Adapted from episode 154 of The Perfect Stool podcast and edited for readability with Lindsey Parsons, EdD.
Today I’m tackling a topic that’s everywhere you look: supplements. You walk into any health food store, you look around online, and you’re hit with an overwhelming selection of supplements and marketing for every possible condition from boundless energy to eternal youth. Most people don’t want to take 150 supplements a day like Dave Asprey says he does, so this podcast is just a beginner’s guide to what I think are the basics and non-negotiables, whether you have gut health issues or not.
My goal today is to help you move from a “shotgun” approach-where you’re just grabbing bottles off a shelf or following the best online marketing hoping something works-to a more targeted, foundational approach.
Now before we get into the bottles and the capsules, let’s start with the most important point. Supplements are the icing on the cake, but your diet and lifestyle are the cake itself. Without a solid, nutrient-dense diet, the best supplements in the world are just a band-aid on a bigger problem. You can’t out-supplement a diet of ultra-processed foods, high sugar or a lifestyle of chronic stress, lack of exercise, poor sleep or loneliness.
So, the first step for anyone on this journey is to clean up your plate. Focus on whole foods, lots of colorful vegetables, quality protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates, meaning whole foods beans, legumes, whole grains and starchy veggies, mostly other than potatoes.
Make sure you’re exercising, including both strength training and cardio, ideally with some high intensity interval training sprints mixed in. If your sleep is less than optimal, usually the problems start before you head to bed, so start figuring out how to bring in better sleep hygiene practices, and back your day up to allow you to go to bed early enough to get a solid 7-8 hours.
If you’re lonely and don’t have good social relationships, and this is a tough one I understand very well, sometimes you have to be the person who initiates these things. I’ve started ethnic dinner clubs by putting the word out on NextDoor, hosted game nights, started a monthly poker night, started book clubs, joined and hosted Meetup events and coincidentally, tonight I’m hosting a cocktail party for my new neighbors, as we moved to a new street about 3 months ago. We just made flyers and an Eventbrite page and taped the flyers to our neighbor’s doors. We made several new friends this way in our prior house. Whatever your interest, you can find others who join in and meet people that way, but it does take a concerted effort, especially if you just moved into a new town, for example.
So once your diet and lifestyle base is solid, then we can look at strategic supplementation to fill in the gaps and optimize for longevity, immunity and overall wellness.
Vitamin D/K
So the first and most non-negotiable “icing” for me, especially in the northern hemisphere, is Vitamin D. It’s not just a vitamin; it’s a pro-hormone, and its role in the body is far more extensive than most people realize. We’ve long known it’s crucial for bone health because it helps the body absorb calcium, but we’re now finding that its influence on immune function, mood regulation, and even gene expression is profound.
It’s called the “sunshine vitamin” for a reason. Our primary source is sunlight exposure, which for many people, especially in colder climates or those who work indoors all day, is just not sufficient. Honestly, I have yet to see a single client who had sufficient vitamin D levels without supplementing. Low Vitamin D levels are linked to everything from weakened immunity, greater rates of autoimmune disease, increased risk of illness, in particular, higher rates of ICU admission and mortality with Covid, muscle weakness and even depression. For good health and longevity, it’s a non-negotiable and if you were only willing to take one supplement, other than a multi including D, I’d choose this one.
Now, you might be asking, “How do I know my Vitamin D levels?” This is where testing becomes crucial. The standard and most accurate test is the 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test. It’s a simple blood draw that gives you a snapshot of your current levels and most doctors will run it, but only if you ask. Most labs will give you a range: anything below 20 ng/mL is considered deficient, and anything from 20 to 30 ng/mL is considered insufficient. But that level is in fact way insufficient. For optimal health and longevity, a growing number of experts recommend aiming for a level between 40 to 80 ng/mL (I aim for 50-80 ng/mL based on the Genova Lab optimal ranges). This range is associated with better immune function, lower risk of many chronic diseases, and overall greater health. Most people need something in the range of 4,000 to 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 daily to maintain those levels, but getting your levels tested is the only way to know for sure if you’re hitting that sweet spot.
If someone is really low to begin with (like below 35), you can also do a loading dose of 10,000 IU/day for a month to catch up. Now make sure to always take your Vitamin D with Vitamin K. Why and which form you may ask? I like mk4, menaquinone-4, a form of vitamin K2 your body can make from K1 (which comes from leafy greens, by the way) using GG (geranylgeraniol). Unlike mk7, which is made by gut bugs in the colon, mk4 is the form your own tissues build and use and it’s found across ~25-30 organs (bone, vasculature, brain, etc.). Its superpower is it activates vitamin-K–dependent proteins by carboxylation. So, Vitamin D upregulates the production of bone and vessel proteins (e.g., osteocalcin for bone mineralization, MGP for keeping calcium out of arteries). And, mk4 switches them “on” and activates those proteins so they actually bind calcium correctly. In short, D without enough K2 (ideally as mk4) can push calcium without proper traffic control, raising the risk it lands in soft tissues. In other words, taking D plus mk4 ensures calcium goes to your bones and teeth, not to your arteries creating calcification, or kidneys, creating stones, in particular if you’re also supplementing with calcium. I like Seeking Health’s D3 + K2 Drops and Designs for Health’s Vitamin D Supreme (which has both K2mk7 as well as K2mk4).
B Vitamins
Next up, let’s talk about the B vitamins. These are a family of eight essential vitamins that are crucial for cellular energy production, brain function and overall metabolism. I have yet to see a single client who was not deficient in B vitamins without having taken either a multivitamin or a B complex. Think of them as the tiny cogs that help everything else in your body run smoothly. The problem is that our diets, even healthy ones, can sometimes be low in certain B vitamins, and some people have genetic factors that make it harder for their bodies to use them. When people started processing grains and removing the outer shell and the germ, we removed lots of the common sources of B vitamins from our diets, hence why flour is often enriched with B vitamins, but typically the cheapest and least bioavailable kinds. And for people on gluten-free diets, which seems to be the majority of people I see with gut health or autoimmune issues (which is recommended by the way), even that source of B vitamins is eliminated.
This brings us to a key distinction: methylated versus non-methylated B vitamins. The term “methylated” refers to the body’s ability to convert a vitamin into its active, usable form. For example, the B-vitamin folate, or B9, in its standard non-methylated form is called folic acid. But for your body to use it, it has to convert it to the active form, L-methylfolate. Some people, due to a set of common genetic variations grouped under the name MTHFR, have a harder time with this conversion process, and something like 60-70% of Americans have a variant allele of MTHFR, so most people can safely assume they’ll be better off with methylated B vitamins.
So the form you’d be looking for is L-5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, which may be listed as L-Methylfolate (5-MTHF) or (6S)-5-MTHF or under the trademarked names Quatrefolic® or Metafolin®. But if you see MTHF or the word methyl, you should be good and should be getting the fully active, methylated form your body uses right away for neurotransmitters, homocysteine balance and methylation. Another form, folinic acid (5-formyl-THF) is a natural, active form that bypasses MTHFR but doesn’t directly provide methyl groups; it’s often used in cancer therapy, fertility, or when someone needs gentler folate support or has some uncommon SNPs such that they don’t do well with methylated B vitamins.
The same issue applies for Vitamin B12 and the MTR and MTRR mutations. For the majority of people who have these SNPs, taking methylcobalamin, rather than cyanocobalamin for B12 is very important. Furthermore, lots of people who have gut issues, especially issues affecting the stomach, like gastritis or low stomach acid or H. pylori, will likely have impaired absorption of B12 in the stomach, so you may do better with a sublingual lozenge, or if your levels are low enough, a shot of methylcobalamin. If you test low on a traditional blood tests for B12, then you’re really low, as that’s one of the last markers to go south when you’re getting low. Methylmalonic acid is a better test, if you can get it, and will show a deficiency sooner.
Of course your basic blood test called the CBC may show elevations in MCV, MCH or MCHC if you are deficient in B12 or folate. Incidentally, when I was finding out about all my health issues in around 2014, I had such low B12 that I had the common symptom of deficiency – tingling in my hands and feet – and my level on a standard B12 test was 124 on a scale of like 240-900, which was described by my hematologist as a level that could cause sustained neurological problems, although thankfully that didn’t happen, so if you have that tingling, get checked out. For someone who is deficient and has possible absorption issues, or vegans, as you get most of your B12 from animal products, a 1000 mcg (1 mg) sublingual methylcobalamin is a good choice. Or if you don’t think your absorption is compromised, just pick a good B complex with 100 mcg to 1000 mcg of methylcobalamin and at least 400 mcg of methylfolate – just make sure that between any multivitamins and B complexes, you don’t overdo the folate – the daily recommended maximum unless you have an identified deficiency is 1000 mcg of folate.
While most people do well with methylated vitamins, a small group feel overstimulated, anxious, irritable or get headaches when taking high doses of methylfolate or methylcobalamin. This isn’t super common, but it does happen in people who are “sensitive methylators.” In those cases, gentler forms work better: folinic acid (instead of methylfolate) still supports folate pathways, and hydroxocobalamin or adenosylcobalamin (instead of methylcobalamin) provide active B12 without the same “methyl punch.” These forms are especially helpful for people with neurological issues, detox imbalances, or who just don’t tolerate methyl donors well. Seeking Health makes a product called B Minus which doesn’t have any folate or B12, which is sometimes useful for people in this situation who need other B vitamins but are sensitive to these two methylated forms.
And I should also mention quickly that in looking at B complexes, there are a couple things to watch out for. Most people I see are deficient in B6, whose active form is pyridoxal-5′-phosphate or P5P. This is less crucial to get in its active form than the other two, but good B complexes have some amount of P5P in them. But a small number of people with certain genetics can overload on B6, and symptoms of that mimic those of B12 deficiency, which is tingling, numbness, burning, or pins and needles in your hands and feet. So if you started a B complex and start having those symptoms, you should stop taking it and get your B6 checked. So something in the range of 25 mg or below of B6 is safest if you don’t know your B6 genetics and haven’t shown up deficient on any test. But if you’re deficient, which is super common in anxiety and depression, as lots of B6 is used with your neurotransmitters, then you may need more like 50 or 100 mg of B6.
Another thing to be careful of is B5 or pantothenic acid. That’s another one that you can overload on. Some people will feel wired or have insomnia with amounts as high as 100 mg/day, so I usually try to max out a good bit lower than that for most people, more like 75 mg or less. It’s a small subset of people who are under a lot of stress or have adrenal dysfunction who may benefit from mega doses of B5, like 500 mg/day, but that’s a small minority. But a good B complex will have middling doses of most B vitamins, from like 10-50 mg of most of the Bs, with 100-1000 mcg of B12 and 400-800 mcg of folate, which is often expressed in mcg DFE, which means Direct Folate Equivalents. And it’s also good to find one with some choline, which isn’t in all of them.
Some of my favorites are the AOR Advanced B Complex (at a dose of 1/day for most people), or if you want lower B6, the Thorne Basic B Complex, if you want more B6, the Thorne B-Complex #6 has 100 mg.
Magnesium
Next on our list of foundational supplements is magnesium. Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body. I call it the “master mineral” because it’s a silent hero, quietly doing everything from regulating muscle and nerve function to blood sugar control, blood pressure and protein synthesis. The problem is that our soil is so depleted of minerals that even if you’re eating a perfect diet, you’re likely not getting an optimal amount of magnesium. A magnesium deficiency could manifest in a lot of different ways. People think of it for muscle cramps or twitches, but it can also show up as constipation, insomnia, anxiety, headaches, migraines or even poor energy levels. The tricky part with magnesium is that there isn’t one “best” form. The type of magnesium you take really depends on what you’re trying to achieve.
When it comes to testing for magnesium, this is where things get a little tricky. The standard and most common test your doctor will run is a serum magnesium test. The problem is, this test is often unreliable. Your body keeps only about 1% of its total magnesium in your blood, and it works incredibly hard to keep that level in a tight, normal range by pulling magnesium from your bones and tissues if needed. So, you could have a normal serum magnesium test result while still being deficient on a cellular level. A more accurate and reliable test is the RBC magnesium test, which measures the magnesium inside your red blood cells. This gives a much better picture of your body’s true magnesium stores. An optimal reference range for RBC magnesium is 4.0 to 6.4 mg/dL.
Let’s walk through some of the different types. Most people are familiar with magnesium citrate. It’s a very popular and well-absorbed form, but it has a well-known side effect: it pulls water into the intestines, which is why it’s a great choice for people who deal with constipation. I like the Natural Vitality Calm Magnesium for people who are constipated. Most people do well with 2 tsp. before bed in water, but if that’s too much and you have a blowout, back down to ½ tsp. and titrate up by ½ tsp. every two days. You can add more in the same way if you get no help at all from the 2 tsp. However, if you’re not trying to solve that problem, you might find it gives you some digestive distress.
Then there’s magnesium oxide. This is a very cheap form, often found in low-cost multivitamins. It’s a laxative as well, but its bioavailability is very, very low. The body absorbs only about 4% of it. I would generally recommend staying away from this one for long-term health, although I have found that some people, especially people with interstitial cystitis who have issues with citrates, may need to use this form instead for the laxative effect.
For people who struggle with sleep, anxiety, or general relaxation, magnesium glycinate is fantastic. It’s a chelated form, meaning it’s bound to the amino acid glycine. Glycine itself has a calming effect on the nervous system, so when you combine it with magnesium, it’s a one-two punch for relaxation. It’s highly bioavailable and gentle on the stomach. You can’t get a ton in one pill, and you need to make sure you read the label well, as it may say 400 mg on the cover but that’s in 4 pills. So I like one that’s on Fullscript from Biospec called Mag Glycinate 510, which is 170 mg/pill or Magnesium-HP from Healthy Gut, which is 180 mg/pill. Most people need at least 400 mg of supplemental magnesium/day in a well-absorbed form.
And for brain health, there’s a newer, more exciting form called Magnesium L-Threonate. This form is unique because it’s been shown in studies to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier. No other form of magnesium does this as efficiently. This means it can directly increase magnesium levels in the brain, which is crucial for cognitive function, memory and learning. If you’re looking for cognitive benefits and brain health, this is the one to consider. The patented ingredient is call Magtein. The main drawback of this form is that it’s not a lot of magnesium per unit consumed – with only 144 mg of magnesium in 3 pills in a total of 2000 mg of magnesium l-threonate.
Fish Oil/Omega 3’s
Alright, so next let’s talk about fish oil. The science on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids is overwhelming. I’m talking about EPA and DHA, the two primary omega-3s found in fatty fish. They are powerful anti-inflammatory agents. We know that chronic, low-grade inflammation is a root cause of almost every modern chronic disease, including heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer. Fish oil helps to put out that fire. It also has profound benefits for brain health, heart health and joint health. If you have low HDL, the good kind of cholesterol, you may be deficient.
The market for fish oil is probably one of the most saturated. It seems like every bottle looks the same. But here’s how you pick a bad one from a good one. The biggest risk with fish oil is that it can go rancid very easily. When you consume rancid oil, you’re doing more harm than good, as you’re introducing oxidized fats into your system. So, the first and most basic test is to smell and taste it. If it smells or tastes fishy, it’s a bad sign. It should be virtually odorless and tasteless. So given I live in Arizona, I try to stock up on my fish oil in winter so it’s not going through the mail in summer.
Beyond that, you need to look at a few things on the label. First, look for a third-party certification seal. Organizations like IFOS, which stands for the International Fish Oil Standards Program, are the gold standard. They test for purity, potency, and freshness. This ensures the product is free of heavy metals like mercury, PCBs and other environmental toxins that can accumulate in fish.
If you don’t see that certification seal, you should be skeptical. The second thing to look for is the form. You want to look for the term “triglyceride form” on the bottle. The natural form of omega-3s in fish is the triglyceride form. When they process fish oil, they convert it to an ethyl ester form to purify and concentrate the EPA and DHA. A high-quality brand will then re-convert it back to the more bioavailable triglyceride form. The research shows that the triglyceride form is absorbed by the body up to 70% better than the ethyl ester form. If the bottle doesn’t say “triglyceride” or “re-esterified triglyceride,” it’s probably the less-absorbed ethyl ester form.
So, you could be taking a fish oil supplement for years, thinking you’re getting the benefits, but if it’s the ethyl ester form, your body isn’t absorbing much of it. It’s the kind of thing that can make the difference between a supplement that works and one that just gives you expensive burps. A good daily dose to aim for is at least 1,000 to 2,000 milligrams of combined EPA and DHA. I like Nordic Naturals’ ProOmega 2000 for this as it has 1000 mg of EPA and DHA in one pill and always smells lemony and pleasant and doesn’t give you fish oil burps.
Just like with Vitamin D and Magnesium, your body’s Omega-3 status is highly individual. The best way to measure it is with a specialized blood test called the Omega-3 Index. This test measures the percentage of Omega-3 fatty acids, specifically EPA and DHA, that are incorporated into your red blood cell membranes. It’s an incredibly accurate way to see what your body has actually absorbed and is a strong biomarker for cardiovascular and brain health. An Omega-3 Index below 4% is considered a high-risk zone. A score between 4% and 8% is the intermediate zone, and for true longevity and optimal health benefits, you want to be in the low-risk or optimal zone, which is a score of 8% or higher. The test is typically a simple finger prick you can do at home and send to a lab, making it very accessible.
Vitamin C
Another basic vitamin that most people need more of is vitamin C. For people who aren’t constipated, 500-1000 mg/day should be sufficient, ideally in a buffered form. Perque C Guard is one of the best absorbed and the one I recommend the most. If you’re constipated, you may want to use vitamin C to help loosen things up, so you can usually handle 1000 mg a few times a day.
Prebiotics
Now, let’s pivot to the gut. The microbiome is a huge topic in health and longevity. What role do supplements play there? This is where we need to be very careful. Most people jump straight to probiotics, but that can be a mistake. I’d argue that the more foundational supplement for gut health is a prebiotic fiber. Think of your gut microbiome as a garden. Probiotics are like putting new seeds in the garden, but if the soil is poor and there’s no food, those seeds won’t grow and flourish. Prebiotics are the fertilizer. They are non-digestible fibers that feed the beneficial bacteria that already live in your gut.
So, prebiotics feed the good bacteria you already have, while probiotics are introducing new bacteria. We have trillions of bacteria in our gut, and their composition is highly individual, like a fingerprint. Taking a random probiotic with a few generic strains might not be the right fit for your unique microbiome. In some cases, it can even cause problems. For example, if you have SIBO, or Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth, taking a probiotic may make your symptoms of gas, bloating and discomfort much worse.
Some people who try probiotics say they felt even more bloated. When you introduce a lot of new bacteria into an already imbalanced system, it can disrupt the delicate balance and lead to an overgrowth. It’s much safer to focus on feeding the bacteria that are already there and healthy. If you’re going to use a probiotic, it should be targeted and personalized, ideally after a stool test that can give you a clear picture of what’s going on in your gut. But for the vast majority of people, starting with a good prebiotic fiber supplement is a safer and more effective way to improve gut health. So if you’re not eating your adequate intake of fiber, which for men 50 and under is 38 grams a day, men over 50 is 30 grams, women 50 and under is 25 grams/day and women older than 50 is 21 grams a day, then you should consider a supplement, or increasing significantly the amount of beans and lentils you eat, which are some of the highest fiber foods.
Some of the most important prebiotic fibers, which feed your butyrate-producing microbes and your bifidobacteria, microbes essential for good gut health, are inulin, psyllium husk, partially hydrogenated guar gum or PHGG, aka Sunfiber, apple pectin, beta glucans, rice bran (or other types of bran like oat or wheat if you tolerate those) and acacia fiber. Which fiber brings up which gut microbe is a whole other podcast topic, and I usually target fibers based on the content of your microbiome. But given that butyrate is an incredibly important molecule for colon health, reducing inflammation and strengthening the gut barrier, I’m often targeting low levels of butyrate producers. But just a brief note to say that not all of these fibers are thick and gooey. Some mix really well into water and drink down easily. So I’ve been enjoying acacia fiber like this as well as Thorne Fibermend, which has a combo of fibers including PHGG and apple pectin. Some fibers, like psyllium husk, are better added into smoothies to disguise the texture or flavor. You can also get prebiotics from food sources of course, like onions, garlic, leeks, bananas and asparagus. A supplement just makes it easier to get a consistent, effective dose. And if you’re going to make a smoothie and add fiber, you might want to add some polyphenols, compounds found in pomegranate, cranberries and blueberries (think rich bright colours) that are poorly absorbed in the small intestine so up to 90-95% pass into the colon mostly intact.
Your gut microbes metabolize them into smaller compounds (like phenolic acids, urolithins, etc.) that have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and metabolic benefits. For example, cranberry and pomegranate fruit, powders or concentrates feed Akkermansia and blueberries increase the population of beneficial Bifido and lactobacillus species. Polyphenols act like “prebiotics” by feeding and favoring beneficial bacteria while inhibiting pathogenic ones.
So, the hierarchy is: clean up the diet first, add a prebiotic for the gut, and only consider a probiotic if you’ve done a test and know what strains you need.
Creatine
Now, what about some of the more advanced or less-known supplements that have been getting a lot of attention for longevity lately? There are a few that I think are worth mentioning. One that I’m a big fan of is creatine monohydrate. Many people think of creatine as a supplement for bodybuilders and athletes, and while it’s fantastic for muscle strength and power, its benefits for longevity, particularly for the brain, are incredibly compelling. Creatine provides a quick source of energy to cells, including brain cells. Research has shown that creatine supplementation can improve cognitive performance, especially in older adults and those with a plant-based diet, as they often have lower baseline creatine levels. It’s also been shown to help with age-related muscle loss, or sarcopenia, which is a major concern for longevity.
So it’s not just about building big muscles; it’s about keeping our muscles and brains strong as we age. A typical dose is 5 grams a day, and it’s easy and tasteless to mix into a cold or hot drink.
Curcumin
Another one I’d mention is curcumin, which is the active compound in turmeric. Its primary benefit is its powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Inflammation is at the root of so many age-related diseases, and curcumin can help modulate that. The key here is absorption. Curcumin on its own is very poorly absorbed by the body. So you need to look for a supplement that has been formulated for enhanced absorption.
Traditionally, it was known that combining it with piperine, which is the active component of black pepper or taking curcumin with fat enhances absorption. However, recently there are several new delivery systems that have entered the market. Some of these are: phytosomes (e.g., Meriva), which is curcumin bound to phospholipids, which gives it significantly better uptake; nanoparticles, micelles or liposomes, which are tiny particles that improve solubility and stability in the gut, for example, Theracurmin, which has submicron particles designed for superior absorption or BCM-95, which has curcumin and turmeric essential oils, shown to enhance absorption. Just note that high doses of curcumin may block iron absorption, so if you’re prone to anemia, take it away from food. Or if you have genetics for iron overload, take it with your steak!
CoQ10
One more supplement that people commonly need is Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10. This is a powerful antioxidant that your body naturally produces. It’s a key player in the process of generating energy in your cells’ powerhouses, the mitochondria. Think of it as a vital spark plug for your body’s energy production. Our natural production of CoQ10 declines as we age, and this is one reason why it’s a popular supplement for heart health and anti-aging. If you’re over the age of 40 or taking a statin drug, which can deplete CoQ10, supplementation is something you should definitely consider. The two forms are ubiquinone and ubiquinol, with ubiquinol being the more bioavailable form.
Tocotrienols
Another important supplement most people don’t know much about is tocotrienols. Vitamin E has two groups of compounds called tocopherols and tocotrienols. The tocopherols are more known, and typically the form you’ll find in most multivitamins. While some studies have shown that over-supplementation of certain forms of Vitamin E can lead to negative outcomes, tocotrienols, which are found in palm, rice bran and annatto, are safe to supplement long term, and have shown huge benefits in the areas of fatty liver, brain health, cancer prevention and outcomes, cholesterol reduction and LDL clearance from the blood. Check out episode 89 with Barrie Tan to learn more. Some people are sensitive to annatto, so if you’re one of those people, palm tocotrienols will be a better choice for you. Otherwise, the annatto ones are preferable.
Most people don’t need huge amounts of tocotrienols if they eat nuts, seeds, and healthy oils. But supplementation can make sense in some cases, such as low-fat diets or fat-malabsorption conditions like Crohn’s, cystic fibrosis, celiac or bariatric surgery, if you have a very low intake of nuts and seeds, if you have a metabolic or inflammatory conditions like fatty liver, high cholesterol or insulin resistance, for skin or eye concerns, including oxidative stress, eczema or age-related macular degeneration, or if you have a high oxidative stress load, for example, smokers, environmental toxin exposure, intense endurance athletes. When the folks from the DNA company came on my podcast, because I have familial hypercholesteremia, he recommend tocotrienols for me as part of my lifetime stack.
Multivitamins
Finally, I usually recommend that most people take a multivitamin just to cover their nutritional bases. A good multi should have all your vitamins such as A, D, E (rarely tocotrienols; usually d-alpha tocopherol or mixed tocopherols), K, C, along with methylated B vitamins, and minerals, including magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper in some cases, selenium, manganese, iodine, chromium and molybdenum. Some also have iron in them but make sure to take it only if you have an iron deficiency, as excessive iron can cause inflammation in the body. Some of my favorites are made by Pure Encapsulations. If you want one with everything in it, including all the D and K you’ll need, try their PureResponse Multi, which provides everything in 2 pills, or their O.N.E. Multivitamin, which provides everything, although only 2000 IU of D, in 1 pill/day. Or if you’re looking for a multi that provides vitamin E in the form of tocotrienols, you should check out Designs for Health’s Twice Daily Multi.
Note that none of these multis I just mentioned have any copper in them. For some people, it’s important to take copper with zinc in order to prevent the zinc from pushing down copper levels. If you start a multi and have issues with fatigue, then you may need to pick one with copper or get your copper and zinc tested to make sure everything is in range. Ideally, you want your zinc on the top half of the reference range and your copper on the lower end. But if you eat nuts and seeds and keep the zinc to 15 mg/day or below, you’re unlikely to end up deficient in copper.
So, to bring it all back to the beginning, it’s about building a solid foundation first. We can’t use supplements as a shortcut. Supplements are not a magic pill. They are a complement to a healthy lifestyle. The first five steps are always a whole-foods diet, regular physical activity, prioritizing sleep, managing stress and having good social connections. But once you have those pillars in place, strategic and targeted supplementation, guided by personal data from tests like those we’ve discussed, can be the key to unlocking an even higher level of health and longevity.
If you’re dealing with gut health issues of any type (diarrhea, constipation, bloating, SIBO, IMO, H2S SIBO/ISO, IBS, IBD, gastritis, GERD, H pylori, diverticulitis, candida, etc.) or have an autoimmune disease and need some help, I see individual clients to help them resolve their digestive issues or reverse autoimmune disease naturally, You’re welcome to set up a free, 30-minute breakthrough session to see if you’d like to work with me. I also have my own two products, Tributyrin-Max, which is particularly helpful for loose stool and diarrhea as it slows your motility and firms up your stool, and SBI powder, which is an all around gut pathogen binder, which is super safe and won’t harm beneficial bacteria, and is usually the first line of treatment I educate my clients about in order to avoid stronger antimicrobial herbs.
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