The Truth About Vitamins
I want to get right to the point here. There is a
basic law of nature when it comes to the absorption of
nutrition in human or animal digestive system. We as
humans and all animals for that matter, depend
completely on plants like corn, lettuce, apples and so
on for our nutrition. To try to sidestep that law is
to imperil our health. We cannot take a shovel full of
dirt and create a tomato; no one can; only nature
through God can do that. Yet, there are company's who
make vitamins under our government's control that
violate that law completely. A number of these
vitamins you and I have known about through
advertisements since we were children. These vitamins
are a complete waste of time and money. You would feel
better if you gave the money to charity rather than buy
these vitamins. You will get very little nutrition
from these vitamins, as they are impossible for us to
digest.
How could that be you may be thinking? Here is what is
wrong with those vitamins. It is the connection
between the molecules. We can get little nutrition
from a handful of dirt because the molecules are too
tightly bound together called ionic bonding. A tomato
plant draws these nutritional elements from the ground
and through photosynthesis creates the tomato we can eat
and absorb as nutrition. That plant changed the ionic
bonding to covalent and those loosely bound molecules
that make up that tomato we can absorb as food.
Sadly, the majority of vitamins on the market are
chemical synthetics and have more to do with a shovel
full of dirt and very little to do with food. Look at
the comparison chart below, and you will see vitamins
made from everything but food. Then see the
absorption chart comparing the absorption of food grown
vitamins to USP isolates; a powerful argument. Then
look at the pictures of the physical differences and you
will see the obvious.
I have just given you a very simplistic view of the
difference between food and synthetic vitamins. If you
want a much more detailed and complete picture of what I
just said I suggest you read Dr. Robert Thiel's article
listed below. This is where I began. Reading that
article changed my whole concept of nutritional
supplements. Go to
www.anma.com
to find the complete article.
Below the photos comparing food and synthetic vitamins,
see Dr Thiel's full article on the difference between
food and synthetic minerals
Synthetic Vitamins Versus Food Grown Vitamins
From Dr. Robert J. Thiel, Ph.D., N.M.D., The Truth About
Vitamins in Supplements, American Naturopathic Medical
Association Monitor, June 2003, vol. 7 No. 2#
Vitamin |
Food Nutrient* |
'Natural' Vitamin Analogue & Some Process
Chemicals |
Vitamin A/Beta carotene |
Carrots |
Methanol, benzene, petroleum esters; acetylene;
refined oils |
Vitamin B-1 |
Nutritional yeast, rice bran |
Coal tar derivatives, hydrochloric acid;
acetonitrole with ammonia |
Vitamin B-2 |
Nutritional yeast, rice bran |
Synthetically produced with 2N acetic acid
|
Vitamin B-3 |
Nutritional yeast, rice bran |
Coal tar derivatives, 3-cyanopyridine; ammonia
and acid |
Vitamin B-5 |
Nutritional yeast, rice bran |
Condensing isobutyraldehyde with formaldehyde
|
Vitamin B-6 |
Nutritional yeast, rice bran |
Petroleum ester & hydrochloric acid with
formaldehyde |
Vitamin B-8 |
Rice |
Phytin hydrolyzed with calcium hydroxide and
sulfuric acid |
Vitamin B-9 |
Broccoli, rice bran |
Processed with petroleum derivatives and acids;
acetylene |
Vitamin B-12 |
Nutritional yeast |
Cobalamins reacted with cyanide
|
Vitamin 'B-x' |
PABA Nutritional yeast |
Coal tar oxidized with nitric acid (from
ammonia) |
Choline |
Nutritional yeast, rice bran |
Ethylene and ammonia with HCL or tartaric acid
|
Vitamin C |
Acerola cherries, citrus fruits |
Hydrogenated sugar processed with acetone
|
Vitamin D |
Nutritional yeast |
Irradiated animal fat/cattle brains or solvently
extracted |
Vitamin E |
Rice, vegetable oils |
Trimethylhydroquinone with isophytol; refined
oils |
Vitamin H |
Nutritional yeast, rice bran |
Biosynthetically produced |
Vitamin K |
Cabbage |
Coal tar derivative; produced with
p-allelic-nickel |
Most vitamins in supplements are petroleum extracts,
coal tar derivatives, and chemically processed sugar
(plus sometimes industrially processed fish oils), with
other acids and industrial chemicals (such as
formaldehyde) used to process them. Synthetic vitamins
were originally developed because they cost less. Most
synthetic, petroleum-derived, supplements will call
their products 'vegetarian not because they are from
plants, but because they are not from animals. Also
beware; they will use the words 'Food Based' another
trick. It means they added a green product to the
synthetics such as algae.
Vegetarian
FOOD
Nutrient |
Compared to USP/Mineral Salt |
|
|
Vitamin A |
More complete, as scientists teach that vitamin
A is not an isolate [13] |
Vitamin B-9 |
More utilizable above 266mcg (Recommended Daily
Intake is 400mcg) [14] |
Vitamin C |
Over 15.6 times antioxidant effect [15]
|
Vitamin D |
Over 10 times the antirachitic effect [16] |
Vitamin E |
Up to 4.0 times the free radical scavenging
strength [17] |
Vitamin K |
Safer for children [18] |
Calcium |
7 times as effective in raising serum ionic
calcium levels [19] |
Chromium |
Up to 25 times more bioavailable [20]
|
Iron |
Non-constipating, better absorbed [21]
|
Magnesium |
Better absorbed and retained [22]
|
Selenium |
Nearly 2 times better retained [23]
|
Zinc |
Better absorption, better form [24,25]
|
Numerous university studies have concluded that
supplements containing food nutrients are better than
USP isolates. Food nutrients are better because they
contain important enzymes, peptides, and phytonutrients
CRITICAL to the UTILIZATION of vitamins and minerals
which are not present in isolated USP nutrients.
Published research has concluded that food vitamins are
superior synthetic/USP vitamins.
Electronic photos demonstrate that isolated USP vitamins
have a crystalline appearance compared to vitamins in
foods which have more of a rounded appearance (see table
3).
Table 3. Physical and Structural Differences

Food Vitamin C |

Ascorbic Acid |

Food Vitamin B1 |

Thiamine Hydrochloride |
|