Natural Vitamins May Be Superior to Synthetic Ones
Thiel R.J., Natural Vitamins May Be Superior to Synthetic Ones. Medical Hypotheses, 2000; 55(6):461-469
Abstract
There
appears to be a tendency to label those who profess that natural
vitamins are better than synthetic ones as quacks. This broad brush
label may be stifling legitimate nutrition research. This paper
describes physiochemical differences between certain natural and
synthetic vitamins, proven clinical advantages of natural vitamins, and
some of the effects this labeling may lead to. It concludes that
lessons of history as well as modern science support the view that
natural vitamins are nutritionally superior to synthetic ones.
Introduction
Several
frequently used nutrition books are leading to a distortion of
scientific fact. Some, when discussing the how to spot quacks, include
this comment from authors Barrett and Herbert, “They claim that
‘natural vitamins’ are better than ‘synthetic’ ones” [1,2]. Another
(which has been used to train many health professionals about
nutrition) similarly states, “Quacks claim that ‘natural’ vitamins are
better than synthetic ones” [3]. Interestingly some of these same
authors have written that the body is designed to handle foods and
should get its vitamins from foods [2,4,5].
“Vitamins are
organic substances that are essential in small amounts for the health,
growth, reproduction, and maintenance of one or more animal species,
which must be included in the diet since they cannot be synthesized at
all or in sufficient quantity in the body. Each vitamin performs a
specific function, hence one cannot replace another. Vitamins originate
primarily in plant tissues” [6]. United States Pharmacopoeia (USP)
synthetic vitamin isolates are not naturally “included in the diet”,
they do not necessarily “originate primarily in plant tissues”, nor
have all of them been proven to safely and fully replace all natural
vitamin activities. USP vitamins are not food, even though they are
often called “natural” and are sometimes added to foods. USP vitamins
are synthesized, standardized chemical isolates [7]. In nature vitamins
are never isolated: they are always present in the form of food
vitamin-complexes [8-10]. This paper will discuss some of the
physiochemical differences between natural vitamins and synthetic ones,
as well as cite clinical research which suggest that vitamins in a food
complex are superior to USP isolated ones.
Bioavailabilty is a Complex Subject
It
needs to be understood that the “bioavailability of orally administered
vitamins, minerals, and trace elements is subject to a complex set of
influences” [11]. Although some health professionals believe, “The body
cannot tell whether a vitamin in the bloodstream came from an
organically grown cantaloupe or from a chemist’s laboratory” [4], this
belief is misleading because:
1) It does not seem to
consider the fact that there are multiple mechanisms which influence
the absorption and utilization of most vitamins [5,11-25]).
2)
It does not seem to consider the fact that nutrition scientists
understand that particle size is an important factor in nutrient
absorption even though particle size is not detected by chemical
assessment (smaller size is generally better) [26].
3) It
does not seem to consider the fact that, “The food factors that
influence the absorption of nutrients relate not only to the nature of
the nutrients themselves, but also their interaction with each other
and with the nonabsorbable components of food” (there are no natural
food components in most USP vitamin formulas) [26].
4)
“The physiochemical form of a nutrient is a major factor in
bioavailability” [27]. Nutrients in natural foods and USP vitamins are
not always in the same physiochemical form [5,7,18,21,22,23,27-36].
5)
Most USP vitamins are crystalline in structure [6,7,27], while most
vitamins in food are not (and are actually present in a complex
carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids) [37].
6) Scientists
are just beginning to understand the factors influencing nutrient
absorption and utilization. It is not unreasonable to expect that
additional food factors will be discovered that further distinguish
food nutrients from synthetic ones.
Nutrition is a
relatively new field, coming into existence only about 100 years ago,
and then mainly because of food processing. Humans survived for
thousands of years before synthetic vitamins were developed by
consuming foods. These foods contained (and generally still contain)
natural vitamins [18-23,37,38]. Natural food complexvitamins are in the
physiochemical forms which the body recognizes. They generally are not
crystalline in structure, contain food factors that affect
bioavailability, and appear to have smaller particle sizes [37]. This
does not mean that USP vitamins do not have any value (they clearly
do), but studies have shown that vitamins in natural food complexes are
better than USP isolated vitamins [e.g.12-17,39-46].
Information by Individual Vitamin
It
must be emphasized that natural food complexvitamins are not all
chemically identical to isolated USP vitamins [5,7,18,21-23,27-36].
Some synthetic USP vitamins are analogues of the natural agents found
to have vitamin action [18,32-36]. Some synthetic USP vitamin analogues
have been shown to have no vitamin action [18,32,33], some can act as
vitamin antagonists [20,33,34], and some can even produce deficiency
symptoms of the specific vitamin they are analogues of [35] (the
effects of the USP analogues differ by type). Note: the discussion
below generally referes to the vitamins by their common name rather
than the chemical name they are sometimes referred to because some of
those chemical forms are not naturally found in foods.
Vitamin A
The first professional application of natural vitamin A was probably
the use of liver by ancient Greek and Egyptian physicians for people
with night blindness [18]. Vitamin A exists in foods primarily in the
form of retinyl esters, and not retinoic acid [8,18]: it is not a
single isolated chemical as synthetic vitamin A is. “The term retinoids
refers to both retinol and its natural metabolites as well as to a
large number of synthetic analogues that have structural similarities
to retinol but may subserve only some (or none) of the functions of
natural vitamin A” [18]. Some of the commonly used forms found in
synthetic supplements are not naturally found in food [18].
Some
currently utilized synthetic retinoids are suspected of having
potential for causing cirrhosis [47]. It has been reported that
consumption of more than 10,000 I.U. per day of synthetic vitamin A
increased the rate of birth defects, while consumption of natural
vitamin A from foods (including betacarotene, a precursor) did not
[48]. Retinyl acetate is the major synthetic form of vitamin A and is a
vinyl or coal tar at one or more stages of processing (depending upon
the manufacturer) [49]. An animal study found that synthetic vitamin A
in the form of retinyl acetate significantly reduced vitamin E
utilization [30]; this has not been shown to occur with natural vitamin
A [i.e. 18]. An animal study concluded that a natural food complex
vitamin A was probably less toxic than a synthetic USP form and was
1.54 times more absorbed into the blood [12].
Vitamin B1,
Thiamin The free vitamin B1 (called thiamin) is a base. When it is
synthesized it becomes a solid salt such as thiamin hydrochloride or
thiamin mononitrate [19]. Synthetically thiamin is usually marketed as
thiamin hydrochloride or thiamin mononitrate [27] and is a made from
Grewe diamine (a coal tar derivative [50]) processed with ammonia and
other chemicals [49]. No thiamin hydrochloride (often listed as thiamin
HCL) or thiamin mononitrate is naturally found in food or the body
(thiamin pyrophosphate is the predominant form in the body [51]) [27].
Yeast and legumes are excellent food sources of natural thiamin [51].
“Thiamin is rapidly destroyed above pH 8...the addition of sodium
bicarbonate to green beans and peas to retain their color or to dried
beans to soften their skins inactivates thiamin” [51]. High heat,
x-rays, and UV irradiation also destroy thiamin [51,52]. Thiamin
mononitrate tends to be used for food fortification since it is more
stable under storage and processing conditions [27]. An animal study
found that a natural food complex vitamin B1 was absorbed 1.38 times
more into the blood and was retained 1.27 times more in the liver than
an isolated USP thiamin hydrochloride [12].
Vitamin B2,
Riboflavin The free vitamin B2 (called riboflavin) is a weak base. When
synthesized it becomes an orange amorphous solid [53]. Some synthetic
riboflavin analogues have very weak vitaminic activity [53]. Some
natural variations, especially in coenzyme forms, occur in plant
(including fungal) species [29]. Processing losses are usually not
substantial but do occur as the result of leaching the light-sensitive
flavins into water [53]; in addition, one study found that the
pasteurization of bovine milk seems to reduce the bound form of
riboflavin from 13.6% to 2% [54]. An animal study found that a natural
food complex vitamin B2 was absorbed into the blood and was retained
1.92 times more in the liver than an isolated USP riboflavin [12].
Vitamin ‘B3’,
Niacinamide “Niacin is a generic term...the two coenzymes that are the
metabolically active forms of niacin (are)...nicotinamide adenine
dinucleotide (NAD) and NAD phosphate (NADP)...Only small amounts of
free forms of niacin occur in nature. Most of the niacin in food is
present as a component of NAD and NADP...nicotinamide is more soluble
in water, alcohol, and ether than nicotinic acid...many analogues of
niacin have been synthesized, some of which have antivitamin activity ”
[20]. Niacinamide (also called nicotinamide) is considered to have less
potential side-effects than niacin [20]; it also does not seem to cause
gastrointestinal upset or hepatotoxicity that the synthetic
time-released niacin can cause [55]. Beef, legumes, cereal grains,
yeast, and fish are significant natural food sources of vitamin B3
[55]. Processing losses for this vitamin are mainly due to water
leaching [56]. Synthetic niacin is usually made in a process involving
formaldehyde and ammonia [49]. An animal study found that natural food
complex niacinamide is 3.94 times more absorbed in the blood than USP
niacinamide and 1.7 times more retained in the liver than isolated USP
niacinamide [12].
Vitamin ‘B5’,
Pantothenate Pantothenate was once known as vitamin B5 [57]. USP
“Pantothenic acid consists of pantoic acid in amide linkage to
beta-alanine”, but the vitamin sometimes referred to as B-5 is not
found that way in nature [22]. In food it is found as pantothenate;
foods do not naturally contain pantothenic acid [22]. “Synthetic
D-pantothenate, the active enantiomer is available as a calcium or
sodium salt. However, multivitamin preparations commonly contain its
more stable alcohol derivative, panthenol” [58]. Producing synthetic
pantothenic acid involves the use of formaldehyde [49]. Organ meats,
yeast, egg yolks, and broccoli are rich dietary sources of natural
pantothenate [58]. Cooking meat and the processing of vegetables lead
to significant losses of pantothenate (15-50% and 37-78% respectively)
[58].
Vitamin B6 “An
understanding of the various forms and quantities of these forms in
foods is important in the evaluation of the bioavailability and
metabolism of vitamin B-6”... one of the forms that vitamin B-6 exists
is in the form of “5’0-(beta-D-glycopyransosyl) pyridoxine. To date
only plant foods have been found to contain this interesting form of
vitamin B-6” [21]. Yeast and rice bran contain more natural vitamin B6
than other foods [6]. The most common form in vitamin pills is USP
pyridoxine hydrochloride which is not naturally found in food [59]. At
least one synthetic vitamin B-6 analogue has been found to inhibit
natural vitamin B6 action [34]. Synthetic B6 usually requires
formaldehyde in its production [49]. An animal study found that natural
food complexvitamin B6 was absorbed 2.54 times more into the blood and
was retained 1.56 times more in the liver than an isolated USP form
[12].
Vitamin ‘B9’,
Folate The vitamin once known as vitamin M (and also vitamin B9 [57])
exists in foods as folate (also known as pteroylglutamate) [23].
Initially, natural food complexfolate was given for people with a
pregnancy-related anemia in the form of autolyzed yeast; later a
synthetic USP isolate was developed [23]. Pteroylglutamic acid, the
common pharmacological (USP) form known as folic acid, is not found
significantly as such in the body and appears to be absorbed
differently than folate [23]. Folic acid is not found in foods, but
folate is [23]. Herbert reports a study found “that consumption of more
than 266mg of synthetic folic acid (PGA) results in absorption of
unreduced PGA , which may interfere with folate metabolism for a period
of years” [23]. Fortification with synthetic folic acid has been found
to increase consumption for those who already have higher dietary
intakes of folate more than those with lower intakes [60]. It is
believed that fortification with synthetic folic acid may put a portion
of the population at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency [61], yet all
grain products advertised as enriched must (according to the US FDA) be
fortified with folic acid [62]. “Foods with the highest folate content
per dry weight include yeast, liver and organ meats, fresh green
vegetables and some fruits” [23]. Food processing is a concern since
“50-95% of folate in food may be destroyed by protracted cooking or
other processing such as canning, and all folate is lost from refined
foods such as sugars, hard liquor, and hard candies” [23]. An animal
study found that a natural food complexfolate was absorbed only 1.07
times more into the blood, yet was retained 2.13 times more in the
liver than isolated USP folic acid [12].
Vitamin B12
Initially natural food complexvitamin B12 was given for people with
pernicious anemia in the form of raw liver, but due to cost
considerations a synthetic USP isolate was developed [63].
Cyanocobalamin (the common pharmacological/USP form of vitamin B12) is
not found significantly as such in the body; it is usually present in
reduced metabolically active co-enzyme forms (without the cyanide)
often conjugated in peptide linkage [5,64]. According to Herbert (and
others) vitamin B-12 when ingested in its human-active form is
non-toxic, yet Herbert and Das have warned that “the efficacy and
safety of the vitamin B12 analogues created by nutrient-nutrient
interaction in vitamin-mineral supplements is unknown” [5]. Some
synthetic vitamin B12 analogues seem to be antagonistic to vitamin B12
activity in the body [33,35]. Synthetic B-12 is made through a
fermentation process with the addition of cyanide [49]. An animal study
found that a natural food complexvitamin B12 was absorbed 2.56 times
more into the blood and was retained 1.59 times more in the liver than
isolated USP cyanocobalamin [12].
Vitamin C Ascorbic acid
(AA) is not a synonym for vitamin C, though it certainly has vitamin C
(antiscorbutic) properties (dehydroascorbic acid is the other
biologically active form) [10,65]. Foods generally contain both
biologically active forms of vitamin C [10,65,66], yet most synthetic
vitamin C only contains isolated ascorbic acid [7,67]. Consuming five
servings of fruits and vegetables per day will result in an intake of
least 210mg per day of natural vitamin C (the RDA is 60mg, though 200mg
has been proposed) [66].
Jacob has written, “The
bioavailability of vitamin C in food and ‘natural form’ supplements is
not significantly different from that of pure synthetic AA” [10]. For
proof he cites two papers. The first citation is a paper by Mangels (et
al) [67]. It is a study that concludes since serum ascorbic acid levels
were at similar levels after various vitamin C containing foods and
synthetic ascorbic acid were consumed, that the bioavailibility is
similar. The study itself appears to be an excellent one, but its
conclusions ignore that fact that it may be possible that DHAA or other
food constituents associated with natural vitamin C may have positive
effects other than raising serum ascorbate levels. The second citation
is a study done by Johnson and Luo [68]. This particular study probably
should not have been cited as it never compared vitamin C as complexed
in food versus synthetic ascorbic acid. It is an excellent paper which
compared synthetic ascorbic acid to Ester-C (a commerical blend of
sythetic ascorbic acid and select metabolites) and to synthetic
ascorbic acid mixed with some bioflavonoids (the authors note a
discrepany between their results and those of similar studies by Vinson
and Bose where food complexed vitamin C demonstrated improved
absorption compared to synthetic ascorbic acid [14,15]. They suggest
that the differences may be a function of bioflavonoid
concentration--their experiments used only had 1/14th - 1/80th of the
amount used by Vinson and Bose [14,15]). The data in this study showed
that absorption was minimally better with the product with added
bioflavonoids, though the authors concluded the differences were not
significant [68].
Interestingly Levine (et al) has
written, that “There are no data for true bioavailability of vitamin C
administered with foods or with compounds in foods” [66]. Though this
can be debated, this same chapter also states, “Diets with high vitamin
C content from fruits and vegetables are associated with lower cancer
risk, especially for cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach,
colon, and lung. In contrast, consumption of vitamin C as a supplement
in experimental trials had no effect on development of colorectal
adenoma and stomach cancer” [66]. Other studies seem to give a
reasonable hint about the comparison of vitamin C in foods compared to
isolated ascorbic acid [41,69]--they suggest that foods are superior. A
human study found that a vitamin C complexed in food was absorbed 1.74
times more into red blood cells than isolated USP ascorbic acid [13],
while another found it to be 1.35 times more absorbed into the plasma
[14]. Also, it appears that vitamin C in citrus decomposes more slowly
than plain synthetic ascorbic acid; whether this is due to
bioflavonoids or other substances found in citrus is unknown [42]
A
human study found that a food complex containing 500mg of vitamin C was
2.16 times more effective in reducing sorbitol in diabetics than was
isolated ascorbic acid [43]. One study by Vinson and Howard showed an
average decrease of 46.8% in protein glycation after four weeks using
1000mg per day of vitamin C complexed in food [44], while a study by
Davie, Gould, and Yudkin only had a 33% reduction in three months using
1000mg of isolated ascorbic acid per day [70]. An animal study found
that after one month of feeding, vitamin C complexed with food (it was
not a simple mixture) induced a significant reduction of 77%, 66%, and
40% in plasma total cholesterol, LDL + VLDL, and triglycerides
respectively and that USP ascorbic acid or bioflavonoids alone were
ineffective (though isolated USP ascorbic acid did raise HDL); this
same study also found that the natural food complex vitamin C strongly
inhibited atherosclerosis [15]. Another animal study found that vitamin
C complexed in food was 41% more effective than isolated ascorbic acid
in decreasing galactiol when cataracts were present [45]. These studies
suggest that there may be multiple benefits associated with natural
vitamin C that are not always apparent when only serum ascorbic acid
levels are measured.
Vitamin D
“Vitamin D is inherently biologically inactive...1,25-dihydroxyvitamin
D” is “the biologically active form of vitamin D”. Vitamin D is not an
isolate, it “is a combination of substances” [25]; USP vitamin D forms
are normally isolates. Foods contain complexed, not isolated, vitamin
D. “The first vitamin isolated was a photoproduct from the irradiation
of the fungal sterol ergosterol. This vitamin was known as D1...vitamin
D obtained from irradiation of ergosterol had little antirachitic
activity” [36]--in other words, the first synthetic vitamin D did not
act the same as natural vitamin D.
“At the time of its
identification, it was assumed that the vitamin D made in the skin
during exposure to sunlight was vitamin D2”, but it was later learned
that human skin produced something called vitamin D3 [36]. It was first
believed that provitamin D3 was directly converted to vitamin D3, but
that was incorrect. The skin actually contains a substance commonly
called provitamin D3; after exposure to sunlight previtamin D3 is
produced and it begins to isomerize into vitamin D2 in a process which
is temperature dependent, with isomerized vitamin D3 being jettisoned
from the plasma membrane into extracellular space. Vitamin D2 was used
to fortify milk in the US and Canada for about forty years until it was
learned that D3 was the substance which had better antirachitic
activity, so D3 has been used for the past twenty years [36]. But
vitamin D has many benefits which are unrelated to rickets: B and T
lymphocytes have been shown to have receptors for vitamin D similar to
those found in the intestines, vitamin D seems to affect phagocytosis,
and may even have some antiproliferation effect for tumor cells [36].
It has not been proven that any single USP isolated form of vitamin D
has all the benefits as natural occurring forms of vitamin D. (Also,
since the vitamin D was not particularly stable, manufacturers used to
put in 1.5 to 2 times as much of synthetic vitamin D as they claimed.
This led to neonatal problems and hypercalcemia. [36].) New vitamin D
analogues are still being developed: some which may have greater
affects on calcium utilization [71], some even may be helpful for
breast cancer [72]--but these really may be pharmacological
applications since these analogues are not food. In view of the
historical errors in the supplementation with forms of vitamin D, it is
reasonable to conclude that additional benefits of natural source
vitamin D may be discovered, further distinguishing it from synthetic
isolates.
Vitamin E
“Synthetic and naturally derived alpha-tocopherol, and their ester
forms, are commonly used in vitamin E supplements. These various forms
give rise to isomer differences, ester differences and formulation
differences that can affect their absorption and subsequent
utilization” [30].Natural vitamin E “as found in foods is [d]-alpha
tocopherol, whereas chemical synthesis produces a mixture of eight
epimers” [9].
An article in the Journal of the American
Dietetics Association had a large headline which stated, “The natural
and synthetic forms of vitamin E deliver equal health benefits to human
beings” [73]. It was not a review article. Although it states,
“Contrary to findings of studies conducted with animal subjects, human
beings appear to be able to absorb the natural and synthetic forms as
well”, this conclusion was based upon one human study by Devaraj (et
al) [74]. In it, subjects who received large amounts of natural or
synthetic vitamin E had equal benefits in inhibiting the oxidation of
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Although this study has
value, it did not prove the premise of the article. Vitamin E has more
beneficial effects on the body than simply inhibiting oxidation of
LDL-C [75]. Three issues later that same journal posted a smaller piece
which stated, “The placenta, the fetal liver, or both are able to
discriminate between natural (RRR-) and synthetic (all-rac)
alpha-tocopherol; RRR-alpha-tocopherol is transported preferentially
over all-rac-alpha-tocopherol...Maternal plasma and lipoproteins and
cord plasma obtained at the time of delivery (after 5 to 9 days of
supplementation) had higher concentrations of natural than synthetic
tocopherol regardless of the vitamin E dose received”, yet strangely it
did not declare in large headlines that natural vitamin E was superior
to synthetic vitamin E [76]. The Devaraj study is consistent with the
results of a human study done by Traber (et al) which found that there
was no difference in the absorption and secretion in chylomicrons of
various tocopherols, but that there was a preferential enrichment of
very low density lipoprotein with RRR-alpha-tocopherol [77]. These
studies help demonstrate that although synthetic vitamins have some of
the benefits of natural vitamins, they really do not replace all the
benefits of natural ones.
It has been written that,
“Vitamin E is the exception to the paradigm that synthetic and natural
vitamins are the equivalent because their molecular structures are
identical” [78] (vitamin E, as this paper is hypothesizing, is not the
only exception). “Synthetic vitamin E is produced by commercially
coupling trimethylhydroquinone (TMHQ) with isophytol. This chemical
reaction produces a difficult-to-separate mixture” [78]. In foods,
natural vitamin E is always found with lipids and other food substances
[9]. A human study by Burton (et al) concluded that isolated “natural
vitamin E has roughly twice the availability than synthetic vitamin E”
[17] (synthetic vitamin E forms are analogues). A human study by Acuff
(et al) found that natural vitamin E was absorbed 3.42 time better than
synthetic in cord blood during pregnancy [16]. A human urinary
excretion study by Traber (et al) concluded that natural vitamin E was
2.7 times better absorbed than synthetic vitamin E; this study suggests
that it seems the body may want to rid itself of the synthetic as
quickly as possible [46]. An animal liver study found that a natural
vitamin E complexed in foods was 2.6 times more retained than isolated
USP d-alpha tocopheryl acid succinate (which is the so-called ‘natural
form’ once it is isolated from its food complex) [12]. Another animal
study suggests that natural vitamin E has less tumorgenicity than
synthetic vitamin E [39].
Vitamin ‘H’,
Biotin Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin once known as vitamin H.
“Various biotin derivatives, analogues, and antagonists are
known...Most of the biotin of natural products is protein bound” [79].
Crystalline USP biotin is not protein bound. Foods contain the “free,
available form of biotin” which is usually protein bound [79]. Egg
yolk, liver, and some vegetables are relatively rich in biotin [79].
Synthetic biotin is made from fumaric acid (trans-1,2-ethylene [50])
[49].
Vitamin K Many
compounds have vitamin K activity, but at least one (K3) may be
dangerous [31]. Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is how it exists in plants
and “there are no reports of toxic effects of phylloquinone at 500
times its RDA” [31]. It is now recognized that menadione (the substance
initially known as vitamin K3) “should not be employed any longer as a
therapeutic form of vitamin K” (it can cause hemolytic anemia,
hyperbilirubinemia, and kernicterus in infants) [31]. Dark green
vegetables appear to be the primary food source of vitamin K [80].
There is another form of vitamin K that is found in the diet which is
inadvertently formed during hydrogenation of oils called
dihydro-vitamin K1; its relative bioavailability is still unknown [81].
However, since the consumption of hydrogenated oils appears to be
dangerous [82], it does not seem that this synthetic form is as good to
consume as the form naturally found in unprocessed food
(phylloquinone). Some, however, feel that this artificial type of
vitamin K may be beneficial for human health [81].
Food and Food Processing
“In
the historic struggle for food, humans ate primarily whole foods or
so-called natural foods, which underwent little processing...The
nutrient content of food usually decreases when it is processed” [38].
Changes in the production and processing of food has resulted in
multiple thousands of deaths in the U.S. [82-84].
Food
processing techniques can reduce the amount of every known essential
vitamin[56]. The refining of rice reduced B-complex vitamins and
initially led to deaths in Asia due to beriberi [4,19]. Even though
synthetic USP vitamins are added to white rice, it does not contain the
same nutrients as unpolished brown rice (nor does white flour contain
the same nutrients as whole flour) [4,85]. The earlier refining of corn
meal which reduced natural vitamin B-3 and amino acid levels was so
devastating it produced around U.S. 7,000 deaths per year for several
decades [84]. The refining of whole grains (including wheat, rice, and
corn) has resulted in a dramatic reduction of their natural food
complex nutrients[4,85]. The milling of wheat to white flour reduces
the natural food complex vitamin and mineral content by 40-60% [85].
Various food processing techniques (including pasteurization of milk)
reduce the available vitamin B6 in foods by 10-50% [85,86]. The
recently introduced artificial fat olestra (also known as Olean) robs
the body of oil soluble vitamins (vitamins A,D,E, and K) and carotenoid
antioxidants (betacarotene, lutein, lycopene) [87-89]; the proposed
“solution” is to add synthetic USP versions of the vitamins to olestra
products [87-89]. Irradiation of meat and other foods “changes the
characteristics of food” [27] and has been found to reduce levels of
vitamins A, B1, B6, E, K, and other nutrient levels [6,27,90]. Unknown
nutrients may also be affected from food processing. No one yet knows
how the combinations of these more recent food processing techniques
will effect human health [91], but it is not likely that they will
promote optimal nutrition.
The primary reason that
isolated USP vitamins were developed was cost [63]. A secondary reason
probably was standardization (it is harder to standardize food),
including stability [7,23,27]. Neither reason justifies placing USP
isolates on the same health level as natural vitamins as found in
foods. Humans would not naturally consume most of the materials used to
make and process synthetic vitamins. Actually Herbert raised an
interesting point about synthetic vitamins when he wrote, “The
misrepresentation that vitamin C, beta carotene, and vitamin E are
solely antioxidant ignores that they are in fact redox agents,
sometimes antioxidant and sometimes prooxidant, and that in supplement
quantities, they have totally non-vitamin chemical activity, some of
which may be harmful” [92]; this combined with Herbert’s earlier
comments on synthetic vitamin B12 [5] and synthetic folic acid [23]
suggests that perhaps he has safety and efficacy concerns about
synthetic vitamins. As cited earlier, there are reasons to have
concerns about the safety and efficacy of many synthetic vitamins.
It
should be noted that the concept that substances in foods can be more
effective than their USP counterparts is not limited to vitamins. For
example, there are “reports of patients with Parkinson’s disease who
benefit from meals of broad beans (vicia faba) and that response to
vicia faba may even be better than conventional L-dopa medication in
some cases. The beans are natural food which contain L-dopa in a
physiochemical form different from that of tablet formulations and
therefore may have some use in the management of Parkinson motor
fluctuations” [93]. Natural beta-carotene was found to significantly
decrease serum conjugated diene levels for children exposed to high
levels of irradiation, though it is not known if synthetic
beta-carotene would provide similar benefits (natural beta-carotene is
composed of both all-trans and 9-cis isomers while synthetic is
all-trans isomers) [94]. Dietary patterns have been shown to be more
effective preventing some of the most common fatal diseases (such as
cancer and cardiovascular disease) than consuming synthetic vitamins
[i.e.41,95-98]. Actually, many believe that the antioxidant effects of
synthetic vitamins cannot match those of natural vitamins
[41-45,99-101].
Conclusion
Studies suggest that
the bioavailability of natural food complex vitamins is better than
that of most isolated USP vitamins [e.g. 12-17,40-46], that they may
have better effects on maintaining aspects of human health beyond
traditional vitamin deficiency syndromes [15,37,44,45,69,76], and at
least some seem to be preferentially retained by the human body
[12,46]. It is not always clear if these advantages are due to the
physiochemical form of the vitamin, with the other food constituents
that are naturally found with them, or some combination [42,95].
Regardless, it seems logical to conclude that for purposes of
maintaining normal health, natural vitamins are superior to synthetic
ones.
Labeling someone, who after studying the
physiological forms and clinical applications of vitamins, concludes
that natural ones are superior to synthetics, as a “quack” is
irresponsible. It is this type of false science that leads many in the
general public to distrust many “health experts” and requires that true
researchers sometimes rely on publications which have not been fully
“peer-reviewed” . It may even lead to publishing bias (not publishing
information which supports the view that natural vitamins are superior
to synthetic ones). It also seems logical that it would tend to
discourage research (especially if government funded) into advantages
of improving our food supply (if synthetics are just as good why
bother?). This appears to be dangerous for human health.
Synthetic
USP isolates are not the same as natural vitamins complexed in food.
Humans would not naturally want to eat many of the substances that are
used in the manufacturing of synthetic vitamins. Humans are supposed to
eat food [102] and receive their vitamins from foods [4]. Most people
can improve their health by eating health-building whole foods such as
fruits and vegetables and whole grains (and consuming less refined
carbohydrates) [4,103]. This alone can help increase the consumption of
natural vitamins. Vitamin nutrition should come from food or from
supplements which are as close to food as possible. Since no one knows
everything there is to know about nutrition, it seems logical from both
a historical and modern perspective to consume vitamins in the forms
found in natural food complexes and not to try to build health based on
chemical isolates. It also makes no sense to label those who believe in
legitimate science as quacks.
Dr. Thiel recommends and personally takes the vitamins found at Doctors' Research.
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