Are Synthetic Vitamins Making You Sicker?

Most vitamin supplements that are available in the market today, even in health food stores, are not natural, whole food based, but are synthetic, even if they are labeled 'natural'! What exactly does that mean, synthetic, and what's wrong with synthetic? First, let's explain a few terms: crystalline, synthetic and natural vitamins. When a vitamin says it is 'crystalline,' it means that a food was used as its original source, (so the label often says 'natural' vitamin), but then chemicals like solvents were used to turn it into a pure crystalline vitamin. All the other co-factors that were with that vitamin in the natural substance are gotten rid of in this process. So a crystalline vitamin is really not a natural vitamin. When a vitamin is synthetic, it means that it has been concocted in a laboratory by building the exact structure of the crystalline molecule, often with a toxic substance. So chemically, there is really no difference between a crystalline and a synthetically-derived vitamin. A good example of a synthetic vitamin is that of the B vitamins, which are made from petrochemicals. Yes, that's right, synthetic B vitamins are mostly coal tar derivatives! 'Natural' vitamins should be 100 percent whole food based with absolutely no synthetics. Watch out because vitamin manufacturers know that people prefer 'natural' vitamins, and they will often tout that on the label, and maybe even use a little bit of a whole food. However, that does not make the vitamin a safe, effective, whole food vitamin. What's Wrong With Taking Synthetic Vitamins? Supplements that are synthetic do not provide all the co-factors or other nutrients necessary for your body to fully utilize that supplement. In fact, since these co-factors are missing, your body will need to take them from somewhere else in order to make the synthetic vitamin work. This can create serious shortages, and may be why other problems often result. Because they do bring some much needed nutrients to your body, synthetic vitamins may cause you to feel better at first, but this will usually not last. When you take synthetic vitamins, especially if you are taking a high dose formula, this is seen by the body as more like taking a drug than taking a needed nutrient. This is probably why there are studies showing problems with taking high doses of certain vitamins (usually synthetic vitamins) like beta carotene causing cancer. Whole Food Supplements Many people, when first switching to whole food supplements, are wondering how they can get any benefit from them when they see how little of the nutrient is contained in one serving. However, you need to realize that the amount of the nutrient that you take is far less important than how much of it your body will actually be using. With whole food supplements, you have all the co-factors that nature put in the food to help you utilize that nutrient. As a result, you need far less of the whole food vitamin or mineral, often only a fraction of the synthetic amount, in order to have the same or an even greater effect. So even if you think you got a bargain on your vitamins, your body probably did not. Throw away all your cheap, synthetic vitamins and start taking 100 percent whole food vitamin supplements today!

About Author: Karen Pijuan is the owner of several health-related websites and has written numerous articles about healthy living, whole food supplements, natural weight loss and more. Find out more by visiting EcoViva or The Truth About Vitamins.

Article Source: ArticlesAlley.com

Are Organic Supplements Superior?

Well, if you are still buying synthetic vitamins, like most of the American public, you won't be finding any supplements that are organic - they're all just made in a lab. However, if you have done your research and are convinced that whole food supplements contain all the necessary co-factors your body needs to process them and are far superior to synthetic vitamins, we think you do need to search out organic ingredients in your vitamins. Most whole food supplements are concentrated because they are usually dried out and converted to a powder form and either put into a tablet or a capsule (and you should avoid tablets as they are often toxic and less absorbable). This concentrates the nutrients, but will also concentrate any toxins like pesticides or heavy metals. Organic foods have also been shown, in general, to have higher vitamin and mineral contents. So it is worth seeking out organic vitamins and minerals for your best health. Consider some of the following information: Organic Means More Minerals Not only do organic foods have fewer chemicals like pesticides in them, but they have been shown in many studies to have higher levels of various nutrients. An article in the Journal of Applied Nutrition studied the mineral content of organic vs conventionally grown apples, pears, wheat, potatoes and corn. In general, the organic foods in this study had much higher levels of minerals: Chromium was higher on average 78 percent Selenium 390 percent higher Calcium 63 percent higher Magnesium 138 percent higher Organic Means Fewer Toxic Metals In addition, this study showed that organic produce had much lower levels of toxic metals: Mercury levels were 25 percent lower Lead 29 percent lower Aluminum 40 percent lower Mercury, lead and aluminum are all toxic heavy metals with various dangers. Mercury can cause neurological problems, lead lowers IQ levels in children, and aluminum has been implicated in Alzheimer's. You want to avoid these heavy metals in your vitamins if at all possible. Organic Means Higher Vitamin Levels Other studies have compared vitamin levels of organic vs conventional foods. These studies showed that when certain pesticides were applied, it lowered some vitamin levels, especially the B and C complex vitamins and beta carotene. B and C and beta carotene are all known as antioxidants and are necessary for our bodies to properly deal with all the chemicals that we are exposed to in our environment today (hmm, perhaps the plants used up some of the vitamin B and vitamin C and beta carotene in order for them to deal with the onslaught of the pesticides). In any case, these studies would lead you to believe that eating organic foods and taking organic whole food supplements means in general getting higher levels of vitamins. Organic Means Fewer Pesticide Residues It goes without saying that there are fewer pesticide residues on organic foods, since pesticides are not being used on them. It is sad to say, however, that some pesticides are found even on organic foods because of pesticides in the water used for irrigation and from drift from adjacent fields. However, the amounts of pesticides are often significantly lower if the crop is grown organically. Only a very few supplement manufacturers actually go a step farther and test every batch of incoming ingredients for the absence of pesticide residues. It is worth it in our opinion to find vitamins made by these manufacturers. Why ingest a product designed to increase your health and vitality that has pesticides concentrated in it? Although it has been difficult to prove the adverse health benefits of consuming small amounts of pesticide residues on our foods, some people don't need a study to tell them that chemicals that kill living things are not good for them. Recent studies have shown a clear relationship between pesticides in women's fat cells and an increased risk of breast cancer. Although we cannot always control our breathing in chemicals or what is in our water (although air and water filters can help), we can choose to eat more organic food and to use organic food supplements so as to reduce our risk. So besides having a higher vitamin and mineral content, organic whole food supplements will be lower in toxins like heavy metals and pesticide residues. It is worth seeking out organic vitamins and minerals for your best health. Beyond Organic Vitamin Potency In addition to looking for organic ingredients in your supplements, you might want to hunt around for one that is made of highly potent ingredients. Depending on the richness of the soil in which it was grown, and how it was harvested and preserved, the nutrient content of various plants can vary by over 900 percent! This means you can get something that runs from barely containing the nutrient that you are looking for to something that is spectacularly potent. Always ask about how the ingredients were grown and harvested if the manufacturer doesn't discuss it. Look for vitamins that come from ingredients grown in a 'beyond organic' manner.

About Author: Karen Pijuan is the owner of several health-related websites and has written numerous articles about healthy living, whole food supplements, natural body care and cleaning products, natural weight loss and more. Find out more by visiting EcoViva or The Truth About Vitamins.

Article Source: ArticlesAlley.com