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Natural vs. "Synthetic" Nutritional Supplements
Setting the Record Straight
There is no concentrated nutritional/dietary supplement on the market today that is "completely natural" in the sense that most people might think or have been misled to believe.
In most people's minds the words "nutrition" and "natural" are practically synonymous, and "organic" is closely associated with "natural".
The term "synthetic" is commonly used for a category of supplements that should be more correctly designated as "artificial".
What does all this mean when it comes to your preference of concentrated supplements to fortify your daily nutritional intake?
According to the strictest definition, natural denotes something as it occurs in nature - as "Mother Nature" makes it. There can be no alterations via refinement and processing.
That eliminates the possibility of having tablets or capsules or powders or liquids containing concentrated nutrients in their original form and natural relationship as found in whole natural foods.
Despite all the genetic modification of foods, the scientists and engineers have yet to construct a plant or animal that will turn out tablets, capsules, powders or liquids. And even if they did, could any of those "mutations" furnish exact amounts and a full spectrum and sufficient potencies of vitamins or minerals to adequately support the needs of the consumer? The answer is "Of course not. It'll never happen!"
In order to get concentrated preparations into a final convenient form with exact amounts (potencies), there is a series of procedures that the raw materials, even those from natural sources, must go through in the laboratory. This includes extraction, dehydration, measuring and weighing, mixing, blending, compressing, filling, coating and sealing, etc.
All of that is defined as a process of synthesis. That means the end results - the products ingested for nutritional supplementation - are all accurately described as being "synthetic".
That word shouldn't cause anybody to be "turned off". Every bite of food and fiber and every drink of water that is consumed undergo a comparable process in the "human laboratory" called the gastrointestinal tract.
The difference is that, in the body, everything is under the control and regulation of "master chemists and electricians". They follow a magnificently created plan that is designed to convert (or synthesize) foodstuff into cellular energy and the material for constructing and rebuilding and repairing tissue.
Every second of every day and night, this is accomplished through thousands of synergistic, enzymatic and catalytic actions that bestow life and health.
All vitamins must have a precise amount and arrangement of Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. It doesn't matter whether the source is "natural" (plant or animal) or "artificial" (isolated chemicals).
As an example, the structure of each molecule of Vitamin C has C6 H8 O6. The Hydrogen and Carbon atoms are hooked on (bonded with single or double connections) to the left or right side of a chain of six atoms of Carbon. If the number of atoms or the way they are lined up is changed, it is no longer Vitamin C. In fact, if just one Hydrogen atom is missing from the right side of the Carbon chain, it becomes an anti-vitamin.
A vitamin is a vitamin is a vitamin. With the exception of Vitamin E, and possibly Vitamin A, the body doesn't care where it comes from. Even with Vitamins A and E, the "artificial" varieties can still be useful - the benefits just seem to be much less.
The key is that "natural" source vitamins are surrounded by or accompanied by other naturally associated co-factors and "phytonutrients" - many of which have never been identified. These things all coexist in nature.
"Artificial" isolated crystalline forms of vitamins are "naked" - they stand alone without covering and protection. That may limit their effectiveness, regardless of potency, but it doesn't cause them to be without value. If the body has a desperate need - a deep void - this kind of vitamin can make some difference. But it will fall short of furnishing optimal nutritional support.
By combining an "artificial" vitamin with an assortment of other co-factors and phytonutrients and trace minerals that can be obtained from eating a variety of whole and minimally refined natural foods, or with a concentrated nutritional supplement that contains all those elements, the effectiveness is multiplied.
Good nutritional health always begins with the daily intake of real food - the appropriate amount and a good distribution throughout the day of quality protein; carbohydrates that are abundant in vitamins and minerals and fiber; and essential fatty acids, some naturally saturated and mostly those that are unsaturated or monounsaturated, from whole grains, nuts and seeds, fresh butter and fresh unrefined liquid vegetable oils.
The choice for concentrated nutritional/dietary supplements that are made from the highest-grade raw materials and are more "natural" and comprehensive in content offers the best value to the consumer. Supplements should be made by a reputable company, and in laboratories that are FDA inspected in accordance with the best manufacturing standards.
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