Hello

I have been taking my supplements regulary this time round. Last time I was on Atkins I lost loads of hair and eventually gave up. I didn't want this to happen this time.

I take:
Multivitamin (one of the stronger ones, which sometimes scares me, but I am just finishing the bottle, then I will go on to a Multi which has no more than 100% RDA of each vit)
Cod Liver Oil with Evening Primrose oil
Q10
Cranberry Concentrate
Selenium

Today I had a bit of a play around on fitday and discovered the Nutrition page, where you can see, how much of each Vitamin/Mineral you are getting from your diet. Shock Horror ! I don't think I need any supplements (apart from the fish oil maybe for the Omega 3). And certainly not a Multi which has up to 2000% of RDA in some Vits.

Here is what came out from a fairly typical day of eating (in % of RDA)

Vitamin A 298mcg (37%) -> will need more of that, but hate liver !
Vitamin D 1.12mcg (22.4%) -> not worried. I go out in the sun as often as poss
Vitamin E 11.11mg (139%)
Vitamin K 9.74mcg (15%) -> how do I get more of that ?
Vitamin C 80mg (133%)
Thiamin 1.31mg (120%)
Riboflavin 1.44mg (131%)
Vitamin B6 1.87mg (143.6%)
Vitamin B12 9.63mcg (400%) -> very High, but no side-effects from overdosing
Niacin 22.14mg (158%)
Folate 172.8mcg (43%) -> need more
Iron 13.5mg (90%)
Zinc 21mg (180%)
Selenium 2173mcg (3950%) ->> WAY TOO MUCH
Copper 1.92mg (n/a)
Calcium 308mg (31%) -> need more
Phosphorus 1393mg (200%)
Magnesium 317mg (99%)
Sodium 1730mg
Potassium 2400mg

This is before supplements. Last time I took extra Selenium to stop the hair loss and I took it again this time round.

Here is some info about it http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/supplements/selen.html)

What is the health risk of too much selenium?
There is a moderate to high health risk of too much selenium. High blood levels of selenium can result in a condition called selenosis (42). Symptoms include gastrointestinal upsets, hair loss, white blotchy nails, and mild nerve damage. Selenium toxicity is rare in the United States and the few reported cases have been associated with industrial accidents and a manufacturing error that led to an excessively high dose of selenium in a supplement (43, 44). The Institute of Medicine has set a tolerable upper intake level for selenium at 400 micrograms per day for adults to prevent the risk of developing selenosis. "Tolerable upper intake levels represent the maximum intake of a nutrient that is likely to pose no risk of adverse health effects in almost al individuals in the general population" (9).

No wonder I lost hair. I am getting way too much of it !!!

So basically, the only things I need to supplement is:
Vitamin A
Vitamin K
Folate
Calcium (but without Magnesium)

I wonder, if the hairloss a lot of people are talking about has a cause here. Any input ? And what supplements would you recommend which provide just the above ?

Good sources for vitamin K are spinach, lettuce, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Good sources of vitamin A are eggs, milk, cheese, butter, liver, and fish as well as vegetables that are dark green, red, or yellow such as spinach, carrots, and oranges.

Both are fat soluble vitamins and if taken in excess can be harmful. Try to get them from your diet rather from supplements.

Good sources of folic acid (folate) are liver, egg yolk, and green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and bell peppers.

Just increasing the colorful vegetables in your diet will supply the vitamin A, K and folate, no need to supplement them. Most of these veggies also supply calcium.