The human body is a truly amazing machine. When healthy, it is a resilient and intricate system capable of initiating millions of chemical reactions that work to keep it functioning and healthy at all times. In fact, there are an estimated 100 trillion cells in the average adult body, each requiring daily nutrients and sustenance.

Vitamins are some of these key nutrients, providing vital nourishment to the cells. They are catalysts that trigger chemical reactions essential in every metabolic process throughout your body. Vitamins play a primary role in cell repair and growth. Without these fundamental nutrients, the trillions of cells that make up who you are would eventually begin to break down and malfunction, allowing disease to set in.

The human body is designed to be self-sufficient in many ways. For instance, it has the innate ability to heal itself, a process called homeostasis. It naturally works to restore balance and keep the internal environment consistent and healthy. As wonderful as our bodies are however, they still require outside nourishment in order to perform these tiny miracles on a daily basis. In a perfect world, we could simply obtain this daily nourishment from the food we eat. But for many reasons, our food alone can no longer sustain our nutritional needs. As such, we must now resort to supplements.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

The first thing you need to know is that not all supplements are created equal. Nowhere is the adage, “you get what you pay for” more appropriate than in the health food industry. Too often we are led to believe vitamins are all good simply because they are natural. But the reality is that the natural health industry is one of the fastest growing industries today and with $3.3 billion up for grabs, you can bet there are companies looking to seize their share of the profits. Where healthy competition should lead to high-quality products, you often find cheap, ineffective supplements manufactured simply for profit. And just like there is junk food, there are also junk vitamins.

One of the best examples is Vitamin E. This wonderful supplement can be found for as little as $5.99 a bottle. Yet, another similar bottle can cost you upwards of $40. So, why the discrepancy? The short answer… quality.

A Vitamin By Any Other Name…

One of the biggest misnomers about supplements is that they are all alike – Vitamin C is Vitamin C no matter what brand you buy. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Supplements in fact, are manufactured in three basic forms (natural, crystalline and synthetic) and each form is very different when it comes to quality, efficacy and reliability.

Natural or whole food vitamins are those found in the food we eat. Food nutrients contain a number of micronutrients and enzymes that all work together to provide us with maximum nutrition. For instance, a food that contains an essential B vitamin also contains the necessary micronutrients and enzymes that allow you to assimilate this vitamin. If one or more of these micronutrients is missing, your body is not able to obtain the optimal nutritional benefit of that particular B vitamin. Natural vitamin products therefore, contain the total complex family of micronutrients as they are found in nature. Natural vitamins are the most desirable simply because the nutrients your cells require are delivered in a highly absorbable and ideally potent state just as nature intended. Natural supplements are also the most expensive form primarily because of the cost associated with extracting the vital nutrients while still preserving their natural potency and effectiveness.

Crystalline vitamins on the other hand, while also derived from natural sources, are chemically treated with solvents, heat and other refinements designed to extrapolate a pure form of the specific nutrient. As such, they are no longer entirely natural. This refining also damages the essential micronutrients, enzymes and minerals critical for optimal absorption within the body.

Finally, synthetic vitamins are those created entirely by man. These supplements are made in a laboratory by reconstructing chemical compounds to match the precise structure of any given vitamin molecule. These synthetic forms are also known as “isolates”. In reality, your body can only absorb a small percentage of an isolate vitamin and as such, is not able to completely utilize the majority of nutrients. Depending on the quality of the isolate used, some studies also show that synthetic vitamins can even cause adverse reactions in some people.

Chemically, there is no difference between synthetic and crystalline vitamins. Essentially, both lack the majority of vital components required for absorption and efficacy within your body. In the example of Vitamin E, the cheaper synthetic form (dl-alpha tocopherol or d-alpha tocopheral acetate) is proven 50-70 percent less effective than the natural form (d-alpha tocopherol). Unfortunately, as the health food industry grows and becomes more mainstream, the bulk of supplements being manufactured are synthetics simply because they are cheaper to produce.

When purchasing supplements, always read the label. Price is usually a good indicator of its quality, but to be sure you know what you are getting, read the ingredient list. Most synthetic forms end in ‘ide’, ‘ite’, ‘ate’ or ‘ine’ for example. As well, whenever you see the word “acetate” on the label of any fat-soluble vitamin (A, D and E), it is synthetic. As well, if a chemical is listed or the source is blank, it is synthetic. Natural supplements on the other hand, list a “food” source such as citrus or other fruits, plants or vegetables, yeast or fish. When all else fails, the simplest rule is if you can pronounce it and you recognize it as something that was once alive, it is most likely natural.