DANGERS OF SYNTHETIC VITAMINS PDF - Google Search

In our chemically polluted and stress-filled world, our nutritional requirements have been
increasing, but the number of calories we require has been decreasing, as our activity level as
a society has declined. This means we are faced with the need to get more nutrients from less
food. At the same time, due to the cooking and processing of foods, which destroy most
nutrients, getting even the Recommended Daily Allowance of vitamins and minerals from our
modern diet has become difficult, if not impossible to achieve.
Additionally, because the nutrients in the soil that our food is grown in have been depleted over
time, the food itself does not contain the amount of nutrients that it used to. For example, the
apple your great grandfather ate had more nutrients in it than the apple you eat today, even if
the apple comes from the same tree. That is because the soil that the tree is growing in has
been depleted over time and the apple that it bears contains less nutrients as a result. And
although the food itself has fewer nutrients in it in today's world, our bodies still have the same
requirements for nutrients that our great grandfathers did in order to be optimally healthy.
Consequently, in order to obtain the optimal amount of many nutrients, it is necessary to take
them in supplement form. The question then arises as to whether vitamin and mineral
supplements in pill form are as effective as the natural vitamins and minerals that exist in
apples, asparagus, broccoli, and other real whole foods. Moreover, is it possible that your
vitamin supplement is more toxic than it is healthful?
Differences between Synthetic and Natural Vitamins and Why Avoid Non-Food Vitamins
Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association: A landmark research study by the
University of California and the American Nutraceutical Association showed that 97.5% of so-
called "nutritional" supplements, including vitamins, are labeled with incorrect information and
filled with toxic ingredients!
And 98% of the market's vitamin supplements are synthetic!
SYNTHETHIC VITAMIN A
Synthetic Vitamin A given to pregnant women increased the risk of birth defects - such as
cleft lip, cleft palate, heart malformations and nervous system damage - by as much as 400%!
(Ref: New England Journal of Medicine. Nov 23, 1995.Vol 333, No 21.)
Non-Food Vitamins are vitamins that may be made with non-food. For example, Synthetic
Vitamin B1 is made with coal tar derivatives (think petrol!), hydrochloric acid or sometimes
made with acetonitrole and ammonia. Synthetic vitamin B1 (Thiamine) was shown to render
100% of a group of pigs STERILE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BStdo-wPNjQ (Ref: Dr.
Barnett Sure, Journ Natr, 1939) In another experiment way back in 1940, Scandanavian
Veterinarian Journal detailed an experiment involving Silver Foxes ingesting synthetic Vitamin
B http://www.naturalrearing.com/coda/l_vitamins_natural_vs_synth.html

SYNTHETHIC FOLIC ACID (Vitamin B9)

In order to enable the human body to use synthetic folic acid, additional vitamin B, C and B12
are required. For natural folic acid, there's no extra strain on the body to extract these 3
vitamins from organs or bone joints! Synthetic Folic Acid also known by "Pteroylglutamic
Acid", has been shown to produce acute toxicity in animals. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/
10.1111/j.1749- 6632.1946.tb31783.x/abstract
100% of a group of pigs STERILE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BStdo-wPNjQ (Ref: Dr.
Barnett Sure, Journ Natr, 1939) In another experiment way back in 1940, Scandanavian
Veterinarian Journal detailed an experiment involving Silver Foxes ingesting synthetic Vitamin
B http://www.naturalrearing.com/coda/l_vitamins_natural_vs_synth.html

SYNTHETHIC FOLIC ACID (Vitamin B9)

In order to enable the human body to use synthetic folic acid, additional vitamin B, C and B12
are required. For natural folic acid, there's no extra strain on the body to extract these 3
vitamins from organs or bone joints! Synthetic Folic Acid also known by "Pteroylglutamic
Acid", has been shown to produce acute toxicity in animals. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/
10.1111/j.1749- 6632.1946.tb31783.x/abstract

Things That Synthetic Vitamins or Inferior Vitamins and Supplements May Also Contain
• unlabelled synthetic oil, sodium benzoate or sorbic acid to prolong its shelf life (preservatives)
• FD&C yellow #5 or #6, FD&C Blue #2 Lake, FD&C Red 40 (food colorings made from a
carcinogenic coal tar derivative or other chemicals)
•titanium dioxide (used as a pigment; listed as "possibly carcinogenic")
• hypromellose (used in enteric coating of HARD-COATED pills, this substance is a
propyleneglycol form not unlike those used as anti-freezing components in automobiles,
cupcakes and
pizza; quite toxic)
• methylene chloride (for coating)
• triethyl citrate (used to coat tablets or as an anticoagulant)
• magnesium stearate (lubricant/anticoagulant used to keep pills from sticking together) •
sodium citrate (anticoagulant used to keep some substances from sticking together)
• stearic acid (used most often as a lubricant or a medium to cause oil and water to mix
together)
• ethyl cellulose (chemical solvent)
• methylcellulose(additive)
• microcrystalline cellulose (filler)
• mineral oil light (petroleum-based carcinogenic emulsifier; prevents the absorption of many
nutrients)
• polysorbate(emulsifier)
• silicon dioxide (drying agent)
• cancer-causing BHT
• croscarmellose sodium (a chemical stabilizer that helps tablets break down better inside the
human body)
• crospovidone (another chemical stabilizer but could be damaging to people allergic to iodine)
• sodium lauryl sulfate (not sure why a shampoo and personal care ingredient is in there!)
• lactose monohydrate (could be from gmo cows or gmo milk; not for lactose-intolerant)
• sucrose (synthetic sugar most widely known as "Splenda")
• nutrition-less excipients like hydrogenated oil, talc, Butylated Hydroxytoluene, Chromic
Chloride, Nickelous Sulfate, petroleum-derived Polysorbate 80, Sodium Metavanadate, Sodium
Silicaluminate, Sorbic Acid, Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) and Propylene Glycol (PPG)
An animal study found that natural food complex Vitamin B6 was absorbed 2.54 times
more into the blood and was retained 1.56 times more in the liver than synthetic Vitamin
B6.
"Synthetic vitamins are super-processed. They are usually manufactured at high temperatures
and contain artificial or toxic ingredients, such as dyes, preservatives, coal tars, sugars, starch,
and other additives. Kind of like paint or plastics." - http://doyouwanthealth.com/2008/06/13/
whats-wrong-with- synthetic-vitamins/

Other Info that Will Help You to Distinguish between Natural and Synthetic Vitamins and
Supplements
Vitamins and supplements that have these on their labels: USP vitamins or ‘pharmaceutical
grade’ nutrients you are looking at synthetic vitamins.
[USP vitamins are made in licensed production laboratories and meet the rigid standards of the
United States Pharmacopeia]
Some food ADDED into USP vitamins does NOT make it a natural vitamin.
All time-released vitamins and supplements are also synthetic.
Vitamin B-complex that is labelled as "NO YEAST" contains synthetic components.
If your multi-vitamins list Vitamin C and "Rose Hips Acerola" (or "Acerola") in one row,
Other Info that Will Help You to Distinguish between Natural and Synthetic Vitamins and
Supplements
Vitamins and supplements that have these on their labels: USP vitamins or ‘pharmaceutical
grade’ nutrients you are looking at synthetic vitamins.
[USP vitamins are made in licensed production laboratories and meet the rigid standards of the
United States Pharmacopeia]
Some food ADDED into USP vitamins does NOT make it a natural vitamin.
All time-released vitamins and supplements are also synthetic.
Vitamin B-complex that is labelled as "NO YEAST" contains synthetic components.
If your multi-vitamins list Vitamin C and "Rose Hips Acerola" (or "Acerola") in one row,
you're most likely looking at a synthetic multi-vitamin.
Whenever the word "acetate" occurs on the label of fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), you're
looking at synthetic vitamins.
Avoid any food products, vitamins and supplements with lactoferrins! [Why Avoid Lactoferrins]

Synthetic versus Natural Whole Food Supplements

The answer is it depends. Vitamin supplements can be divided into two groups:
synthetic and natural (also called whole food supplements). Most over-the-counter
vitamin supplements like One-A-Day, Centrum, Kirkland, and many others are synthetic -
meaning they are made in a laboratory from isolated chemicals that mirror their
counterparts found in nature but are not from real food. Natural vitamin and mineral
supplements are derived from real food sources, specifically vegetables, fruits, herbs,
seaweeds and marine algae.

What is the difference between synthetic and natural vitamins and minerals? There is a world
of difference between synthetic vitamins that are in pill form versus natural vitamins that are
contained within nature's foods. Although the chemical differences between a vitamin found in
food and one created in a laboratory is slight, synthetic supplements contain the isolated
vitamins only, while natural supplements also contain all of the other nutrients in foods not yet
discovered, such as antioxidants and phytochemicals that help the vitamins do their jobs.
Natural vitamins also retain the necessary enzymes that are specific to the foods they are
derived from, which assist the body in utilizing the vitamins and minerals properly.
Another difference is that synthetic vitamins may also include coal tars, artificial coloring,
preservatives and stabilizers such as maltodextrin, sterates and dioxides, sugars, and starch,
as well as other additives. You should beware of such harmful elements.

Natural whole food supplements are made by condensing or compressing real whole foods and
then evaporating off the water. The actual process is achieved by placing vegetables and fruits
in a large blender and then dehydrating the mixture to evaporate the water at very low
temperatures. The low temperature is crucial so as not to destroy the enzymes and cofactors
contained in the foods. The enzymes are very important synergists that are required for
digesting and assimilating vitamins and minerals. The remaining dried "powders" are then
placed in capsules or combined with vegetable cellulose to form solid tablets.

If you are deficient in a particular nutrient, the synthetic chemical source will work to an extent,
but you will not get the benefits of the vitamin as found in whole foods. Synthetic vitamins just
do not work like foods, and foods are what our bodies were designed to use for healing,
prevention and energy. There is no substitute, and no matter how you look at it, synthetic
vitamins are an invention of scientists, so they are prone to cause side effects, be incomplete
and lack what we need to overcome or prevent health problems.

For years synthetic vitamins have been sold and marketed as the "magic bullet" for all health
conditions. The problem is that vitamins, when not still contained in their original food (oranges,
bananas, spinach, broccoli, etc.) are merely chemicals. Our bodies do not recognize synthetic
vitamins as nutrients, because they don't work the same way as whole foods for these simple
reasons:

1. Foods contain not just vitamins, but the co-factors (synergists) and helper nutrients that
allow vitamins to work.
and lack what we need to overcome or prevent health problems.

For years synthetic vitamins have been sold and marketed as the "magic bullet" for all health
conditions. The problem is that vitamins, when not still contained in their original food (oranges,
bananas, spinach, broccoli, etc.) are merely chemicals. Our bodies do not recognize synthetic
vitamins as nutrients, because they don't work the same way as whole foods for these simple
reasons:

1. Foods contain not just vitamins, but the co-factors (synergists) and helper nutrients that
allow vitamins to work.

2. Foods are never found in high potency, so you won't suffer any toxic side effects that have
been proven to exist with synthetic vitamin pills. The most recent example of vitamin toxicity
was the report about vitamin E being toxic. Real foods never deliver toxic doses of vitamins.

3. Vitamins are just a small part of what our bodies require for health and healing. It is very
often that it is the other food properties that help us while the vitamins are secondary.

For these reasons, and more, synthetic vitamin pills, despite their use and overuse, are lacking
the properties of real nutrition, which can only come from eating nature's real, whole, raw
foods. The ONLY supplement that someone should take, therefore, is a whole food formula
WITHOUT any isolated (singular vitamin). In order to know whether your vitamin and mineral
supplement comes from whole foods, you have to carefully read the labels. Instead of just
names of vitamins and minerals on a label, you should be looking for the names of foods and
herbs on the label, such as kale, dandelion, kelp, ginger, cinnamon, apples, carrots and
broccoli.

It is a very common misconception that we need to take high dosages of vitamins to keep us
healthy. Remember, real whole foods are never found in high potency, so don't be fooled by
high milligrams, high potency, standardization or any other such terms that just do not apply to
real foods from nature.

Vitamin supplements are supposed to be just that - supplements. They are not intended to
replace what you would get from eating the actual food. There is no vitamin pill or supplement
that can make up for a diet that is lacking in variety and nutrients.

Sources:
Balch, James and Balch, Phyllis, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 2nd Ed., Avery Publishing
Group, New York, 1997.
Shayne, PhD, Vic, Symtpoms of Vitamin B Deficiency and Why Vitamin Pills Are Not Enough,
2005.
Nutri-Con: The Down Side of the Vitamin & Supplement Industry
The Nutri-Con Campaign
A campaign to expose the hazards and limited effectiveness of synthetic vitamins and
supplements, creating marketplace awareness and demand for truly organic, naturally
occurring vitamins, botanicals, & supplements.
Campaign Goals
• To implement a new set of Naturally Occurring Standards (NOS), certification procedures,
and labels which are truly organic.
• To expose the fact that 90% or more of the vitamins and supplements now on the market
labeled as "natural" or "food based" are spiked with synthetic chemicals.
• To inform and remind consumers that Big Pharma's prescription and over the counter drugs
are generally hazardous substances offering no real solution to our health problems.
• To highlight preventive health and wellness promotion, traditional holistic remedies, and
complementary medicine practices which represent the "organic road" to health.
Campaign Background
The Truth About Vitamins & Supplements
by Ronnie Cummins, National Director, OCA
The Organic Consumers Association's nationwide campaign, Nutri-Con: The Down Side of
the Vitamin & Supplement Industry, exposes the hazards and limited effectiveness of
synthetic vitamins and supplements, and creates consumer awareness and marketplace
demand for truly organic, "naturally occurring" vitamins, botanicals, and supplements.
Part of this campaign will be the implementation of a new set of Naturally Occurring Standards
(NOS), certification procedures, and labels which are truly "organic and beyond," and to expose
the fact that 90% or more of the vitamins and supplements now on the market labeled as
"natural" or "food based" actually are spiked with synthetic chemicals.
An underlying theme of this campaign is to inform and remind consumers that Big Pharma's
prescription and over the counter drugs are generally hazardous substances offering no real
solution to our health problems; while preventive health and wellness promotion, traditional
holistic remedies, and complementary medicine practices represent the "organic road" to
health.
In terms of wellness promotion, there is no doubt that an organic whole foods-based diet and a
healthy lifestyle are the "best medicine" for those of us trying to survive and keep our families
healthy in the toxic soup of 100,000 synthetic chemicals that surround us everyday, polluting
our food, water, medicines, homes, and environment.

As we complement our organic whole foods-based diet with herbs and supplements, we need
to make sure that these vitamins and botanicals are derived from naturally occurring plant and
mineral sources, and that they contain no synthetic chemicals whatsoever.
We have posted excerpts from an eye-opening new book, The Vitamin Myth Exposed, by Brian
Clement of the Hippocrates Health Institute (Chapter 1 & Chapter 2) This book is the opening
salvo in a campaign that OCA believes will revolutionize the $20 billion vitamin and
supplements industry. OCA sees this effort as part of our ongoing efforts to establish and
safeguard strict organic standards in food and farming, clothing, body care, and other important
consumer sectors.
We invite you to please circulate The Vitamin Myth Exposed widely to friends and family, and to
talk to your local natural foods store or coop about joining forces with the OCA in this important
new campaign.

Nutri-Con: The Truth About Vitamins & Supplements

 • The Vitamin Myth Exposed
By Brian Clement
Hippocrates Health Institute & OCA, Dec. 31, 2006

Web Note: The Organic Consumers Association is proud to announce a new nationwide
campaign called "Nutri-Con: The Truth About Vitamins & Supplements." Nutri-Con will expose
the hazards and limited effectiveness of synthetic vitamins and supplements, and strive to
create mass consumer awareness and marketplace demand for truly organic, "naturally
occurring" vitamins, botanicals, and supplements. Part of this campaign will be the
implementation of a new set of Naturally Occurring Standards (NOS), certification procedures,
and labels which are truly "organic and beyond," and to expose the fact that 90% or more of the
vitamins and supplements now on the market labeled as "natural" or "food based" actually are
spiked with synthetic chemicals. The first company to meet these new NOS strict standards in
the natural supplements sector is Botani Organics

A major underlying theme of this campaign will be to steadily inform and remind consumers that
Big Pharma's prescription and over the counter drugs are generally hazardous substances
offering no real solution to our health problems; while preventive health and wellness
promotion, traditional holistic remedies, and complementary medicine practices represent the
"organic road" to health. In terms of wellness promotion, there is no doubt that an organic
whole foods-based diet and a healthy lifestyle are the "best medicine" for those of us trying to
survive and keep our families healthy in the toxic soup of 100,000 synthetic chemicals that
surround us everyday, polluting our food, water,medicines, homes, and environment. But as we
complement our organic whole foods-based diet with herbs and supplements, we need to make
sure that these vitamins and botanicals are derived from naturally occurring plant and mineral
sources, and that they contain no synthetic chemicals whatsoever.

Below is the first installment of an eye-opening new book, "Vitamin Myth Exposed," by Brian
Clement of the Hippocrates Health Institute, which the OCA will be publishing over the next 60
days. This book is nothing less than the opening salvo in a campaign that OCA believes will
revolutionize the $20 billion vitamin and supplements industry. OCA sees this effort as part of
our ongoing efforts to establish and safeguard strict organic standards in food and farming,
clothing, body care, and other important consumer sectors.

We invite you to please circulate the "Vitamin Myth Exposed," widely to friends and family, and
to talk to your local natural foods store or coop about joining forces with the OCA in this
important new campaign.

For Health and an Organic Future,

Ronnie Cummins
National Director, Organic Consumers Association
________________________________________
Vitamin Myth Exposed
By: Brian Clement, Ph.D., N.M.D.

Copyright © 2007 by Healthful Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not
be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by a
reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review; nor may any part of this text stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from Healthful Communications,
Inc. 13700 US Hwy 1, Suite 202 A, Juno Beach, FL 33408. 561.626.3293 or
www.healthfulcommunications.com

PROLOGUE

As far as the sciences have evolved in our incredible age of quantum physics and our
understanding of cell biology, life is still an indefinable mystery. Only Mother Nature can make
an apple. Only nature can make a cell. While scientists and chemists continue to try in vain to
duplicate in a laboratory the molecular structure of many different isolated natural substances.
When you analyze natural compounds with an electron microscope they can look identical, yet
in some invisible, yet significant, way they are not. Although scientists can make seawater with
exactly the same chemical structure as natural seawater, when you put a salt-water fish in this
synthetic environment, the fish dies. What is it in natural seawater that sustains life? This is one
of life's great mysteries, and the foundation upon which this book is inspired.

The creation of life is a divine gift that can never be duplicated by man; it is beyond human
intellect. This is why no living thing, whether a plant or human cell, or a living being for this
matter, can be created successfully in a laboratory from chemical compounds. Animal clones
have already proven their fallibility. Living things such as living foods and living beings can only
be created by nature.

VITA means life. Vita defines the difference between synthetic and what is now known as
naturally occurring. This book is about the consequences of this difference in our vitamins and
nutritional supplements today, and is further dedicated to helping you understand their impact
on your health and how you can become equipped to avoid unhealthful choices and benefit
from healthy whole-food choices (N.O.S. - Naturally Occurring Standard - varieties).

Putting the word "natural" on the vitamin label is, in most cases today, deceptive. The word is
constantly abused and, as such, its meaning has been diluted to a point where it holds little
value. Many misleading labels on supplement products take advantage of the ambiguity of the
word "natural" to project a wholesome marketing image, even when the product does not merit
it. Whereas the term "naturally occurring" on a label usually means that a vitamin or nutrient is
completely derived of compounds from naturally-occurring sources - the plants themselves -
rather than merely containing a naturally-occurring ingredient mixed with synthetic
ingredients.

The best vitamin supplements are those with labeled potencies derived from naturally-
occurring, full-spectrum food extracts. Naturally-occurring vitamins are obtained by taking a
nutrient-rich plant, removing the water and the fiber in a chemical-free vacuum process, and
packaging it for stability. The entire vitamin complex is captured intact, retaining its functional
and nutritional integrity, and a full spectrum of nutritional values.

Another primary difference between real full-spectrum whole-food vitamins and synthetic
vitamins is that real vitamins contain the essential trace minerals necessary for the vitamins'
synergistic operation. Synthetic vitamins contain no trace minerals and must utilize the body's
own mineral reserves. Ingesting real vitamins does not require the body to deplete its own
reserves of nutrients to replace any nutrients missing from the false vitamins.

Mega doses of synthetic vitamins can have very serious toxic effects. Naturally-occurring
whole-food vitamins are not toxic since the vitamin is complexed in its natural whole integral
working form, and requires nothing from the body to "build" a vitamin. When synthetic, or
incomplete vitamins are introduced into the body, the body attempts to "build" a complete
vitamin complex by adding the missing factors that it knows should be there, specifically
minerals and other vitamin co-factors. This "building" process depletes the body's nutritional
reserves, creating an overall deficiency. The body has a natural intelligence that is always
directing its efforts toward wholeness. When you ingest a "partial" or isolated vitamin, the body
assumes you meant to ingest a whole vitamin, and works hard to make up for an action that it
views as a mistake. Of course, the body has limitations. When it is saturated or overwhelmed
with large amounts of synthetic vitamins or does not possess the cofactors necessary for
creating fully-complexed supplements, it cannot convert the incomplete synthetic vitamins. It
will then work to eliminate the synthetic vitamins through the kidneys, skin and the other
elimination organs. This is the reason why the majority of all synthetic vitamins are quickly
eliminated by the body and not utilized. We require our bodies to perform a surprising amount
of work when we ingest synthetic supplements. Not only must we effort to create a usable
supplement by drawing on our own reserves, we must also labor to eliminate the substances
that cannot be utilized. This process results in an overall negative health effect while minimizing
any gains that could have been achieved by the supplement were it in a usable form to begin
with. This is why consuming whole foods and whole-food supplements is critical.

One of the many superior qualities about naturally-occurring whole food vitamins is that small or
even minimal quantities are required daily because they are already whole, naturally-
complexed supplements that the body does not have to "build" to utilize. On the contrary, one
would typically need to ingest much larger doses of synthetic supplements to receive a
sufficient level of supplementation, knowing that many of the complexes will not be "completed"
and therefore eliminated.

Mainstream marketing of vitamins and minerals has created the myth that synthetic vitamins
and inorganic minerals may be isolated individually and from one another, and that we can
derive total natural benefit from taking these fractionated chemical creations. Nothing could be
further from the truth!

Real, natural vitamins, minerals and enzymes work closely together as co-factors for each
other's efficacy. If one part is missing, or is fractionated, or is in the incorrect form or the
incorrect amount, entire chains of metabolic processes cannot and will not proceed normally.
Only nature can provide us with naturally-occurring vitamins as found in real, wholesome
organic foods.

The overwhelming majority of vitamin products sold in grocery stores, drug stores or mass-
marketing retailers contain synthetic ingredients, and are unfortunately accompanied by
inherent deficiencies and unpleasant ramifications.

What our bodies require are supplement products made exclusively from naturally-occurring
nutrients rather than toxic laboratory synthesized compounds. Currently only a few highly
conscious companies produce supplements with naturally-occurring ingredients. These
companies should be commended and supported for offering natural health-promoting products
to the consumer. (See list of "Supplement product companies that include naturally-occurring
potencies on their labels" in Appendix A).

We are grateful to the Naturally Occurring Standards Group (NOSG), Amsar Pvt. Ltd.,
Treadcorp, Ltd., Hippocrates Health Institute, Healthful Communications, Inc., Organic
Consumer's Association, and others for their efforts in establishing "Naturally Occurring" as a
specific standard of quality. This standard should be applied for all truly natural vitamins,
ingredients and materials for the entire food, beverage, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industry.
The adoption of proposed "Naturally Occurring Standard" (NOS) guidelines will bring clarity to
all purveyors and consumers of natural products. The NOS is an important step and regulatory
guideline that has been missing from the product label information and literature since the
beginning of packaged food sales. The NOS symbol on products will help to eliminate the
confusion between truly natural and less than natural product ingredients.

We need more naturally-occurring vitamin supplements to counter the vast array of harmful
synthetic vitamin supplements flooding our world markets. Consumers must request the
production of more naturally-occurring supplements by petitioning the natural foods industry to
support the NOS guidelines, which will ensure that the public is only supplied with health-
promoting products. This will mark the beginning of a movement to remove synthetic
supplements from our health foods and supplements. The natural foods industry is the last
place that synthetics should be allowed. Unfortunately, due to ignorance and economic inertia,
even the natural foods industry has, until now, tolerated the presence of harmful synthetic
supplements. Real nutrients are always naturally occurring, made only by nature and never by
an artificial chemical process.

Insisting that the designation "naturally-occurring" be put only on the labels of naturally-
occurring vitamin and nutrient supplements, will allow the consumer to once and for all
distinguish between what is a real vitamin supplement and what is not. For more information
on the NOS guidelines and the proposed legislation visit www.nosg.org.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

PART ONE - VITAMIN MYSTERIES AND MYTHS

CHAPTER ONE

Nutritional Supplements - do we really benefit from them?

To answer this question we have to go back to our roots - our soil

Soil depletion - an apple isnâ!™t what it used to be

Why not?

Missing vitamins & trace elements

What are vitamins? Brief definition

Fat vs. water-soluble vitamins

Difference between vitamins and vitamin activity

Difference between natural vs. synthetic

Each year in North American alone people spend over $20 billion on vitamins, minerals and
other dietary supplements, believing that these products are benefiting them. But are they?
What is the real truth about vitamins? If we eat a balanced diet, do we really need nutritional
supplements? To answer this question we have to go back to our roots - our soil.

The body is unable to manufacture most vitamins for itself, and so they must be obtained from
nutritional sources. During the early 1900s, in our grandparents' time, the soil was rich with
nutrients that produced healthy, vigorous crops high in vitamin content. Today, due to modern
factory farming practices, our soils are sadly laced with industrial pollution, pesticides and
chemical fertilizers that not only contaminate the soil, but activate increased soil erosion.
Because of poor soil quality and nutrients, our foods have only a fraction of the nutrient value of
70-100 years ago.

Polluted air and water systems deplete our bodies of their store of nutrients, such as
antioxidants including vitamins and minerals, that are necessary for protecting our health. Add
the stresses of modern life to this and as a population we are left with ever-weakening genetic
and immune systems. Therefore, vitamin and nutrient supplementation is more crucial than
before.

The mineral depletion of our soils and foods is not news. The U.S. government has been
issuing official warnings since 1936. The U.S. Senate Document #264, published by the 2nd
session of the 74th Congress in 1936 stated the following:

"Most of us today are suffering from certain dangerous diet deficiencies which cannot be
remedied until the depleted soils from which our foods come are brought [back] into proper
mineral balance. Foods, fruits, vegetables and grains that are now being raised on millions of
acres of land that no longer contain enough of certain needed minerals, are starving us - no
matter how much of these foods we eat. Leading authorities state that 99% of the American
people are deficient in these minerals, and that a marked deficiency in any one of the more
important minerals actually results in disease. Any upset of the balance or any considerable
lack of one or another element, however microscopic, causes problems and we sicken, suffer,
and shorten our lives. Lacking vitamins, the system can make some use of minerals; but
lacking minerals, vitamins are useless."

This report was offered over 70 years ago. Just imagine how it would read today.

Unfortunately, we all have a big job ahead to restore our soil quality - even on organic farms -
and bring back the nutrients that have been farmed out of our food. It is urgent that we
reintroduce proper organic farming as the primary method, as well as the rotation of crops to
improve the quality of our soils, among other benefits. It has taken many decades to ruin our
soils and it will take time to revive them and bring them back to health again. It can be and must
be done for ourselves, our children and future generations.

As world citizens we can transform our farmlands; one very simple way is by purchasing
organic foods and supporting organic farming. In the meantime, the way to guarantee adequate
nutrition is by supplementing our foods with naturally-occurring, non-synthetic vitamin and
nutrients from organic farms that focus on soil conservation.

VITAMINS for VITALITY

What is a vitamin?
Vitamins are organic micronutrients essential to normal human metabolism. Unlike fats,
carbohydrates and some proteins, vitamins are not metabolized to provide energy. Most are not
manufactured by the body but are present in minute quantities in natural foodstuffs. Each of
these naturally-occurring organic vitamin compounds performs a specific vital function and is
required by the body for disease prevention and good health.

The known vitamins are divided into four fat-soluble types (A, D, E and K) and nine water-
soluble types (eight B vitamins and vitamin C). The fat-soluble vitamins can be stored in the
body and do not need to be ingested every day. The water-soluble vitamins are more easily
eliminated and can be taken in larger amounts without danger of toxicity. Vitamin C and the
eight B vitamins (except for Vitamin B-12 and Folic Acid) are water soluble. They cannot be
stored and must be consumed frequently for optimal health.

As an initial convention, vitamins were given letters to go with their chemically defined names.
Not many people know about the form of vitamin E d-alpha tocopheryl succinate, but most
people know what "Vitamin E" is and what it can be used for. Some nutritional factors were
originally given "B" names but turned out not to act as vitamins at all. You may not have heard
of vitamins B-4, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 which were ultimately rejected as vitamin factors.

We know that vitamins prevent disease and promote health, but what do we know about the
actual quality of the vitamins we ingest? Hundreds of millions of people take a daily vitamin
and/or herbal supplement. For more than 70 years we have been ingesting synthetic vitamins in
our supplements and our fortified foods, believing that our health is being protected and
improved. But is it?

Let's get down to the truth about vitamin supplementation and food fortification. There are
currently two categories in the family of vitamin and nutritional products with labeled potencies -
synthetic and naturally-occurring.

Nearly all vitamin supplements available today, more than 95%, fall into the synthetic category.
Some consist of 100% synthesized vitamins, and some are combination formulas containing
one or more naturally-occurring vitamin ingredients combined with synthetic vitamins. Naturally-
occurring vitamin supplements are comprised only of naturally-occurring food and botanicals.
They contain no synthetic vitamins or nutrients whatsoever. Presently there are few
manufacturers of this type of vitamin supplement.

Synthetic vitamin supplements packaged as tablets, capsules, gelcaps, or powders comprise

the majority of vitamin products found in natural food stores, grocery stores, drug stores and
large retail outlets. Within this category there are certain types and distinctions.

Type 1: In some vitamin supplement products a natural base is used and then the synthetic
vitamins or nutrients are added to that natural base. An example of a natural base could be
Acerola cherry or Rosehip, and even a mixture of botanicals, as a natural base with the
synthetic vitamins and nutrients added. Many Vitamin C products which claim to be from
Acerola or some other fruit or food are usually spiked with synthetic ascorbic acid or
ascorbates. Many multiple vitamin products use a natural base spiked with multiple synthetic
vitamins to get their labeled potencies.

Type 2: Some supplements are derived from specially "grown" materials (referred to as "food
source" or "whole food" source) such as yeasts and algae. These products typically combine
the yeast or algae and create other "mixtures" as a base to which synthetic vitamins are
"spiked" or added. Manufacturers call these supplements "natural" because they are derived
from yeast or algae - natural botanicals. However, they are not natural because synthetic
vitamins or nutrients have been added to the product. This is most often not mentioned on the
product label and is "hidden" from consumers, most of whom, ironically, are reading labels to
ensure the highest levels of nutrition. Tragically, they fall prey to misleading and dishonest
labeling information.

A manufacturer of this cultivated base which has been spiked with synthetics nutrients will
supply their own as well as other supplement companies with this raw substance. They then
use the raw substance to produce and market their own vitamins under different product
names. The fact that this raw material contains a cultivated, so-called "natural" base enables
the vitamin producers to make the claim on their label that they are derived from "natural
sources" on their label and contain the listed potencies from the "food source" referring to the
base. But as you can now see this is a deceptive practice that misleads consumers to believe
that they have a natural supplement.

Most vitamin companies compete for customers with identical synthetic vitamin products made
from compounds produced by the same few drug manufacturers. The vitamin companies
differentiate their products with different names and fancy labels, each making claims of "high
potency". But the higher the potency of the synthetic vitamin or nutrient, the more likely it is to
exhibit drug-like, toxic effects, the stress of which can actually lead to disease.

The majority of vitamin companies also purposely mislead the consumer by taking advantage of
loopholes in labeling laws. The truth is that the vitamin potencies for most supplements are
derived from synthetic vitamins.

Consumers are fooled by the vitamin label claims and believe that the vitamin and nutrient
potencies are derived from a natural source. You can avoid this trap by carefully examining the
label. Look for the phrase "naturally occurring." If the label does not say "naturally occurring"
and also name the food source of the potency, then be aware that the supplement may contain
synthetic vitamins or nutrients. Please go to our website www.NOSG.org for a list of companies
that are leading the way in NOSG certification, and to see how you can help reverse the tide of
deception and take part in this exciting shift in consciousness, which includes mandates for
truth in labeling.

The second category of vitamin supplements are derived from naturally-occurring full-spectrum
food and botanical sources. These are truly natural vitamin potency supplement products and
can be identified by their designation "naturally occurring" or Naturally Occurring Standard
(NOS).

Although vitamins from naturally-occurring sources are relatively lower potency, they are
actually much more effective at these lower potencies than synthetic vitamins, for the simple
reason that the body can easily assimilate their nutrients, and can do so without the toxic side-
effects of synthetic vitamins.

Over the past two decades at Hippocrates Health Institute, we have seen the negative impact
of synthetic supplements by viewing tens of thousands of blood samples with the assistance of
a high-powered microscope. What we know is that the body perceives a synthetic supplement
like it would perceive any other foreign chemical as an invader and threat to its survival. As
such, it responds by releasing immune-preserving cells such as leukocytes (white blood cells)
to combat the enemy and preserve immunity. Unfortunately, this extra activity detracts these
cells from their most crucial role of eliminating microbes (viruses and bacteria), spirochetes
(such as those that result in Lyme's Disease), and mutagenic cells (such as those that can
result in cancer). Consequently, when one introduces a large number of chemical invaders,
such as synthetic vitamin supplements, there are fewer immune-preserving cells to combat
more deleterious cell activity, resulting in a greater probability for disease.

Just as natural vitamins from food are more effective than synthetic vitamins, so are natural
vitamin supplements from whole-food sources. Low potency vitamins from a full spectrum,
naturally-occurring source of the vitamin will produce effective nutrient activity, while positively
impacting immune function.

A MOLECULAR DIFFERENCE

Vitamins are biological complexes. They represent multi-step biochemical interactions whose
beneficial action depends upon a number of variables within the biological terrain. Correct
vitamin activity can only take place when all co-factors and components of the vitamin complex
are present and working together synergistically. Vitamins cannot be isolated from their
complexes and still perform their specific functions within the cells. When isolated into artificial
chemical commercial forms, these purified, isolated, crystalline synthetics act the same as toxic
drugs in the body and compromise the immune system, which can ultimately lead to illness and
disease. They are no longer actual vitamins, and to call them such is inaccurate. A vitamin is: "a
working process consisting of the nutrient, enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, and trace
mineral activators." - Dr. Royal Lee

Theron Randolph, MD wrote four books and over 300 medical articles and was a leading
researcher in the fields of food and chemical allergies, as well as general preventive care. Dr.
Randolph co-founded the American Academy of Environmental Medicine in 1965. Consider the
way he has delineated the difference between natural and synthetic nutrients:

"A synthetically-derived substance may cause a reaction in a chemically susceptible person

when the same material of natural origin is tolerated, despite the two substances having
identical chemical structures. The point is illustrated by the frequency of clinical reactions to
synthetic vitamins - especially vitamin B1 and [vitamin] C when the [same] naturally-occurring
vitamins are tolerated."

Certain studies on natural vs. synthetic vitamins have shown that synthetic vitamins are 50 to
70% less biologically active than natural vitamins.

Synthetic vitamins are actually just fractions of naturally-occurring vitamins synthesized in the
dextro- and levo- forms (known as "right" and "left handed" molecules) which form geometric
mirror images of each other. It may seem strange, but the geometry of nutrient compounds is
crucial for the bioavailability of the nutrient. The body uses only the levo- forms. Synthetic
vitamin compounds have little of the correct geometry (levo-forms) of naturally-occurring
vitamins present in food and botanicals.

So, can a synthesized, isolated vitamin fraction made in the laboratory be called a real vitamin?
Can it provide you with the nourishment that naturally-occurring, whole-food supplements can?
The answer is a resounding and undeniable NO!

Throughout much of the last century, we have been programmed to believe that synthetic
chemicals are superior to natural food-source nutritional substances, and therefore an
acceptable substitute. This misleading concept is broadcasted mainly by commercial interests
who promote this fallacy through sophisticated marketing programs to sell and profit from their
inferior "food and nutritional" supplements.

The problems we now have with these synthetic vitamins are parallel to the overall problems
we have with pharmaceutical drugs and the development of "modern", alopathic medicine.

In Western cultures, we have abandoned our history of traditional medicine - medicine that has
been practiced successfully for thousands of years - and nearly categorically replaced it with
new technologies. We are now suffering the consequences of it.

Although chemistry has provided us with many benefits, when it comes to food and nutrition, a
better life through chemistry is a fallacy.

We are now in the midst of a chemical "feast" of harmful and polluting chemical preservatives,
excipients, colorings, flavorings, additives, and other life-threatening chemicals.

A century ago when we discovered how to chemically synthesize various isolates of natural
compounds, synthetic nutrients became fashionable. Many of the problems that we have today
developed many years ago when we embraced the chemical paradigm and rejected our time-
proven traditional medicinal practices. It is imperative now that we return to our traditional
values and ways of living before the hazardous imbalances we have created destroy us.

VITAMIN ACTIVITY & BIOAVAILABILITY

Why is it that only Nature can create a real vitamin? The differences between vitamins
extracted from food and those manufactured by chemical processes is vast, and the distinctions
are critically important. Vitamins manufactured in the laboratory come to us without the naturally
occurring associated factors and trace substances that insure a vitamin's bioavailability. If the
body can easily digest and absorb nutrients from a food, then they are said to be bioavailable.
Tests on natural vs. synthetic vitamins have revealed that synthetic vitamins are less
biologically active and bioavailable than natural vitamins. Since our bodies often do not absorb
more than 50% of the vitamins and minerals we consume, to ingest a product that is already
less active than its natural counterpart leaves very little of the original potency available for our
use.

It sounds like a simple concept: you are what you digest or, more to the point, what you
assimilate.

The digestive system of humans, similar to that of apes, grazing animals and other herbivores,
is complex. The adult alimentary canal measures up to 36 feet; it is long and convoluted. Yet it
squeezes into the small space of our abdominal cavity. Many of us assume that we have good
and proper digestion and assimilation, and that our bodies can extract nutrients no matter what
we eat. This is simply not true, which is why it is important for us to eat wholesome and
nutritious foods and maintain high levels of good intestinal flora and other living bacteria that
break down our foods completely so that our nutrients can be absorbed.
Furthermore, the human biology has never been able to "digest" synthetic chemicals.

Even though we may voluntarily or involuntarily ingest synthetic chemicals, our digestive
systems have not suddenly changed to recognize them as food or nourishment. All the
synthetic nutrients in the world are useless, and potentially even dangerous, if they are not
digested. The best way to improve digestive absorption of nutrients is to eat good nutrient-rich,
living foods and use naturally-occurring vitamins and mineral supplements.

You are what you digest also means that if your digestion is weak, then you absorb fewer
nutrients from your food than necessary, which can lead to obesity or other imbalances. When
enjoying quality foods, the health of your body and all of its systems are strengthened.

Research with polarized light shows the differences in bioavailability between synthetic and
natural vitamins. The experiment involves taking a sample of a natural vitamin and its
chemically identical synthetic counterpart, and passing a beam of polarized light through each.
The beam passing through a natural vitamin always bends to the right due to the direction of its
molecular rotation. When passing through a synthetic vitamin, the beam splits in half. Half the
light beam bends to the right, and the other half bends to the left. The direction of the molecular
rotation makes half of the synthetic vitamin impossible to use, which is why there is only 50%
biological activity or less in synthetic, isolated vitamins. They are lacking the factors found in a
full-spectrum real vitamin and more importantly they are not viewed by the body as real
nutrition, and are therefore counterproductive to health.

Even if the vitamins you take are "natural" ones extracted from food, they will not be effective if
they have been extracted from their full-spectrum matrix. Extracting a vitamin from its full-
spectrum matrix eliminates the necessary co-factors which assist in the functioning of that
nutrient. When you extract and isolate Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) from an orange, you are also
removing the bioflavonoids, which are necessary for Vitamin C's complete vitamin activity. It's
better to use a full-spectrum concentrate of the whole orange rather than to extract the ascorbic
acid or other isolated Vitamin C fractions or to take those factors separately.

For a complex matrix like Vitamin C to be effective, it has to be used as nature created it.
Always use a full-spectrum food source supplement of Vitamin C and other supplements to
insure that all the naturally-occurring nutrient factors are available to your body.

Worldwide, there is no official government-regulated definition for the term "natural" for use by
the natural products industry. In the USA, the FDA refers to natural ingredients as "ingredients
extracted directly from plants or animal products, as opposed to being produced synthetically."
While it's fine to set a legal definition for natural, the problem is that the FDA's system of
standards for vitamins is not based on nature. This system, known as the Recommended Daily
Allowance (RDA) or what has now been updated to "Daily Values" (DV's) and RDI's
(Recommended Daily Intake), relates to the amount of vitamins we require daily for maintaining
health and is based on the assumed nutrient value of synthetic supplements.

The RDA's, DV's or other "standards" that are generally accepted by most agencies and
institutions were originally established through animal testing using synthetic vitamins -
supplements that we have already determined as indigestible and severely lacking in nutritional
value.
There is a proposal for a new standard for vitamins and nutrients called the: "Naturally
Occurring Standard" or "NOS". This standard, which will completely revolutionize the
supplement industry, is related to verifiable amounts of naturally-occurring vitamins, minerals or
other nutrients as found in natural foods and botanicals.

It is our strong opinion - in the interest of public health - that the NOS should be adopted by the
food industry as a consumer standard for all food supplements or fortified foods. The NOS
symbol printed on dietary supplements or food products labels will ensure that a product
contains only naturally-occurring whole food materials, enabling consumers to make the
healthiest choices for themselves and their family. For more information on NOS standards, see
the resources section in the back of this book, or go to www.nosg.org.

REFERENCES: Vinson J.A., "Comparative Bioavailability of Synthetic and Natural Vitamin C

in Guinea Pigs", Nutrition Reports International, 1983, 27, 4, 875-880. (The bio availability of
the natural Vitamin C was significantly greater than that of the synthetic Ascorbic Acid.)

Vinson J.A., "Bioavailability of Vitamin C", 1991. (Citrus extract was 1210% more bioavailable
than USP (United States Pharmacopoeia) Ascorbic Acid.)

"What Is a Vitamin?" Applied Trophology, Aug 1956

Life Enthusiast Co-op, 2006, Article by Tim O'Shea

FDA Consumer Information & Publication No. ((FDA) 95-5012)

The Synthetic Vitamin Milligram Game

• By Brian Clement (Excerpt from "The Vitamin Myth")
1/25/2007

Generally speaking, evaluating the proper milligrams of a synthetic vitamin supplement, as

related to the potency of a vitamin, is a confusing and misleading proposition. This is because
synthetic vitamins are refined, high potency chemicals, and therefore can be accurately
measured in milligrams, just like drugs. Measuring synthetic vitamin compounds in milligrams
has nothing to do with real vitamin activity or nutrition. The vitamin activity and real potency of
the vitamin is dependent upon its authenticity as a whole, naturally-occurring vitamin, not its
synthetic chemical fractionated potency or weight.

For example, it is often suggested to digest, or take intravenously, 1000’s of milligrams of

vitamin C, E or A. This action is not only alarming to your immune system, but sends your body
into a state of confusion.

A noxious bio-chemical chain reaction may begin with the body working to eliminate these
toxins with none of the false nutrients entering the system as a natural food. When someone
experiences dangerous side effects from synthetic vitamin consumption it is usually because
synthetics cannot be utilized or metabolized, so they build up in the body as toxins and are
eliminated as best as possible.

On the contrary, complete, food sources of vitamin C, E or A have normally lower milligram
levels than those offered in “high potency” synthetic vitamin ingredients, yet the body can easily
absorb and use them as real, whole complexed vitamins from food. When someone is
concerned about the safety of vitamins, they are generally concerned about the dangers of
overdosing on synthetic vitamins. Many people have experienced the dangers of toxic
“vitaminosis” when indulging in mega doses of synthetic vitamins.

Some synthetic vitamins are made from coal tar. This base material, typically a crystalline
yellow coal tar derived from fossil fuel sources, is not only used as a base to make some
synthetic vitamins, but also as a host for other synthetic compounds including colorings, paints
and many other chemical materials used as ingredients such as toxic preservatives or harmful
food excipients. Coal tar is widely used in both the food and cosmetic industries and is a known
carcinogen.

Taking synthetic vitamins in milligram quantities is related to the RDA’s (Recommended Daily
Allowance) or the more modern RDI’s (Recommended Daily Intake), but this still does not
actually relate to potency because potency of a vitamin has to do with its effectiveness and
assimilation not its weight. Weight and potency, in this case, are two different things. Naturally
occurring whole complexed vitamins from foods created by nature are more “potent” per
milligram than synthetic fractions of those vitamins because it is the whole, real vitamin that the
body requires not a synthetic chemical substitute of a fraction of a vitamin that has been
chemically synthesized a laboratory.

So, the quantity of vitamin milligrams is not as important as the quality of the vitamin milligrams.
Many vitamins supplement brands play the “milligram game” which is often confusing to the
consumer. The idea of “more is better” works fine for some things, but not for toxic synthetics.
We have to be aware of what is really going on here. The important first question should be
whether or not the vitamin is natural (NOS) and not how many milligrams are available. If the
vitamin product is synthetic then, I believe, it does not matter how many milligrams are offered
since every synthetic vitamin milligram offered should be avoided. You get more nutrition from a
lower number of milligrams when the vitamin is a whole naturally occurring complex from real
food.

Let’s try to avoid the milligram game and play the naturally occurring game instead. We can’t
win the synthetic milligram game, but we can definitely win and benefit our health while playing
the NOS game.

Copyright: The Vitamin Myth

Six crucial things to watch out for when buying vitamins and supplements

by Ethan A. Huff, Natural News

Not all vitamins and dietary supplements are the same. Many popular supplement brands, in
fact, contain artificial additives, synthetic flow agents, chemical colorings, and even imitation
vitamin compounds that your body does not recognize and cannot fully process. So how can
you know whether or not the vitamins and supplements you buy are safe and effective? Here
are six helpful tips on what to watch out for when buying vitamins and supplements.
1) Synthetic vitamins.
There is a big difference between the natural vitamins found in food and the so-called vitamins
added to many popular dietary supplements. Whole-food based vitamins are uniquely
bioavailable, and occur naturally in foods, plants, and herbs. Synthetic vitamins, on the other
hand, are produced in a laboratory, and may be derived from toxic sources such as coal tar and
petroleum.
How can you know the difference? Synthetic vitamins are typically listed on ingredient labels by
their isolated names—ascorbic acid (vitamin C), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and dl-alpha tocopherol
acetate (vitamin E) are all examples of synthetic vitamins commonly added to vitamins and
supplements, including multivitamin formulas. Stick with whole food-based vitamins and
supplements, including those that clearly delineate their being derived from plants or other
natural sources.
“In addition to being synthetic, isolated vitamins are missing all their naturally occurring
essential synergistic co-factors and transporters,” explains the Organic Consumers Association
(OCA). “A synthetic vitamin can stimulate a cell’s metabolism, but it cannot upgrade or replace
the cell’s components with superior, better quality elements. The results? A degraded
cell.” (http://www.organicconsumers.org/nutricon/qa.cfm)
2) Magnesium stearate.
Believe it or not, many supplements, including those made by more reputable brands, contain a
flow agent additive that, over time, can actually block the absorption of nutrients into your body.
This ingredient is known as magnesium stearate, and regular consumption of it is linked to the
development of a harmful “biofilm” in the intestines that may cause digestive problems.
Despite having the word magnesium in its name, magnesium stearate is not a source of
nutritive magnesium. The only reason why supplement manufacturers add the chalk-like
substance to their products is to make them easier to process through manufacturing
equipment. But the long-term health consequences of ingesting magnesium stearate may not
be worth the risk.
3) Titanium dioxide.
Another unnecessary additive found in many supplements, titanium dioxide, which is often used
as a pigment in vitamins and supplements, comes with its own set of health risks. An untested
nanoparticle powder made from titanium bits, titanium dioxide has been linked to causing
autoimmune disorders, cancer, and various other diseases. Besides the fact that it belongs to a
class of particles known to cause cell damage, titanium dioxide serves no therapeutic purpose
whatsoever, which means it does not belong in a health supplement.
“Titanium dioxide has recently been classified by the International Agency for Research on
Cancer (IARC) as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen ‘possibly carcinogen[ic] to humans,’” explains
the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety on its website. “This evidence showed
that high concentrations of pigment-grade (powdered) and ultrafine titanium dioxide dust
caused respiratory tract cancer in rats exposed by inhalation and intratracheal instillation.”
(http://www.naturalnews.com/027000_titanium_dioxide_vitamins.html)
4) Artificial colors.
Though not as common in more reputable vitamin and supplement brands, artificial colors are
still present in many mainstream supplements. The Pfizer-owned brand of supplements
marketed as Centrum, for instance, contain toxic coloring agents like FD&C Blue No. 2
Aluminum Lake and FD&C Red No. 40 Aluminum Lake, both of which are potential neurotoxins.
Even children’s vitamins like Flintstones Complete contain these and other toxic coloring
agents. (http://www.greenmedinfo.com)
5) Genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).
If your vitamin or supplement formula contains ingredients like maltodextrin, citric acid,
dextrose, vegetable-based fillers, sugars of any kind, or even synthetic vitamin C (ascorbic
acid), chances are it also contains GMOs. Unless specifically stated on the bottle as being
GMO-free, a vitamin supplement that is not whole food-based more than likely contains
ingredients derived from GMOs.
Soybean oil is often used as a filler in gelcap-based supplements, and is a common source of
GMOs. Vitamin E is another common GMO additive typically derived from soy, more than 90
percent of which is of GMO origin in the U.S. Other common GMO ingredients, unless
otherwise labeled, include soy lecithin, inositol, choline, vegetable oil, and vegetable cellulose.
(http://www.responsibletechnology.org/docs/Non-GMO-Shopping-Guide.pdf)
6) Irradiation.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently prohibits the use of irradiation as a
sterilizing protocol for dietary supplements. But this does not mean that every raw ingredient
used in dietary supplements is free of irradiation, as suppliers have been caught in the past
illegally selling irradiated raw materials. A European Commission study from back in 2002, for
instance, found that nearly half of all dietary supplements tested in Europe contained
ingredients that had been illegally irradiated. (http://www.nutraingredients.com)
Since most supplement manufacturers will insist that their products are not irradiated, the best
way to know for sure is to ask a company directly whether or not it tests and verifies the
integrity of all its raw ingredients. If it does not, urge the company to do so and ask for test
results.
Learn more: Natural News