Lithium

Has the addition of Lithium salts (aspartate, orotate) been considered to be included in Huel?

Research has shown that very low dose Lithium supplementation (much lower than what would be medicated for something like bipolar disorder) is extremely beneficial.

It’s neuroprotective, increases neurogenesis in the brain and is believed to be incredibly useful for improving mood and cognition, even at these doses (5mg elemental lithium per day) compared to conventional doses.

Apparently it does a whole lot of things: https://selfhacked.com/blog/the-benefits-of-lithium/

I’ve personally benefited substantially by supplementing it; it has worked wonders for my mood.

@JamesCollier

You raise an interesting question in my mind: Where is the line drawn when it comes to supplementation in Huel?

Why not add aspirin to Huel? It’s recently been shown to benefit people if taken over at least 10 years in small doses.
How about adding Metformin to Huel? Ok, its prescription, but if it wasnt… would you add it to the blend?

Ok, I’m pushing the boundaries, and the line between what would be considered as a supplement within Huel, or not, is probably fuzzy. I assume Huel’s criteria are along the lines of it being available from a natural food source (ideally), has an established NRV, and is beneficial to a large % of the population.

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Very true, and all good points. There is certainly a line, and one of suitable benefit to risk and cost ratio. Interestingly, lithium is considered an essential trace mineral. A few ingredients of Huel don’t have established NRV values (and even some of those that do are well out of line with some current research, such as Vitamin D3 for example).

Hi xenonp

No, lithium salts has never been considered. There are 100s of substances that have been demonstrated to have health benefits and it would not be appropriate to add them all. Lithium salts is not even one that’s spoken about much - I’ve never come across anyone who’s supplemented with them.

@jepullen makes a very valid point. Plus, do remember, Huel is not a supplement: it’s food.

Indeed, but remember it is considered to be an essential trace mineral. Higher lithium concentrations in drinking water have proved to significantly decrease the risk of suicide in large populations (n > 100,000).

Regarding your final point - I think it’s fair to say Huel is a mixture of food and supplements, since you have a “vitamin and mineral blend”. Only when this mix can be replaced by whole foods in powder form, then we can say it’s food.

Is lithium essential? A quick google search says it is, but official references say it isn’t. There is no reference intake and it’s abundant in nature. I’m not knowledgeable on lithium, but that’s because it’s never come up before in my time so I’ve not needed to look at it until today!

It’s the debate on ‘what’s food and what’s supplements?’ - are fortified solid foods supplements? I’d say not.

I gather that pulses are one of the main dietary sources of lithium, besides drinking water, so presumably we get some benefit from the pea protein in Huel - or is that product too processed?

Just before I ordered my first batch of Huel, I was shown another product with similar benefits but it had added superfoods, things like Spirulina, Goji Berries etc.

I considered ordering that instead but decided that the extra cost wasn’t worth it. I can take supplements and superfoods separate to Huel and still save money.

Huel should stick to what you need and nothing else. That’s the whole point of it.

We should remove carbs then (since they are not essential per se) and some of the additional antioxidants which are indeed non-essential.