Natural Vitamin And Mineral Supplements

When purchasing nutritional supplements, you can choose from natural or synthetic ingredients. However, don't be fooled into believing every ingredient in the product is wholly from nature if it says "natural" on the label. The fact is no vitamin or mineral supplement is natural because even purified nutrients are refined and processed. Vitamins can be synthesized in the lab, whereas minerals are natural, but undergo processing with synthetic ingredients for inclusion in supplements.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is a group of compounds including retinol, retinal and retinoic acid that function in your body to support vision, fight infection and promote growth and development. Vitamin A is found in cod liver oil. Most foods, such as fruits and vegetables, do not contain these forms of vitamin A and instead contain beta-carotene, a substance your body converts into vitamin A. Most dietary supplements contain beta-carotene, yet do not use the natural chemical structure of the substance. The common chemical structure of beta-carotene in nature is "cis" rotation, which has more antioxidant capacity than the "trans" rotation of synthetic beta carotene found in most supplements. The best way to tell if the supplement contains natural or synthetic vitamin A and beta-carotene is to look for the source of beta-carotene. Cod liver oil and algae are natural sources of vitamin A and beta-carotene, respectively.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E refers to a group of eight antioxidants, yet only one, d-alpha-tocopherol, is actively used in the human body. Vitamin E protects the membranes of your cells from chemical oxidation. Your body can much better utilize natural vitamin E than the synthetic form of vitamin E because the natural form is better absorbed. If the substance in the supplement is dl-alpha-tocopherol rather than d-alpha-tocopherol, then it is a synthetic form of the vitamin. The d and the l refer to the direction of the rotation of the molecule. Only the "d" form is natural.

Calcium

Calcium is a mineral that is part of your bones, teeth and blood. Calcium is naturally found in dairy, green vegetables, soy and nuts. The most common form of calcium in supplements is calcium carbonate, yet it requires extra stomach acid to digest and is best taken with meals. Calcium citrate is the form that you can absorb most. Calcium gluconate, calcium lactate and calcium phosphate are other forms of calcium supplements, yet these have very small percentages of elemental calcium in each tablet.

Zinc

Zinc is a trace mineral found in whole grains and legumes that is vital for immune function and cellular processes, yet these foods contain substances called phytates that inhibit all of the zinc from getting absorbed into your body. Taking zinc supplements can increase the amount you absorb into your body. Zinc supplements are available in the chemical forms of zinc picolinate, zinc acetate, zinc gluconate and zinc sulfate. Supplement companies might promote zinc picolinate as the most absorbable form of zinc, yet few studies support this claim in humans.