Throw away your multivitamins and antioxidants!

I haven’t seen much specific evidence that mineral supplementation causes harm, but nor have I seen convincing evidence that it provides benefit.

It is true that soils are significantly depleted today and don’t contain the same level of nutrients they did a hundred years ago.  However, we can maximize nutrient intake by buying local, organic produce and consuming it as quickly as possible after buying.  The longer a vegetable is out of the ground before we eat it, the fewer nutrients it will contain.

I don’t know your specific situation, but in general I don’t recommend that people take synthetic minerals unless they have a specific reason to do so.  If you’re eating local, fresh and organic I think you’re probably getting what you need.

Also, I thought bacteria in the gut made enough vitamin K for us?

That is a myth, and vitamin K and K2 are different vitamins entirely.  The only adequate vegan source of K2 would be natto and possibly sauerkraut, though I haven’t seen any data on the latter.

As I said in the article, from the fat and organs of grass-fed animals primarily. Then from fermented foods like hard cheeses, kefir, etc.

Vitamin D: In line with your general line of thought, I now think that the suggested 80 ng/ml target for vitamin D blood levels for cancer protection as suggested by the Vitamin D Council seems dubious. As far as I know no study has ever checked levels in hunter gatherers, and absolutely no-one has controlled for numerous potential contextual factors. A post at Hyperlipid discussing how the amount of meat in the diet may modulate the need for vitamin D, e.g, rickets only occurring when meat intake is low, really got me thinking. (I’m now happy with my 50 ng/dl level, and will not try to ramp up to reach 80.)

I don’t recommend 80 as the target, as there is some research suggesting levels that high may cause harm. 50-60 is probably a good range in line with historical levels.

Iodine: What do you think of iodine? American soils seem to be particularly deficient in iodine, and ironically when we start eating less salty processed foods we are also less exposed to the involuntary iodine supplementation that goes with that territory. (As far as anecdotes go, I think there is a thyroid epidemic going on.)

This is a tricky one. Yes, soils are deficient. But people eating a SAD are probably getting more than they need through fortified foods and iodized salt. The other problem is that 90% of people with hypothyroidism actually have autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). I know some are big on supplementing with iodine in these conditions, but that could potentially exacerbate the autoimmune attack and worsen the condition. I think the answer to this one really depends on the person and their situation.

Cod liver oil: What’s your stance on the vitamin A content? There is a confusing argument going on in regard to if vitamin A is either synergistic or antagonistic to D. The ancestral template suggests that A in levels available in foods like liver is perfectly fine, but is cod liver oil, as a concentrated source, an ancestral food?

The vitamin A studies suggesting antagonism demonstrate correlation, not causation. Have your read Chris Masterjohn’s articles, here and here, on the subject? Fish liver is an ancestral food for some populations, and liver from other animals as you know is the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. Liver from all animals is high in vitamin A. I trust the wisdom of nature and thousands of years of evolution better than a few studies that don’t even demonstrate causation.

Liver: This seems to be nature’s own multi vitamin and mineral “supplement”. The problem I see with it is that unless it’s obtained from pristine sources, it may also contain a large amount of toxins. (Think CAFO beef liver vs. grass fed beef liver.)

Yes, although more toxins are stored in fatty tissue than in the liver. I would be more concerned about eating CAFO fat than I would about CAFO liver (but I wouldn’t really go for either).

Anti oxidants: I note that the more sensible supplement promoting organisation Life Extension Foundation has gradually replaced isolated compounds with various plant extracts in their vitamin products. I use their “Life Extension Mix” occasionally (and in combination with a fatty meal) as if it’s just another food in my fridge on the premise that my diet is probably a bit low in fresh vegetables and organ meats.

I’m not convinced at all of the need for antioxidant supplementation, above and beyond what we get from fresh foods. I am very skeptical, also, of even the “whole-food” supplements, knowing what I know about some of them. My understanding from talking to people in the field is that not all nutrients in these products need to be in their whole-food complexes. What often happens is they put synthetic nutrients in a base of rice bran or something like that, and then call it “whole-food”. Another way to scam people.

The need for micro nutrients vs. inadequate supply: I think that one could argue that with the assault of “novel” compounds that our bodies have to deal with today, the need for adequate nutrition, including getting enough of the various trace minerals that are used in detox-pathways, has never been higher. Unfortunately, our food supply has gradually become more and more inadequate in terms of meeting this need. The question then becomes how to bridge the gap in a practical, affordable way. The task seems daunting since we can’t even know if foods that traditionally have provided adequate levels of the nutrients we need are really doing so today. (Food for thought!)

I do agree that toxic loads in the environment and in our bodies are higher these days. I’m just not convinced that addressing this through supplements is the best way to go about it. In my mind it further raises the importance of medicinal foods like FCLO, seaweeds, organ meats, seafood and shellfish, etc. which are more than capable of supplying us with the nutrients we need. As for someone who can’t or won’t eat these foods, then yes, perhaps an argument for supplementation can be made. I say “perhaps”, because of all the caveats I explained above in this comment and in the article.

Thanks for your comment, Christian.

I pay attention to the ones listed in my article.

Your example is a case in point, for me.  Rather than take vitamins when I feel like I’m getting a cold, I drink large amounts of kefir (made from raw milk) and kombucha, eat homemade bone broth (chicken) with plenty of garlic and ginger and boost my intake of CLO.  75% of our immunity is in our gut, so boosting probiotics is the best way to protect against a cold.

No synthetic nutrients required.  If I’m feeling really on the edge, I will take herbs but those aren’t synthetic supplements either.

Okay, my ignorance surrounding the small differences between cold cereals has been exposed.

However, I can find about a hundred other reasons to knock any cereal that comes in the box.  The first is that they’re all made by extruding grains, which alters the proteins and makes them toxic.  Second, most people are probably gluten intolerant so eating Shredded Wheat isn’t a good idea in general – even if it wasn’t extruded.  I could go on, but you get the idea.

This is coming from someone who used to LOVE cold cereal as a kid.