Hidden Ingredients in Vitamins: What’s in Your One-a-Day?

 

 

If you wash down a multi-vitamin with your juice each morning, then you probably think you’re doing something good for your body. You may be, if the vitamins in the formula are obtained from naturally occurring sources. On the other hand, if they are synthetically derived, you could be supplementing with components of chlorinated hydrocarbons (PCBs), petroleum by-products and even sewage sludge. Before you pop another, find out what may be lurking in your vitamins…

Just like your automobile requires gasoline (or electricity) in order for the engine to spin the wheels, your body needs nutrients so that all of its power systems can run efficiently. Every time you take a bite of food, your digestive system breaks down fats and proteins to release essential nutrients, which are transported to various organs and cells via the bloodstream like mail delivery from a postal truck. But, the thing is, these nutrients are not isolated components assigned to a specific destination address. Instead, they taxi along the bloodstream bundled with enzyme-driven co-factors to enhance absorption where needed during the ride up town, so to speak. But if the body is presented with chemical copies of isolated nutrients, the cells fail to recognize them as anything useful because there are no co-factors to make the necessary introductions. Worse, the body treats these imposters like you might address junk mail; only instead of sending them to the curb for recycling they end up going out with rest of the biological trash in what some health experts call “expensive urine.” In other words, the body responds to synthetic vitamins by eliminating them as toxic waste. The skip to my “loo” treatment only applies to water-soluble vitamins that are readily flushed out of the body. Some vitamins, namely A, D, E and K, are fat-soluble, which means they hang around and accumulate in adipose (fat) tissue and in the liver. Natural fat-soluble vitamins don’t pose any threat because the body knows how to metabolize them since they are equipped with enzymatic co-factors. This is not the case with synthetic vitamins, however, which suggests that taking high doses of these vitamins could lead to toxicity.


Speaking of Toxins…

There are simply no substitutes for certain things found in the natural world. Take B vitamins, for instance, a family of water-soluble nutrients consisting of eight compounds labeled as vitamin B 1 through 8 and collectively known as vitamin B complex. Each member of this family contributes to healthy metabolic functioning in humans and because they are water-soluble they must be replenished regularly. Natural dietary sources of B vitamins include beans, potatoes, whole grains, brewer’s yeast, tuna and turkey. In stark contrast, synthetic B vitamins are created in a lab from petroleum by-products, such as coal tar. The majority of vitamin B-12, also known as cyanocobalamin, is synthesized from hormone and pesticide-laden cow’s liver or – brace yourself — activated sewage sludge.


Similarly, although vitamin C is readily available from sun-drenched citrus fruits, the synthetic stuff that tumbles from a bottle was manufactured in a lab from sulfuric acid. It’s ironic that manufacturers often compete with each other by touting that their vitamin C product is more “potent” when 1) it’s incomplete ascorbic acid and gets passed out of the body through the urine and 2) it very likely came from the same source — Hoffman-LaRoche in Nutley, New Jersey, the company that cooks up 90% of synthetic vitamin C sold as (fractionated) ascorbic acid.

Are Synthetic Vitamins Harmful?

Aside from the fact that synthetic vitamins are virtually useless to your body because they are incomplete, they can cause health problems if taken over a long period of time, even if they appear to provide some benefit at first. For example, vitamin B-1 sold as synthetic thiamine may at first counter the symptoms of fatigue. At best, this is because the body has enough co-factors of the vitamin in storage that it can assimilate the isolated or fractured nutrient to the degree that it effectively relieves fatigue. After a while, though, this reserve is depleted and fatigue returns. Not only that, but because the body is tricked into producing more pyruvic acid to facilitate the production of energy to fuel cells, this substance accumulates and makes your muscles feel as though you engaged in sustained physical exercise. As a result, you will feel tired pretty much all of the time.

What Can You Do?

It should go without saying that the best source of natural vitamins is whole, unprocessed natural food. Basically, make a concerted effort to eat a lot of things that were organically grown in the ground or plucked off a tree that required water and sunlight to thrive. For most people, this is sufficient and makes the need to take vitamins moot in the first place. Still, if you must supplement your diet for whatever reason, there are a few things to know when shopping for vitamins.
Steer clear of the Big Name brands that are often owned by giant players in the pharmaceutical industry like Bayer, Pfizer or Eastman Kodak, to name a few. Likewise, avoid products that are made by the same drug companies and co-packaged for store brands designed to attract consumers with a cheap retail price. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for – and when it comes to nutritional supplements, what you don’t.

Lastly but foremost, seek out reputable manufacturers of organically produced, natural, complete vitamins. Thanks to the efforts of watchdog organizations like the Organic Consumers Association, there’s a new manufacturing standard in place called the Naturally Occurring Standard (NOS). As the name implies, the criteria set to allow products to be labeled NOS not only ensures that they are organic and naturally occurring, but also fair trade certified and free of genetically modified (GMO) ingredients, synthetics and nanoparticles.