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Most vitamins are made in the laboratories. They are man made synthetic products. Is this a problem? What is the difference between real and synthetic?

Synthetic vitamins are not inherently problematic but  I do wish they were clearly labeled. When you buy a diamond ring versus cubic zirconia, these products are clearly labeled. The manufacture does not expect consumers to have ability to differentiate between the two stones by themselves. The same is true when you buy products that are made from genuine leather or man made. The labels clearly indicate what you are buying.  So why not for supplements?

So what is the difference between synthetic and real or raw vitamins?  We need vitamins and minerals to facilitate various processes in our bodies. Vitamins and minerals function as the key that unlocks multiple pathways that are necessary for our body to function. This is often referred as a “key and a lock” mechanism.

What it means that if the vitamin or the mineral is not synthesized just right it will not be able to function as the key, and will not be able to open the lock, and the activation of the process will not happen. So very often my patients will come to me with a complaint that they are taking a multivitamin, but not felling any difference. That means that they are not using the right formulation, and trying another manufacture may make all the difference.

We know, that synthetic vitamins do not have the full vitamin. For example, on synthetic vitamins- vitamin C is listed as ascorbic acid, vitamin E as mix of tocopherols, vitamin A is listed as retinoic acid, and so on through the other vitamins.

What we need to remember is that Vitamin C is not the same thing as ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is an isolate, a fraction, a distillate of naturally occurring vitamin C. In addition to ascorbic acid, vitamin C must include rutin, bioflavonoids, Factor K, Factor J, Factor P, Tyrosinase, Ascorbinogen, otherwise it is not a vit C and it does not provide the same activity. 

Most of the ascorbic acid in the United States comes from corn -starch, and volatile acids.  It’s a chemical, a cornstarch derivative, a sulfuric acid by-product. In your body it’s just another drug.  

So, for most people who do not have specific genetic mutations, such as MTHFR, or established problems with detoxification, such as Gilbert’s syndrome, I would recommend use of raw vitamins, and for the patient that do have specific predispositions, use of the high quality synthetically made vitamins from well identified ingredients would be the way to go.

The bottom line, KNOW WHERE YOUR VITAMINS COME FROM!

If you are going through the trouble of buying and taking your vitamins and you are counting on them to make you stronger, please make sure that you are not getting a Trojan Horse.  If you have any questions about your vitamins or any of your supplements, please consult a trained professional, who knows how to compare different products and assess your needs.  Please feel free to contact our  Functional Medicine office , Anna Breiburg 203-383-3354.