VITAMINS
Vitamins are complex organic substances our body requires in small amounts to be able to function properly. Each vitamin is a group of chemically similar compounds. Separating out one chemical from the group and calling it the vitamin is like taking a steering wheel out of a car and calling it the car. Vitamins acquire their ability to nourish our cells and tissues by the combined effect of all the parts of the vitamin complex. Without the support of complete vitamin complexes, our body is unable to function in a healthy way. Foods are extremely complex and contain thousands of chemicals. Current science has identified some of the major chemical components of vitamin complexes, such as ascorbic acid, a Vitamin C component. An orange, containing 5 milligrams of ascorbic acid and the rest of the Vitamin C complex, will be more beneficial to our body than 10,000 milligrams of isolated ascorbic acid.
Each individual has unique nutritional requirements. Some people may need 10 times as much of a nutrient as another. Natural foods and food concentrates can be assimilated by the intestines in a way that only takes what the body needs and excretes the rest. Large dose single compound supplements act more like a drug and require the body to deal with excessive levels. This can cause biochemical imbalances and overload the liver, which must find a way to detoxify the compound.
Nature did not make vitamins, minerals and enzymes in concentrated or segregated forms. Natural foods are a blend of these substances in proportions that our body can effectively utilize. Many “natural” vitamins, antioxidants and phytochemicals are synthetic or crystallized extracts of natural products.
The extraction or synthetic processes for most commercial supplements use chemical solvents, heavy metal precipitants and high temperature distillation. This removes all the associated compounds that make the supplement effective when taken in a natural form. Toxic residues of the manufacturing process may be present and the body will have to deal with those when the supplement is taken.
Research has shown repeatedly that people who eat a healthy diet of whole foods high in vitamins and minerals have better health and lower risk of developing chronic disease or cancer. A number of research studies of use of high potency synthetic vitamins have mixed results. Some studies show a benefit but others show no effect or even a worsening of health.
The bottom line is to get your nutritional needs met by whole foods or extracts of whole foods that have not been destroyed by high temperature or chemical processing.
Daniel Blodgett MD