Not all vitamins are created equal.
Most vitamins sold in the United States are synthetic vitamins. Synthetic vitamins can be less effective than vitamins from natural food sources, because they are not as easily absorbed by the body due to the chemical nature of the synthetic. Vitamins are complex biochemicals that consist of enzymes, co-enzymes and co-factors that work together for the nutritional benefit of your body. Sometimes the product label clearly lists natural food sources such as carrots or wheat, but not always. The easiest way to determine if vitamins are natural or synthetic is to learn the natural sources of vitamins.
Instructions
1. Look for the letters "D" and "DL" on the vitamin label. Beware of labels that claim the product is "organic." Organic vitamins may not be sourced from natural foods. According to Ben Kim, M.D., most vitamins sold commercially in pharmacies, groceries and even in health food stores are synthetic. When placed under a polarized light, natural vitamins bend the light toward the right. This property is noted with the letter "D" as in "dextro," which means "right." Synthetic vitamins split the light rays in both directions. The left direction of light bending is noted with the letter "L" for "levo" which means "left." Vitamins that come from completely natural sources often have the letter "d" on the label. All synthetic vitamins will be noted by the letters "dl," according to the Nutriteam website.
2. Read the label for natural food sources. For example, natural vitamin B-1, also called thiamine, is sourced from yeast, wheat grass, wheat germ, beans and blackstrap molasses. The label will state the source of vitamin B-1 as one of these natural foods. The synthetic version of vitamin B-1 normally contains thiamine mononitrate and thiamine hydrochloride.
3. Check the label to make sure that the vitamin supplement contains micronutrients. Vitamins from natural food sources contain micronutrients. Micronutrients are related compounds that work in unison with a primary nutrient. For example, vitamin B complex refers to all the different nutrients that work together to assist the body to metabolize carbohydrates for energy. Vitamin B micronutrients include thiamin or B-1, riboflavin or B-2, niacin or B3, panthothenic acid or B5, pyridoxine or B-6 and cyanocobalamin or B-12. Look for a list of micronutrients for each vitamin listed on the label.
4. Examine the label for a list of co-factors. Co-factors assist in absorption of the nutrients through the digestive system. Co-factors derived from organic sources will be called "co-enzymes." Trace co-factors function as co-factors that assist in enzymatic functions in the body. These trace co-factors include copper, zinc, iodine, manganese, molybdenum and selenium.
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