> When evaluating vitamins and minerals, it is important to look at the form that you are taking. For instance, the type of vitamin D used in Soylent 2.0 is ergocalciferol or vitamin D2. Humans need cholecalciferol or vitamin D3 that is used throughout the body. D3 is significantly superior to D2 in human physiology.6 In the same regard, Soylent 2.0 uses vitamin K1 instead of K2. K1 is transported poorly in the intestines and does not convert well to K2.7 In clinical studies, vitamin K2 has shown cardiovascular improvements while K1 had no effect.8 This is because K2 helps transport calcium into teeth and bones rather than forming arterial calcification.9 K2 has also been shown to reduce cancer risk, and K1 has been shown to be ineffective in this area as well. 10
It is hard for me to judge the accuracy of these claims (not knowning the literature), but these are interesting claims if they are true:
> Since the bacteria have, only a restricted diet of the carbohydrate sources in Soylent 2.0 the lack of options will limit the diversity of the population. Bacteria that can process isomaltooligosaccharides and rice starch are going to have a tremendous advantage over those that do not. Over time, the Coprococcus, Collinsella, and Coprobacillus phylotypes will overrun the Bifidobacteria,14 butyric acid levels will drop,15 and endotoxin will leak out into the bloodstream.