As a product formulator of nutritional and nutraceutical products for Health Care Professionals, I have a very different philosophy from over 95 % of nutritional supplement companies (both in the retail and professional markets) - as well as most formulators.
The big difference is I am adamant - in almost all cases about NOT using synthetic vitamins and minerals in my formulations (which is typical in almost all products available in the market).
There is a growing body of research that suggests that consuming these synthetic compounds (which work in a similar manner to drugs) can cause long term negative health consequences.
Most people do not realize that when you consume these synthetic compounds you are consuming vitamins which (for the most part) are manufactured from coal tar distillates (coal tar is a known carcinogen!) and with minerals, they are in essence little pieces of rocks that you are introducing into your body.
I am sure that just conceptually this must resonate with you that this cannot be healthy!
Here are some further examples:
All the vitamin B-12, cyanocobalamin, is made from ground up toxic cow livers or activated sewage sludge on the market is made from either. These cow livers are overloaded with steroids and antibiotics, and the pesticides the cow assimilates while eating. The sewage sludge is just that, fecal matter. In today's environment of depressed immune diseases I can think of hundreds of reasons that these materials would be a health risk, not benefit. ground up toxic cow livers or activated sewage sludgenk of hundreds of reasons that these materials would be a health risk, not benefit. Just because a so-called natural substance (fecal matter is natural ) is high in a particular vitamin, does that also mean it is a good food?
"Vitamin A from fish liver juices loaded with toxic PCB's and mercury, B vitamins from coal tar and petro-chemicals, known central nervous system depressants, respiratory irritants and carcinogens, Vitamin C from acid blends irritating to the lining of the digestive tract (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin D from radiated oil, Vitamin E from Eastman Kodak, need I say anymore? "All minerals used in nutrient manufacture are basically dirt. The iron, calcium, zinc etc. are just mined ore, pulverized and powdered to a fine dust. This doesn't make it any easier to assimilate...Modern research shows us that minerals of this type are 99% inassimilable. The manufacturers response to this is to add pig digestive enzymes, which supposedly pre-digests it or chelates it, in their attempts to force our body to accept this toxic material. Is this practice of chelating minerals really to our benefit or a dangerous act of ignorance?"
Vitamin C is another good example. I think it is safe to assume that many people consume Vitamin C: we have come to learn that it can provide many health benefits.
Well if you are consuming natural Vitamin C, the answer is yes. If you are consuming typical Vitamin C from a pharmacy or health food store, just the opposite is in fact true!
I have just finished formulating a natural Vitamin C powder product - and the Vitamin C content comes from such natural plant sources as Acerola and Camu Camu...
You have to become an educated consumer when you are purchasing supplements! Don't forget: Big Pharma and chemical companies have their hand in the till, and are playing the same tricks to extract your money as they do in their more familiar territory!
The following will provide you with a summary of key issues related to Vitamin C, and the corresponding articles I accessed this documentation from...
Remember: knowledge is power! By educating yourself about these issues and sharing this knowledge with others, we can make a difference!
Regards,
Rob
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Rob Lamberton
The TRUTH is Out There...
Partner / Director of Product Development
My Consulting Website: roblambertonconsulting.com
Twitter: rob_lamberton
Skype: larch60
Email: rob@rabotanicals.com
Phone: 604-985-0840
Toll-free: 866-824-4422
Ø More than 90% of ascorbic acid in this country (the U.S.) is manufactured in Nutley, New Jersey, by Hoffman-LaRoche, one of the world's largest drug manufacturers. Most U.S. vitamin companies buy bulk ascorbic acid from this one company. Each vitamin company then makes its own labels and each usually claims to have a superior form of Vitamin C, even though it all came from the same plant and what's more, it's not really Vitamin C in the first place.
Ø As you may or may not be aware, wildly popular substances like vitamin C are usually extracted from corn — one of the leading GMO crops in the US. It is from this that the question immediately comes into focus: could supplement makers be using GMO corn to create vitamin C supplements?
Ø . In other words, chances are vitamin C may be extracted from GMO corn unless it is stated to be organic, non-GMO, or specifically not extracted from a non-GMO source.
Ø What about the countless other formulas that can extract from GM foods as a source. And when you consider GMO-containing ‘food’ can legally be labeled as ‘natural’ under current regulations, what ‘natural’ supplements could be based on Monsanto’s GMO crops?
Ø As it turns out, this is indeed the case. While it is impossible to compile a full list without a large amount of financial investment for testing every brand, what we do know is that major producers have explained how they usually will list ‘Non-GMO’ on their GMO-free options In reality, many reputable supplement companies have already begun listing their high quality products with the ‘GMO-free’ label and other quality re-assurances.
Ø Some, however, continue to source GMO or ‘potentially GMO’ corn. If you’re like me, this is a gamble that you are not willing to take.
Ø synthetic vitamin C may contribute to the formation of genotoxins that can lead to cancer
Ø study presented to the American Heart Association showed a link between consumption of only 500mg of vitamin C per day and a greater propensity toward thickening of the arteries (Los Angeles Times, March 3, 2000)
Ø athletes taking 1000mg of vitamin C per day showed reduced endurance capacity from interference with antioxidant enzymes (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jan 2008).
Ø Synthetic vitamins such as ascorbic acid act more like drugs in the body rather than whole food nutrients with all the available cofactors. Taking any synthetic vitamin can cause imbalances in the body and should be avoided.
Ø British researchers, chemical pathologists at the University of Leicester, found in a six-week study of 30 healthy men and women that a daily 500-milligram supplement of vitamin C had pro-oxidant as well as antioxidant effects on the genetic material DNA.
Ø The researchers found that at the 500-milligram level, vitamin C promoted genetic damage by free radicals to a part of the DNA, the adenine bases, that had not previously been measured in studies of the vitamin’s oxidative properties.
Ø “The vitamin C in supplements mobilizes harmless ferric iron stored in the body and converts it to harmful ferrous iron, which induces damage to the heart and other organs,” Dr. Herbert said in an interview. “Unlike the vitamin C naturally present in foods like orange juice, vitamin C as a supplement is not an antioxidant,” Dr. Herbert said. “It’s a redox agent — an antioxidant in some circumstances and a pro-oxidant in others.”
Ø Synthetic vitamin C comes from acid blends that irritate the lining of your digestive track
Ø It's just a chemical copy of naturally occurring ascorbic acid. This kind of fractionated, chemical acid never grew in the ground or received sunlight, but rather it's a sulfuric acid by-product.
Ø 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.
Ø Ascorbic Acid Causes Hardening of the Arteries?
Ø It seems hardly likely that taking high doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can cause thickening or hardening of the arteries since so many people have taken high doses for a long time. Yet researchers from the University of California reported just that on March 2, 2000. People who took 500 mgs of ascorbic acid had a 2.5 times faster progression of thickening of the carotid artery (hardening of the arteries) than people who took no supplement.
Ø This study was not a clinical study where subjects are divided into those taking ascorbic acid and those taking a placebo. This was an epidemiological study which means patient records were examined and this finding popped up. There might well have been other confounding factors that would explain the artery-thickening finding.
Ø All store-bought vitamin C is either synthetic or fractionated (isolated from a highly-processed food like corn oil). The real vitamin C complex contains a myriad of nutrients, including organic copper, bioflavonoids, enzymes and coenzymes, trace mineral activators, antioxidants, etc. The ascorbic acid fraction of this complex is only the preservative or anti-oxidant portion which actually serves to preserve the nutrients of this marvelous nutritional complex.
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/beware-of-ascorbic-acid-synthetic
A lot of folks are being fooled by these misleading semantics and there is a growing body of evidence that those consuming high doses of ascorbic acid should have reason to worry. The Winter 2009 edition of Wise Traditions cites 3 studies which give pause about large doses of vitamin C. The first study (from the Jun 15, 2001 issue of Science) showed that “synthetic vitamin C may contribute to the formation of genotoxins that can lead to cancer”.
A second study presented to the American Heart Association showed a link between consumption of only 500mg of vitamin C per day and a greater propensity toward thickening of the arteries (Los Angeles Times, March 3, 2000). Even more recently, athletes taking 1000mg of vitamin C per day showed reduced endurance capacity from interference with antioxidant enzymes (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Jan 2008).
This information should give pause to anyone who is actively taking synthetic vitamin C supplements such as those Emergen-C packets that are available everywhere, from pharmacies to healthfood stores. Supplements like these are NOT boosting immunity and are NOT good for you! Synthetic vitamins such as ascorbic acid act more like drugs in the body rather than whole food nutrients with all the available cofactors. Taking any synthetic vitamin can cause imbalances in the body and should be avoided.
Ascorbic Acid (Synthetic Vitamin C) May Damage DNA.
Taking Too much Vitamin C Can Be Dangerous, Study Finds
The New York Times – By Jane E. Brody, April 9, 1998
Those who think that if a little vitamin C is good, more must be better should think again, says a team of British researchers, who found that a supplement of 500 milligrams a day could damage people’s genes. Many Americans take that much, or more, in hopes of preventing colds and reaping the widely celebrated antioxidant benefits of vitamin C. Antioxidants, which block cellular and molecular damage caused by the highly reactive molecules called free radicals, are believed to protect against heart disease, cancer, eye disorders like cataracts and macular degeneration, and other chronic health problems.
But the British researchers, chemical pathologists at the University of Leicester, found in a six-week study of 30 healthy men and women that a daily 500-milligram supplement of vitamin C had pro-oxidant as well as antioxidant effects on the genetic material DNA. The researchers found that at the 500-milligram level, vitamin C promoted genetic damage by free radicals to a part of the DNA, the adenine bases, that had not previously been measured in studies of the vitamin’s oxidative properties.
The finding, published in the current issue of the British journal Nature, corroborates warnings that have been issued for decades by an American physician, Dr. Victor Herbert, professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. Dr. Herbert has shown, primarily through laboratory studies, that vitamin C supplements promote the generation of free radicals from iron in the body.
“The vitamin C in supplements mobilizes harmless ferric iron stored in the body and converts it to harmful ferrous iron, which induces damage to the heart and other organs,” Dr. Herbert said in an interview. “Unlike the vitamin C naturally present in foods like orange juice, vitamin C as a supplement is not an antioxidant,” Dr. Herbert said. “It’s a redox agent — an antioxidant in some circumstances and a pro-oxidant in others.”
In contrast, vitamin C naturally present in food, he said, has no oxidizing effects.
Vitamin C supplements [ascorbic acid] in large doses have been linked to genetic damage as far back as the mid-1970’s. In a study then, Canadian researchers found that use of the vitamin in doses larger than in the British study, but not much larger than the amounts some people take to ward off colds and the flu, damaged genetic material in three systems: bacterial cells, human cells grown in test tubes, and live mice.
The lead author of the new study, Dr. Ian Podmore, said that at 500 milligrams, vitamin C did act as an antioxidant on one part of the DNA, the guanine bases. Oxidation of guanine to oxoguanine is what is usually measured to determine the degree of DNA damage through oxidation. As expected, when the volunteers took a daily 500-milligram dose of vitamin C for six weeks, oxoguanine levels indeed declined, “which is why vitamin C is generally thought to be an antioxidant,” Dr. Podmore said.
But when they measured a second indicator of DNA oxidation, oxoadenine, the researchers found that it had risen rather than declined, “indicating genetic damage to this DNA base,” Dr. Podmore said. A colleague, Dr. Joseph Lunec, said that at the 500-milligram level, vitamin C’s “protective effect dominated, but there was also a damaging effect.” “There should be caution about taking too much vitamin C,” Dr. Lunec said. “The normal healthy individual would not need to take supplements of vitamin C.”
In the United States and Britain alike, the recommended daily intake of vitamin C for healthy adults is 60 milligrams, which can be easily obtained from foods — by drinking about six ounces of orange juice, for example. Larger amounts are recommended for smokers and for pregnant and lactating women, but even these amounts can be readily obtained from foods.
Dr. Lunec took issue with the late Dr. Linus C. Pauling, the Nobel laureate chemist who took 12,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily and suggested that people could take as much of it as they wanted with no ill effect. “We think that’s not the case, to say the least,” Dr. Lunec said. “You can have too much of a good thing.” The research team is now studying the effects of lower doses of vitamin C, “to see if we can maximize the protective effect and minimize the damage,” Dr. Lunec said. “Given the new finding,” he said, “it would be unethical to test higher levels.”
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/synthetic-vs-natural-vitamins
The Differences Between Synthetic and Natural Vitamins
Published on January 2, 2009 by Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND
Vitamins, vitamins, vitamins. Whether we get them from our daily diet, from sunshine, or from store bought capsules or liquids, vitamins are vital to our health and to the proper functioning of our bodies.
Vitamin deficiencies lead to a wide range of problems spanning from anorexia to obesity, organ malfunction, confusion, depression and fatigue.
However, whether or not your vitamins are hurting you is another story. What people are not aware of is all vitamins are not created equal, and most are actually synthetic.
What is a “Synthetic” Vitamin?
The type of vitamins that are the most beneficial is up for debate. A healthy, organic diet should provide a good amount of nutrients that the body needs, but supplements can help ensure that we are getting a healthy dose of specific vitamins.
The problem is that many vitamin and mineral supplements are manufactured synthetically with chemicals and do not come straight from their natural sources. They are made to mimic the way natural vitamins act in our bodies. Natural vitamins are derived directly from plant material containing the vitamin, not produced in a test tube.
Many synthetic vitamins lack the transporters and co-factors associated with naturally-occurring vitamins because they have been “isolated.” The Organic Consumers Association emphasizes that isolated vitamins cannot be used or recognized by the body in the same way as the natural version.
The natural form come in packages with other vitamins, enzymes and minerals that control the way the body recognizes, metabolizes and uses them to make what it needs.
Isolated vitamins can’t always be used by the body, and are either stored until you obtain or create the nutrients required to use them effectively or are excreted. Synthetic vitamins are also devoid of necessary trace minerals and must use the body’s own mineral reserves which may lead to dangerous mineral deficiencies.
Did You Know? More than 95% of all the vitamin supplements sold today fall in to the synthetic category.
What’s the Big Deal About Synthetic Vitamins?
Synthetic versions of vitamins contain chemical compounds that were not meant for human consumption and do not occur in nature. Evolution has dictated that we eat the food we can gather from the earth, not the food we create in a lab.
We might not always get what we’re expecting from synthetics. The synthetic version of Vitamin E is often referred to as the dl- form. The dl- form is a combination of the d-form (which, by the way, is the naturally occurring form) and the l-form. No big deal, right?
Well it might not be, except that the body doesn’t actually use the l-form- we excrete it! I must note here that this applies only to vitamins and not amino acids or sugars. Fat soluble vitamins in their synthetic form are especially dangerous because they can build up in your fatty tissues and cause toxicity. The reason that the synthetic form is more dangerous is because you get a high, concentrated dose of the vitamin rather than the amount that you would get from a food-based form.
- Vitamins A, D, E and K are all fat soluble
- Fat soluble vitamins are found naturally in butter, fish oils, nuts, and green leafy vegetables
- Excesses of fat soluble vitamins are stored in the liver and fatty tissues
- Most people do not get sufficient amounts of fat soluble vitamins from their diet
How do I know if the vitamins I’m buying are synthetic or natural?
The Organic Consumers Association has published an ingredient chart to help consumers identify natural vs. synthetic vitamins. Many vitamin producers want you to believe that you are getting a “natural product” because it seems more wholesome to take “natural” vitamins.
Unfortunately, vitamins can be labeled as natural if they contain as little as 10% of the natural form of the vitamin. This means that your “natural” vitamin could contain 90% of synthetically produced chemicals! B-Vitamins and Vitamin C are also usually synthetically produced.
Common Synthetic Vitamins to Avoid:
Look for clues on your vitamin’s label that offer insight into the origin of the vitamin.
- Vitamin A: Acetate and Palmitate
- Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): Thiamine Mononitrate, Thiamine Hydrochloride
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Riboflavin
- Pantothenic Acid: Calcium D-Pantothenate
- Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
- Vitamin B12: Cobalamin
- PABA (Para-aminobenzoic Acid): Aminobenzoic Acid
- Folic Acid: Pteroylglutamic Acid
- Choline: Choline Chloride, Choline Bitartrate
- Biotin: d-Biotin
- Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Ascorbic Acid
- Vitamin D: Irradiated Ergosteral, Calciferol
- Vitamin E: dl-alpha tocopherol, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate or succinate
NOTE: The “dl” form of any vitamin is synthetic.
Other Toxic Ingredients to Avoid In Supplements
- Magnesium stearate (or stearic acid)
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) disguised as “natural flavors”
- Carnauba wax is used in car wax and shoe polish
- Titanium dioxide is a carcinogen
-Dr. Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN, DABFM
http://www.naturalnews.com/036650_synthetic_vitamins_disease_side_effects.html
Synthetic vitamin C comes from acid blends that irritate the lining of your digestive track. It's just a chemical copy of naturally occurring ascorbic acid. This kind of fractionated, chemical acid never grew in the ground or received sunlight, but rather it's a sulfuric acid by-product.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_3900.cfm
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
http://altmedangel.com/arteries.htm
AltMedAngel: Alternative Medicine Angel
The Hidden Dangers of Mega Vitamin C
Ascorbic Acid Causes Hardening of the Arteries?
It seems hardly likely that taking high doses of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) can cause thickening or hardening of the arteries since so many people have taken high doses for a long time. Yet researchers from the University of California reported just that on March 2, 2000. People who took 500 mgs of ascorbic acid had a 2.5 times faster progression of thickening of the carotid artery (hardening of the arteries) than people who took no supplement.
This study was not a clinical study where subjects are divided into those taking ascorbic acid and those taking a placebo. This was an epidemiological study which means patient records were examined and this finding popped up. There might well have been other confounding factors that would explain the artery-thickening finding.
Nonetheless, the researchers were surprised at the finding. And it seemed that the higher the dose of ascorbic acid, the worse the artery damage (the more they took, the faster the buildup). In fact, smokers taking 500 mgs of ascorbic acid had a rate of artery thickening five times greater than nonsmokers not taking the supplement. And while no one is sure what this all means, the researchers did come up with some common sense ideas about fractionated supplementation.
The director of the study astutely observed that "when you extract one component of food and give it at very high levels, you just don't know what you are doing to the system, and it may be adverse." Other researchers were quick to add that the research shows the uncertainties of picking out a single vitamin among the plethora of nutrients in a healthy diet. They added that it is a challenge to pick out nutrients that may make people live longer because if we are wrong, we can do harm.
Naturally this flies in the face of all the claims by all the synthetic vitamin manufacturers who state that vitamins can't hurt you, will never cause harm, are always beneficial, and will cure everything from a cold to cancer. The fact is that isolated, synthetic, or fractionated high-dose "vitamins" are unnatural and can cause harm to certain people. In the case of ascorbic acid, it is feasible that high doses may cause artery damage.
Synthetic Vitamins Also Cause Deficiencies
All store-bought vitamin C is either synthetic or fractionated (isolated from a highly-processed food like corn oil). The real vitamin C complex contains a myriad of nutrients, including organic copper, bioflavonoids, enzymes and coenzymes, trace mineral activators, antioxidants, etc. The ascorbic acid fraction of this complex is only the preservative or anti-oxidant portion which actually serves to preserve the nutrients of this marvelous nutritional complex. By manufacturing high-dose ascorbic acid supplements, we have opted to "extract one component and give it at a very high level, not knowing what we are doing to the system."
It is a fact that the body cannot assimilate (use) high-dose fractions of nutrients without first putting them into a form that is functional to the human body. In the case of ascorbic acid, the body will scour the system for the missing components of the vitamin C complex in order to utilize the ascorbic acid. That is why almost all of this chemical ends up in the urine -- because it cannot be utilized by the body in its fractionated form.
The potential problem with ascorbic acid is that prior to being excreted from the body, it scours the system for its accompanying nutrients. In so doing, ascorbic acid and other synthetic nutrients can create deficiencies of their nutritional partners. Prime examples are high doses of zinc causing a mineral deficiency, high doses of vitamin B1 causing a B vitamin deficiency, and high doses of ascorbic acid causing a copper deficiency.
Copper and Blood Vessels
One of the major functions of organic copper in the body is to keep blood vessels healthy. In fact, copper is always a nutrient used with patients who suffer from blood vessel diseases and deformities like aneurysms. Is it possible that people taking high doses of ascorbic acid induce a copper deficiency of sufficient significance to weaken blood vessel walls, resulting in thickening or hardening of the arteries?
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), which serves as a spokesman for the supplement industry, simply states that the ascorbic acid study in question does not really tell us much of anything since it was only an epidemiological study. They state that "the weight of all published scientific evidence suggests that vitamin C is beneficial not only for the heart but also protects against cataracts and some types of cancer." What remains unclear is whether the weight of scientific evidence is based on real vitamin C from food or ascorbic acid.
At this point in time, it would probably be prudent not to take high doses of ascorbic acid. If you want to take a vitamin C supplement, use the whole vitamin C complex from food which naturally contains ascorbic acid as well as vitamins A, P (bioflavonoids), the enzyme tyrosinase and other enzymes and co-enzymes, organic copper, trace mineral activators and a whole tapestry of other nutrients both known and unknown. Two of the best food based Vitamin C products are Cataplex ACP and Cataplex AC by Standard Process Labs.
New (Old) Blood Test for Heart Risk
According to the March 23, 2000, New England Journal of Medicine, a sensitive blood test for C-reactive protein is a powerful indicator of present or future heart and blood vessel disease. Recent testing studies prove what alternative heart doctors have been saying for a long time. Tests like the sensitive C-reactive protein and homocysteine levels are powerful predictors of heart disease and future heart problems like heart attacks and strokes.
Furthermore, the study showed what alternative doctors have also been saying all along--these kinds of tests are far more accurate screening mechanisms than either total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol levels. The study showed that those with the highest C-reactive protein levels had 4.4 times the chance of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular event. And this test proved to be the best indicator of heart attack risk -- twice as good as the LDL level (the American Heart Association's gold standard).
This test only costs about $20. When more than half of all heart attacks occur in people with normal or low cholesterol levels, this kind of test makes sense.
If you have a high C-reactive protein or homocysteine finding, it simply means you need to work on your diet and supplements to reduce blood vessel inflammation and heart damage, especially if you also have an extremely low cardiac recovery rate. Treat your heart and blood vessels nutritionally. At the very least, eliminate all processed oils, fried foods, and margarines, use little to no sugar; and take at least six Cardio-Plus tablets from Standard Process Labs along with a tablespoon of raw flax oil daily.
http://www.foodkills.org/synthetics.html
SYNTHETIC VITAMINS AND MINERALS
You've probably noticed that you can buy vitamins and minerals at your local supermarket and your local drugstore as well as at health food stores. You may have thought that maybe the vitamins and minerals in the health food stores were in some way better or were higher quality? Or maybe you've just assumed that the ones in the supermarket or drugstore are just as good?
Well, funnily enough, you were right - except for one thing, neither of them are good for you, especially over the long term. How come? More than 95% of the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that you can buy at "health food" stores and close to 100% of those sold in other stores are now made by the same few pharmaceutical and chemical companies who supply them to most all the vitamin and mineral companies. They are no longer the "nutritional supplements" they once were but are, more accurately, "nutraceuticals". And once again the drug companies, who realized some years ago that the best way to handle the threat of people getting better through real nutrition was to quietly take over the nutrition business, are profiting from your deception. People tend to assume that Vitamin C from one brand is pretty much the same as Vitamin C from another brand and in many cases they're right since the Vitamin C came from the same original supplier. But what most people don't realize is that these vitamins and minerals are not true and complete vitamins and minerals as would be supplied by good organically-grown whole foods but are in fact chemical synthetics made from such things as coal tar, petroleum products, animal by-products, waste and fecal matter, ground rocks, stones, shells and metal. And not only do they not supply the benefits of the real vitamins and minerals but they can actually be quite harmful to you when taken over time. Especially in the mega doses so often recommended. Real vitamins only require very minute doses to be effective. Dr. Richard Schulze, creator of the excellent whole food formulation, " SuperFood", has this to say: "Many so called natural vitamins are made from horrible substances. All the vitamin B-12, cyanocobalamin, is made from ground up toxic cow livers or activated sewage sludge on the market is made from either. These cow livers are overloaded with steroids and antibiotics, and the pesticides the cow assimilates while eating. The sewage sludge is just that, fecal matter. In today's environment of depressed immune diseases I can think of hundreds of reasons that these materials would be a health risk, not benefit. ground up toxic cow livers or activated sewage sludgenk of hundreds of reasons that these materials would be a health risk, not benefit. Just because a so-called natural substance (fecal matter is natural ) is high in a particular vitamin, does that also mean it is a good food? "Vitamin A from fish liver juices loaded with toxic PCB's and mercury, B vitamins from coal tar and petro-chemicals, known central nervous system depressants, respiratory irritants and carcinogens, Vitamin C from acid blends irritating to the lining of the digestive tract (Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin D from radiated oil, Vitamin E from Eastman Kodak, need I say anymore? "All minerals used in nutrient manufacture are basically dirt. The iron, calcium, zinc etc. are just mined ore, pulverized and powdered to a fine dust. This doesn't make it any easier to assimilate...Modern research shows us that minerals of this type are 99% inassimilable. The manufacturers response to this is to add pig digestive enzymes, which supposedly pre-digests it or chelates it, in their attempts to force our body to accept this toxic material. Is this practice of chelating minerals really to our benefit or a dangerous act of ignorance?"
And as Dr. Timothy O'Shea, author of "Conventional Medicine Vs. Holistic: A World of Difference", points out:
"Vitamins are not individual molecular compounds. Vitamins are biological complexes. They are multi-step biochemical interactions whose action is dependent upon a number of variables within the biological terrain. Vitamin activity only takes place when all conditions are met within that environment, and when all co-factors and components of the entire vitamin complex are present and working together. Vitamin activity is even more than the sum of all those parts; it also involves timing. Vitamins cannot be isolated from their complexes and still perform their specific life functions within the cells. When isolated into artificial commercial forms, like ascorbic acid, these purified synthetics act as drugs in the body. They are no longer vitamins, and to call them such is inaccurate." "VITAMIN C" Let's look at Vitamin C as an example. Many people buy Vitamin C as ascorbic acid, but ascorbic acid is not Vitamin C and in fact taken by itself can be quite irritating to the lining of the digestive tract. Complete Vitamin C is composed of many co-factors such as rutin, bioflavonoids, Factor K, Factor J, Factor P, Tyrosinase, Ascorbinogen, ascorbic acid and other components. Each of these is vital to the complete biological activity that enables Vitamin C to function fully. Ascorbic acid is only a very small fraction of naturally occurring vitamin C. As Dr. O'Shea also points out, "In addition, mineral co-factors must be available in the proper amounts. If any of these parts are missing, there is no vitamin C, no vitamin activity. "The ascorbic acid you buy at the grocery store every few weeks, thinking you are buying Vitamin C, is just a chemical copy of naturally occurring ascorbic acid, which itself is still only a fraction of the actual Vitamin C. Real vitamin C is part of something living, and as such, can impart life. Your synthetic, fractionated chemical ascorbic acid never grew in the ground, never saw the light of day, never was alive or part of anything alive. It's a chemical, a cornstarch derivative, a sulfuric acid by-product. In your body it's just another drug. Synthetic vitamins have toxic effects from mega-doses and actually can increase the white blood cell count. Vitamins are only necessary in minute quantities on a daily basis. Whole food vitamins, by contrast, are not toxic since the vitamin is complexed in its integral working form, and requires nothing from the body, and triggers no immune response. "Whole food vitamin C as found in potatoes, onions, and citrus fruits is able to quickly cure any case of scurvy. By contrast, the fractionated chemical ascorbic acid has been shown to be insufficient in resolving a scurvy condition, simply because it does not act as a nutrient. (Lancet 1842)" More than 90% of ascorbic acid in this country is manufactured in Nutley, New Jersey, by Hoffman-LaRoche, one of the world's largest drug manufacturers. Most U.S. vitamin companies buy bulk ascorbic acid from this one company. Each vitamin company then makes its own labels and each usually claims to have a superior form of Vitamin C, even though it all came from the same plant and what's more, it's not really Vitamin C in the first place. So what does this tell us? Well, one thing it tells us is that if you look at the label on a bottle of so-called "Vitamin C" and it says only ascorbic acid, don't buy it. Looking at a typical multi-vitamin label we see such things as: Acetate, Palmitate, Thiamine mononitrate, Thiamine hydrochloride, Thiamine Chloride, Pyridoxine hydrochloride, Cobalamin or cyanocobalamin, Ascorbic Acid, Pycnogenols, Irradiated ergosterol or Calciferol, dl-alpha tocopherol, Menadione, Beta Carotene and Retinoic acid . How many of these are true vitamins? Not a one - they are all chemical derivatives concocted in a pharmaceutical laboratory. And they are none of them complete vitamins. And they are in forms that your body doesn't know what to do with. Especially in the absence of the synergistic minerals that enable the vitamins to work.SO WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? So, what's the big deal with taking synthetics - why is it really a problem? And how come some people report feeling better when they first take them? If a person has in his or her body enough reserves of the missing parts of a particular vitamin when combined with the vitamin isolate from the synthetic they will experience some initial relief. But as soon as those reserves are used up, the synthetic will no longer work, the symptoms will return and the person will now experience the often unpleasant effects of vitamin imbalance and deficiency. As Dr. Judith DeCava points out in "The Real Truth about Vitamins and Antioxidants", "This is what occurs with all synthetic vitamins: the body treats them as toxins, leading to the "expensive urine" of excess vitamin intake referred to frequently, since the human system via the urinary tract attempts to rid itself of the major quantity of such foreign chemicals." Dr. DeCava also points out that vitamin B1, as synthetic Thiamine (Thiamine HCL or Thiamine Mononitrate), "will initially allay fatigue but will eventually cause fatigue by the buildup of pyruvic acid. This leads to the vicious cycle of thinking more and more Thiamine is needed, resulting in more and more fatigue along with other accumulated complaints... ...Natural food-source vitamins are enzymatically alive. Man-made synthetic vitamins are dead chemicals." True whole food vitamins don't leech the body of their missing co-factors and don't cause a vitamin imbalance leading to the return and increase of symptoms. True vitamins also don't need mega doses to create their effect. A high number of milligrams is often an indication of a synthetic source. According to Dr. Timothy O'Shea, "In one experiment, synthetic vitamin B (thiamine) was shown to render 100% of a group of pigs sterile!" and, "A study reported in Apr 94 in the NEJM of some 30,000 Finnish subjects showed conclusively that synthetic vitamin A had no antioxidant effect whatsoever. A true antioxidant helps to protect heart muscle, lungs, and artery surfaces from breaking down prematurely. In this study, the subjects who received the synthetic beta carotene actually had an 8% higher incidence of fatal heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer than those who got the placebo (sugar pill). Stands to reason: the synthetic brought no vitamin activity to the tissues that needed it. As a dead, purified chemical introduced into the body, the synthetic further stressed the immune system, the liver, and the kidneys which all had to try to break down this odd chemical and remove it from the body. It would be bad enough if they were harmless, but synthetic vitamins actually have a net negative effect." There is a chart here that you can look at and see from the labels if the vitamins you are taking are real or synthetic. Just looking at the labels and acting accordingly could change your life.
http://naturalsociety.com/supplement-brands-openly-contain-gmo-vitamin-sources
Warning: Major Supplements Openly Contain GMO Vitamin Sources
Genetically modified organisms have permeated much of the crop industry, absolutely infesting the processed food market, but are many ‘health’ supplements free from the presence of GMOs? As it turns out, major supplement producers actually will openly admit that they derive many of their formulas from GMO crops — consumers just aren’t really paying attention!
If you know much about Monsanto or the prevalence of GMOs, you are likely aware that a large majority of corn (about 80-95% of the entire crop in the US, if not more, depending on what research you follow) is genetically modified. Being responsible for 90% of the US GM seed market, Monsanto has done its very best to create a genetically altered monopoly on the food supply. This is where the supplement factor comes in.
As you may or may not be aware, wildly popular substances like vitamin C are usually extracted from corn — one of the leading GMO crops in the US. It is from this that the question immediately comes into focus: could supplement makers be using GMO corn to create vitamin C supplements? What about the countless other formulas that can extract from GM foods as a source. And when you consider GMO-containing ‘food’ can legally be labeled as ‘natural’ under current regulations, what ‘natural’ supplements could be based on Monsanto’s GMO crops?
As it turns out, this is indeed the case. While it is impossible to compile a full list without a large amount of financial investment for testing every brand, what we do know is that major producers have explained how they usually will list ‘Non-GMO’ on their GMO-free options. In other words, chances are vitamin C may be extracted from GMO corn unless it is stated to be organic, non-GMO, or specifically not extracted from a non-GMO source. In reality, many reputable supplement companies have already begun listing their high quality products with the ‘GMO-free’ label and other quality re-assurances.
Some, however, continue to source GMO or ‘potentially GMO’ corn. If you’re like me, this is a gamble that you are not willing to take.
NOW Company: ‘Our Vitamin C Derived From Standard Corn, Many Products Contain GMO Derivatives’
An investigator researching for this piece actually got in contact with NOW, a leading supplement producer. They asked about how they extract their vitamin C products when considering the high percentage of GM corn that currently supplies the industry. Concerned for their health and the health of consumers, worldwide, they wanted to know if they were swallowing GMOs — or at least vitamins derived from GMOs. In response to their inquiry, a NOW team member replied:
“All of our C is derived from standard corn not certified to be non-GMO… Many products [in the industry at large] contain soy or corn derivatives which are generally GMO’d. We are motivated towards non-GMO-sourced products.”
The NOW Science & Nutrition Group rep then included some information from their Technical Director Michael Lelah, which talks about how NOW is generally opposed to genetic manipulation of the food supply but does not specifically use non-GMO sources for all of their products. The excerpt from Lelah which the rep said was copied from a blog ‘Natural Is Better’, reads:
“Genetic Modification: NOW is opposed to genetic modification, because there are real and unknown harmful effects. Unfortunately, much of the world’s supply of corn and soybeans is genetically modified which is why we continue to offer more products that are certified GMO-free.”
An interesting statement when also considering that NOW sites on the council for the Non-GMO Project. But what does this mean for the industry? NOW products are taken by thousands (or more likely millions) of health conscious individuals worldwide, and are considered to be of higher quality than many other brands. Now, to be clear, I am not bashing NOW and ignoring other brands. I really have nothing against NOW in particular, but their openness to GMOs within their products is truly problematic. Just imagine the quality of sourcing for pharmacy vitamin C brands that contain more fillers and additives than imaginable.
But what do we do with this information? What do we do about it? Quite simply, it’s time to raise the standard. It’s time to let people know that their supplements are being sourced from GMOs, and it’s time to change that. This article is going to make a lot of manufacturers mad, possibly to the point of threats and exile, but this issue is more important than hurt feelings. We can’t sit idle while Monsanto creeps its way into the supplement industry, relishing as many health conscious consumers think they are aiding their bodies.
Raising the Standard | GMO-Free Supplements A Necessity
The answer to the GMO sourcing within the supplement industry is a consumer-mandated shift towards non-GMO alternatives. Not ‘natural’ or ‘potentially GMO-free’ alternatives, but certified non-GMO, preferably organic-containing, health products. Sure, non-GMO certifications have room for error. It’s possible that some sketchy businesses can even slip past the regulations (particularly when considering cheap Chinese certifications), but it’s a start to progress the process forward as well. We are not even at the point where we can further accelerate the validity of GMO-free certifications when people aren’t even aware that they are consuming them in the first place.
So how is this done?
First, we need to blast this information out and E-mail every major supplement brand and ask if they ever source from GMO crops. Ask them point blank, and post the result in the comments, your blog, Facebook, Twitter, everywhere. Blast it out, get it out there. Force them to change or lose sales. Force them to begin sourcing 100% non-GMO or face massive customer loyalty changes. We’ve seen this work time and time again, which companies removing everything from BPA to high-fructose corn syrup in a bid to retain customers. We’ve even seen this with civil liberties issues going public and turning into a demand for answers from government officials.
It’s an aggressive way of raising the bar, but it’s also essential to eliminating GMOs from this fairly new arena that virtually no one is talking about. It’s possible to cut this issue at the root as long as we make it a big deal. Monsanto’s GMO contamination has no place in our supplements, food, or really anything else.
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