Bulletproof Supplements
Choosing Effective Supplements
As previously mentioned, nutrients should come first and foremost from their most natural sources: food. And some supplements supply you with too much of something you don’t need, which can be harmful. Dave Asprey made a Bulletproof selection of vitamins & supplements that just about everyone can benefit from:
Vitamin A
Particularly if you don’t eat organ meats (which you should, but they aren’t for everyone), vitamin A is an important supplement. Beta-carotene is the most potent precursor to vitamin A, but its conversion to vitamin A in the body is limited by a feedback system. It is an important antioxidant in its own right and one that can only build up to toxic levels in rare circumstances. Beta-carotene helps support immune health by enhancing the function of the thymus gland. Vitamin A is beneficial for your eyes, bone growth, immune system health, and more.
Vitamin C
Because it assists in building collagen and connective tissue, vitamin C is essential for healing. The body also needs it to manufacture glutathione, which is a very powerful antioxidant. Vitamin C strengthens the immune system, too. But because the body can’t store it, it can be hard to maintain adequate levels through diet alone. Those healing from injury or with chronic infections need even more than the recommended supplement amount of 500mg per day.
Vitamin D
Think of vitamin D as a sort of crazy powerhouse of health benefits. It is arguably the most important supplement you should take. Vitamin D reduces inflammation and moderates immune function. It helps the body metabolize calcium and form bone. It also acts as a substrate for sex hormones: estrogen, testosterone, and human growth hormone.
You can, of course, get vitamin D from the sun, but most people don’t get enough sun exposure for this. This applies to all people, but especially dark-skinned individuals, who cannot convert sunlight into vitamin D as efficiently.
Vitamin K2
Vitamin K2 assists with calcium metabolism. This matters because excess calcium gets deposited in the arteries – a cause of decreased vascular function and calcification. So one of the most important benefits of vitamin K2 is heart disease prevention.
Unfortunately most people are deficient in vitamin K2. That’s because it is found primarily in grass-fed animal products. For example, cows that eat grass convert vitamin K1 from the grass into vitamin K2 in their stomachs. They can’t get vitamin K1 from grains – another reasons why it’s so important to choose grass-fed meat.
Magnesium
Nearly as important as vitamin D, magnesium is used in a huge number of enzymatic processes. Magnesium deficiency can cause lots of health problems, including (but not limited to) headaches, nausea, metabolic syndrome, tachycardia, and migraines. Magnesium deficiency is also linked to diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and anxiety disorders.
Iodine
Iodine promotes good metabolism and thyroid function; it also protects against brain damage and enhances immune function. It’s hard to take too much iodine, and easy to become deficient when not supplementing.
Krill Oil
Krill oil is easier for your body to use than fish oil, but offers similar benefits. These benefits include better brain function, reduced inflammation, and even increased muscle growth.
Selenium
Selenium has quite an impressive resume with a long list of qualifications. This heavy metal boosts immune function and protects against thyroid dysfunction, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer. It is possible to get enough selenium from wild caught fish and animal products, but most people don’t. Just make sure to get the dose right: too much is harmful. Try 200 micrograms a day (not milligrams).
Copper
You need copper for optimal heart and vascular function. Almost everyone can benefit from this supplement, since it’s difficult to get from diet alone (unless you eat a lot of beef, which the Bulletproof Diet encourages). Copper is one of the casualties of modern farming practices; most fruits and vegetables now contain very little. You can also get copper from sources like Bulletproof Chocolate Powder, beef, lobster, and cashews.
B12 & Folate
B12 can protect against dementia, increase immune function, maintain nerves, and regenerate cells. B12 lowers homocysteine and protects against atherosclerosis. It’s necessary for maintaining methylation reactions that repair DNA and prevent cancer. One of the most crucial areas for B12 is the brain.
Folate deficiency can also cause mental symptoms, although B12 is more likely to be a problem. Folate and B12 are both required for mental function, and a deficiency in one produces a deficiency in the other, but folate will not correct a B12 deficiency in the brain. If you make the mistake of treating B12 deficiency with folate, you can get permanent brain damage. Likewise, high amounts of folate without adequate B12 can cause neurological conditions. That’s why we take them together.
