This page lists our supplement recommendations with links to products at Amazon. By purchasing via links on this page, you support the blog at no cost to yourself. Thank you for supporting our work!
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
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Vitamin K2
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Magnesium
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Iodine
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Vitamin C
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Vitamin B-5 (pantothenic acid or pantethine)
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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)
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B2 (riboflavin)
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B6
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Biotin
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B12
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Zinc
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Boron
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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
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Inositol plus Choline
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Iron (optional)
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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
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More Probiotics
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More Probiotics
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Chromium
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Lithium
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Silicon
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Copper (Only If Liver Is Not Eaten)
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Vitamin A (Only If Liver Is Not Eaten)
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Calcium (If No Mineral Water or Bone Stock)
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B-50 complex
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Molybdenum
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Taurine
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Vitamin E
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Therapeutic Supplements
These supplements are unnecessary for healthy people but may be helpful in various disease conditions.
N-acetylcysteine
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Glycine
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Creatine
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Melatonin
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Detoxification Aids
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Miscellaneous
These items may be helpful in implementing Perfect Health Diet and Lifestyle advice.
Pill boxes
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Pill cutter
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Thank you, Paul. I do appreciate it.
Hi, I only want to thank Paul, such a wise person his willingness in helping people, with the best approach to nutrition out there.
Only telling that there are active forms of vitamins such methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin, and the riboflavin 5 phosphate y the piridixal 5 phosphate, and the methyl folate, which are better tolerated and most effective than the inactive forms.
Best regards,
How does the findings described in this article, regarding vitamin C and E intake, relate to your recommendations?
http://theconversation.com/feast-then-famine-how-fasting-might-make-our-cells-more-resilient-to-stress-38808
It’s interesting research, I’m watching. I don’t find the data compelling yet because there are a lot of variables to control, but it could lead to changes in our recommendations.
I dont understand water-soluble vitamins being taken once a week. What you dont need daily, you urinate out daily. They aren’t stored like fat-soluble vitamins. I thot many minerals are also water-soluble too?
Thank you.
im also interested in this. I’ve read the whole book but i still dont understand why water soluble only once a week? anyone know?
Hi, Paul. I apologize if this has been asked before, but I’ve read many things suggesting that the synthetic form of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can lead, among other things, to lowering the bioavailability of copper in the body and resulting copper dysregulation. See, e.g., http://gotmag.org/ascorbic-acid-causes-copper-deficiency-huh/ Along similar lines, I’ve read that supplementing with Vitamin D may be unnecessary or even harmful because the low levels of Vitamin D in our blood may be due to the fact that Vitamin D’s role in the body is to promote the absorption of calcium into the blood, but because most of us already have levels of calcium that are too high, Vitamin D levels are kept low by the body to prevent absorption of excess calcium. See, e.g., http://gotmag.org/the-vitamin-d-controversy/ & http://gettingstronger.org/2012/11/why-i-dont-take-vitamin-d-supplements/
Any thoughts?
Alexander, I too have seen this about vitamin d, and it too was through the same source as you linked to. Just my take on this is.. The gotmag man is kind of out there in his thoughts and goes against what is known about vitamin d. If you search Examnie.com, they have a nice piece on vitamin d as do many other good reliable sites. I think the info on vitamin d is strong, and going without it can hurt more than help.
Thanks, I know Morley Robbins tends to have contrarian views, but the high-saturated-fat view was also once contrarian, and I can’t dismiss him out of hand because, like Paul, he’s very evidence-based in his approach. Besides, he’s not the only one saying Vitamin D supplementation is dangerous. See, e.g., http://gettingstronger.org/2012/11/why-i-dont-take-vitamin-d-supplements/ (I’ve seen other sources as well.) If I remember what Paul says in the book, he notes the need to balance D, A and K, and taking them together might address the issue. I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.
You bring up a good point and as vitamin d is researched more maybe we will have more facts. For now I am going to stop all supplements except for zinc once a week with my liver and maybe iodine, to see how it helps with my insomnia problems. Happy Easter to all and bless.
You might want to stop them, and then, if the insomnia goes away, reintroduce them one by one each week so you can see if there’s one that’s causing the problem. (Also, as far as I know, magnesium is supposed to be helpful for promoting sleep and is generally pretty safe to take. I’ve read that magnesium glycinate and magnesium malate are the most well-absorbed forms.)
Just take codliver & butter oil together. A, D, K and ur EFAs in one dose. Dont need to worry about imbalances. Its a wholefood source.
I used to take codliver without the butteroil (thats where the K is). Now ive been taking the butteroil too and voila, the plaque on the back of my front teeth is falling off in chunks (did it twice, freaked me both times). I need to get my teeth cleaned quarterly to keep up with the plaque there. I was told my saliva is high in mineral content probably, specifically calcium. Well the K gets the calcium out of the blood (causing plaque build up there too) and into the BONES. Makes sense it would get it out of saliva also.
Always use wholefoods whenever possible.
You know, I DO take that from the Green Pasture brand, and I also take D & K separately, and maybe I should stop the separate D & K supplementation, but I’m just not sure how much A, D & K there is in the cod liver oil/butter oil (they don’t have that info on their bottles), and I actually didn’t even know there was K in the cod liver oil. I totally agree with you about the superiority of whole food sources of supplementation whenever possible, though.
Green Pasture use to publish the test data for their CLO here;
http://www.greenpasture.org/public/Products/TestData/
which showed the Vit A & Vit D content on particular batches.
No much data on their butter oil (HVBO) tho.
…But, the last test date is back in 2013…
Take kelp for the iodine, it has other trace minerals also. Seaweed is great for trace minerals. Dulse is also a good one to take, but not so high in iodine. I use both. Just sprinkle it on things. Even good on greens. Salads. My kids eat dulse off the spoon.
Codliver oil does not have the K. Thats in the butteroil. It was called Activator X before they discovered it was K. I would not take separate D or A with codliver oil.
They don’t test their bottles anymore as that would be like testing every liver that went on your butcher’s display. Liver is known to have x, y and z in it. Thats why you eat it. You don’t stress about how much. You just consistently eat this wholefood. Same with wholefood supplements. There are other synergestic factors at play here then just the K, A and D. Vit C has bioflavanoids and cofactors that are important to its function and present in an orange, for example. Real food wins and is no stress.
i would presume that they are still testing every batch for metals and contaminants etc.
just not publishing the info on the web site anymore.
If you prefer real food over supplements, and you don’t know how much of anything is in the butter oil, why not just eat natto, aged cheese, and butter on a weekly basis? That butter oil ain’t cheap and it’s not delicious either.
It’s an extremely concentrated oil, like the codliver oil. You take 1 1/2-3tsp total a day (the codliver and butter oil combined in one bottle). You don’t use it on food like butter. I have no source for raw milk grassfed butter, esp year round; ditto for raw milk grassfed cheese. Natto is an acquired taste lol BUT it also isn’t an animal product. The K from animal is what I want. Squash and pumpkin, carrot and sweet potatoes are all called Vit A foods. They contain beta carotene, not A. Many ppl don’t convert the carotene well. An egg yolk contains A.
Hi I’m attempting to understand the KI dosing using Iosol. If 1 drop = 1.83mg, and the rec’d dose = 225mcg what is the best way to divide a drop? I have 2 bottles and would prefer to use them up. thanks.
The best is to get another bottle and dilute the Iosol solution. 1 part Iosol to 7 parts water will dilute each drop to 229 mcg.
Thanks Paul, much appreciated 🙂
Please could I ask for thoughts on buckwheat, quinoa, rye and spelt, nut butters and almond milk. Thank you
The world produces over 500 times as much of both wheat and rice as quinoa. As a consequence we have enough data about rice to say it’s safe, and about wheat to say it’s not — but for, say, quinoa, the data necessary to arrive at an informed opinion on its healthfulness simply does not exist.
So until that data does exist, I would play it safe and avoid buckwheat, quinoa, rye, and spelt. If you want to take your chances, buckwheat is probably the least risky of the grains you mention.
Here’s what Paul has to say on the matter:
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/09/the-oldest-profession-quinoa-millet-and-emmer-and-einkorn-wheat/
Nut butters should be fine if they:
(1) Are made from low-PUFA nuts (e.g. macadamias).
(2) Do not contain added unhealthy oils, which store-bought nut butters often do. But nut butters are easy to make at home if you have a powerful blender: Just blend a pound of low-PUFA nuts with around a cup of healthy fat. If using a solid fat, be sure to first warm the nuts in the oven and melt the fat, before blending. (Otherwise you run the risk of breaking even a very-powerful blender.)
Almond milk should also be fine — if drunk in small enough quantities that it doesn’t raise your overall PUFA intake beyond the 4% of total calories which Paul suggests. Note that almond fat is about 25% PUFA; for comparison, dairy fat is about 3% PUFA.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. That’s really helpful information.
HI Paul,
my serum zinc has repeatedly been below lab range and my serum copper when tested was twice my zinc level. This despite increasing my zinc dose (now at 60 mg/day), eating red meat regularly, and very low copper diet. i’ve determined my water is very low in copper and can’t figure out why zinc stays so low. my mental health is a lot better if i take this amount of zinc every day but apparently it’s still not enough. i follow the PHD lifestyle. have you come across this before and raised zinc in other ways? thanks!
Is it possible you have pyroluria? it is a condition that can make you deficient in zinc
HI Claire,
i tested below 20 for pyroluria. my highest reading was 19 so perhaps borderline….
If you haven’t come across this already you might find it interesting. Trudy Scott has a lot to say on pyroluria and believes the test for pyroluria is not very accurate:
http://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/category/pyroluria-2/page/2/
the questionnaire is interesting
hi kelly,
when i looked in to copper & zinc blood tests a while back, these are a few of the things i concluded (at the time);
– Testing the zinc levels using in blood may not be that accurate an indicator of zinc sufficiency/deficiency.
– Plasma Zinc is a better indicator than Serum Zinc (but serum is better than nothing).
– To get a true indication of what is going on with copper, you need to get two tests run; 1. Serum Copper & 2. Ceruloplasmin (alt spell Caeruloplasmin).
edit:
…true indication of what is going on with copper…
should probably read,
…better indication of what is going on with copper…
Hi Paul,
I’ve been following the diet for the past two years . I have Crohn’s disease and since PHD I have been free from steroid medication for the first time in 15years. Gutting out wheat has been life changing. I don’t really understand the science side of the PHD and I have been reluctant to try supplementation until now. I’ve just ordered my first lot if supplements:
k2, iodine, vitamin c, zinc, copper, boron, b50 complex and chromium.
I live in a tropical continent so I idnt think I needed the sunshine supplement as its summer all year round with in change in seasons.
I feel scared because I know my gut is very very sensitive. Please let me know if there is anything else you reccomend I add at this point.
i don’t eat the liver so I know I need the copper. As I’m in the UK a lot of these supplements are free from out national health service. Which do you recommend I get on prescription and which blood tests should I get to monitor progress?
Kind regards
Jessica
Hello, any advice regarding this diet/supplements for children 3-12?
I have spent much time on this site and I can tell you almost word for word what Paul would say: Kids have high calorie needs this means they tend to meet nutrient requirements. Just follow PHD style eating with your kids the best you can and they will be healthy!
If I had to recommend anything it would be FCLO, also don’t be restrictive with the carbs.. kids have much higher needs for carbs than adults.
I thought Paul doesn’t recommend FCLO and fish oils in general. Just recommends liver and fish to get those nutrients.
Hi Paul,
I was wondering if you could shed some light on my 60 year old Mother’s recent cholesterol results. Her Doctor is warning her that she may need statins soon if her levels do not improve. I am trying to motivate her to make PHD dietary changes. Not sure how compliant she is but she says she has greatly reduced sugar and wheat intake which is a good start.
I put a star on the ones she was warned are too high.
Serum Triglycerides: 1.2 nmol/L
Serum cholesterol: 7.4 nmol/L *
Serum HDL cholesterol: 1.6 nmol/L
Total cholesterol: HDL ratio: 4.6
Serum LDL cholesterol: 5.3 nmol/L *
Other results:
Serum Vit D 44 nmol/L
CRP 4 mg/L
TSH 2.45 mu/L
Plasma glucose: 5 nmol/L
Any insights as to what the results can mean? She also has bad varicose veins, migraines, liver cysts and her mental clarity is getting worse.
Thank you.
Hi Paul,
Sorry to bother you again but if you get a free moment any insights on the above results for my mum. I would like to help her.
Thanks.
Hi Claire,
For American readers, those numbers are TC of 286 mg/dl, triglycerides 106, HDL 62, LDL 205. Vitamin D is 18 ng/dl, glucose 90 mg/dl.
Basically, vitamin D is too low and LDL is too high. We would like to see triglycerides lower also, but those are the two problem numbers.
She should get more sun and supplement vitamin D to raise serum levels to 100 nmol/l. LDL is a little more complicated, she should be tested for excess iron. She may be too low carb now and may need more potatoes and rice. She should also get more vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin C, vinegar, and egg yolks to help address a possible endotoxemia. I would also supplement iodine 225 mcg/day.
Best, Paul
The FCLO recommendation was mine, Paul doesn’t recommend fish oil but FCLO is on a different level in my opinion.
With my 4 year old I just make sure he eats lots of good PHD food. plus we give him vitamin K2.. which is also essential in my opinion since it is difficult to get from food consistently.
Hey Paul,
I’ve been consistently tweaking the PHD diet as I regain my health and balance. I try to get all of my nutrients from foods, but noticed two of the supplements I do take daily include folate/folic acid. This includes the basic b stress complex from Thorne (for b-vitamins and pantothenic acid, but includes 400mcg per pill of folate) and Magnesium Sustained Release from Jigsaw (for mag, but includes folate of 200mcg per recommended dose).
Do you feel it prudent to reduce the daily intake of b-vitamin if in a complex form to once weekly (as you suggest) and/or switch to individual supplementation to reduce any synthetic folate. For the magnesium supplement, this is in the form of magnesium malate and seems to be easier on digestion, but you recommend citrate or chelate. Any particular issues with malate and do you feel it’s again prudent to switch out this supplement as well?
Any input from anyone is appreciated. Thanks
Since you get the FCLO, get the high vitamin butteroil too. It has Vit K in it. Or get the formula with both FCLO & HVBO in it. We use the cinnamon tingle one. It’s rly not bad after a week or 2!
Dear Paul (or knowledgeable commenter!),
A few years ago I was mis-medicated with high dose cytomel. The doctor gave me the medicine even though my iron levels were very, very low as was my b12 and vitamin D. I had spent four years breastfeeding my son and I was young and clueless and didn’t know that many doctors are not so clued in themselves. I just wanted to feel and look like myself again and to have the energy to live. Needless to say the cytomel wreaked havoc on my system with insomnia, panic, shaking and crazy cortisol levels.
I am mostly recovered from the overmedication, and I’ve done it by following your recommendations and diets. My TSH is still 2.7. It was 4.0 at the time of the diagnosis of hypothyroid. I eat shellfish and some seaweed but I think it’s time to supplement with iodine. I have been tested and have no autoimmune titres or symptoms and I wonder if I should start with even smaller than 225mc? I’m just so gun shy regarding anything “thyroid” after my experience. Is this necessary, or wise or should I just take the plunge?
Thank you to anyone who chimes in!
Best,
Kristen
Hi Kristen,
It’s fine to start smaller if you are nervous. The thyroid needs about 70 mcg per day typically, the stomach and immune system use the rest. You can cut pills in half. Alternatively, you could try 225 mcg for one day. If you have a problem with it, the effects will be immediate (hyperthyroidism due to nodules on the thyroid), so you’ll know right away.
Thank you, Paul!
I will go ahead and try it for a day — I had not known the effects would be immediate (!).
I’m very grateful to you and Shou-Ching. Your diet has healed my whole family and has given my son a great start in life.
All best.
Paul, what would one experience if they take too much iodine and they are hyperthyroid with nodules? I ask this because when I take a kelp supplement ( just got your book and read you don’t recommend kelp so I will switch to another type) of just 150 mcg it feels like I have a sore throat. Could it cause this?
Thanks!
Eating Oysters As a Source of Zinc:
Why isn’t zinc listed on the labels of canned oysters?? Is it still in there?
This is not the only resource on the Internet. If you Google “canned oysters zinc” you will get hundreds of authoritative responses.
and when someone’s question annoys you, take it that the question is not for you. you have the freedom to let it be someone else’s question. why take the trouble to go after someone?
free the grumps.
yep, zinc is still there.
you will never* (*=very unlikely/rare) see zinc content listed on any food labels. generally food labels just stick to the common stuff like fat, carbs, protein, fibre, sodium, sometimes potassium.
Waters may include some mineral info on the labels.
but anyway…if you are interested in zinc content of foods, use one of the nutrition databases, such as nutritiondata.com
Here are all the entries for oysters on the nutritiondata.com database;
http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-Oyster015000000000000000000.html
Who are you angry with? That you should reply unkindly. This is a friendly place. Graciousness is powerful.
Who are you to assume I was angry? I am not in the least. I was merely being informational. Take it as you wish.
Hi Paul, in your book you recommend taking the B vitamins weekly, including 500 mg of B5 weekly, but on this webpage you have B5 in the daily category and still at 500 mg.
Can you clarify please?
Just finished reading the book. It is a game changer. Thank you for putting all the supplement information on your website – so helpful.
and what about histamine-intolerance? I have also colitis ulcerosa for about 4years, I was on strict GAPSdiet for 1,5y, after switched to paleo, it´s a lot better, but not good, I can´t eat raw veggies, and because of histamin-intolerance fish, tomato, fermented food etc. I have in my 40y.heavy osteoporosis and had a complicated femure-fracture before 3y, I was on Prolia injection with a lot of side-effect and I´m going to get Forteo injections now – I can´t refuse it in my situation. I have also hormonal problems, my ovaries don´t want to work properly, maybe I´m in perimenopausal, I use natural progesterone cream to maintain some hormonal activity, but it is not enough for my bones. I eat about 1700Kcal/day, cca.120ch,90f,80P/sometimes more protein/ Please, how can I improve?
Hi Katka – For histamine intolerance — (1) beef or lamb liver 1/4 per week, if not supplement 2 mg copper per day; (2) 3-5 egg yolks per day, for choline; (3) supplement molybdenum 500 mcg/week; (4) get fresh meat, don’t overcook it, eat it promptly. You may be undereating. Try PHD and a bit more food plus our regular supplements and the above for histamine.
Thank You Paul for the quick answer – I´m on diets for about 10 years-at first only gluten&sugar&dairy-free, after that on GAPS diet and after that-until now on paleo diet – but I need surely something to change. I´ll try PHD and all of Your advices! Thank You!
oh and I´ve forgotten – I´m on Intermittent fasting 16/8 every day for about 2years now. Last week I´ve bought Your book also.
Hello everybody! I would like to ask for some advice concerning a health issue. My blood count indicators are all very low (around half of the minimum limit). My blood pressure is low, as well (around 85/60). My ankles are swollen and my feet are cold. I am more cold always than the others. I realize that my blood flow is suffering. I eat a carb based diet (one meal a day, in the evening). I take magnesium, zinc, and vitamin D3. What supplements can help me with getting my blood to normal? I would really appreciate your help. Best, Andrei
Hi Andrei, it is impossible to diagnose this over the Internet and you should really see a doctor, but I would suspect undereating may be a problem. Try eating two meals a day.
🙄 eat protein and fat 3 times a day, try the PHDS and see a doctor.
Thank you for your response!
I am doing high intensity training 1-2 times a week and I am gaining weight.
I do not restrict calories.
It’s just I find it convenient for me to eat once a day.
Is meal spacing relevant as long as I get my calories and nutrients?
I though I might have an iron deficiency, as this seems to be mostly pointed over the internet.
I don’t trust doctors because most of them are not up to modern research.
That’s why I would rather address my question here.
Paul, would you recommend me to try some supplements?
Paul, can you clarify the conflict between this webpage and you book please?
In your book you recommend taking the B vitamins weekly, including 500 mg of B5 weekly, but on this webpage you have B5 in the daily category and still at 500 mg.
We adjust our recommendations from time to time, so this web page is more up to date than the book. In the case of pantothenic acid, its extreme safety, and an increased emphasis on the importance to health of vinegar and fiber-produced acetate which can combine with Coenzyme A to make Acetyl-CoA which is beneficial in abundance, persuaded me to switch to daily pantothenic acid.
Thanks Paul. What about the idea that B vitamins should be taken together so as not to produce an imbalance?
Paul, I would appreciate if you had a look through my blood results.
leukocytes 3.7 (4.3-10)
erytrocytes 3.1 (4.6-6.2)
hemoglobin 6.6 (8.5-11)
hematocrit 0.3 (0.41-0.51)
red blood cell distribution width 13% (12-16)
trombocytes 121 (150-400)
thyroid hormone T 4.46 (0.1-4)
I would very much value if you could give me an advice.
Maybe some supplements would help?
Thank you very much for your work.
Both the book and the website are extremely helpful.
Best,
Andrei
Hello, I just bought your book and I’m really excited! Amazing work! I just wanted to ask what is considered to be a high triglycerides to hdl rate, and what is a low one.
Thank you!
I wish it could be explained why to take B vitamins esp, only once per week as the excess is excreted daily–water soluble.
Thank You!
Hi Helene,
Half-life in the body is typically 2-3 weeks so there’s no need to take them more than weekly, especially if you are eating food too.
Levels are elevated for several hours after you supplement so don’t want to do that more often than necessary.
Hello, Paul!
I bought a supplement for my thyroid.
It has L-Tyrosine 300 mg, Kalium iodide 500 mcg, selenium methionine 100 mcg and zink citrate 20 mg.
I know you recommend starting iodine with 225 mcg.
Is it really dangerous to start with 500 mcg?
I also have additional selenium tablets of 200 mcg.
I would very much appreciate your advice.
Best,
Andrei
Hi Andrei. I’m afraid of iodine supplements now as I got sick after taking 6.25 mg for about 2 1/2 years. I can’t say 100% it was the iodine, but it is a known trigger. Currently I have antibodies for Grave’s Disease. Started off hyper, and now I’m hypo. Has been 7 months. Some “experts” say do not take iodine supplements under any circumstances. Some will even refuse to take you as a patient if you are taking any at all. Some other “experts” say to take large doses such as 12.5 mg. I would stick with 225 mcg & never go above that. Too risky. What I’m going thru right now is pretty scary & miserable. Don’t risk it.
Steve! Thanks a lot for your feedback.
I’m sorry to hear about your experience.
I am almost certain I have hypothyroidism because my TSH is 4.46.
I am cold and I have swollen ankles.
Do you think even 500mcg is too much?
What if I add extra selenium?
That sounds hypo to me based on what I’ve read. There are some other levels to test so maybe you can figure out exactly what’s causing the hypothyroidism. I wouldn’t take iodine or hormones or anything else until I knew exactly what is causing the problem. Once you know the cause then you can move on to the cure. The cause can be many other things besides the thyroid. I wouldn’t even take 500 mcg, but I’m paranoid now. It depends on which “expert” you believe. I’ve never seen so many contradictory opinions regarding a supplement.
Hi everybody! I hope you’re all doing well.
I would like to ask something about supplement timing.
As far as I’ve read, vitamin D should be taken in the morning. I also know that it is fat soluble.
Because I only eat once a day, in the evening, is it fine to take vitamin D early in the morning? I will only eat fats in the evening.
Are there any other supplements which must be taken in the morning?
Thank you in advance.
Best,
Andrei
Hi,
What is the easiest way to take all the recommended supplements?
Is it necessary to get each one seperatley?
Is there a multivitamine with all the recommended supplements?
Thanks,
Chris
Paul, I have just noticed that you recommend one gram of vitamin C every day.
I find this shocking. High dose vitamin C is well known to cause copper deficiency. It can also cause iron overload.
You think white rice is better than brown rice, because of the phytic acid. Phytic acid actually does the opposite of high dose vitamin C: it inhibits iron absorption and improves copper absorption. Here is the copper paper. I have posted it here before.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18505688
Brown rice is one of the best sources of manganese, and white rice has almost none. You think manganese is to be avoided because it’s toxic. Here is a paper showing that manganese injected into the brain of rats, far from damaging them, protects them from iron-induced damage. I have posted this paper here before. Please read it.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9681949
Jane Karlsson PhD
Hi Jane,
Thanks for your thoughts. The brown rice/white rice issue has nothing to do with phytate, we are friendly toward phytate in natural whole foods. We are a copper-rich diet due to beef and lamb liver, so the relatively small influence of C on copper absorption is unlikely to be an issue. We recommend monitoring iron and donating blood as needed to maintain optimum iron stores.
As for your interesting ideas about manganese, I am still concerned about neurotoxicity form overdoses. I appreciate the links you’ve given, but I think the jury is still out on manganese.
Best, Paul
Hi Paul, thanks for your reply.
I have to ask, if it isn’t the phytic acid, what is it? You call white rice ‘safe starch’, but to my mind it’s anything but safe. If you can’t supplement with manganese because it’s ‘toxic’, at the very least you should avoid white rice like the plague.
New research is showing that Mn is far more important than people thought, for instance in preventing diabetes. Mn deficiency is now implicated in Alzheimer’s, because the critical enzyme PP2A is a manganese enzyme. Here is a paper about what PP2A does.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22892312
Wherever iron overload is a problem (everywhere!) Mn deficiency has to be suspected. Excess iron can prevent Mn entry into mitochondria, with disastrous results.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2258172/
Hi Jane,
It’s generally the digestive inhibitors and cell proliferation inhibitors we’re concerned about in the cereal grains. E.g. rice bran agglutinin (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11726280), trypsin inhibitor (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8906637), etc.
It’s clear that manganese is a crucial nutrient, but it may have a narrow “peak health range” with severe negative effects from both deficiency and excess. The question is whether the optimum amount is different from what you get from food. PHD is a natural whole foods diet with about 4 pounds of food per day, so it’s fairly manganese rich compared to conventional diets. I can readily believe that most people eating purified calories (cakes, doughnuts, soda) are manganese deficient, but I don’t believe PHDers are. My reading is that on our diet, food provides just the right amount of manganese, so there is no need to supplement.
Thanks for the links on biology, they’re interesting.
Best, Paul
@Jane Karlsson,
How should we get rid of free excess iron stored in the body, and how do we make free copper and free iron bioavailable?
How do we heal the adrenals and thyroid without vitamin C?
Thank you
Wrong paper on copper. Here is the right one.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3373335
Actually the wrong one wasn’t really wrong at all. It shows that fatty liver disease is linked to iron overload and copper deficiency.
Hi Paul,
For the K2 supplements, why is only MK-7 now recommended? The lowest commercially-available dose of MK-4 is 1 mg, which I assume is too high; but it could easily be diluted to reduce the dosage. So is there any reason to prefer 100 mcg of MK-7 to, say, 300 mcg of MK-4? (And would 300 mcg be about the right amount?)
I am curious because all the MK-7 products I can find are soy-derived, and my sister is allergic to soy.
Thanks,
Eric
Hi Eric,
The MK-4 is also produced synthetically and has both chiralities, left and right; it’s possible the wrong chirality may be harmful. MK-7 will donate quinones and conserve MK-4. I don’t think more is needed.
I would recommend that your sister skip supplements and eat aged cheese.
Hi Paul,
Actually, are you sure MK-4 is chiral? Staring at it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menatetrenone), I don’t see why. (Vitamin K1, by contrast, definitely looks chiral to me.)
Thanks again,
Eric
Hi Eric,
It looks like you are right. I read somewhere that K2 was chiral but that looks like a mistake.
All of the MK4 preparations I have tried cause paresthesia in my left leg and foot. Mk7 ones don’t. Due to this, and a mention by Paul of mixed chirality being a possible issue, I inquired of 3 supplement manufacturers whether their MK4 was racemic or single-enantiomer.
The responses were interesting – two said they were mixed, and one said the molecule wasn’t chiral. Since this is not my field, I asked the one who said it wasn’t chiral if they were sure about that, and got no answer.
If it’s not chiral, I’m really confused on why MK4 has negative side effects for me that MK7 does not.
Mercola’s Vitamin K2 is from chickpeas, not soy, you might want to check it out.
Hi, I’m a bit confused on the silicon supplement recommendation. It is advised to take 25 mg daily or 500 mg weekly. Why is the weekly dose 20x higher than the daily dose? I’ve searched both book and website and could not find an answer. Thanks in advance!
Sorry, that was a mistake. I’ve fixed it.
Thank you for clarifying.
I’ve had good success with 2 x 125 mg magnesium taurate for years. Helps maintain heart sinus rhythm.
Hi Paul,
Instead of the iodine supplement you recommend is it OK to use a powdered seaweed capsule (by Seagreens) instead? One dose (2 capsules) contains 390mcg. Is that OK for me to continue with?
Hi Claire, yes, but I’d do just 1 capsule a day (195 mcg) and eat seafood/seaweed regularly for more iodine.
Thank you. Interesting as the packet say 1 capsule is suitable for children. Would you say it’s best not to give children these seaweed capsules? Or I could still give them say 1 or 2 a week?
Hi Paul. What kind of seaweed do you eat? I’m interested in one that I am confident is from water that is not contaminated (for something like this that you recommend eating regularly). thanks.
The Natrol Biotin contains wheat. The back of the bottle below the ingredient list states: “Contains: Wheat”. NOW Biotin contains stearic acid(vegetable source), which is most likely cottonseed oil. These are two of the links for Biotin on this page. The other link is Solgar Biotin, which has vegetable magnesium stearate, which is made from stearic acid, thus contains, usually, a high omega 6 oil, or a poisonous oil such as cottonseed. Country Life Biotin seems to be the only supplement that is wheat/gluten free, and free of other dangerous chemicals. (Cellulose(capsule), cellulose, MCT oil, silica. That’s it). I want to take supplements, but the gluten and other harmful chemicals are getting in the way.
I use Nutrigold Biotin Gold:
http://www.nutrigold.com/Whole-Food-Biotin
Can anyone answer this…I have an autoimmune disease and can not eat eggs, and also, I am not eating red meat due to autoimmune thyroiditis, so I am specifically eating chicken liver. (I eat meat in moderation, beef or lamb maybe 3 times per month). Normally, Paul says 1/4 lb liver per week, but without eggs, do I up my amount of liver or supplement with choline? If so, how much of each? I appreciate anyone’s clarification.
Thanks,
Karen
Can anyone answer this…I have an autoimmune disease and can not eat eggs, and also, I am not eating red meat due to autoimmune thyroiditis, so I am specifically eating chicken liver. (I eat meat in moderation, beef or lamb maybe 3 times per month). Normally, Paul says 1/4 lb, but without eggs, do I up my amount of liver or supplement with choline? If so, how much of each?
Thanks,
Karen
Hi Karen. I have RA and was taking methotrexate. The doc had me on high doses of folic acid but never mentioned that the drug can also increase the need for choline. I’d been off methotrexate for 8 weeks and developed high liver enzymes. My doc did all the tests she could think of. Nada. I don’t eat carbs much and eat no sugar, egg and dairy allergy and small amounts of meat. I came across this piece from the Linus Pauling Institute. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/other-nutrients/choline
Read to the end. So I started taking 1,000mg choline tartarate. After 5 months of elevated enzymes, 1 month of supplemental choline, duck eggs 2x a week and liver, the enmes are normal. So if you are taking meds you do need to supplement.
Hi Karen, I realize that many people will regard this as Woooo Woooo and out there, but it did wonders in helping me eliminate my egg allergies: NAET allergy elimination technique. I hadn’t eaten eggs for years, and after this treatment (it’s been four years now), I can eat as many eggs as my heart desires with no adverse effects. I believe, for me, vaccines had something to do with sensitizing me to eggs.