I stumbled upon this subject again yesterday, while reading about the Paleo diet. In the section about supplements, Rob Wolff mentions vit D as the most important supplement we can take (that and fish oil...), and states that humans used to receive an estimate of 10,000 to 20,000 IU of vit D. a day because of more exposure and cleaner air. (obviously, depending on where they were versus the equator).

He too recommends supplementing between 2,000 and 5,000 IU/day, but warns hyperthyroidism patients that they really should closely monitor their results because they are more prone to suffer from toxicity.

Oh, and he also mentions ALA/NAC as something even perfectly healthy people should ideally supplement with - and even mentions it's benefits for some kinds of PN sufferers. He even has a few tips for people who have problems with reflux.

Note that he is not a believer at all when it comes to the promises of most supplements, but again stresses the importance of D3, omega3 and (R)ALA when it comes to nerve functions. Without adequate levels (for him, when it comes to vit D.: 50 and upwards, but 60 is better) it's very difficult to cure nerve problems.

These books are all pretty interesting, and the Paleo diet is not too far removed from the Zone diet (diet = lifestyle). As a joke you could say it's Zone minus dairy & grains (not that they play a big role in the Zone diet) but with egg yolks.

His recommendations for fish oil are almost exactly the same (3 grams/day for healthy persons, up to 20 for people with nerve damage); given that he gives Barry Sears a dig on one of the pages (about the effects of combining proteins & carbs, a minor point really) it is encouraging to see he is on the same page as Sears when it comes to importance and doses of fish oil.