Supplements that list individual nutrients, such as vitamin C, or that use chemical names such as ascorbic acid, are almost certainly synthetic. Natural nutrients are those found in whole foods. Natural products are plant products, which can be fruits or vegetables. They outperform supplements in the sense that they contain a large amount of good nutrients along with the vitamin C, iron or zinc that one seeks to obtain.
Taking the example of amla, it contains naturally occurring vitamin C and, in large quantities, up to 600 mg in 100 grams of fruit. Toxic chemicals are substances that can be harmful to the environment or hazardous to health if inhaled, ingested, or absorbed through the skin. Chlorine and isopropyl alcohol are examples of some of the toxic chemicals commonly used in certain industries. However, there are many toxic chemicals found in nature, such as mercury, snake venom, arsenic, and ricin in castor beans.
Some chemicals, such as iron and oxygen, are necessary to live, but at high doses they are toxic and can even cause death. Natural medicines, such as dietary and herbal supplements, are also made up of chemicals, just like everything else. Synthetic supplements with low bioavailability: Usually manufactured in a laboratory, these supplements are usually isolated nutrients. They tend to be chemically identical to their natural counterparts, but not Molecularly.
If it's been a while since you picked up a chemistry textbook, when something is chemically identical it has all the same ingredients, and when something is molecular identical it has all the ingredients arranged in exactly the same pattern.
The health supplement industry (the even nastier twin of Big Pharma) wants everyone to think that the salvation of health lies in a supplement.
The way to do that is to learn more about natural supplements versus synthetic supplements and how they differ. People tend to start taking supplements and replace prescription medications for diseases with these supplements. The same amount when taken as a supplement only provides vitamin C in the prescribed doses and does not provide the other benefits.This list is not exhaustive, but we hope you find it useful in identifying if the nutrients in your supplements have optimal bioavailability. Although they have a reputation for “boosting energy” and having many vital functions in the body, studies and headlines have been published that link vitamin B supplements (vitamins B2, B6, B12 and folic acid) to autism and cancer. Scientists will tell you that synthetic supplements are identical to the vitamins and minerals found in foods. Of course, every time I use a supplement like this as an intervention, I'm also looking for ways to address the root cause of the problem in the future.
This can also happen with other nutrients, but I don't think that all supplements that use “derivative” words use this type of approach. When you supplement your diet with natural supplements, you get the real nutrition you should have received by following a healthy plant-based diet. Personally, if a mother just started eating real food during pregnancy, she would probably recommend a whole-grain dietary supplement. The Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids for safety reasons.
