Must-have daily supplements

Five Plus Two

That’s seven, which might be the optimal number of “must- have” daily supplements.

In the e-Alert “Choosing Wilson” (5/26/04), HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., gave us a list of the five dietary supplements he wouldn’t want to do without if he were stranded on a desert island.

The day after I sent you that e-Alert, I received an e-mail from the well-known osteopathic physician Joseph Mercola with his suggestion for two more supplements he feels must be added to the list.

Dr. Mercola writes: “First and foremost he made no mention of the most common vitamin deficiency in the US – vitamin D. That does not mean one should take a vitamin D supplement necessarily, but certainly should seek to strive for sufficient daily sun exposure. The D in a daily is absolutely insufficient as that was based on old studies that used RDA to prevent rickets; it is absolutely inadequate to prevent cancer, heart and autoimmune diseases.

“Also I firmly believe that omega-3 fats are the only supplement that is nearly universally needed. Makes no sense to take antioxidants if the foundational building blocks for life, omega 3 fats, are not present.

“The omega 3:6 ratio and insulin levels are two of the most important physical variables dictating health.

“Perhaps you could forward this to Dr. Spreen as I think your readers really would benefit from that information.”

When I read Dr. Mercola’s e-mail my first thought was that a supplement of vitamin D wouldn’t be necessary on a tropical island (plenty of sunlight), and with an abundance of seafood all around, omega-3 intake wouldn’t be a problem. I suggested this to Dr. Spreen when I showed him Dr. Mercola’s e-mail, and this was his response:

“I love having the ‘out’ that the tropical island is the place to get the vitamin D. If I’d been on the ball enough to have thought of it I’d have used it, as it certainly is the truth. Most forms of D are FAR inferior to solar ‘intake’ (if it’s done properly). My real excuse is far older: I’ve been doing this for 30 years and only relatively recently has it become evident that the amount of vitamin D in a really ‘good’ multi-vitamin/mineral supplement is inadequate for optimal health.

“I also agree that EPA/DHA is very, VERY important, but it is not ‘a’ nutrient, but several it’s a true food, as opposed to a single supplement, so I didn’t select it. For the record, of course, I take way more than 5 supplements, and D and EFA (essential fatty acids) are included in the normal list (I experiment with variations at times).”

Dr. Spreen also noted that when taking high doses of essential fatty acids, both he and Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., recommend that extra vitamin E be taken “to insure against the free radical formation that occurs with the use of unsaturated fats (even essential ones).”

So if you add vitamin E to the list, along with the two from Dr. Mercola, our original five items has now grown to eight. Still, that’s a pretty manageable number of daily supplements to use as a reliable “insurance policy” for good health.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute