Vitamin Wars: Natural VS Synthetic In the beginning, God created all-natural whole vitamins, which were available directly from vegetables and fruits. Then man depleted earth's soil, robbing our foods of their natural nutrients. Apples, peaches, and pumpkin pie became less delicious and not as nutritious as Eden intended. No problem. Just add sugar, and artificial flavoring, and... voil! To supplement our foodless foods, men invented vitamins. Then scientists said, "Let's create syntheticvitamins!" That way, they'll be really cheap to manufacture and hopefully just as good as those expensive all-natural vitamins. WRONG! We now know that syntheticsvitamins are not as good as all-natural vitamins. Not even close. To demonstrate the point, experiments have shown that when polarized light is placed through synthetic vitamins, the light acts much differently than when it is placed through whole vitamins. When polarized light is placed through whole vitamins, the light beam bends to the right. When this same light passes through a synthetic vitamin, the beam splits in half. Science has not created a vitamin equivalent to nature's whole vitamins. Synthetic vitamins only give you half the biological activity as whole vitamins. In fact, research shows that synthetic vitamins can actually be dangerous to your health! Nevertheless, most vitamins on the market today use stripped down synthetic vitamins rather than whole vitamins coming straight from vegetables and fruits! The reason is simple; synthetic vitamins are much cheaper to manufacture. Health-conscious individuals need to appreciate the importance of giving their bodies whole vitamins, along with other critical nutrients. DANGER: ASCORBIC ACID A perfect example is Ascorbic Acid, the synthetic form of Vitamin C. Ascorbic Acid can actually harm the body by thickening the arterial walls of the heart by as much as two and a half times! Beware of Ascorbic Acid! DANGER: SYNTHETIC VITAMIN E SUCKS Another example is synthetic Vitamin E. Taking the synthetic form of Vitamin E has been proven to actually suck vitamins and minerals right out of your bones. Synthetic Vitamin E can do more harm than good! Face facts: there's just no substitute for All-Natural Whole-Food Vitamins and Minerals. The human body needs everything from A to Zinc, all in the right proportion. Taber's Medical Dictionary says vitamins are essential for normal metabolism, growth and life of the body. They are indispensable for the maintenance of health. Until recently, there has been some debate regarding the need for vitamin supplements. However, studies from The Journal of American Medical Association concluded that every individual should take a multi-vitamin every single day, thus ending the controversy. Your body begins to pay the price as it tries to compensate for nutrient deficiencies. Eventually, poor nutrition can lead to devastating consequences. Some people treat their body as if it were invincible. Don't be deluded. Your health is priceless. Give your body what it needs and deserves. Bottom line, getting the proper nutrients and micronutrients each day is critical to maintaining good health. NOTES: Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Edition 16. F.A. Davis Company: Philadelphia,1989, p. 2000. JAMA 2002; 287:3116. Vinson, J.A., Bose P. Comparative Bioavailability to Humans of Ascorbic Acid Alone or in a Citrus Extract. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1998, Vol 38, No 3, p. 601-604. Vinson, J.A., and Hsu. Effect of Vitamin A,E, and a citrus extract on in vitro and in vivo Lipid Peroxidation." Medical Science Research, 1992, 20, 145-146. Duke, James. Handbook of Chemical Constituents of Grasses, Herbs, and other Economical Plants. CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1992.