Going beyond the basics though- ie beyond standard vitamins, anything else you recommend?
In that post I recommended testing, not mere guessing. How could anything else really help long term if still deficient or not optimal in standard vitamins, minerals, and amino-acids? Molecules the body depends on for optimal functioning to get externally. With testing one also get to know what else could be beneficial, additionally.
Beside a healthy diet to begin with. Now there are many disagreements what's a healthy diet. But maybe the development of the microbiome is showing us the way?
http://ucsdnews.ucsd...ats-in-your-gut
Big data dump from the world’s largest citizen science microbiome project reveals how factors such as diet, antibiotics and mental health status can influence the microbial and molecular makeup of your gut
Emerging trends
All of the data collected by the American Gut Project are publicly available, without participants’ identifying information. This open access approach allows researchers around the world to mine the data for meaningful associations between factors such as diet, exercise, lifestyle, microbial makeup and health. Here are a few observations that have emerged so far:
Diet.
The number of plant types in a person’s diet plays a role in the diversity of his or her gut microbiome—the number of different types of bacteria living there. No matter the diet they prescribed to (vegetarian, vegan, etc.), participants who ate more than 30 different plant types per week (41 people) had gut microbiomes that were more diverse than those who ate 10 or fewer types of plants per week (44 people). The gut samples of these two groups also differed in the types of molecules present.
Antibiotics.
The gut microbiomes of American Gut Project participants who reported that they took antibiotics in the past month (139 people) were, as predicted, less diverse than people who reported that they had not taken antibiotics in the last year (117 people). But, paradoxically, people who had taken antibiotics recently had significantly greater diversity in the types of chemicals in their gut samples than those who had not taken antibiotics in the past year.
The participants who ate more than 30 plants per week also had fewer antibiotic resistance genes in their gut microbiomes than people who ate 10 or fewer plants. In other words, the bacteria living in the guts of the plant-lovers had fewer genes that encode the molecular pumps that help the bacteria avoid antibiotics. This study didn’t address why this might be the case, but the researchers think it could be because people who eat fewer plants may instead be eating more meat from antibiotic-treated animals or processed foods with antibiotics added as a preservative, which may favor the survival of antibiotic-resistant bacteria...
So one thing seems clear: eating more than 30 different plant leads to more diverse microbiomes with less antibiotic resistance. Eating less than 10 different plants to the opposite. Of course, with this trick one also gets hundreds of phyto-nutrients and vitamins not discovered yet, and no supplement could ever provide.
Then there is that concept of bio-chemical individuality. Which for many seems so difficult to grasp. One framework which I find helpful in understanding what could be going on, is of the late cancer doc Nicolas Gonzales. Here the notes of an interview of him:
Dominant sympathetic types: Typ ‘A’ personalities, disciplined; mostly solid cancers; do good on much plant based foods: fruits, vegies, seeds, grains, nuts, plant based oils: hemp, flax; Vitamin B1, B2, B3, 8:1 ratio magnesium to calcium, High vitamin C & D; but not on much meat protein, No b12, no choline, no B5, no zinc, no selenium, no fish oil. Yes to beta carotene, chromium, folic acid, riboflavin, thiamin,& niacin
Parasympathetic types are rather creative with unconventional ‘formal’ education; mostly blood-based cancers; do good on lots of meat and a ketogenic diet, saturated fats, fats from fish oils, Calcium 10-15 ratio to magnesium (High magnesium causes depression), Vitamin B12, B5, Choline; not as good on grains or seed. Need zinc & selenium, not good with other large Vitamin B doses.
Mixed or balanced types: suffer rather from allergies and fatigue.
I definitely turned out a 'mixed' type. Since I really got sick after having been vegetarian for 30 years, and really have done well after adding back in fish, eggs a little beef, and high amounts of healthy fats. And very high amounts of all mentioned nutrients.
Why is it so difficult for you to understand that only you could know how well you do from different supplements by experimental experience and extensive laboratory testing?
On the opposite, I would consider it reckless to give recommendations based on one's own bio-chemical individuality, and not always cautioning: Start with the lowest possible dose of a new supplement, increase gradually over weeks, months and years. Monitor changes as well as labs. Adjust doses accordingly. Only that way you'll know. And what helps you couldn't possibly have the same effects in me.
