Monday, August 25, 2008

THE SUPPLEMENT JUNGLE



SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL?


There are many types of supplements available. For now, lets focus on multi-vitamin and mineral supplements. The first question may be whether or not there is a substantial difference between so called "synthetic" and "natural" vitamins. The structure of a vitamin can be reproduced synthetically. In this case the natural form and the synthetic form would be identical. When this is the case there can be said to be no difference between the two. They will act the same way in the body.

Some argue that they are the same. Others beg to differ. They say that the forms being synthesized are not the same because natural vitamins do not come as a distinct molecules, but have "companions", and these essential elements may not be added to synthetic formulations.


A much used example is Vitamin C. Its synthetic form is well known as Ascorbic Acid.
Here is information from
http://www.hpakids.org/...

However, vitamin C is not simply ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is the outer skin of vitamin C, much like the skin of an orange. Vitamin C also contains bioflavonoid complexes, tyrosinase, and several other factors. What do you get if you purchase a synthesized bottle of vitamin C? You are buying ascorbic acid, a small part of vitamin C, manufactured from super-refined corn sugar. Ascorbic acid does have strong effects on the body but is more of a drug than a nutrient. Because your body needs all parts of a vitamin to function, it will leech the other necessary cofactors from itself in order to use the ascorbic acid. This puts a lot of extra stress on your body, according to Dennis Nelson, in his book, Maximizing Nutrition.

http://www.hpakids.org/holistic-health/articles/144/1/Vitamins---Synthetic-vs.-Natural

From the same article, in reference to vitamin B...

Another example of whole food versus synthetic is vitamin B complex. Coal tar is the source of many synthetic B vitamins. Coal tar is not alive, and research confirms that it does not work as well in our bodies as natural sources of B vitamins, such as wheat germ.

This article is the work of Dr. Laura Mason-Scarborough. The article was published in 2004. Since then vitamin C is now offered as "Ester-C", which does contain an additional element, another synthetic, ascorbyl palmitate.

For me, as a consumer, I can see the value of "natural food" derived vitamins. They have the benefit of starting with the whole vitamin complex and delivering all its components. And they deliver them in forms the body has been working with for ages, guaranteeing the body will recognize the components and act upon them.

Every step along the way the body "knows" what it should find, and what it needs to do to create the building blocks it requires to function. Supplements are designed to be in line with the process. That is, to provide you with vitamins and minerals in the forms the body is looking for.

Another example is vitamin E...from
http://www.beta-glucan-info.com/...

Studies have shown that natural Vitamin E absorbs much better then synthetic versions. Protein chaperones produced in the liver select the natural d-alpha form of Vitamin E and largely ignore the rest.

One study in particular showed that after 23 days of supplementation, natural Vitamin E levels rose higher then synthetic levels[2]. This study also showed that the blood and tissue levels of natural Vitamin E rose twice as high as the synthetic.

FROM
http://www.beta-glucan-info.com/natural_versus_synthetic_vitamins.htm

Also, note that the synthetic Vitamin E has a d-alpha form in it, but additionally has an "l" form. In the synthetic, generally half the E vitamin is in the d-form, which the body uses, and half is the l-form which is ignored. So you have half the amount listed on the bottle in an available form. It is expressed this way at
http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/...

Vitamin E, for example, the d- form of vitamin E derived from vegetable oils and other natural sources is different from the dl- form (which is often called the synthetic form). The dl- tocopherols are actually a mixture: the d-form and the l-form (usually a 1:1 mixture).


The human body uses only the d- form. The l- form, when present, does not confer any known health benefit and is normally excreted by the body. So, in essence, when consuming the dl- form of vitamin E, you obtain an effective dose of about half the vitamin E dosage reported on the label.


From...http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vitamins/natural-vitamins-synthetic.html

So given the choice, "food derived" natural vitamins appear to have fewer possible issues and would be preferable. There isn't anything wrong with the synthetic versions, it just appears they may be incomplete in some ways, since new connections are being discovered and will continue to be added to our knowledge base. The synthetics are likely to be less expensive. They can also be "measured" in units more effectively. 200 I.U.s are exactly 200 I.U.s.


So one filter to use when buying is whether or not natural food derived vitamins are present or not. If they are synthetic, it is important to have all the co-factors present, so the body doesn't have to provide them from its own reserves. This may require more research than the average person has the time the or desire to do.

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