I'm having difficulty figuring out correct dosages for vitamin and mineral supplements. I'm concerned about taking too much of the things that your body should not have too much of. For example:

Potassium
- the label on the bottle says 50mg per day
- the Protein Power book says 90 mg per day
- various posts in here have recommended as much as 400 mg per day
- according to the PP book, too much potassium is not good for your body
- what is a reasonable amount while on induction, and if it is at the 400mg level, why that high?

Vitamin E
- the label on the bottle says 400 IU per day
- PP says 200 IU
- posts in here have suggested between 400 and 1000 IU
- PP does not mention if there is a problem with too much vitamin E

Flax seed oil
- The label recommends between 3,000 - 9,000 (take 1-3 1000mg pills 3 times a day
- What is reasonable? lower end, mid-range or upper end

Biotin
- label on the bottle says 300 micrograms per day
- posts have suggested as much as 1,000
- what is biotin good for? There is no mention of it in the PP book.

I'm very confused.

Please understand that I am not criticising the folks in here who are experienced with supplements and understand dosages, so recommend different amounts. I'm just confused and want to make sure that I'm taking them properly.

I was real confused as well until I bought a good vitamin bible book. It helped me to understand more what I should be actually taking. Another suggestion is to talk to your pharmacist. They can clarify things for U.

And in their most recent edition, Protein Power Lifeplan (published in 2000), they've upped the requirement to 4 x 99mg tablets per day for the early weeks of the program, in addition to using a potassium-containing salt substitute. This is because potassium is excreted in the urine, and there is increased urine production during the early phase of low-carbing. Symptoms of low potassium include fatigue, lethargy, headaches, muscle aches and weakness. Once your body has adjusted, and urine output normalized, then cut back to one 99mg tablet per day, in addition to using a potassium salt substitute.

Larger persons, and those in hot climates (sweating a lot), and/or undertaking a strenuous exercise program will need more potassium than average.

Yes, too much potassium is not good for you, but it would be a rare situation for that to happen. If your kidneys are healthy, then you will excrete any excess. Only if you have severe kidney disease, or if you are taking certain blood pressure medications .. which may cause you to retain potassium. Check with your dr. or pharmacist if you're not sure.Again, in the more recent PP Lifeplan, the Drs. Eades have upped the recommendations for vitamin E to 400 to 500mg (or IU) per day, for its antioxidant properties, plus it has insulin-sensitizing benefits as well. Vitamin E is safe to take at doses of 1000mg per day. 400mg is the generally recommended daily dose in most references.3000mg (3g) = approx. 1 tsp (5 ml) fresh flax oil. 9000mg or 9g would = approx. 3 tsp or 1 Tbsp. In Fats That Heal Fats That Kill, Udo Erasmus states that up to 3 Tbsp fresh flax oil may be used daily for therapeutic purposes. He cautions that you shouldn't be using flax oil exclusively, meaning, there should be other sources of fats and oils in your diet, especially fatty fish such as tuna, salmon and sardines. Probably the lower dose is sufficient for general daily supplementation ... higher doses would be for specific therapeutic purposes. The Omega-3 EFA in flax (alpha-linolinic acid or ALA) may be helpful for fat-loss, since it inhibits certain prostaglandins which are thought to prevent fat-burning.Here in Canada, labels on nutritional supplements are not permitted to make claims about its intended use other than to say that it's for therapeutic use, or some bland, vague statement. They are not permitted to recommend doses higher than the RDA, although the supplement may have more than the RDA in it. The RDA for biotin is 300 mcg ... but for therapeutic use, the recommendations are much, much higher than that! Atkins cites studies showing the safe use of hundreds of times that dose for insulin-sensitizing. 15mg (15,000 mcg) or more daily is recommended for diabetes, blood sugar and insulin sensitization.

It is also recommended for skin and hair problems, and brittle nails.

Biotin is normally produced in our bodies by the action of bacteria in our intestines, so a deficiency is rare. Consuming a lot of processed fats and oils will inhibit the absorption of biotin. Biotin is very safe, and no reports of adverse effects, even at high doses.

Hope this is helpful

Doreen

p.s. - a really good family reference for nutritional supplements, herbs and health .. is Prescription for Nutritional Healing by James Balch, M.D. and Phyllis Balch, CNC

Thanks Doreen and gwilson!

I've been wanting to get a good book on supplements but haven't had the time to scoot out to Chapters. At least you have helped me narrow down the list.

Is the PPL book the newer version of PP? I can't figure out which version of PP I have from the dates on the inside cover.

Sort of .. (aren't I helpful??)

Protein Power was originally published in 1995 (paperback in '96). It is the plan you'd choose for weight and fat loss.

Protein Power Lifeplan is their followup book, pub. last year, and the p.b. came out this past summer. This book is less concerned about weight reduction specifically, and more about healthy eating for LIFE. It goes into great detail about insulin-resistance, cholesterol problems, leaky-gut syndrome .. and paleolithic eating principles. It's a bit higher in carbs than the original PP. I have and love both books. The original PP plan is what I follow for my weight loss ... the PP Lifeplan is what I hope to achieve for lifetime maintenance. But the information and research in PPLifeplan is much more up-to-date and more thorough than their earlier book, and Atkins for sure. I recommend them as companions

Dr. Atkins will be releasing a new book on December 4th. Supposedly it will be less defending his program and less informercial style ... and more science, research and health topics discussed. Now where have we heard this before??

Doreen

I inadvertantly bought Potassium Gluconate...what is that?

thanks,
Susan

It's just another form of potassium, there are several ... Potassium Chloride, Potassium Bicarbonate, Chelated Potassium (Potassium Aspartate, Potassium Citrate, Potassium Gluconate)

Some sources suggest the chelated form of minerals are absorbed better. This is certainly true for calcium and magnesium.

hth,

Doreen

thank you doreen! I can feel it absorbing already. mmmm, potassium high. yes, ok, I'm nuts.
Susan