I’ll disable it for this site in the future. Sorry to disturb! 🙄

        Reply
44. Sara May 8, 2012 at 11:44 am

    Hi Paul,
    I know you don’t recommend fish oil. Does this include the supplement below, a blend of butter oil/fermented cod liver oil? I was taking it because I thought it had a good Vitamin A to D ratio. Thanks!!

    http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com/product/Butter-Oil-Cod-Liver-Oil-Blend/superfoods-supplements

    Reply
45. Ali May 9, 2012 at 12:33 am

    Hi Paul,
    Thanks for the supplement guide you guys have put up. It really helps out a lot of people like me.
    I have never had supplements in my life & my knowledge regarding which brand to chose is really very limited. I hope you’ll help me to make this start.

    I have got few autoimmune diseases (Hypothyroidism, Ulcerative colitis, Fibromylgia & Vitiligo ) Except for vitiligo, the other 3 have started in the past year and a half. Recently about 30 days back I shifted to Paleo diet & since then all three are under control.

    I’ve had gall bladder removal about 45 days back.

    I also have had a history of seizures when I was young but i havent had any problem for the past 5yrs. I do take epilepsy meds that the doc has prescribed for me ..

    I live in India so I’m assuming that i need a multivitamin thats low in D3 right ?

    My ulcerative colitis hasnt been an issue. The gastro also reduced my dosage this time and I’m doing fine. 🙂

    I would want a multi vitamin brand that’ll help my immune system and digestion.

    My current diet is paleo. The only prob I have had with it is constipation when i consume less fat.

    How are these supplements ?

    http://www.xtend-life.com/product/Total_Balance_Mens_Premium.aspx

    http://primalblueprint.com/products/Damage-Control-Master-Formula.html

    Thanks.

    Reply
46. Bea May 11, 2012 at 8:43 pm

    Paul,

    You recommend N – acetylcysteine.

    Is there a difference between N – acetylcysteine and cysteine? Someone else has the opinion that cysteine should be avoided.

    http://www.westonaprice.org/blogs/cmasterjohn/2012/04/07/glutathione-101-part-1-cysteine-misbehaves-but-glutathione-saves/

    Any comment?

    Thank you, Bea

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 11, 2012 at 8:54 pm

      Hi Bea,

      As Chris says in that post, you don’t see a negative effect until the food dose is 1 g/kg body weight, which is a huge amount. Lesser amounts are utilized (in part for the making of glutathione) before they can deplete glutathione.

      Reply
47. Jason Voegele May 14, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    Hi Paul,

    I purchased the Centrum Silver multivitamin from this page, and only later realized that it was designed for “Adults 50+”. Do you recommend this multivitamin for men under 50 too?

    (I am just about to turn 38, if that helps.)

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 14, 2012 at 1:14 pm

      Hi Jason,

      For men it’s reasonable for all ages. The difference is more significant for women since they should get iron before menopause, no iron after.

      Reply
48. Shomna May 14, 2012 at 6:06 pm

    My dr put me on iron because I have low ferritin , and I’m 66 years old.

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 14, 2012 at 7:03 pm

      Yes, that can happen. But if 66 year old women took iron supplements routinely, many would end up with an excess.

      Thanks, Shomna.

      Reply
49. Kira May 14, 2012 at 11:45 pm

    Paul, I read something today that said brown rice syrup could be a significant source of arsenic. Not actually looking to add that to my diet. Have you heard this? Should I avoid it?
    Sometimes it seems there isn’t any safe food.

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 15, 2012 at 5:24 am

      Hi Kira,

      The bran of rice from the southern US has a lot of arsenic due to its use as a pesticide against boll weevils in cotton growing regions of the south in the 19th century. So brown rice or brown rice syrup from that region will have arsenic.

      However, Lundberg’s brown rice syrup is made in California and should be safe. Also Asian rice is low in arsenic. I would avoid commercial products made with brown rice syrup.

      Best, Paul

      Reply
50. Ali May 16, 2012 at 2:58 am

    Paul,
    I have read some conflicting reports about selenium supplementaion and Hypothyroidism. I have got hypothyroid, should i supplement with selenium ?

    Can I also take iodine supplementation ?

    Reply
    • Paul Jaminet May 16, 2012 at 7:04 am

      Hi Ali,

      It’s important to get selenium intake right, as both too much or too little is dangerous, especially for the thyroid.

      Standard American dieters are more often deficient than otherwise and should supplement, but if you’re eating whole foods PHD deficiency may be much less likely.

      I would try to include selenium rich foods like shellfish, kidney, and Brazil nuts and supplement selenium rarely or never. If you take a multimineral or multivitamin, you shouldn’t need to supplement separately.

      Iodine supplementation is I think nearly always desirable. But start low – say 225 mcg – and work up slowly, no faster than a doubling per month. Try to reach at least 750 mcg/day. I do 12 mg/day (an Iodoral tablet) and like that.

      Best, Paul

      Reply
      • Ali May 16, 2012 at 1:44 pm

        Thanks for the reply Paul. I have been wanting to ask you about multimineral supplement. Since I suffer from autoiimune diseases like Ulcerative colitis & Hypothyroidism should the multimineral supplement contain something specific ?

        You have recommended magnesium 400mg. Since most of the multi supplements contains it but in lower doses should the remaining be supplemented separately ?

        Thanks.

        Reply
        • Paul Jaminet May 16, 2012 at 2:16 pm

          Hi Ali,

          Actually we recommend getting at least 400 mg magnesium from all sources, but you’ll get some from food, so a 200 mg supplement is generally sufficient. Some people may benefit from taking 400 mg, but I take 200 mg, and I think that’s good for most people.

          With a colonic disease you may have lower absorption of certain nutrients, eg vitamin B12 or bile (made from vitamin C and taurine, among other ingredients). So you should incline to extra supplementation, but not dramatically so. Most nutrients are absorbed in the small intestine which is not involved in UC.

          Reply
      • Donna October 7, 2014 at 8:44 pm

        I’m curious Paul; when you were on 12 mg of iodine / day, what was your tested (urine) level? And do you think the range they state as optimal (100-300 ug/g on the ZRT Lab printouts)is optimal? My test showed 550 on 250 ug supplement which I discontinued for 10 days before the test.

        Reply

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