WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT VITAMINS?

The first and most important thing we have to understand is the difference between synthetically made and plant sourced vitamins and minerals. Lets start with vitamins and we will discuss minerals next time.

Synthetic vitamins are made from petroleum products or coal tar and are not in a food form, therefore the body doesn’t recognize them. Many synthetic vitamins are labeled to take with food which helps to disguise the uneasy stomach feeling as they are being passed through.

Plant based vitamins are difficult to find as 95% of all vitamin and mineral supplements sold in America contain synthetic vitamins. If your vitamin is plant based it will have a plant source listed in parentheses after the vitamin. For example, “Vitamin C (from acerola cherries).” If it says “Ascorbic Acid” it tells you that the largest amount of Vitamin C in the blend comes from synthetically made ascorbic acid. Plant sourced vitamins are extracted from foods or plants or are cultured in yeast according to Proevity, a continuing education group which serves today’s healthcare professionals as well as the lay public. Their research has shown that naturally sourced vitamins are easier to absorb and retain than synthetically made vitamins.

It has been said that Americans have the most expensive pee in the world. Because synthetically made vitamins are not recognized and pass through doesn’t mean that they are without danger to the body. A New England Journal of Medicine, 1994 study of 29,000 male smokers who were given synthetic beta carotene (which almost all is made from acetylene gas) and synthetic Vitamin E was stopped when rates of lung cancer, heart attacks and death increased. Another study the following year of 22,000 pregnant women given synthetic Vitamin A was halted because birth defects INCREASED 400%. Reuters Health, March, 2000, discovered that men who took 500 mg of synthetic Vitamin C daily over 18 months showed signs of thickening of the arteries. So synthetic vitamins are not just useless, they are significantly dangerous.

Does the multivitamin that you and your family are using contain 100% of the 12 essential vitamins that every adult person needs to maintain a healthy body? Why is this important?

Vitamin D is crucial in the normal growth and development of bones and teeth. It assists in the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and may improve mood while aiding in a healthy immune system.

Vitamin A from vision to immune system, supports ability to see at night, healthy ageing of the eyes and immune, bone and reproductive health.

Vitamin C promotes healthy blood pressure, eye health, cognitive function, iron absorption for helping white blood cells function better for immunity.

Vitamin E powerful antioxidants protect cells, healthy heart and blood vessels function, supports brain and reproductive health.

Vitamin B1 thiamin supports healthy nervous and digestive systems, while promoting brain, heart and eye health.

Vitamin B2 riboflavin builds red blood cells and other cellular functions that give you energy. Breaks down carbs, fats, proteins to produce energy and allow oxygen to be used by the body.

Vitamin B3 niacin promotes healthy brain function, mental clarity and cardiovascular health.

Vitamin B6 help soothe premenstrual symptoms, improve mood, provide immune support, brain and eye health.

Vitamin B9 folate is needed to make red and white blood cells in the bone marrow, convert carbohydrates into energy, produce DNA and RNA.