Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo? - PaleoHacks.com

Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T09:21:51Z

I assume food is the best way to obtain all necessary nutrients (for the most part); however, for those of us recovering from the typical american diet, which vitamins, minerals, or other supplements might be beneficial for short term therapy? (no multi-vitamins or multi-minerals please)

{brand names might be helpful too, if you think you've found an exceptional quality in any one brand}

Answer by dmi for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T09:39:46Z

Free range eggs, grass-fed meat, wild fish. They are good for long term use.

Answer by Moomin for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T09:47:47Z

Fish Oil, Vitamin D, Vitamin K2 and Magnesium. Don't take advice from me though, I'm just starting to learn, can't even count, and am interested if others with more knowledge think I'm right?

Answer by Paul for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T09:48:53Z

Omega 3 Fish Oil (high quality, without soybean oil). This supplement will help to balance out your omega 3 to omega 6 ratios, especially if all your meat isn't pastured.
Vitamin D - most people don't get enough sunlight, and therefore, don't get enough Vitamin D.
Magnesium - helps most people with sleep quality and anxiety

Answer by lc875 for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T10:46:40Z

Probiotics, fermented cod liver oil, and vitamin D

Answer by Christopher Gagnon for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T11:48:56Z

I approached supplementing methodically, because I too believe it best to obtain nutrients from food as much as possible. Tracking what one eats, and reviewing the nutrients consumed, seems like the only way to target things so one doesn't take unneeded supplements.

After tracking my food in Cron-o-Meter for awhile, I realized no matter what I ate, I never got enough vitamin D, nor omega-3. My geographic location and work life generally prevent me from producing enough vitamin D from sun exposure, so I wanted to supplement. I also don't seem to enjoy fish enough to eat it as often as I perhaps should.

So I did some research, and settled on fermented cod liver oil, which offers a twofer: lots of omega-3, and vitamin D. I use Green Pasture high vitamin butter oil/fermented cod liver oil blend, cinnamon flavor gel. If you find the notion of fermented cod liver oil as revolting as I did, my experience showed the cinnamon overpowers any other flavor. It also comes in capsules.

This suggestion has it's detractors here on PH, but like all things, I do my own research and feel satisfied with my choice. Someone will likely mention the possibility of too much vitamin A from cod liver oil, but this may not be much cause for concern when it occurs in natural balance with vitamin D, as it should in a natural cod liver oil product. You might need to do some research to satisfy your own concerns.

I also notice benefit from magnesium supplementation. I use magnesium citrate, but I understand glycinate or other "-ate" forms work well. Magnesium oxide, perhaps more ubiquitous, seems less absorbable.

This works for me, and actually, I still take these (not just in the beginning), but it may not suit others.

Answer by eric for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T13:04:56Z

Vitamin D3, Vitamin E, coconut oil.

Answer by Katy for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T13:57:23Z

A high quality probiotic, fermented cod liver oil (only from Green Pastures), and high vitamin butter oil.

Answer by joanna for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T15:46:04Z

vit d3, astaxanthin, and fish oil.

for those of you that pick magnesium, i have noticed it's laxative qualities. is there a way i can take it or a certain kind that won't do that?

Answer by The Quilt for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T15:55:08Z

DHA/EPA: The reason is simple. Most people start off their lifestyle change with excessive omega 6/3 ratio’s in their diet and tissues. I strongly recommend everyone getting a O6/3 blood assay done prior to making the shift. I did and mine back in 2006 was 37:1. Today its 4:1. I do not believe this would have been possible without the use of supplements in the beginning of my transformation, because of how badly our food supply is loaded down with O6 and stripped of O3. The biggest change I made was altering my version of the paleo diet I ate based upon my labs. I based this also on the outstanding work of Dr. Stephen Cunnane as well. We must consider that the 06 content may not just be from dietary sources. It could be caused by a modern mismatch in mammalian cell membrane biology that most are unaware of. When you read about his work you begin to realize there is a lot more to the story of what is best for modern human. I cover his work in the Brain Gut series.

Even the food sources naturally high in O3′s, like fish and meat, have been stripped by feeding farmed fish and cows corn and soy pellets loaded with O6′s. The levels one should shoot for is based upon your current O6/3 level and your highly sensitive CRP. Most people will fall between 1-4 grams. The more inflammation one has, the higher dose I should consider. If you want to increase your seafood intake that would be a fine move as well. I think the ideal 06/3 ratio is below 6 to 1, and I think we should be careful before we bash 06 to the ground. I think that maybe unwise. I have a theory that may explain why modern humans concentrate 06′s as a by product of all neolithic disease. One caveat, I am a much bigger fan of eating seafood in its evolutionary biologic package than I am in using Fish oil or Krill Oil. Moreover, when one begins to understand what DHA is used for in humans (brain function) we begin to understand how this PUFA is protected best in its evolutionary package (seafood) by Iodine in synapses and in many critical areas like the adrenal gland. Other chemicals that protect the double bonds of this PUFA are made from DHA called resolvins, lipoxins, and protectins. I cover these extensively in the Brain Gut Series. The paleo solution may not be Homo’s solution. A paleo template is a great option to regain your health from a western diet but there is a level above it when you have a large brain that may be riddled with inflammation. A paleo diet may not go far enough for some of us. We need to be mindful of that.

2.Minerals Selenium, Iodine, and Iron: This threesome are critical for thyroid function. The most important mineral for a human with a large brain is Iodine. I cover this later in the blog in the massively important Brain Gut series. The most common clinical scenario I see is thyroid disfunction. This is unusual to me now because back in my pathology book from the 1980′s it said thyroid disorders were quite rare. Now they have become ridiculously common. The reason is simple. Our epigenetics have been altered dramatically because most food is now man made and processed, our light is artificial light, and environmental toxins of all sorts have gone through the roof over the last 100 years. When we eat man made foods we get illnesses like neolithic diseases. This is critical because if the thyroid is not working well free T3 levels will be low and likely not going to be available to convert LDL cholesterol to the hormones the brain uses to control our 20 trillion cells in our body. Remember that T3 and Vitamin A is co factors in the conversion of LDL cholesterol to the steroid cascade. We covered this in the Hormone 101 blog. Thyroid dysfunction is epidemic in the world where a western diet is entrenched. One in ten adult American women have been diagnosed with thyroid disorders and some endocrinologists suggest that as many as 25% of adult American women are afflicted with clinically detectable thyroid dysfunction. I think this number is conservative and gets worse with every subsequent generation to the effect of epigenetics. Severe iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism. But many physicians believe iodine deficiency is rare in the United States and other developed countries since the addition of iodine to salt. I am not so sure about this. Again, just because its in salt does not mean we absorb it. The WHO estimate between 1.5 to billion humans are iodine deficient. The more red meat one eats the more iodine deficient you can expect to become. Iodine is bountiful in seafood in its primordial evolutionary package. It is also found in sea vegetables and seaweeds. Considering the work or Drs, Remko Kuipers, Cunnane, and Crawford about the importance of seawater in human evolution it would make sense this is where our best supplies come from. (Kuipers is due to speak at AHS 2012 @ Harvard)

I have found women are most at risk for poor absorption of iodine. After the thyroid gland needs, the distal portions of the human mammary glands are the heaviest metabolic concentrators of iodine in the body. Iodine is readily incorporated into the tissues surrounding the mammary nipples and is essential for the maintenance of healthy functioning breast tissue. This plays a huge role in fibrocystic disease and the the development of breast cancers in my opinion.

One clinical finding I always ask about is the presence of fibrocystic breast disease.When it is present I immediately think the woman is likely suffering from an undiagnosed iodine deficiency. I distinctly remember in medical school seeing a woman’s fibrocystic disease cured in less than an hour by an ancient physician who taught us how to examine a women’s breasts. She had volunteered to be a guinea pig for us during our medical education, and on this day we could not examine her without making her scream and cry because her breasts were so tender to palpation. Our MD proctor was about 80 years old and he too was a volunteer helping us learn our craft. He stopped me from examining her breasts and asked her a few questions and then he asked us to leave the room. He applied Lugol’s solution to her vulva and her nipples and we were able to examine her without any pain a half hour later. It made a huge impression on me. He asked her if she was on any thyroid meds and if she had bad energy or weight gain. A lack of iodine was the source of her painful breasts! Her labs did not reveal any major issues when we saw her either because we are taught to just screen for a TSH and not a free T3 or free T4 level. I never forgot this lesson on the thyroid.

When one begins eating a paleo diet your nutrient density and food substrate improve so your iodine needs go up as your mitochondria are being asked to do more. So with a paleo diet you get a relative iodine deficiency for the first 3-6 months of the adaptation of the diet. I always as my patients to eat shrimp twice a week for the first 6 months or to supplement with a kelp pill every third day. That seems to do the trick for most people. Iodine 200-300 mcgs every other day if you eat seafood once a week. If you eat it more frequently you likely don’t need any supplementation.

The next one we will discuss is iron. Clinically, Iron is not important to supplement because the paleo diet is extremely robust in iron. But many of us forget our diet is only as good as what we absorb. If gut dysbiosis is present (usually is to some degree) or there is a lot of fructose in the diet iron absorption is a real problem. When one eats a lot of fructose in juices or in fruit (or HFCS products) you will increase your absorption of iron in the gut while also increasing your serum albumin. High iron levels are not good. High albumin levels can cause our free testosterone or estrogen levels to dramatically fall because the increased albumin binds them much like SHBG does in obesity or in hypothyroidism. None of this is good for optimal.

For the thyroid gland to produce the most active form of the thyroid hormone T3, selenium is essential but also helps regulate the amount of hormone that is produced. Remember T3 is a co factor in steroid cascades and also in reversing muscle leptin resistance at UCP3. We need 200 mcgs a day. Most don’t eat it. One brazil nut a day can do the trick. If you don’t eat them then I recommend a supplement every other day of 200 mcgs. Its dirt cheap and easy to find. Selenium is also critical in many stress related processes. Selenium is active in prevention of oxidative stress. Selenium works with a group of nutrients that include vitamin E, vitamin C, glutathione, and vitamin B3, to prevent oxidative stress. I wrote about selenium here in more detail. Se is one brazil nut a day or 200 mcgs a day. Fe is 325 mgs a day and take it with a vitamin C to increase its absorption and make you less nauseous.

The last supplement is Vitamin D3: Vitamin D3 is a pro hormone, and is vital to immunity and to other physiologic functions. Vitamin D3 is an important neuro-steroid hormone responsible for many elements in brain development and behavior as well. Vitamin D3 increases brain levels of glutathione, a powerful natural antioxidant that is the body’s most important tool for detoxifying and excreting heavy metals, and one that is rapidly consumed during oxidant stress from toxins and other sources. Vitamin D3 is made from LDL cholesterol in the steroid chain. Most vitamin D3 in the American food chain is added and is D2, not D3. This is especially true in dairy products. The active form of vitamin Dis D3 ,and is made in our skin by sunlight. The best dietary source is from fatty fish or other animal products. Few people have good dietary sources of vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 can also be made from sun exposure, but the dermatologists have done a masterful job of convincing many they will succumb from skin cancer if this is their major source. So most Americans do not get vitamin D3 this way either. This is why we have an epidemic in patients with low vitamin D levels. Most Americans fail to even get the low RDA of 400 IU from all sources. I would suggest you read my Vitamin D post here. For this vitamin, I suggest a basal dose of 5000IU for most patients. For those who are suboptimal, I will push this big time. And I am no fan of 50K of Vitamin D2 a week….its suboptimal dosing with a suboptimal form of Vitamin D for humans.

This came from here:http://jackkruse.com/what-are-the-top-ten-paleo-supplements/

Answer by MiMintzer for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T16:13:23Z

I probably take too many supplements and would like to take fewer but not sure that I would do ok if I took out most of them. I have an appt with the rheumatologist next week for my osteoporosis which I hope I have made a dent in correcting and perhaps then I can cut back on some of the minerals. But if I had my choice I would definately just be taking the vitamin D3 and the mag cit. I know that it is only two and you asked for three, but these are the ones I feel have made the biggest difference in my health.

Answer by Happy Now for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T21:45:33Z

Celtic sea salt

Magnesium

Answer by UncleLongHair for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-20T23:06:56Z

When I typed everything I ate into fitday.com for a few weeks, I found that even though I was eating a good Paleo diet, I was low on magnesium, manganese, zinc, and potassium. This isn't terribly surprising since grains are a good source of minerals.

I am not a fan of supplements, and only take them if I am pretty certain that I have a specific deficiency, and only until I think the deficiency is cured.

Also, I think the US RDA is influenced by the grain-based diets that we are "supposed" to eat, so just because I am low in these things according to the RDA doesn't necessarily make me believe that I need to have them.

So I wanted to supplement carefully, and took a magnesium, manganese and zinc supplement for a few days. I did notice an immediate improvement in sleep, mood and relaxation. I only took it for a few days and generally feel fine, I don't think I "relapsed". I make it a point to eat foods that are high in these minerals now.

I definitely wouldn't worry about supplementing vitamins A or B, and if you eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables, vitamins C or K. One serving of liver gives you your RDA of vitamin B for the week, for example.

Answer by PlantGirl for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-21T02:39:17Z

Vitamin D and Calcium. People say calcium isn't important, or its not as important as Vitamin D and Magnesium. Get magnesium! I can soak my hand or foot in a bowl of water filled with epsom salts for 15 minutes a few times a week and get plenty of magnesium. Also helps me sleep. CVS pharmacy has a huge amount of calcium/vitamin D pills (Get the Citrate, not the Caltrate!) for a low price. I think I got 400 count for less than $15.

Calcium IS important. For bone health, sleep quality, and joint/muscle health, among other things!!!! You can not get enough calcium from just eating your occasional broccoli and kale! I tried that and eventually all my joints really hurt.

Vitamin D and Magnesium help calcium absorption. Calcium is not much without vitamin D and Magnesium. So take all 3!

The rest are easy to get from food.

Answer by cb57 for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-22T15:30:33Z

Iodine/iodide as in the brand Iodoral. This one supplement had, by far, the biggest impact on improving my well being of anything I've ever done. Very noticeable improvement in muscle discomfort within about 5 days. After 3 months of regular use I was so happy with how much better I felt. I still use it regularly 7 years later.
l-glutamine powder. Put about a half scoop (~1 gram) in each cup of your warm morning beverage. I don't notice any taste from it. Helps heal the gut lining so you can better absorb the nutrients in your food. "It's not what you ingest, it's what you absorb." 10 grams is not too much. The gut endothelium cells will use all that you ingest. See, for example: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12531438
Vitamin D3. If you don't have a job in the sun and even if you do in the winter time, you're probably way too low in Vitamin D3. A couple thousand I.U. a day. I like to use the ones in gel caps that are obviously liquid because it's a fat soluble vitamin so I want to ingest it in a fat substrate. You can't get enough in food unless you're eating yellow pastured leaf fat (fat from around the kidneys of animals who have been eating grass regularly), fat from pigs getting regular sun exposure, unrefined red palm oil, pastured liver, fish, shellfish and fish eggs several times a week.

You will probably be getting enough selenium if you're eating paleo/primal through most fish, shellfish, meat and eggs (yolks).

Answer by veritasnyc for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-26T20:46:31Z

I think that it’s hard to throw a top 3 supplements up without the specific details / context. Meaning, it’s hard because people are coming into the paleo lifestyle from different places and with different profiles… plus people jump into the lifestyle at different rates and via different approaches.

That said, in my very limited experience (and I’m not a Dr), I’ve noticed that when a person jumps into this lifestyle they tend to do two things: (1) They tend to go overboard with the low carb meme (particularly fruit consumption), and (2) They tend to hit the gym / workout way too hard (when they also tend to be the most out of shape or are still tweaking their fitness routines).

Assuming that the individual in question is starting out by taking their food intake and sources seriously, is reading up on the subject matter, and is in the process of tweaking the lifestyle to suit such persons specific needs, my top 3 supplements for the initial / short term are (in no particular order):

Vit D3: most folks are deficient, and you can’t consume it enough via food, etc etc etc (all of the reasons stated herein);
Vit C: if your diet consisted of a lot of sugar, then there is a high probability that you are deficient. Additionally, people tend to immediately drop to virtually zero their consumption of fruit (which for most folks is their only source of the vitamin) and haven’t really picked up eating proper quantities of Vit C veggies (as they tweak the diet or transition). It’s a hugely important antioxidant (particularly if you’re working out, in excess or otherwise), in amino acid metabolism (collagen), absorption of iron, etc etc etc.
Magnesium: Quite a few folks are deficient (particularly due to excessive sugar consumption), and once they drop flour (and as they tweak their new diets) they tend to magnify this because it used to be a source of it under poor diets. Magnesium is key in atp metabolism, protein synthesis, muscle relaxation, cardiovascular health, insulin resistance and production, calcium absorption, etc etc etc.

The last two have laxative properties in excess. Spread the dosage throughout meals, I use concentrace mineral drops to control /spread the dosage as appropriate.

It’s important to note that I did not throw up O3 supplementation because it tends to be abused, harder to really shoot for optimal “ratios”, and quality (or ability to control it) of the products (oxidation). I recommend a can of atlantic sardines every other day instead – O3 laden with tons of other minerals, nutrients, and vitamins to boot.

Answer by Alvaro for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-26T23:17:33Z

VITAMIN D and FISH OIL, no need for a third one

Answer by Cricket for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-27T20:31:34Z

Omega 3 Fish Oil - Source Naturals, Jarrow Formulas are two of the best I've found. I suggest 5 - 8g a day for great performance.
B Complex (200mg per day) - Solaray, Jarrow Formulas.
Calcium - I seem to run low on my calcium intake, and extra won't hurt :)

As long as you get adequate sunlight each day, don't worry TOO much about the Vitamin D3, but it does help with skin damage, so if you're worried on that front, grab it.

Additionals:

Vitamin C- So you don't get scurvy :P

Psyllium Husk - For extra fibre if you feel like you aren't getting enough.

Magnesium to help sleep at times

Answer by meta for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-28T00:58:17Z

3 factors that are most underrepresented by modern diet/lifestyle:

Vitamin D - distinguish between supplementation and synthesis by the sun; sun is obviously better but supplement when you cant get enough; monitor vitamin D levels with blood test; there are genetic differences in vitamin D metabolism
Omega 3 - distinguish between animal and plant sources and aim to choose what is best for you
Potassium - the one that didn't make it on the list; RDA is 4g/day but most people consume less than 2g/day

Answer by Aughra for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-10-28T09:09:50Z

k-2 mk-4 and mk7 (life extension makes a good mixed one)

Magnesium (either from good natural source mineral water or a high quality supplement)

Cod liver oil (for fat soluables and EFA's, I think Blue Ice Fermented CLO is best but Carlsons super 1000mg gems are decent enough)

Answer by John Elli for Which supplements might be beneficial as a temporary therapy for someone new to paleo?

2012-11-07T06:35:18Z

Vitamin K2 Supplement K is a list of structurally identical, fat-soluble organic vitamins that are needed for the posttranslational adjustment of certain necessary protein needed for blood vessels coagulation and in metabolic routes in cuboid and other cells. They are 2-methyl-1,4-naphthoquinone (3-) types. This list of organic vitamins contains two organic vitamers: vitamin K1 and vitamin K2.

Vitamin K1, also known as phylloquinone, phytomenadione, or phytonadione, is produced by vegetation, and is discovered in maximum volumes in for example because it is straight engaged in photosynthesis. It may be believed of as the "plant form" of vitamin K. It is effective in creatures since creatures can quickly turn it to the kind creatures use in their enzymic responses (vitamin K2).

Vitamin K2, the kind used by minerals in creatures, has several subtypes, which vary in isoprenoid sequence duration. These vitamin K2 homologs are known as menaquinones, and are recognized by the variety of isoprenoid remains in their part stores. Menaquinones are shortened MK-n, where M appears for menaquinone, the K appears for vitamin K, and the n symbolizes the variety of isoprenoid part sequence remains. For example, menaquinone-4 (abbreviated MK-4) has four isoprene remains in its part sequence. Menaquinone-4 (also known as menatetrenone from its four isoprene residues) is the most everyday sort of vitamin K2 in creature items since it is normally straight produced by desaturation from vitamin K1 in certain creature cells (arterial surfaces, pancreatic, and testes). It originates its four isoprenoid remains from the point that phylloquinone/vitamin K1 from vegetation has adequate as well as atoms (20) in its part sequence to create four isoprene models, thus producing menaquinone-4. This homolog of vitamin K2 is accountable for the traditional features of vitamin K in creatures, such as its action in the of blood vessels clots necessary protein.