Could Synthetic Vitamins Be Hurting You?

Sounds like a trick question doesn't it? In What’s wrong with Synthetic Supplements? I learned that in three different studies, synthetic vitamins are suspected of doing more harm than good.

In the first study quoted in New England Journal of Medicine, an impact study on the effect of synthetic beta carotene and synthetic Vitamine E on cancer was halted when rates of lung cancer, heart attacks and death increased.

In the second study also quoted in New England Journal of Medicine, this study was also halted because of a 400% increase of birth defects for women on synthetic Vitamin A supplements.

The third and final study quoted in Reuters Health (March, 2000) found that men who took 500 mg of synthetic Vitamin C daily over 18 months showed signs of thickening of the arteries.

The main thing that I took away from those three studies was that in order to avoid the greatest degree of risk, it is safest to stay away from synthetic supplements. e.g. Stick to food sourced supplements.

Researching synthetic vitamin safety a little further, I found some interesting comments from Dr. Zoltan P. Rona, M.D. In his article titled "Nutritional Supplements - BEST NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS -How to Avoid the Hype and Gain Real Benefits", he said

“Most healthy people will have no obvious side effects from ingesting the small amount of toxins in vitamin tablets. Over 7 per cent of people, however, are sensitive to these chemicals. Allergic reactions can affect any organ system in the body including the brain. This produces symptoms such as fatigue, memory loss, depression, anxiety, hallucinations and insomnia.”

Dr. Zoltan P. Rona, M.D. has also been quoted as saying that while a healthy person will not drop dead immediately after ingesting synthetic supplements, "the long-term consequences of continuous, daily intakes are potentially dangerous."

Not to make Dr. Rona's comment sound too extreme, he is simply saying that statistically speaking more than 7% of people taking vitamins (synthetic or "natural") that contain toxic elements for binding, packaging, or whatever experience allergic reactions to those toxins. To be fair, I am certain that some percentage of people have allergic reactions to toxin-free food sourced vitamins simply because a food source itself may be an allergen for some.

For example, many people are allergic to glutens, shellfish and other natural ingredients. So, people with known allergens should carefully study the ingredient list to ensure that their allergen is not present. The challenge with that approach is that many supplements do not list the full ingredient contents. As for me, I prefer to stick to toxin-free food sourced supplements that list the full set of ingredients.

Hopefully by now, we agree that we should avoid synthetic vitamins. The next question is "How do we tell if a vitamin is synthetic or natural?" I ran across this great article that helps you do just that. At the end, it includes a list of ingredient names that clue you into whether the contents of a supplement product are synthetic or natural.

If you want to go the extra mile of not only avoiding synthetics but also to find great toxin-free food sourced supplements (multivitamin, anti-oxidant, glyconutrients, and more) that shows you the FULL ingredient list for every product, click here to request more information.

Blessings to you and yours!

Brad
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