TYPES OF VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS-THEY ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL

In order to help the body heal itself, the diet needs to be supplemented with deficient nutritional factors such as vitamins. Vitamins, as found in nature, are groups of chemically related compounds. There is a part of this complex that science identifies as the organic nutrient. In the case of vitamin C, this organic nutrient is ascorbic acid. In vitamin E complex, the organic nutrients are tocopherols. These are the parts that empirical science feels are the workhorses and thus the essence of the vitamin. Therefore, science concludes, if these can be reproduced and supplied to the patient, all that is needed has been provided.

The problem is that this thinking does no take into consideration all of the enzymes, precursors, co-enzymes, antioxidants, trace elements, activators and numerous other naturally occurring synergistic micronutrients that we may or may not at this time know about, by which the organic nutrient is rendered usable by the body. One very key factor to keep in mind when it comes to vitamin supplementation is that the nutrients that are being supplemented must be usable to the body. This is known as bioavailability, or available to and usable by the cells. In other words, if the co-factors that nature intended to be part of the supplement are not present or the vitamin is in the wrong configuration (spin) when ingested, then the vitamin is not usable to the body. Consuming these types of products is paramount to handing someone a steering wheel of a car without giving them the rest of the car to use for transportation. One piece of the car does not give one the functionality of the whole car.

There are three types of supplements, one is a true naturally sourced, food supplement, the other two are vitamin supplements, or organic nutrient supplements made or treated in the chemical laboratory.

1. Natural Sourced Vitamin Supplements
This would be, as its name implies, a supplement of food taken directly from a food source. The word natural truly applies here for these are vitamins, compounds, co-and synergistic micronutrients taken from a raw food. Nothing is added or extracted that would destroy or change their molecular, biological or biochemical combinations or actions. Basically all that is removed from the food is moisture and fiber. They are processed at a temperature below 112 F in order to leave the enzymes active. A substance that is enzymatically active is capable of fermenting, souring, rotting, developing a bad odor, molding, attracting weevils and other insects. Because of this perishing capability of natural supplements they must be preserved, which is done by dehydrating and/or freeze-drying. Even so, they have a limited shelf life.

2. Fractionated Vitamins (Crystalline)
While this type of product has a food as its original source (and therefore is not a synthetic vitamin), it has been distilled, diluted and crystallined to the degree that virtually all of the synergistic co-factors present in the original food are processed out or eliminated, leaving only the pure organic nutrient. The motivation for producing this version of a vitamin product, is to concentrate the organic nutrient, thus increasing the milligram levels for marketing value.

The fractionated vitamins (organic nutrients) are distilled out by a process whereby the source-foods are exposed to high powered chemicals, solvents, heat and distillations reducing it down to the desired individual crystalline vitamin or amino acid. As explained above, while these remaining fractionated compounds are the heart of the vitamin, they are only of value to the body if all of the associated synergistic micronutrients are intact, which make it bioavailable to the cells of the body. Unfortunately, most, if not all of these co-factors are removed. This type of product could also be referred to as crystalline supplements in that they are but a portion or of the complete and original complex from which they were derived. These vitamin products are often labeled natural. According to the FDA, this labeling is not fraudulent in that the original source of the vitamin was food.

There are possibly two minor, redeeming aspects of fractionated vitamin products. One, it is virtually impossible to reduce a food to an absolute, pure isolated compound. As a result, some “impurities” will survive the process, which are small amounts of the synergistic co-factors. Two, the organic nutrient retains its dextro-spin. However, we must ask the question, that though these factors may be true, to a greatly deficient body, of what consequence are they?

3. Synthetic Vitamins (made in chemistry lab or taken from non-food sources)
The word synthetic states the nature of this form of vitamin supplement. In a laboratory the organic nutrient (sometimes called the crystalline vitamin molecule) is constructed or synthesized primarily from corn sugar and non-food compounds such as coal tar. While the exact molecular formula of the organic nutrient is replicated, there are at least two problems with this type of product.

A. These synthetic products contain absolutely none of the co-factors that are so vital for the body to be able to use the vitamin.

Remember, it is bioavailability or ability of the body to put the vitamin into physiology that counts. Without the synergistic micronutrients present, these synthetic vitamins are of no value to the body. One might argue that surely the body could, from its own reserves, contribute these co-factors and thus be able to use the vitamin. The body is already deficient—where would it find these co-factors? What would be the impact of this type of scavenging in an already depleted body?

B. When vitamins are synthesized under laboratory conditions, the molecular formula may be the same as the organic nutrient found in nature (minus the co-factors), but there can be a problem with the molecular geometry.

Because the geometric structure is reversed, a left-handed molecule cannot take part in chemical reactions meant for a right-handed molecule any more than a left hand can fit in a right-handed glove. This would prevent the sythetic vitamin from being metabolized by the body.