The Differences Between Synthetic and Natural Vitamins
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 can lead to a wide range of ailments spanning from anorexia to obesity. Depression, anxiety, fatigue, organ malfunction, and many other common mental and physical health challenges can be greatly minimized by proper nutrition and a sufficient supply of essential nutrients.
However, whether or not the vitamins and nutrients that you consume are helping or hurting you largely depends on the source. What most people are not aware of is that all vitamins are not created equal, and the ones that come from synthetic sources may be doing far more harm than good.
What is a "Synthetic" Vitamin?
The type of vitamins that are the most beneficial is up for debate. A natural, organic diet that includes a variety of quality foods can supply the majority of what the body needs, but supplements can help ensure that we are getting a healthy serving of specific vitamins.
The problem is that most vitamin and mineral supplements are manufactured synthetically through an unnatural chemical process, and do not come from a healthy food source. They are made to mimic the way natural vitamins act in our bodies, but natural vitamins are only derived from plants and animals (not synthetic chemicals).
Synthetic vitamins lack the natural transporters and co-factors associated with enzyme rich, all-food vitamins because they have been chemically “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.
Natural vitamins from plants and animals are always combined with other essential nutrients, enzymes, and minerals that control the way the body recognizes, metabolizes, and uses them to make what it needs.
Isolated vitamins are extremely difficult to absorb and cannot be utilized effectively by the body because of their “incomplete” state. They are either stored until other finishing nutrients are obtained by the body, or they are excreted through the urine. Synthetic (isolated) 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? In spite of these eye-opening facts about man-made chemical vitamins, more than 95% of all supplements sold on the market today fall into the synthetic category!
Other Facts About Synthetic Vitamins…
Synthetic versions of vitamins contain chemical compounds that were not meant for human consumption and do not occur in nature. Likewise, wisdom dictates that we should eat the real food nutrients we can gather from the earth, and not the false food nutrients that are created in a lab.
Synthetic vitamin labeling can be very confusing and also extremely misleading. For example, 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 is the naturally occurring form) and the l-form. Seems like no big deal, except for the fact that the body doesn't actually use the l-form, we excrete it! With supplement prices consistently on the rise, this sounds like making a simple vitamin purchase can leave us with a bad case of insufficient nutrition as well as very expensive urine!
On the other hand, the chemicals in fat soluble vitamins in their synthetic form can be especially dangerous because the ones we don't excrete have a tendency to build up in our fatty tissues and cause toxicity. The reason that the synthetic form is dangerous is because there are very high chemically concentrated servings of the vitamin in many supplements. This is in direct contrast to the amount that we would normally get in natural food.
Vitamins A, D, E and K are all fat soluble
Fat soluble vitamins are found naturally in butter, fish oils, nuts, and leafy green vegetables
Because of a poor diet, most people do not get sufficient amounts of fat soluble vitamins
Synthetic (chemically produced) fat soluble vitamins are especially dangerous because of their toxicity levels as they accumulate in the body over time
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 food form of the vitamin. This means that your "natural" vitamin could contain up to 90% synthetically produced chemicals!
Common Synthetic Vitamins to Avoid
Look for clues on vitamin labels that offer insight into the origin of the vitamin. Here are some synthetic names to watch out for…
Vitamin A: Retinyl Palmitate
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Thiamine Mononitrate, Thiamine Hydrochloride
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Riboflavin
Pantothenic Acid: Calcium D-Pantothenate
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
Vitamin B12: Cyanocobalamin
PABA (Para-aminobenzoic Acid): Aminobenzoic Acid
Folic Acid: Pteroylglutamic Acid
Choline: Choline Chloride, Choline Bitartrate
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Ascorbic Acid
Vitamin D: Irradiated Ergosteral, Calciferol
Vitamin E: dl-alpha tocopherol, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate or succinate
Excerpts from article by Dr. Edward Group, Global Healing Center