Vitamins, vitamins, vitamins. Whether we get them from our daily diet, from sunshine, or from store bought capsules or liquids, vitamins are vital to our health and to the proper functioning of our bodies.
Vitamin deficiencies lead to a wide range of problems spanning from anorexia to obesity, organ malfunction, confusion, depression and fatigue.
However, whether or not your vitamins are hurting you is another story. What people are not aware of is all vitamins are not created equal, and most are actually synthetic.
What is a “Synthetic” Vitamin?
The type of vitamins that are the most beneficial is up for debate. A healthy, organic diet should provide a good amount of nutrients that the body needs, but supplements can help ensure that we are getting a healthy dose of specific vitamins.
The problem is that many vitamin and mineral supplements are manufactured synthetically with chemicals and do not come straight from their natural sources. They are made to mimic the way natural vitamins act in our bodies. Natural vitamins are derived directly from plant material containing the vitamin, not produced in a test tube.
Many synthetic vitamins lack the transporters and co-factors associated with naturally-occurring vitamins because they have been “isolated.” The Organic Consumers Association emphasizes that isolated vitamins cannot be used or recognized by the body in the same way as the natural version.
The natural form come in packages with other vitamins, enzymes and minerals that control the way the body recognizes, metabolizes and uses them to make what it needs.
Isolated vitamins can’t always be used by the body, and are either stored until you obtain or create the nutrients required to use them effectively or are excreted. Synthetic vitamins are also devoid of necessary trace minerals and must use the body’s own mineral reserves which may lead to dangerous mineral deficiencies.
Did You Know? More than 95% of all the vitamin supplements sold today fall in to the synthetic category.
What’s the Big Deal About Synthetic Vitamins?
Synthetic versions of vitamins contain chemical compounds that were not meant for human consumption and do not occur in nature. Evolution has dictated that we eat the food we can gather from the earth, not the food we create in a lab.
We might not always get what we’re expecting from synthetics. The synthetic version of Vitamin E is often referred to as the dl- form. The dl- form is a combination of the d-form (which, by the way, is the naturally occurring form) and the l-form. No big deal, right?
Well it might not be, except that the body doesn’t actually use the l-form- we excrete it! I must note here that this applies only to vitamins and not amino acids or sugars. Fat soluble vitamins in their synthetic form are especially dangerous because they can build up in your fatty tissues and cause toxicity. The reason that the synthetic form is more dangerous is because you get a high, concentrated dose of the vitamin rather than the amount that you would get from a food-based form.
- Vitamins A, D, E and K are all fat soluble
- Fat soluble vitamins are found naturally in butter, fish oils, nuts, and green leafy vegetables
- Excesses of fat soluble vitamins are stored in the liver and fatty tissues
- Most people do not get sufficient amounts of fat soluble vitamins from their diet
How do I know if the vitamins I’m buying are synthetic or natural?
The Organic Consumers Association has published an ingredient chart to help consumers identify natural vs. synthetic vitamins. Many vitamin producers want you to believe that you are getting a “natural product” because it seems more wholesome to take “natural” vitamins.
Unfortunately, vitamins can be labeled as natural if they contain as little as 10% of the natural form of the vitamin. This means that your “natural” vitamin could contain 90% of synthetically produced chemicals! B-Vitamins and Vitamin C are also usually synthetically produced.
Common Synthetic Vitamins to Avoid:
Look for clues on your vitamin’s label that offer insight into the origin of the vitamin.
- Vitamin A: Acetate and Palmitate
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Thiamine Mononitrate, Thiamine Hydrochloride
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Riboflavin
- Pantothenic Acid: Calcium D-Pantothenate
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
- Vitamin B12: Cobalamin
- PABA (Para-aminobenzoic Acid): Aminobenzoic Acid
- Folic Acid: Pteroylglutamic Acid
- Choline: Choline Chloride, Choline Bitartrate
- Biotin: d-Biotin
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Ascorbic Acid
- Vitamin D: Irradiated Ergosteral, Calciferol
- Vitamin E: dl-alpha tocopherol, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate or succinate
NOTE: The “dl” form of any vitamin is synthetic.
Other Toxic Ingredients to Avoid In Supplements
- Magnesium stearate (or stearic acid) inhibits immune response
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) disguised as “natural flavors”
- Carnauba wax is used in car wax and shoe polish
- Titanium dioxide is a carcinogen
Related Articles:
- The Difference Between Natural & Synthetic Vitamins
- The Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
- The Health Benefits of Pomegranates
November 3rd, 2011 at 6:57 pm
I wonder if perhaps we are overlooking the value of synthetics. A great number of vitamin supplements include “synthetic” vitamins like vitamin c and the natural kind like d alpha tocopherol combined into one.
Now take vitamin c for example which has been used for decades and has helped countless people. Was Linus Pauling who popularized vitamin C wrong? What about the countless number of doctors who use vitamin C today as an jack of all trades? What about the hundreds of studies that demonstrate the value of vitamin C?
Another successfully used “synthetic” vitamin is niacin (B3). It has been used for decades to help treat high cholesterol, schizophrenia, and many other medical conditions. Made famous by Dr. Abram Hoffer it is another vitamin that has huge potential especially when you consider one of the latest studies that came out. Research Dr. Kim Green and alzheimer’s disease and you will find out the potential of “synthetic” vitamins.
In short, although natural sources of fat soluble vitamins are more likely to be more active and available to the body it is a far cry to say that synthetic vitamins are not valuable or have therapeutic value.
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May 3rd, 2011 at 4:19 am
Unbelievable how can this be allowed it is a crime” so should we even be silly enough to believe that Osama Binladen is dead or even existed to start with? or did the war begin over oil and has he realy been shot dead or is that just an excuse to pull the troops out of the middle east now they have got what they want? so called big business has a lot to answer for- why even produce fossil fuels when we can create energy with the hydrogen cell ?? what has this world come too” and when will people power stand up and be counted? I for one are ready!
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nonretard replied on November 3rd, 2011:
hydrogen cells store energy, they are not energy magic cells. You still have to burn the fossil fuels to get energy into the hydrogen cells.
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November 5th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Wonderful article!!
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April 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 am
Another great article. I was totally shocked when I first found out the difference between natural and synthetic vitamins and how much harm the synthetics are actually doing to our bodies. How many people know that the vitamins they’re taking to stay healthy are actually doing more harm than good?
I especially liked the ingredient chart from The Organic Consumers Association. Definitely handy.
The fact that “vitamins can be labeled as natural if they contain as little as 10% of the natural form of the vitamin” just goes to show how little the USDA is looking out for us. To allow such obvious deceit is an indication that big business is more important to the USDA than our health.
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March 3rd, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Great article. I am doing some research on the difference between synthetic vitamins and whole foods. It is too easy to feel overconfident that we are getting the nutrients we need when taking synthetic vitamins.
Vitamin bottles list the amount of vitamins and minerals available…not what your body can absorb or actually use.
I have three boys, and have been on a quest to find a way to meet their nutritional needs. No binders, fillers, synthetic anything…just whole food.
Keep telling the world to eat whole foods!
Lafon
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January 20th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
Thank you so much for this article. So many people say “oh, I’m healthy, I take a multivitamin…” Not only is relying on vitamins an ineffective shortcut, but most people don’t even realize that many vitamins aren’t particularly powerful…
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January 20th, 2009 at 9:46 am
I agree with you, it’s best to take vitamins that are made with natural ingredients. I have been taking a really good natural supplement, muscadine grape seeds and they have been really beneficial to my health. I have noticed a change in my immune system and it helps that it is loaded with a lot of natural anti-oxidants.
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January 18th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Where can I buy natural vitamins? I have only seen synthetic?
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melissa replied on January 19th, 2009:
The best vitamins are from a company called Standard Process
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Bob replied on November 3rd, 2011:
Looking to purchase natural vitamins
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January 15th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Good article, indeed. For any ordinary person tends to believe that any Vitamin itself is natural and wholesome, because it’s a vitamin. No matter what vitamin and how much you take. Unfortunately some believe that the more you take the better.
But I’ve heard that it’s not good for your body to take vitamins longer than 1-2 months period. And that some vitamins are not to be combined. Is that true?
A big thank you for the ingredient chart, I saved it on my computer and going to check the vitamins I take. I believe every family should consult such a chart, especially those having kids.
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January 14th, 2009 at 10:39 am
How effective is Vitamin D in pill form comapred to Vitamin D derived from moderate exposure to sunlight?
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January 13th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Great Article, You are 100% right. I might add the importance of natural vitamins in liquid form such as Vitacerin. Liquid vitamins has a higher absorbtion rate than pills.
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January 13th, 2009 at 8:08 am
Great article. Thanks you for sharing excellent advice and little known knowledge.
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January 12th, 2009 at 7:43 pm
Thanks for the very informative article. Most people don’t realize the importance of ‘natural’ supplements for a healthy life and often feel complacent while taking synthetic supplements.
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