Have you ever heard of molybdenum before? A lot of us have not, but it is very critical. As much as our health is affected by chemicals coming in and chemicals not going out, molybdenum deficiency may be one of the big reasons chemicals do not go out. If you are ever sensitive to sulphates or preservatives, you may be lacking molybdenum. It also plays a big part in many allergies – people are very commonly deficient in molybdenum.
Now that we’ve covered what to take, there are a couple things you do not want to take. The first one is iron. This is funny because there are many cases in which iron is really good to take, but you really want to have some guidance on that. If you are lacking it, it is very critical and helpful for you, but it really doesn’t work well inside a multivitamin. If iron is inside a multivitamin, it will prevent you from absorbing zinc, selenium and calcium. Now, if you need iron, you should take it as a separate pill. If you don’t need iron, you shouldn’t take it. Get some guidance on it, as it is dangerous to take if you don’t need it.
Another one in the same category is iodine. We need about 1-300 micrograms. On average, people get between 200-240 micrograms from their diets; however, vegans can run a little lower. They can average about 150 micrograms. They are still okay. If you are way above that target, you hurt your thyroid. Typical intakes show that most people are in range. If you are on thyroid meds, you would easily get pushed above range if you’re supplementing with any iodine.
Last but not least, you do not want to take folic acid. Please hear me say “folic acid” and not folate or MTHF. Folic acid is poison for a big percentage of people – upwards of half the population, and there aren’t clear ways to know which half you’re in. So, it’s best to avoid it. The data is strong that folic acid raises the risk of colon rectal cancer. The rates of that disease have been climbing ever since we started fortifying our foods with folic acid. So, you really need something like folate in your diet: leafy greens, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. Ideally, you would get some folate and MTHF in your multivitamins, as well.
So, did you get all that – what you want to take and what you do not want to take? If it helps, I have made it really easy with our Daily Reset Packs. You take two little packs per day, and you are covering all your bases for the important stuff and none of the bad stuff.
Dr. Alan Christianson here, happy to provide some clarity and reduce the pill stress.