Supplements

Supplemental Foods

We recommend eating these “supplemental foods” on a regular schedule:

3 egg yolks daily, 5 yolks daily for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant (for choline, folate, vitamin A)
A bowl of soup made from bone, joint, tendon, foot, or hoof stock, 3 days per week (for calcium, phosphorus, and collagen)
Fermented vegetables such as kimchi, sauerkraut, or fermented mixed vegetables (for nucleotides, probiotic bacteria, and vitamins K2 and B12), and other vegetables such as tomato, avocado, potato, sweet potato, banana, green leafy vegetables, and seaweeds such as dulse, daily (for potassium)
¼ lb beef or lamb liver, weekly (copper, vitamin A, folate, choline). If you like, substitute ¼ lb chicken, duck, or goose liver weekly plus 30 g 85% dark chocolate daily
fish, shellfish, eggs, and kidneys, weekly (for selenium)

Daily Supplements

These are supplements we recommend be taken daily:

Sunshine and vitamin D3 as needed to achieve serum 25OHD of 40 ng/ml.
Vitamin K2 100 mcg or more
Magnesium 200 mg
Iodine 225 mcg
Vitamin C 1 g
Pantothenic acid (vitamin B-5) 500 mg

Vitamin D3 Seek total dose from sun, food, and supplements of 4,000 IU/day Adjust to 25OHD level of 40 ng/ml (whites/Asians), 30 ng/ml (blacks)	<br />	<br />	<br />
Vitamin K2 Recommended dose: 100 mcg MK-7 Pharmacological, possibly therapeutic doses: 1000 mcg to 5 mg MK-4	<br />	<br />	<br />
Magnesium Use chelate (e.g. glycinate) or citrate Daily dose 200 mg	<br />	<br />	<br />
Iodine Recommended dose 225 mcg/day (one tablet) Nori sheets have about 50 mcg each; 2-4 per day replaces supplements Supplementation is to prevent lengthy iodine droughts	<br />
Vitamin C Low dose: 500 mg – 1 g per day Under stress or viral infections, more may be needed Powder is least expensive way to get large doses	<br />	<br />	<br />
Vitamin B-5 (pantothenic acid or pantethine) 500 mg per day; we suggest daily due to its extreme safety Acne/skin blemishes or low energy/endurance are symptoms of deficiency	<br />	<br />	<br />

Weekly Supplements

These are supplements we recommend be taken once a week:

B vitamins:
- 50 to 100 mg each of B1, B2, and B6
- 5 mg biotin
- 500 mcg B12
Zinc 50 to 100 mg
Boron 3 mg

B1 (thiamin) 50-100 mg weekly	<br />	<br />	<br />
B2 (riboflavin) 100 mg per week	<br />	<br />	<br />
B6 For those who don’t take a B-50 complex We recommend 50 mg to 100 mg per week	<br />	<br />	<br />
Biotin We recommend 5 mg once per week	<br />	<br />	<br />
B12 We recommend 500 mcg to 1 mg once per week Sublingual methylcobalamin is preferred	<br />	<br />	<br />
Zinc We recommend about 50 mg per week Be sure to follow our copper recommendations as copper-zinc balance is crucial	<br />	<br />	<br />
Boron The 3 mg dose can be taken one to three times per week	<br />	<br />	<br />

Prenatal Supplements

The most important prenatal supplements are:

Extra duck, goose, or pastured chicken liver.
Extra egg yolks.

The following supplements may also be helpful during pregnancy or in the months leading up to conception. Note: We do not recommend prenatal multivitamins.

Choline

Not necessary if you eat enough egg yolks and liver
But extremely important during pregnancy, and safe

Inositol plus Choline

Not necessary if you eat enough egg yolks and liver
If supplementing choline, good to mix in some inositol

Iron (optional)

About 30% of pregnant women develop iron deficiency anemia
Don’t guess, test; blood tests will indicate if you need iron supplements

Optional Supplements

These supplements may be helpful for a significant fraction of the population. Experiment to see if they help you:

Probiotics
Chromium, 200-400 mcg per week (not necessary if you cook in stainless steel pots) and (optional) vanadium, 25 mcg per week
Lithium 5 to 10 mg per week
Silicon 5 mg to 25 mg daily
FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EAT LIVER: Copper 2 mg per day
FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EAT LIVER: Vitamin A from cod liver oil, 50,000 IU/week
FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT EAT MAKE BONE STOCK OR DRINK MINERAL WATER: Calcium up to 400 mg/day
B-50 complex (as a substitute for individual B supplements if you prefer fewer pills
Molybdenum 150 mcg per week
Taurine 500 mg to 5000 mg per week (higher doses may be therapeutic for small intestinal or systemic infections)
Selenium 0 or 200 mcg per week depending on selenium content of food (if food is produced in dry, flat areas = high selenium, no supplements; rainy, well-drained areas = 200 mcg/wk)

Probiotics Bifidobacterium spp can help with leanness and weight loss. Lactobacillus spp can help with acid reflux, bloating, SIBO, prediabetes, high triglycerides	<br />	<br />	<br />
More Probiotics Bifidobacterium spp can help with leanness and weight loss. Lactobacillus spp can help with small intestinal issues	<br />	<br />	<br />
More Probiotics VSL#3 is a good mix for inflammatory bowel diseases. Prescript Assist includes soil-based organisms that are a little riskier and should be taken only occasionally, not continuously, for therapeutic reasons.	<br />	<br />
Chromium If you don’t cook in stainless steel, we recommend 200 mcg chromium one to three times per week Stainless steel pots may release 88 mcg chromium per day of use Optional: vanadium 25 mcg one to two times per week	<br />	<br />	<br />
Lithium Best is to take 1 mg per day; 5 mg once or twice per week is next best Caution: too much lithium can exacerbate hypothyroidism and increase potassium excretion		<br />	<br />
Silicon Up to 25 mg per day Most people would benefit from more silicon Seaweed is a good food source	<br />	<br />	<br />
Copper (Only If Liver Is Not Eaten) Target of 2-3 mg/day can be met by eating 1/4 lb beef or lamb liver per week Do not supplement copper if you eat liver	<br />	<br />
Vitamin A (Only If Liver Is Not Eaten) Target of 50,000 IU/week with remaining A needs met from carotenoids (green leafy vegetables and orange plants like carrots) Do not supplement vitamin A if you eat liver, unless for therapeutic reasons	<br />	<br />
Calcium (If No Mineral Water or Bone Stock) PHD foods may fall short of calcium target by up to 400 mg/day Standard PHD prescription is to make up the difference with bone stock and/or mineral water These supplements also replace magnesium supplement; aim for 300-500 mg calcium and 150-250 mg magnesium per day	<br />	<br />
B-50 complex An alternative to the other B vitamins for those who prefer to take fewer pills Not recommended more than once per week due to folic acid and niacin content	<br />	<br />	<br />
Molybdenum We recommend 150 mcg to 1 mg per week	<br />	<br />	<br />
Taurine We recommend 500 to 1000 mg weekly for healthy persons Supports production of bile salts	<br />	<br />	<br />
Vitamin E Red palm oil is a good food source If supplementing, take mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols	<br />	<br />	<br />

Therapeutic Supplements

These supplements are unnecessary for healthy people but may be helpful in various disease conditions.

N-acetylcysteine Precursor to glutathione Recommended dose is 500 mg Can take more in cases of severe chronic infection	<br />	<br />	<br />
Glycine Supports collagen production, bile conjugation, and glutathione production Desirable if you don’t eat daily extracellular matrix (bones, joints, tendons, skin, hooves) Up to 2 teaspoons (10 g) per day	<br />	<br />	<br />
Creatine Supports muscle growth and preservation; especially valuable for the elderly Up to 1 teaspoon (5 g) per day	<br />	<br />	<br />
Melatonin An important sleep hormone, deficient in many brain diseases, has antimicrobial activity Take 1 mg sublingually just before bedtime For larger doses, combine 5 mg time-release with 1 mg sublingual	<br />	<br />	<br />
Detoxification Aids These can help bind toxins and excrete them in feces, preventing them from being re-absorbed in the colon Likely to be helpful for most people suffering from chronic infection or environmental mold.	<br />	<br />	<br />

Miscellaneous

These items may be helpful in implementing Perfect Health Diet and Lifestyle advice.

Pill boxes

Set out pills once per week, aids remembering to take them

Pill cutter

For cutting tablets to reduce the dose

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4,438 Comments.

Kriss December 23, 2010 at 5:10 am

There is an MD in the UK who has success with using high doses of Mg for chronic fatigue and joint pain. She has the ‘formula’ to mix epsom salts with plain moisturising cream (like E45)to absorb Mg through the skin. Also, showing how much an epsom salt bath raises the Mg levels. (this interested me a lot due to my dd’s asthma responding to Mg, too)
Link: http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/Magnesium
Scroll down to: Magnesium absorption through the skin.

Thanks for the list and links, it saved much time for me!
Krissie

Reply
ed nunnery December 23, 2010 at 9:28 am

Thanks so much for the links and choices for the supplements! It will help enormously! Thanks for all your hard work!

Ed

Reply
Perfect Health Diet » Ox Feet Broth, Miso Soup, and Other Soups - pingback on January 2, 2011 at 9:56 pm
erp January 3, 2011 at 2:12 pm

What a fabulous resource. I just replenished by stash of supplements, but next time I’ll order from here. Again, you guys are national treasures!

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Art January 4, 2011 at 6:00 am

The Korean seaweeds listed here have either canola or corn oil in them. On a related note…You recommend rice crackers (on “the diet” page); but I can’t seem to find any white rice crackers that don’t also contain seed oils. Alternately, I can find plain brown rice crackers. Between the two, which would you advise for daily snacking?

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 4, 2011 at 8:53 am

Hi Art,

Thanks, I’ve updated it so the current versions use olive oil and sesame oil …

Also, I think we’ll make some at home using coconut oil or beef tallow and sesame oil and put it up as a Sunday recipe. I’ll link to that when it’s up.

The rice cracker question is a tough one. Some people get acute symptoms from brown rice and they should go with the white rice crackers. The seed oil content is small, but they seem to pick especially poor kinds like corn oil and safflower oil. Tough call. I would go for taste I guess.

If readers find products on Amazon that are superior to ones we’ve recommended, we’d appreciate a link and will replace our recommendations.

Reply
liz January 6, 2011 at 9:41 am

i have some questions regarding vitamin K2 supplements; my son and i both have dental carries, (the cause is a long story) but i want to find the most appropriate form of vit k2, and am confused about the different types.

the mk-7 by Jarrow, which is derived from natto is available locally for me, but from my own reading i understand that animal derived vit k2, in the mk-4 form, may be the better one for teeth and bones. so which is it, or is it both?

also what is the chemical name for the two so i can discern which ones to get when reading supplement labels. any idea what dosage would be best/safest for a 9 year old vs. an adult woman? thanks so much.

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 6, 2011 at 10:06 am

Hi Liz,

Both MK-4 and MK-7 are beneficial and will help teeth.

Paleolithic humans naturally got some of each — MK-7 from gut bacterial fermentation of fiber and fermented foods, MK-4 from liver modification of plant K1 and some animal foods.

MK stands for “menaquinone” and the numbers refer to the number of isoprenoids in their side chain. More isoprenoids = more ability to carboxylate proteins per K2 molecule.

MK-4 is also called menatetrenone.

Everyone should get 100 mcg. That will provide most of the benefit. Since there is no known toxicity, it’s OK to go higher, but the benefit gets smaller with higher doses. Higher doses like 1 mg or more probably provide a small additional benefit for adults. 100 mcg/day is probably sufficient for a 9 year old. If you do go above 1 mg/day, increase the dose slowly to let your body get used to it. Going immediately to 5 mg/day might disturb clotting for a time.

Reply
liz January 6, 2011 at 10:18 am

thanks so much for your prompt reply!

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William January 7, 2011 at 3:33 pm

I have some questions regarding vitamin K2 supplements.

Assuming that the body does not require 1000 mcg of MK-4, how does it deal with the excess? Does it just take what it needs and then discard the excess or does it store the excess in fats for later use. If this is the case, I would probably take the supplement that contains 1000 mcg of MK-4 and 100 mcg of MK-7; but I would take it every fourth day so that my average intake was about 300 mcg. Will this work or does the body need to be supplied on a daily basis?

On page 191 of the Perfect Health Diet book, it states that “Vitamin K has no significant storage pool in the body, so deficiencies develop quickly. Infants on vitamin K-free formula develop a K2 deficiency in 7-10 days”.

Based on the above paragraph, it seems that some extra vitamin K2 can be stored (7 to 10 days worth). Therefore, does my above comment about taking 1000 mcg every fourth day make sense?

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 7, 2011 at 3:51 pm

Hi William,

I don’t know how excess vitamin K2 is metabolized; good question. The Japanese studies giving 45 mg/day for long periods have found it to be very safe, but I’m not aware of what happens to excess K2.

Taking it every 4 days is fine, for just the reason you cite. That’s a good way to save money. Most of the benefit comes from the first 100 mcg/day, or 200 mcg/day, so there’s only a small benefit from taking larger doses every day.

Best, Paul

Reply
Perfect Health Diet » Homemade Seasoned Seaweed - pingback on January 9, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Lillea January 13, 2011 at 6:01 am

Below is the liquid vitamin D-3 supplement I sometimes use. It’s in MCT oil. I like to avoid PUFA in supplements. 🙂

http://www.amazon.com/Foods-Liquid-Vitamin-5000Iu-Dropper/dp/B001N4JYX6/ref=sr_1_17?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1294916355&sr=1-17

Each drop contains 100 IU of D-3: 4 drops provide 400 IU, 20 drops provide 2,000 IU. A full dropper provides approximately 50 drops, or 5,000 IU.

It’s easy to take small or larger amounts.

It doesn’t have much of a taste, so I find that it mixes well into food (after cooking of course), or I just drop it straight into my mouth.

Ray Peat uses this one too, it turns out. I asked him about that.

Reply
Wood January 13, 2011 at 8:06 am

Can I take D3 supplement (about 3000IU) in one piece or should be divided?

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 13, 2011 at 9:44 am

Thanks, Lillea. I’ve added that as one of the choices.

Hi Wood,

One dose is fine. D3 lasts weeks in the body, so no need to try to even out the levels.

Reply
wood January 13, 2011 at 11:30 am

Thanks Paul. But should be taken every day, right?

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 13, 2011 at 11:33 am

I think that’s best … Take it daily during daylight hours to mimic natural sun exposure pattern and support circadian rhythms …

Reply
Michelle January 13, 2011 at 3:29 pm

I’ve been reading Chris Masterjohn’s recent posts on fatty liver & choline. Paul, do you have any supplement recommendations for reserving fatty liver and restoring the liver’s sensitivity to insulin?

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Paul Jaminet January 13, 2011 at 3:49 pm

Hi Michelle,

I also did a post on choline back in November, http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?cat=84. In the book we suggest choline supplements for pregnant women and vegetarians. Regular consumption of egg yolks, beef liver, and other choline rich foods should be sufficient even for pregnant women; but there’s nothing wrong with supplementing it.

Our normal supplements are also good for fatty liver disease. Antioxidants are important: Selenium and vitamin C directly support glutathione levels, and zinc (in the multivitamin) and copper support another important antioxidant. Vitamins D and K2 are protective for almost all diseases; K2 might be especially important for clearance of fibrin. Iodine has broad benefits, as does magnesium.

One could also take NAC and the B vitamins listed above, but it probably isn’t necessary if one is eating a healthy diet. B6 and B12 helps with homocysteine/cysteine/methionine/choline pathways, and thiamin, riboflavin, and biotin are generally important vitamins. NAC supports glutathione synthesis.

Avoiding toxins is extremely important. Polyunsaturated fats and fructose/alcohol should be kept very low, and never consumed at the same time.

Best, Paul

Reply
Michelle January 14, 2011 at 12:11 am

Thank you Paul, for going over that. I had forgotten about your post, and I have your book!

Supplements for memory next?

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Wood January 14, 2011 at 3:58 am

1 more question about D vit. A do 2 24 hours fast a week. Can I take D vitamin when I fast? Or it should be taken with meal becasue of the fat?

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 14, 2011 at 7:50 am

Hi Michelle, If you find ones that work let me know!

Hi Wood, I wouldn’t worry about taking it while fasting. Absorption might be reduced a bit, but I don’t believe it’s enough to merit disturbing a daily routine.

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Sue January 14, 2011 at 3:24 pm

I’m not seeing links to recommended purchases of these, but that’s probably just my weird computer setup. I was wondering though if anyone knows of anywhere reputable to get custom formula supplements. It’d be nice to have all this (or at least some–I don’t tolerate oral magnesium at all well) in one capsule rather than a handful of ’em.

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Jaime January 15, 2011 at 8:51 pm

Hi Paul,

I got some kidney issues so magnesium supplements are a no no, so where can I get mg from? I was about to include quinoa (soaked) for my mg source but I read somewhere that their saponins can damage the gut, so Im on stand by for the moment, can you recommend a safe mg source?

Best,

Jaime

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 15, 2011 at 9:16 pm

Hi Jaime,

You might consult your doctor; I think they are more concerned with laxatives (which typically contain several grams of magnesium) than with the 200 mg supplements we recommend.

If even that much is too much, and you have to get magnesium from food only, then I would consult http://nutritiondata.com and use their “Nutrient Search Tool” to generate a list of the foods with highest amounts of magnesium per 100 g. Then you can pick some out of there that you like, and eat those.

Foods high in magnesium that fit our diet include seaweed, nuts, fish roe / caviar, dark chocolate, tea, many spices, shellfish, tomatoes, peppers.

Best, Paul

Reply
Sue January 16, 2011 at 9:49 pm

I get (I hope) my magnesium by taking baths with Epsom salts several times a week. I use about two and a half cups per bath and stay in long enough to finish at least one chapter of a good book.

Reply
KKC January 17, 2011 at 11:27 am

Hi Paul,

Excellent feature, and I applaud the diligence it must have taken to put this together for your blogsite.

Two things:

1) Why do you specifically recommend Chromium Picolinate? I have been using Chelavite(R), a chromium-niacin chelate from Albion Labs. Using Subscribe & Save, $7.78 buys 250 tabs, 200mcg ea. http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Foods-Chromium-200mcg-Tablets/dp/B0013HPP0E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295281264&sr=8-1

2) For higher dose Vit C, may I recommend Source Naturals’ Sodium Ascorbate granules. A
Also available from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Source-Naturals-Vitamin-Ascorbate-Crystals/dp/B000GFPCO8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1295280422&sr=8-1 Again, with Subscribe & Save, this 16oz container yields ~380g Vit C (1/4t. = 1g. C) @ $12.56, no s/h.

Best, KKC

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 17, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Hi KKC,

Thanks for the suggestions, I’ve added each to the page.

We recommend chromium picolinate because that’s what most of the literature evidence is about, and it’s cheaper than GTF chromium. But we don’t object to GTF chromium.

Best, Paul

Reply
Jorge Tafich January 17, 2011 at 8:08 pm

Hi Paul,
Long time lurker, first post here. Love your blog and I’ve just received your book, and I’m looking forward to reading it!

I’d like to recommend Vitamin C from Pure Radiance. It comes naturally from organic berries and wildcrafted camu camu. No GMOs, additives, or fillers, and no synthetic ascorbic acid.
In short is Vitamin C from organic whole foods.

Check it out.

Best, Jorge

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 17, 2011 at 9:37 pm

Thanks, Jorge! From Amazon a link is here: Pure Radiance C – 90 Caps – Pure Synergy

Reply
Wheatless January 19, 2011 at 10:23 am

Paul,
Recently finished reading your wonderful book and plan to read it a second time in order to catch all the bits that I missed the first time around.

I’ve started taking a mineral supplement called Min-Rx from Xymogen, here’s a link:
http://www.xymogen.com/2008/formula.asp?code=000043

It comes fairly close to your recommendations for Mg, Selenium, Copper, and Chromium. The Calcium content is relatively low compared to other multi-minerals that I’ve looked it. Just wanted to know your thoughts.

Cheers!

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Paul Jaminet January 19, 2011 at 10:35 am

Hi Wheatless,

It looks like very good proportions! A nice formula.

I’m actually considering trying lithium orotate myself, so maybe in six months that will make its way into our recommendations too.

One qualm I have is that since you have to take 4 pills to get the recommended dose, it doesn’t really reduce the number of pills much compared to taking each mineral individually. I wonder how the expense compares to taking minerals individually.

Best, Paul

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Wheatless January 19, 2011 at 11:18 am

I use Carlson Vitamin D Drops. One bottle lasts 6 months (2000 IU per drop) and they use coconut oil in it:
http://www.amazon.com/Carlson-Vitamin-Drops-2000IU-37/dp/B002MCWXAY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1295450731&sr=8-2

For extra magnesium I’ve had good results with this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Chelated-Magnesium-200mg-180-Tablet/dp/B00014D2DW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1295451064&sr=1-1

It’s in magnesium glycinate form (http://www.carlsonlabs.com/p-54-chelated-magnesium.aspx). Each tablet has 200mg of Mg which is twice as much as Solaray.

Here’s my favorite salt:
http://www.amazon.com/RealSalt-Real-Salt-Shaker/dp/B000E6BRUW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1295453818&sr=1-2
Also comes in a 26oz refill:
http://www.amazon.com/Real-Salt-Granular-Refill-Ounces/dp/B000BD0SDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1295453818&sr=1-1

Cheers!

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Justin January 19, 2011 at 11:57 am

Hey Paul,

That interesting you mention lithium. I’ve been wondering what anyone (like Chris maybe) thinks of it’s nutritional essentially.

Here’s one paper I read on it awhile back:
http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/1/14

I first learned of it on ImmInst supplement forums, have you ever checked them out?

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Justin January 19, 2011 at 12:35 pm

Forgot to proofread that last comment. “Essentially” should be “Essentiality “

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Paul Jaminet January 19, 2011 at 4:13 pm

Thanks, Wheatless!

Hi Justin, thanks for the link. That one is in my notes, and it’s a good summary of the case for lithium. I’m not familiar with ImmInst, no.

Best, Paul

Reply
Abby January 19, 2011 at 5:43 pm

Imminst has their own multivitamin now, with lithium, which is where I first heard of it.

http://www.imminst.org/vimmortal

Reply
Albedo January 21, 2011 at 5:30 am

I’d like to support your great blog but I can’t order from amazon.com. Couldn’t you add a column with amazon.co.uk for Europeans ?

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 21, 2011 at 9:05 am

Hi Albedo,

I’ll look into that. Thanks for your support!

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Robert Katz January 28, 2011 at 2:21 pm

Hi Paul,

I’ve seen several articles about the dangers of folic acid — here’s one of them: http://www.mattmetzgar.com/matt_metzgar/2011/01/folic-acid.html — which is part of the Centrum supplement. What do you think of the safety of taking folic acid?

Also, yout high dose K2 supplementation specifies MK-4 only. Is MK-7 not needed then?

Thank you.

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 28, 2011 at 2:55 pm

Hi Robert,

We agree that folic acid is dangerous, that is why it is not among our recommended supplements. The evidence is discussed in detail in the book. We agree that folate would be much better than folic acid for multis. But the 400 mcg in multivitamins is probably not that bad. The dangers seem to be clearly attested only at doses of 800 mcg/day or higher.

MK-7 is good, you should get some of each. I haven’t seen combined MK-4 / MK-7 supplements in doses higher than the LEF Super K.

Best, Paul

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Leah January 28, 2011 at 11:10 pm

Thanks for this list! I purchased your book and I am learning so much, it is one of the best I have read thus far about nutrition and health 🙂
I usually buy all my supplements from vitacost.com because it saves me so much money compared to other sites. The multivite I have taken for years is made by Dr. Weil and it is an excellent value compared to others and uses high quality ingredients http://www.vitacost.com/Dr-Weil-Daily-Multivitamin-for-Optimum-Health .
I have been taking some additional supplements for a year based on recommendations from Dr. Eades like Co-Q10 and alpha lipoic acid, nutrients that are naturally high in organ meats I believe. I also take glucosamin/chondroiten, krill oil, and tumeric because of long standing issues with inflammation and pain from a knee disability (they seem to help). In your opinion is it neccesary and/or safe to supplement with these if you don’t eat any offal or organ animal foods (I just can’t make myself eat them)? I only eat the muscle meats and animal fats and I worry I would be missing out on key micronutrients if I stopped taking the above mentioned supplements. But I sure would enjoy taking less pills everyday if possible! Thank You 🙂

Reply
Paul Jaminet January 29, 2011 at 9:08 am

Hi Leah,

I think it’s safe to take those things. Whether it’s necessary is hard to say! You’ll have to judge that.

My experiences: When I had scurvy any antioxidants were a big help, including CoQ10. Once I started taking vitamin C, I didn’t notice any effect any more. Similarly, you might find that you benefit from glucosamine on a low-carb diet, but not if you eat more starches.

Upon looking into the research, we concluded that the elementary vitamins and minerals – like C, selenium, zinc, copper – were the critical ones to take and that the evidence was unclear whether adding the others would have benefits. We didn’t recommend them because, as you say, no one wants to take a long list of pills.

But personal experience trumps research. If extra supplements help your knee pain, I would keep taking them!

Best, Paul

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Dennis January 30, 2011 at 5:53 pm

Hi there, Paul.

Thanks so much to you and Shou-Ching for all the thought and work you have put into your blog and book. As a low carber with kidney stones, I especially appreciated your kidney stone post.

I am writing here because I just today found the Amazon links. I have a Mac. They do not show up for me on Safari or Chrome. They do show up on Firefox.

All the best to you both.

Dennis

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Shawn February 2, 2011 at 5:26 am

Dear Paul,

I’m looking at the Rainbow Light Men’s Just Once formula and it contains the recommended quantities of many of your “essential supplements” do you recommend additional supplementation beyond this (e.g. the multi has 2 mg copper, do you recommend an additional 2 mg)?

Thank you

Reply
Paul Jaminet February 2, 2011 at 9:09 am

Hi Shawn,

I don’t think it’s necessary to supplement beyond that. We recommend 2-4 mg per day. Most people get 1 mg from food. Our multi has 1 mg and we eat a quarter-pound of beef liver per week, which is the equivalent of supplementing another 2 mg/day.

You might just eat beef liver occasionally and you should be all set with your multi.

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Gina Stankard February 9, 2011 at 5:28 pm

What about quality? The 3 most important issues concerning selecting a vitamin/mineral supplement are:

1. Is it safe? Many products contain ingredients not listed on the label.

2. Does it get absorbed? Many products on the market are not bioavailable.

3. Is the company science-based? Do they have cutting edge research and science behind their products?

I asked myself these 3 questions, did my due diligence, and found a company I can trust with products that are guaranteed for completeness, absorbability, purity, potency and safety.

The nutritionals are rated #1 by The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements (available on Amazon). It’s the only independent, third-party guide of its kind. Do you know it?

Reply
Paul Jaminet February 9, 2011 at 7:51 pm

Hi Gina,

You’re a supplement salesperson for a multilevel marketing company and your comment is spam. Since it’s civil spam I’m leaving it up, but with this reply as a warning to the unwary.

Best, Paul

Reply
Tyler Simmons February 10, 2011 at 3:24 pm

Hi Paul,

Really great book, I think this is the best nutrition book available.

What do you think about Kurt Harris’ recent comment that iodine down-regulates thyroid synthesis:

“Iodine – even though humans evolved the capability to live with a huge range of iodine in the diet – a nonsense book by Brownstein claims that 90% of the population is iodine deficient – actual science shows that iodine downregulates thyroid hormone synthesis and can flare Hashimoto’s”

-http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2011/2/8/therapy-versus-life.html

Thank you!

Tyler Simmons

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Paul Jaminet February 10, 2011 at 4:23 pm

Hi Tyler,

I saw your review at Amazon, thank you!

Re iodine:

(1) It’s true that the thyroid evolved a capability to maintain proper thyroid hormone levels over a wide range of iodine intakes … but iodine is beneficial for non-thyroid functions too, apart from its role in thyroid hormone, e.g. immune function gets better as iodine levels increase. So this is not an argument against iodine supplementation. In fact it proves that we can flourish with high iodine intakes!

(2) “90% is iodine deficient” – this depends on your definition of “deficient.” I would agree with Brownstein that 90% of the population would improve their health with higher iodine intakes. I would agree with Harris that most would not fit the clinical usage of “deficient” — usually, there is an intermediate category, “deprived”, to handle this. When you’re deficient you have acute clinical disease; when you’re deprived your health is not what it could be but there’s no obvious clinical disease.

Thus, for instance, we’ve noted in several posts that optimal TSH is below 1.0, while most Americans are much higher. Most are therefore thyroid hormone deprived, and would probably benefit from iodine. But clinical hypothyroidism usually doesn’t start until a TSH of 3.0 or higher.

(3) “Iodine downregulates thyroid hormone synthesis” – this may refer to the feedback effect mentioned in (1), which is the healthful adaptation to maintain constant thyroid hormone levels with varying iodine intake. Or it may refer to the reactive hypothyroidism which sometimes occurs when iodine intake is increased too rapidly. Similarly, flares of Hashimoto’s, I believe, are usually due to increasing iodine dose too rapidly. I haven’t heard of these symptoms appearing in anyone who increased iodine sufficiently slowly (starting at 500 mcg, never increasing dose by no more than one doubling per month).

Since many Hashimoto’s sufferers have gotten benefit from high iodine doses, including our Mario, I think the balance of evidence favors iodine supplementation adopted in a very slow, gradual manner over ~6 months.

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