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 our vitamins are hurting us 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 serving 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 we 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.
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.
Fat soluble vitamins in their synthetic form are especially dangerous because they can build up in our fatty tissues and cause toxicity. The reason that the synthetic form is more dangerous is because we get a high, concentrated serving of the vitamin rather than the amount that we 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 us to believe that we 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 our “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 the 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)
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) disguised as “natural flavors”
Carnauba wax is used in car wax and shoe polish
Titanium dioxide is a carcinogen
–Atricle by Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM
People need to learn that their health is in their own hands. The fact is, they can be free of illness and brilliantly healthy if they choose a wholesome diet and lifestyle. On the other hand, an incorrect diet and poor lifestyle choices make people sick.
Mamiko MatsudaPhD
Below is a short video about the important of Wholesome Plant Foods compared to Synthetic Pills:
<Truth About Vitamins & Minerals Supplements>
Below is the picture taken from the book
<Enjoying Health and Longevity with Nutritional Immunology> by Dr. Jau Fei Chen
Vitamin overdose could cause harm instead of benefits to our body.
Our diet should mainly focus on wholesome plant based foods, which provides us lots of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. These essential substances are crucial to our health.
Read more on the synthetic supplements here: If dietary supplements are able to help to cure diseases, why till today, mortality rate still climbing high?
Lastly, here are the links for the list of additives and their respective source and side effects:
List of food additives: http://cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm
List of vitamin supplements: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/default.aspx
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