Vitamins are needed for our survival. The foods you eat contain vitamins and other nutrients and components that support your health. Supplementing with certain vitamins can promote your health if you do not obtain enough of them from your diet. The difference between vitamins from natural sources versus synthetic vitamins can have an impact on your body.
Natural Vitamins
Food is the primary source of vitamins. Nature makes vitamins that can be absorbed and assimilated by the body. Vitamins will have slightly different chemical names on labels. For example, vitamin E found in nature is called alpha-tocopherol, whereas synthetic vitamin E is called dl-alpha-tocopherol.
Synthetic Vitamins
Synthetic vitamins are made in the laboratory for supplements or to fortify foods. Vitamins produced in a lab do not have the exact same activity in your body as vitamins naturally occurring in food--for example, the vitamin C in an orange or the vitamin A in a carrot. If you take a synthetic vitamin, your body may require a higher concentration of it to receive the same amount as it would from a natural source.
Bioavailability
The chief difference between natural and synthetic vitamins is the bioavailability of the vitamin. Natural sources have a higher degree of absorption and usage by the body. Synthetic vitamin nutrients may be less bioavailable, so they must be taken in greater amounts because your body may only absorb half of what is in the vitamin supplement. However, vitamin E esters, synthetic forms of vitamin E made to enhance absorption like natural vitamin E, can have the same bioavailability, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.
Considerations with Synthetic
One possible advantage of synthetic vitamins is purity. Nutrients produced in a laboratory are “USP grade,” which means they have met the standards of the U.S. Pharmacopeia. "Natural" vitamins may not have been manufactured to the same standards. Another advantage is that the amount of the nutrient in each synthetic pill or capsule is standardized.
Shopping for Natural Vitamins
Most products found in retail stores are synthetic vitamins, unless they are labeled "natural." Natural vitamins aren't necessarily made from whole foods, unless the food source is noted. According to www.doctoryourself.com, vitamin C, for example, can be made from starch. Read the ingredients label, which will state the source used to make the vitamin or will say "synthetic."
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