Whole vs. Synthetic Vitamins
By John L. Shellabarger
According to Taber’s Medical Dictionary, vitamins are essential for normal metabolism, growth and life of the body.
They are indispensable for the maintenance of health. Up until now there has been
some contro-versy regarding the necessity to supplement vitamins back into the diet. The Journal of American Medical Association concluded from a study that every indi-vidual should take a multivitamin everyday, thus ending that controversy.
Research has proven that your body begins to pay the price as it tries to compensate for nutrient deficiencies. Eventually, poor nutrition can lead to devastating consequences. According to the U.S. Surgeon General.
Many people who get cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other serious diseases, may have been able to avoid such illnesses if they had been receiving proper nutrition and exercise. Getting the proper nutrients and micronutrients each day is critical to maintaining good health. So now hundreds of supplement companies have
looked to chemical derivatives and synthetic vitamins as a solution. The very logic of this seems irrational when you remember where vitamins come from. Vitamins are found in food, and just because current growing and processing methods have depleted the vitamins available from our foods, it does not mean that we should come up with new-fangled ways to get these micronutrients from some other source. Instead,
we should look for a way to get more of the safe, effective vitamins that are available only from foods. By using vitamin C as an example. Ascorbic acid is
often sold as vitamin C, and yet it is only a chemically derived fraction of the whole food vitamin. As it is found in food, vitamin C is a complete complex which
is actually made up of ascorbic acid plus rutin, bioflavonoids, K factor and J factors - as well as other substances that no human experiment has been able to
replicate. You must have all of these fractions in order for the Vitamin to be complete. In order for the body to absorb and use a vitamin, all of the parts of the complex must be present. That means that in order to use the fractionated form of the vitamin, the body must first supply the other parts of the whole food complex. If ascorbic acid alone is ingested, the body must complete the complex by
robbing its own collagen tissue of the elements that are missing in the “vitamin C” you supplied. This process is rarely complete and can even cause increased deficiencies. A published study by Doctors Vinson and Bose showed this to be the case. They found that vitamin C from citrus extract was absorbed 35 percent more than ascorbic acid. Their conclusion was that; “Although natural and synthetic ascorbic acids are chemically identical, citrus fruits contain bioflavonoids such as naringin and hesperidin as well as carbohydrates and proteins that might affect the
bioavailability.”
Another study conducted at the University of Scranton found a “significantly greater effectiveness” of citrus extract than of synthetic ascorbic acid in slowing the
progression of galactose cataracts. The citrus extract was 41 percent more effective.
Likewise, other vitamins have been shown in study after study to be more effective in their whole food form. One study by J.A. Vinson and C. Hsu, published in Medical Science Research, found whole food vitamin E and vitamin A to be more bioavailable
than isolated, synthetic forms of these vitamins. In the case of vitamin A, results showed the food base product was retained 9.4 times more than the synthetic form.
Synthetic vitamins simply cannot measure up to the real thing. As of 1996, over 3,800 different compounds have been identified in foods as having nutritional significance.
However, in a laboratory, twenty nutrients are about all that modern science can reproduce and put into a vitamin product. Even more of a concern than the ineffectiveness of these synthetic vitamins is the harm that they can cause. In the case of vitamin E, large doses of the fractionated form (alpha-tocopherol) pull vitamins and minerals from the bones. Supplementation of the synthetic, alpha-tocopherol form of vitamin E showed harmful effects, including 18 percent higher incidence of lung cancer, more strokes, more heart attacks and an 8 percent increase in the overall death rate.
Research also verifies that using just a fraction of vitamin A actually increases the risk of cancer. On the other hand, the whole food vitamin A, and foods containing vitamin A, has the opposite effect. The whole food form significantly reduces the risk of cancer.
A study done by Boston University School of Medicine and published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that synthetic vitamin A given to pregnant women increased the risk of birth defects, including such defects as cleft lip, cleft palate, heart malformations and nervous system damage.
No such defects were noted from ingesting whole foods that contain vitamin A.
Fractionated vitamins actually produce a drug-like reaction in the body. They stimulate increased activity of nerve cells and increase blood sugar pickup. This brings a feeling of euphoria and can create a temporary increase in energy but long term damage to the body. One of the latest studies was on Vitamin C as synthetic ascorbic acid. It was found to thicken the walls of the arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis. Researchers from the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention found that of the 573 men and women studied, those who
regularly took vitamin C pills as Ascorbic Acid alone developed an inner artery wall layer 2.5 times thicker than that of people who did not take synthetic
supplements.
With all this evidence to support whole food vitamins, why do you think companies continue to make and market the “cheap imitations”? The answer: Because
they are cheap. However, while these companies may save money and make more profit, there is no way the synthetic forms can match the effectiveness and health promoting qualities of a whole food vitamin. The human cell recognizes and can use for fuel, repair and function, only natural, whole food complexes. Whole food vitamins do not rob precious nutrients from the body, but supply the individual cells with the nutrients they need to flourish. For greatest gains in terms of health, take only whole food vitamins. When evaluating a vitamin supplement, you can simply read the label. Rather than multi-syllable, unpronounceable chemical names, you should find the names of foods listed as the vitamin sources. Remember, next to the name of any vitamin, if you don’t see a name of a food or an asterisk leading you to a place on the label that tells you the food source of the vitamins, you are more than likely looking at an inexpensive, processed vitamin that is stripped of all other compounds that are normally present with vitamins that are found in fruits and vegetables. If you see the name of a food referenced to the vitamin, be excited to know that you are getting vitamins direct from the whole food and, therefore, you are also getting the
essential precursors, enzymes, activators, antioxidants, and micronutrients (essential compounds) that are naturally found with vitamins. These essential
compounds make it much easier for the body to absorb and utilize the vitamins you are taking. Your body deserves to be given the right vitamins that are essential for your good health! Whole vitamins nutritionally support people who are challenged with the effects of stress, obesity, aging, acne/skin disorders, arthritis, diabetes, osteoporosis, sleep deprivation, cancer, heart disease, memory loss, poor vision, lack of energy, depression, and other health concerns. Eating healthy, getting the proper nutrients, annual medical checkups, and exercise are all critical in
keeping the body strong and healthy. Many people who begin to take vitamin supplements also start a workout program. It is suggested that you get a physical by your doctor before you start any exercise program to insure that you will be around for years to come.
1. Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Edition 16.
F.A. Davis Company: Philadelphia,1989, p. 2000.
2. JAMA 2002; 287:3116.
3. JAMA 2002; 287:3116-3126.
4. U.S. Surgeon General Report. “Physical Health and
Activity Act,” 1996.
5. Vinson, J.A., Bose P. Comparative Bioavailability
to Humans of Ascorbic Acid Alone or in a Citrus
Extract. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1998,
Vol 38, No 3, p. 601-604.
6. Vinson, J.A., et al. Comparison of Two Forms of
Vitamin Con Galactose Cataracts.” Nutrition
Research, 1992, 12, p.915-922
7. Vinson, J.A., and Hsu. Effect of Vitamin A,E, and a
citrus extract on in vitro and in vivo Lipid
Peroxidation.” Medical Science Research, 1992, 20,
145-146.
8. Duke, James. Handbook of Chemical Constituents
of Grasses, Herbs, and other Economical Plants. CRC
Press, Boca Raton. 1992
9. New England Journal of Medicine. Apr 14, 1994.
Vol 330, No 13.
10. New England Journal of Medicine. Nov 23, 1995.
Vol 333, No 21.
From http://teamcrown.net/newsiteb/3/Whole%20vs%20Synthetic%20Vitamins.pdf
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
To Supplement Or Not? That Is The Question
To Supplement Or Not? That Is The Question
By Heather Anderson
O.k., Real Foodies, there is some division on this subject out there, right? Some feel that you can get all that you need from your food and herbs. Some believe that it is good to supplement with fish liver oil and other whole food supplements. Still others endorse multiple vitamin and mineral supplements. There is a wide spectrum of views, so ultimately, each person has to check things out for themselves and decide. In this post I’ll share my reasons for believing that supplementation with the RIGHT supplements is very beneficial if not essential, and then how to know what the right supplements are.
First of all, even many of us who believe in eating real food don’t always get it all accomplished. Sometimes we eat out. Sometimes we don’t get that oatmeal soaked, or didn’t have organic produce available. Many of us could use a good quality supplement to help fill out what we are already doing. It is sometimes tempting to lean on supplements for our nutrition, but they will never adequately do that. They are intended to do just what the term implies, supplement what we are already doing for our bodies through the food we eat.
My second reason for supplementing is that we do not eat the variety of foods we used to eat. A wide variety of plants, herbs, roots and grains used to be eaten. Although some Real Foodies do better at including a wide variety, many do not. Roots especially were often wild harvested but rarely are today. They contain an immense amount of nutrients we just don’t get in other ways.
Thirdly, food is only as nutritious as the soil it is grown on. Most soil is extremely depleted. Even organic produce is often (though not always) grown on soil far inferior to what it was 50 or 100 years ago. The exception of course, is growing your own food on soil you know has been built up for many years.
Finally, there are so many added stresses to our lives that our bodies are burdened heavily by them. There are more toxins in our food, water, skin care, and in the air we breathe than ever before. Most of us live at such a frantic pace today we can hardly catch our breath. Even when we try to live “greener” and slower lives, there is much we can’t avoid unless willing to go hide out in the hills. And although I like to visit the hills, I do like living near civilization.
So, if like me, you see that it might be prudent to supplement, how do you choose. There are so many out there, and all claim to be just what you need. I heard a doctor say once when asked which supplement was the most important, “The one that is missing.” Personally, I believe that everyone should take a good quality, food form multi-vitamin. These usually cover the brood spectrum of nutrients necessary for our bodies to function. You will not find this quality at your local Wal-Mart or supermarket. And frankly, you get what you pay for. Good quality vitamins are not cheap! Always look for food form because it will be something that your body can actually use. Our bodies are designed to take in nutrients through plants and animals, not rocks and dirt. And synthetic vitamins are of course, not real. They are often made from petroleum and cold tar.
I also like to use supplements that help our hormonal systems function better. Our hormones do more than cover reproductive functions; they regulate body temperature, blood sugars, metabolism, growth, and function of organs . When hormones are out of balance, either too little or too much, the whole body is out of whack.
Glyconutrients are a newer category of nutrition discovered in the last twenty years. Glyconutrients are essential sugars that enable cells to communicate. Previously, sugars were thought to only be necessary for energy, but now we know that at least 8 are necessary for basically every function of the body. Our bodies do have the ability to produce these sugars, but the process is so complex that the body has to be functioning optimally to be able to do so. These sugars must be present to form protein molecules, to have proper immune function, to have proper brain function and so much more. Taking the immune system for example, you can have all the proper nutrients (vitamins and antioxidants, etc.) but if you don’t have these sugars present, your cells won’t be able to tell each other how to use them. Your cells won’t be able to recognize the good guys from the bad, thus you have either an underactive immune system (allowing for cancer, viruses, etc.) or an overactive immune system (allowing for auto immune diseases such as diabetes, lupus, and fibromyalgia). These sugars are mostly found in rarely eaten things such as roots, mushrooms (wild), saps, and seaweed. I have found the most noticeable health improvements when I have supplemented in this area.
Then there are all the various food based supplements such as fish liver oil, herbs and “super” berries etc. Supplementation can get expensive, so you have to decide where to draw the line. Also, remember that no one juice, berry or herb is a cure-all. We need variety! I am not putting down any particular super food, but any company that says you only need this one juice to be well, is not telling the whole truth in my opinion. I would like to add here that I love herbs, but have only minimal knowledge of how to use them effectively. I hope to grow in this area but it takes time. That being said, I do have certain herbs and combinations that I would hate to be without. (I will share more about these in future posts.)
There are some great companies out there that sell high quality products. These are a few that I personally feel I could recommend: Garden of Life, Dr. Mercola supplements, Standard Process, and Mannatech.
I hope this has given you something to think about and check into. Do you supplement? I would love comments; just keep them polite, please.
Note: My husband does sell Mannatech products and the links shared here do benefit us.
This post is linked to Real Food Wednesdays.
http://amotherscalling.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/to-supplement-or-not-that-is-the-question/
By Heather Anderson
O.k., Real Foodies, there is some division on this subject out there, right? Some feel that you can get all that you need from your food and herbs. Some believe that it is good to supplement with fish liver oil and other whole food supplements. Still others endorse multiple vitamin and mineral supplements. There is a wide spectrum of views, so ultimately, each person has to check things out for themselves and decide. In this post I’ll share my reasons for believing that supplementation with the RIGHT supplements is very beneficial if not essential, and then how to know what the right supplements are.
First of all, even many of us who believe in eating real food don’t always get it all accomplished. Sometimes we eat out. Sometimes we don’t get that oatmeal soaked, or didn’t have organic produce available. Many of us could use a good quality supplement to help fill out what we are already doing. It is sometimes tempting to lean on supplements for our nutrition, but they will never adequately do that. They are intended to do just what the term implies, supplement what we are already doing for our bodies through the food we eat.
My second reason for supplementing is that we do not eat the variety of foods we used to eat. A wide variety of plants, herbs, roots and grains used to be eaten. Although some Real Foodies do better at including a wide variety, many do not. Roots especially were often wild harvested but rarely are today. They contain an immense amount of nutrients we just don’t get in other ways.
Thirdly, food is only as nutritious as the soil it is grown on. Most soil is extremely depleted. Even organic produce is often (though not always) grown on soil far inferior to what it was 50 or 100 years ago. The exception of course, is growing your own food on soil you know has been built up for many years.
Finally, there are so many added stresses to our lives that our bodies are burdened heavily by them. There are more toxins in our food, water, skin care, and in the air we breathe than ever before. Most of us live at such a frantic pace today we can hardly catch our breath. Even when we try to live “greener” and slower lives, there is much we can’t avoid unless willing to go hide out in the hills. And although I like to visit the hills, I do like living near civilization.
So, if like me, you see that it might be prudent to supplement, how do you choose. There are so many out there, and all claim to be just what you need. I heard a doctor say once when asked which supplement was the most important, “The one that is missing.” Personally, I believe that everyone should take a good quality, food form multi-vitamin. These usually cover the brood spectrum of nutrients necessary for our bodies to function. You will not find this quality at your local Wal-Mart or supermarket. And frankly, you get what you pay for. Good quality vitamins are not cheap! Always look for food form because it will be something that your body can actually use. Our bodies are designed to take in nutrients through plants and animals, not rocks and dirt. And synthetic vitamins are of course, not real. They are often made from petroleum and cold tar.
I also like to use supplements that help our hormonal systems function better. Our hormones do more than cover reproductive functions; they regulate body temperature, blood sugars, metabolism, growth, and function of organs . When hormones are out of balance, either too little or too much, the whole body is out of whack.
Glyconutrients are a newer category of nutrition discovered in the last twenty years. Glyconutrients are essential sugars that enable cells to communicate. Previously, sugars were thought to only be necessary for energy, but now we know that at least 8 are necessary for basically every function of the body. Our bodies do have the ability to produce these sugars, but the process is so complex that the body has to be functioning optimally to be able to do so. These sugars must be present to form protein molecules, to have proper immune function, to have proper brain function and so much more. Taking the immune system for example, you can have all the proper nutrients (vitamins and antioxidants, etc.) but if you don’t have these sugars present, your cells won’t be able to tell each other how to use them. Your cells won’t be able to recognize the good guys from the bad, thus you have either an underactive immune system (allowing for cancer, viruses, etc.) or an overactive immune system (allowing for auto immune diseases such as diabetes, lupus, and fibromyalgia). These sugars are mostly found in rarely eaten things such as roots, mushrooms (wild), saps, and seaweed. I have found the most noticeable health improvements when I have supplemented in this area.
Then there are all the various food based supplements such as fish liver oil, herbs and “super” berries etc. Supplementation can get expensive, so you have to decide where to draw the line. Also, remember that no one juice, berry or herb is a cure-all. We need variety! I am not putting down any particular super food, but any company that says you only need this one juice to be well, is not telling the whole truth in my opinion. I would like to add here that I love herbs, but have only minimal knowledge of how to use them effectively. I hope to grow in this area but it takes time. That being said, I do have certain herbs and combinations that I would hate to be without. (I will share more about these in future posts.)
There are some great companies out there that sell high quality products. These are a few that I personally feel I could recommend: Garden of Life, Dr. Mercola supplements, Standard Process, and Mannatech.
I hope this has given you something to think about and check into. Do you supplement? I would love comments; just keep them polite, please.
Note: My husband does sell Mannatech products and the links shared here do benefit us.
This post is linked to Real Food Wednesdays.
http://amotherscalling.wordpress.com/2011/08/24/to-supplement-or-not-that-is-the-question/
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Vote NO, Dietary Supplement Labeling Act of 2011
August 18, 2011
Dear Citizen for Health,
A month ago we informed you that in July Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced S. 1310, the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act of 2011. The bill responds to recent marketing tactics by unscrupulous food companies intended to circumvent Food and Drug Administration standards by imposing unnecessary and burdensome regulations on makers of dietary supplements. Read more here.
We asked you to contact your Senators and urge them to oppose this bill. The good news is that your comments are having an impact - the bill has failed to gain even a single cosponsor in the entire month since we sent you that alert!
Tell your Senators "My Supplements Are Safe" - Vote "NO" on S. 1310!
Supplements are not drugs, and therefore, deserve their own system of regulation - and that's the point. Such a system already exists thanks to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), and it has done a more than adequate job protecting consumers largely due to supplement companies' compliance with, and support of, that system.
Put simply: At best, S. 1310 is a bad bill, albeit with good intentions. At worst, it uses parents' fear about what their children are consuming as an excuse to take another crack at imposing unnecessary regulations on the dietary supplement industry, which has demonstrated time and again its ability to ensure the safety of its products. Let's work together to ensure that S. 1310 never gains another co-sponsor and dies in this session of Congress.
Tell Your Senators to Oppose S. 1310!
Thank you, as always, for your participation,
The Citizens for Health Team
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Synthetic Vitamins & Minerals are harmful.
This is exactly why we continue to use...
Real Food Technology Solutions...
A. Study using synthetic beta carotene and Vitamin E halted.
B. Birth defects increased for women on synthetic supplements.
3. Article on "Are Synthetic vitamins wasting you money"...
A. Study using synthetic beta carotene and Vitamin E halted.
29,000 male smokers were given synthetic beta carotene and
synthetic Vitamin E. The study was stopped when rates of
lung cancer, heart attacks and death increased.
– New England Journal of Medicine, 1994. -
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/
B. Birth defects increased for women on synthetic supplements.
22,000 pregnant women were given synthetic Vitamin A.
The study was halted because birth defects increased 400%.
– New England Journal of Medicine, 1995. -
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/
3. Article on "Are Synthetic vitamins wasting you money"...
Monday, August 1, 2011
http://www.forksoverknives.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ijukNzlUg The feature film Forks Over Knives examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.
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