My Supplement List

Numerous people have asked me, over the years, exactly what supplements I take, in addition to a mostly vegan diet and regular walking as exercise. So, here’s my list...

Image by kalhh from Pixabay

Back on February 18th, I published an article here about the mTOR pathway and dietary restriction of the animal protein leucine as a way of slowing aging. It was my second contribution to the Health and Longevity section here at WisdomSchool.com, and this is a follow-up.

One of my very best friends in the world is a PhD neuroscientist in Australia who I’ve known for decades and has pioneered some truly transformational techniques for brain imaging. He took up running seven or so years ago at the age of 71, runs a business that operates on three continents, has written scientific papers on ADHD and creativity (among other subjects; he also has a second degree in physics), and recently stayed at our home on his way to a conference in Italy; I dedicated my most recent book to him.

Some years ago, I asked Richard what he attributed his longevity and high levels of energy to. While noting the importance of diet, exercise, and genetics, he also said, “And, I have the most expensive urine in Australia.”

That got my attention because I’ve often said I have the most expensive urine in Portland! When I was 18 and my first business — an electronics repair business across the street from MSU — failed from some dumb business decisions I made (and learned a lot from), I got a job for about six months (before starting my second business) as the manager of the General Nutrition Center (GNC) store in the mall in Okemos, Michigan.

Back then, GNC was mostly in the supplement and herb business, and I was fascinated by all the hundreds of bottles of pills we had on the shelves. I spent every moment the store was quiet reading up on all the different supplements, and began taking a regular regimen of herbs, vitamins, and minerals.

I was already primed to be interested in health; I’d become a vegetarian at 15 in 1966 as a way of protesting the killing in Vietnam (the Gulf of Tonkin incident was in 1964), and a year later, in 1967, had moved out to a rented room in East Lansing and learned Transcendental Meditation (TM) at MSU from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who the Beatles were then following and promoting.

TM being an aspect of Hinduism, and Hinduism being a vegetarian religion, my decision to quit eating meat was reinforced; if that old guy could have spent his entire life without meat and was still spry (the Maharishi died a lifelong vegetarian at 90!) I left behind all the food pyramid nonsense from the USDA and haven’t eaten meat even once since (although I did start eating small amounts of salmon once or twice a month about a decade ago). I also hooked up later that year with an elderly meditation teacher named Master Stanley in Detroit (who I wrote about in The Prophet’s Way), who also promoted vegetarianism.

Anyhow, I’m hoping to keep up with my friend Richard and live a long and healthy life.

Numerous people have asked me, over the years, exactly what supplements I take, in addition to a mostly vegan diet and regular walking as exercise. So, here’s my list, with each one hot-linked to Amazon for convenience (yes, I know it’s an evil, anti-union company, but this way you can easily read about them, check out their labels, and then find them elsewhere, if you’re inclined).

I take almost everything on this list daily, and have for decades, although every few months I’ll take a week or two off from all supplements and over the years I’ve added and removed things from the list.

My comments are not meant to be scientific or medical advice but merely represent my own personal opinions, although there are also hot-links to some of the science I mention. Please check with your health care practitioner and do your own research before taking any supplements:

— Vitamin D 2000 IU (particularly makes up for the lack of sunlight indoors and here in the Pacific Northwest)

— Vitamin K complex 2600 mg (I’ve been told to always take this with D)

— Magnesium L-Threonate 144 mg (this form passes the blood-brain barrier, so is supposed to be good for the brain and memory, plus it doesn’t cause loose stools like most forms of magnesium)

— Milk Thistle 250 mg (good for the liver, but also a good general tonic)

— Ashwagandha 500 mg (good for the nervous system)  

— Sea Iodine 1000 mcg (good for the thyroid, which regulates metabolism: don’t take if you also use thyroid medication without consulting your doctor)

— Curcumin complex extract 1000 mg (anti-inflammatory and some studies show people who regularly eat curry — which contains a lot of turmeric, from which curcumin is extracted — are less likely to get old-age dementia or Alzheimer’s)

— Turmeric (raw) with Black Pepper 600/5 mg (this is closer to how it’s found in curry, and the piperine in black pepper is supposed to potentiate and help the gut absorb the curcumin)

— Apple Cider Vinegar with mother 1600 mg (is said to help with blood sugar metabolism)

— Multivitamin/mineral/herb 2-a-day from Life Extension (I only take one a day)

— Agaricus Blazei Murill Mushroom 600mg (supposed to have multiple health benefits, and recent studies indicate it protects against pancreatic and several other types of cancer)

— Omega 3 with Sesame Ligans and Olive Extract 2000 mg (I take two capsules daily: the list of benefits from heart to brain to eyes is amazing.)

— Phosphatidyl Choline 1200 mg (brain food and said to be good for the liver)

— Quercetin, fisitin, senolytic activator from Life Extension which helps the body rid itself of cells that have become “zombies,” consuming energy while no longer working.

I take one capsule a day of everything on the list except the Omega 3s and the Senolytic Activator (directions are on the label), and realize that many are in gelatin capsules and the omegas are fish oil, so this wouldn’t work for someone who’s a pure vegan. That said, I believe the compromise is worth it.

I also occasionally take 1 gram Vitamin C and 30 mg of chewable zinc oxide a day, particularly around cold and flu season. And sometimes I add Paul Stamets’ 7-mushroom mix for a few months every year.

If you have suggestions for other supplements that have benefited you, please share in the comments section!