The Truth About Dietary Supplement

Dietary supplements are very popular these days but can they work as good as claimed by vitamin companies. To find out the truth, you need to understand how vitamins and minerals work, and how they are used by the body. You also need to know the differences between the natural and the synthetic forms of vitamins.

What are vitamins?

• Vitamins are organic compound essential for the survival of organisms. Vitamins are only needed in small amounts which is why they are called micronutrients. Humans are not efficient at synthesizing vitamins and rely heavily on food to obtain them. Vitamins are needed by the body for proper growth and development, especially during pregnancy and childhood. Without vitamin a fetus will not grow properly because certain vitamins are needed to facilitate the chemical reactions that produce certain systems of the body. Vitamins also function as antioxidants, hormones, and help aid metabolism and the release of energy.

Water-soluble versus fat-soluble vitamins:

• Water-soluble vitamins are vitamins that dissolve in water, these vitamins can usually be taken in higher quantities because they are easily excreted from the body. Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7 (biotin), B9 (folic acid), B12 and vitamin C are water-soluble vitamins. Vitamin B6 and B12 are harder to excrete because they are stored in the liver (B12) and muscle (B6).
• Fat-soluble vitamins are vitamins that dissolve in fat and are harder for the body to excrete. These vitamins shouldn’t be taken in high quantities for long periods of time because they can become toxic in high levels. Vitamin A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins.

What are minerals?

• Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances that are formed in or around the Earth’s crust. These chemical compounds work similar to vitamins and are also crucial for growth and development of bones, nerves, skin, enzymes, hormones and energy. There are two types of minerals, microminerals and macrominerals. Microminerals are needed in small amounts and consisted of iron, cobalt, chromium, copper, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, selenium and zinc. Macrominerals are needed in larger amounts than microminerals and consisted of calcium, chloride, hyponatremia, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.

Natural vitamins versus synthetic vitamins:

• If you are taking or planning to take dietary supplements, you need to know the differences between natural and synthetic vitamins. Most dietary supplements are made synthetically because they are usually cheaper to produce which result in higher profits. As for performance, natural vitamins are usually better because they contain all the synergistic components. Perfecting the art of creating vitamin is not easy, scientists still don’t understand the complexity role of each component within the chemical structure of vitamin.
• Synthetic vitamins are created through chemical processes in laboratory and are less effective in certain areas. Some nutritionists believe that synthetic vitamins are ineffective because they are missing certain components. Although, most synthetic vitamins are usually identical to the main chemical structure of the natural vitamin. Synthetic vitamins don’t include all the necessary vitamin components because during the extracting process, they end up losing many of their synergistic components. For example, when vitamin C was first isolated, scientists didn’t know that bioflavonoids always accompanied vitamin C in nature. One of the reasons for this is because bioflavoniods increase the absorption of vitamin C.
• Natural vitamins are derived directly from the plants and are not created in laboratory. Natural vitamins are more effective because they include certain components that are important for aiding the vitamins to work at optimal performance. The way nature designed the body to utilize vitamin is very complex. Each vitamin has to work together with other vitamins, minerals and synergistic components so the body can utilize the vitamin effectively. I like to refer to the vitamins found in nature as cooperative vitamins and the synthetic vitamins as competitive vitamins. The reason for this is because synthetic vitamins are usually missing important synergistic components which can cause synthetic vitamins to work against themselves. Cooperation is one of the major keys for the survival of many systems of the Universe, including the human body. Without cooperation we can’t exist because our cells will always be fighting each other.

It may be a good idea to add dietary supplements in your diet because most conventional foods lack essential vitamins and minerals. Unless you are eating organic raw plant-based food regularly, your body is being starved of nutrients. The popularity of fast food and bad cultivation methods are also making it harder for you to find food high in essential vitamins and minerals. One of the best ways to get enough essential nutrients is to combined organic dietary supplements with organic foods that are high in complex carbohydrate, good fats, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Where to buy natural and high quality dietary supplements

One of the best places to purchase natural dietary supplements is House of Nutrition. Look for the supplements that are extracted from whole foods or natural sources. One of its better supplements is called New Chapter. For a limit of time, get 40% off New Chapter Products at House of Nutrition (aff. link). You can also purchase natural and high-quality supplements at my EnergyFanatics.com Store.

Related Posts:

• B Vitamins: The Best Energy Vitamins
• Vitamins: How to Tell Natural From Synthetic

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