Do you take multivitamins every day? Eating nutritious food all the time can be difficult. That’s why most of us try to conveniently load up on nutrients through multivitamin pills! They can up your nutrient status quickly.
But did you know this easy route can end up harming your body in the long run? If you’re not careful about reading the labels of your vitamins, a ton of artificial and unnatural chemicals can enter your system.
Let’s discuss a few synthetic vitamins that you should absolutely avoid.
But first, what are synthetic vitamins?
admin | Fruits, vegetables, meat, and fish are packed with nutrients. These whole foods are used to extract vitamins. They are dehydrated and powdered in capsule form. As they are completely natural, they retain wholesomeness. The natural vitamin production process is difficult and this makes them a bit expensive. Since they are derived from food they have relatively lower side effects.
On the other hand, synthetic vitamins are compounds that mimic natural vitamins. They are isolated in the lab and created industrially. They are available as capsules, tablets, powders, and liquids. Today a huge percentage of the drug market is captured by high-dose synthetic and isolated dietary supplements. About half the US population takes synthetic multivitamins.
To simplify, let me give you one example. Imagine the flavor and taste of homemade fruit pulp. Now compare it with artificial fruit syrup. It will have the exact taste and flavor but have zero fruit and a ton of unwanted chemicals.
Does your body react differently to synthetic vitamins?
admin | The pharmaceutical companies try to make synthetic nutrients chemically identical to the natural ones. But since they are not created from plants and animals your body treats them differently. Researchers strongly believe that synthetic nutrients are consumed individually and may be difficult to absorb. Natural vitamins have an array of minerals, cofactors, and enzymes that are also present in natural foods. It’s a complete package. The allied compounds help the absorption of most nutrients from natural vitamins.
But this is not a rule of thumb. Some synthetic vitamins are absorbed better than the natural ones, the reason is still unclear to the scientific community.
Moreover, a few manufacturers mainly use a solvent like the derivatives of coal tar. It is a known carcinogen and is usually found in cigarette smoke. Formic acid, chloroform, petroleum, and methanol residues can also tag along with your synthetic vitamins. Natural vitamins are free from all these chemicals.
Now let’s check out a few synthetic vitamins that could be harmful.
admin | Let’s begin with Vitamin E. This vitamin has a brain-boosting role along with other health benefits. Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds are the best dietary sources. But when you are not able to find the right foods you will need supplements.
Studies show that if you consume natural vitamin E it can be absorbed twice as efficiently as synthetic Vitamin E. Vitamin E requires a group of other Vitamins called Vitamin E Complex for its absorption. Since synthetic vitamin production is all about isolating individual compounds, it misses packing in the rest of the compounds.
Many drug companies have way higher doses than the natural vitamin E RDA just to help your body level up on vitamin E. Vitamin E tablets that have higher doses than the actual dose of those vitamins can be synthetic. So never avoid reading the labels.
Be careful while shopping for Vitamin E pills. Since it is a fat-soluble vitamin it tends to settle in your fat cells. Going overboard could have drastic effects on your liver too. This applies to the rest of the fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, and K also. High levels of unwanted fat-soluble vitamins could lead to hypervitaminosis. Studies have shown excess vitamin E to cause premature death of a fetus. Look out for natural Vitamin E supplements that have been derived from foods like tomatoes.
Another harmful synthetic vitamin is vitamin A.
admin | Synthetic vitamin A will be derived from palmitate or acetate. Excessive synthetic vitamin A intake has been studied to cause birth defects in babies. Pregnant and breastfeeding women have to be extra cautious if they’re taking this vitamin.
You might find this supplement by the name beta carotene as well. This is a precursor of vitamin A. When your vitamin supplement reads beta carotene, it generally means it’s derived from natural sources like fish oil. Natural vitamin A also could be derived from carrots and is packed in tablets.
Do your Vitamin C tablets have ascorbic acid written on the label?
admin | Then most likely it is synthetically derived. The daily recommended dose of Vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men per day. While producing Vitamin C naturally it is not possible to pack more than a hundred to 150 mg of Vitamin C in one tablet. If your vitamin C supplements have ascorbic acid of more than 150 mg then stop taking it.
Natural Vitamin C supplements usually have Vitamin C around 100 mg. It may also have mentions of the source. It will generally be made from dried tart cherries, strawberry, blueberry, and acai berry powder.
Vitamin C supplements were a hot item during the pandemic. It might be true that vitamin C can improve your immunity but synthetic Vitamin C has a downside. A recent study showed consuming 1000 mg of synthetic Vitamin C supplements can negatively impact your energy system and endurance capacity. It weakens the powerhouse of your cell called mitochondria and has a totally adverse effect on your antioxidant system. That’s why you might want to be careful with those chewable or dissolvable tablets that you give your kids.
How regularly do you take B vitamins?
admin | This is a water-soluble vitamin just like vitamin C. That means excess vitamin B is flushed out through your urine. B vitamins have a wide application in your body. They help to convert food into energy. They are also involved in cellular activities like creating new blood cells, brain cells, and skin cells and maintaining healthy body tissues.
Your B Complex capsules need to mention that they contain active B vitamins. It is the best form in which vitamin B complex is absorbed. Natural vitamin B supplements can be sourced from broccoli, garlic, yeast, and Holy basil.
If your capsules read names like folic acid, riboflavin, cobalamin, pantothenic acid, niacin, thymine, choline, or other scientific names then most likely your supplements are synthetic.
Some synthetic B vitamins can be easily converted into active forms with the help of other nutrients. This means you can have synthetic B complex vitamins provided it has additional nutrients.
Pregnant folks are often prescribed folic acid to avoid neural tube defects in the fetus. If you are having synthetic folic acid then look out for vitamin C, niacin and B12 in your supplement for complete absorption. But be very careful of going overboard. Synthetic folic acid has been studied to raise the risk of cancer.
Did your last blood report show low vitamin D levels?
admin | Vitamin D is absolutely essential for bone health. The best source of maximum vitamin D is sunlight. But if you are not stepping out a lot you might start considering vitamin D supplements.
This vitamin exists in two natural forms, vitamin D2 which usually comes from plant-based foods, and vitamin D3 is sourced from animals. These are the two active forms of Vitamin D.
The synthetic Vitamin D supplements go by the names calcitriol, doxercalciferol, and calcipotriene. You cannot overdose yourself on vitamin D from sunlight but that’s not the case with vitamin D supplements. As the amount of vitamin D in your blood goes up so do the levels of calcium. Too much vitamin D can cause kidney problems, vomiting, nausea, and hypercalcemia.
Vitamins help a large population to stay healthy. Vitamin D, calcium, and B12 reduce the risk of weak bones in the elderly. Those who have gone vegan or have nutritional deficiencies can have vitamin b complex, D, calcium, zinc, and iron.
Speaking of iron, it helps to up the hemoglobin and keeps you energetic. It helps carry more oxygen to your tissues and cells for better functioning. People with iron deficiency anemia often resort to iron supplements. Even though it’s not a vitamin it is an essential mineral.
The RDA of iron for men is 8.7 mg a day, and for women from 19 to 50 years of age it’s 14.8g per day. Women over 50 years of age can have 8.7 mg per day. If your label recommends 5 to 10 times these values then it’s a red flag.
Most times unnatural doses indicate the lowest bioavailability and could be dangerous. Iron and copper if consumed in large amounts can produce free radicals and invite diseases like cancer. Also, be careful of the words ‘oxides and chlorides’ on your supplement labels. They are not natural.
Are you off to buy multivitamins already? Hold on, we have a few more pointers
admin | Words like natural do not mean they are derived from natural food sources. It can be used as a marketing gimmick. Your label of the products needs to clearly mention if they contain one hundred percent plant or animal-based products. If you want to take it a notch further then buy organic supplements only.
Pay special attention to salts. If you come across words like Acetate bitartrate, chloride, gluconate, hydrochloride, nitrate or then your supplement contains stabilizing salts. Synthetic vitamins gain added stability with these salts. It also brings a slew of side effects that your body does not need.
Another way to separate the natural from the synthetic vitamins is to check the letters ‘dl’ in the ingredient list. If you see these letters before the name of the actual ingredient then it means that the supplement is synthetic.
Lastly, if you find all this extremely confusing take help from your pharmacist to choose the right supplement for you. Make sure you mention all your food allergies and other medicines just to avoid drug interactions.
The modern-day diet is so nutritionally fragmented that it becomes imperative to turn to supplements for optimizing body functions.
