Question: “Do you have any recommendations on how to get enough calcium on a low-carb, no-dairy diet? I’ve read that vegetables provide calcium, but bioavailability is poor.” The bioavailability of calcium from different vegetables is highly dependent on the specific vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables have very good bioavailability. It’s better than from milk. Spinach has …
Question: What should people with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency be doing not just about glutathione, but about folate, vitamin K, fatty acids, and neurotransmitters? G6PD, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, is an inborn error of metabolism. It’s the most common one in the world. About 8% globally have some impairment in this enzyme. The reason that it’s important …
Question: If my tryptophan is low, and I’m on a low-carb diet, would you recommend 5-HTP supplements or tryptophan supplements or both? There are multiple reasons why tryptophan could be low. It could be that you are not eating enough protein, or it could be that you have a high utilization of the tryptophan. I …
Question: What to do if signs and symptoms of zinc deficiency persist despite taking 75 mg zinc gluconate per day. You should do plasma zinc. Also you know I kind of wonder whether you’re taking that right. So if you’re taking 75 milligrams of zinc like at one time then it’s not surprising because you’re …
Question: Is a high value of arsenic a concern? Yes, arsenic is a toxin. You probably don’t want a lot of it, if it’s just a little high it might not cause terrible damage. I would look at methylation if I saw high arsenic, because methylation is needed to get rid of arsenic. Oh …
Question Are low polyunsaturated omega-6 values on the ION test a concern? Not the total, but if the arachidonic acid levels are low I would look at low arachidonic acid intake, or inflammation, or oxidative stress. It would concern me because arachidonic acid is important to a lot of physiological functions, but I don’t care …
Question: When high selenium does not come down in response dietary efforts and cessation of supplementation, what’s going on? Either there’s high levels of selenium in the soil where your food is grown, or you have low methylation because methylation is needed to get rid of excess selenium. This Q&A can also be found as …
Question: Creatine, when is it recommend that if you don’t have the MTHFR SNP that causes methylation problems? 1.)When you want to improve your physique. 2.)When you want to improve your athletic performance. 3.)When you have a rare creatine synthesis disorder. 4.)If you have depression, it might help. 5.) If you have any signs that …
Question: When should tryptophan be taken on a keto diet? Night, day, both? Presumably you’re doing this to try to increase tryptophan getting into the brain. The best thing to do is to take it two to three hours away from other protein. The second consideration is if you have an allotment of carbs that …
Question: Do you think there are true non-responders to creatine, or do you think that those apparent non-responders have some defects in methylation that makes typical doses of creatine sufficient only for other needs. Alex Leaf would be a great person to ask about this and he’s not here right now… [Alex appears] Alex, so …