Synthetic Vs. Natural Vitamin Supplements: Which Is Better?

Vitamins are organic compounds that help in thesupplements contain numerous chemicals, which could
body's metabolism and maintenance. Vitamins can bereact adversely with your body. Just as lack of
absorbed from numerous food sources, but arevitamins results in various diseases, excessive intake
especially abundant in fruits and vegetables. However,of vitamins have also been known to cause a myriad
there may still be nutrients that your body will not beof toxicities, including hypersensitivity reactions, diarrhea
able to absorb, or that you may not be getting enoughand bone damage, to name a few.
of from your diet. This is why vitamin supplements areRecent studies have also shown that natural vitamins
important.are better absorbed and processed by the body than
There are 12 essential vitamins that our body needs totheir synthetic counterparts. This allows you to get the
function effectively. These include Vitamins A, B1, B2,most out of your supplements, ensuring that you have
B3, B5, B6, B12, C, D, E, K and folate. These vitaminsadequate vitamin levels in your body.
have been shown to protect the body from certainSince natural vitamin supplements appear to be the
illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Lack ofbetter choice, it is best for you to find a natural
vitamins in the body can result in various diseases,supplement that can provide all these benefits.
including blindness, anemia, birth defects, bleedingWhen choosing a natural vitamin supplement, make
disorders and bone deformities, among others. Vitaminsure that the supplement contains all 12 essential
supplements provide your body with thevitamins. Also, check that the supplement is really
recommended daily amounts of essential vitamins, andnatural. Some synthetic products manipulate their
help prevent the development of these diseases.advertising to make it appear that the product is
Nowadays, numerous vitamin supplements exist,natural, when in fact, it isn't. Look closely into the
available in different forms. Vitamin supplements areingredients used in the product, and research on them.
available in all health stores and can also be orderedTake advantage of some websites that allows you to
online. These vitamin supplements can generally becheck up on these supplements and their contents.
divided into two categories: natural and synthetic. AtFinally, before taking any natural vitamin supplements, it
present, there is a continuing debate regarding whichis best to consult a qualified nutritionist or your physician
kind of supplement is more beneficial to the body.first.
Natural vitamin supplements are vitamins extractedDon't forget that no vitamin supplement can replace a
from natural food products and processed to create ahealthy, balanced diet. It is recommended that you eat
food supplement. Meanwhile, synthetic vitamina vitamin-rich diet, which can be achieved by increasing
supplements are man-made vitamins chemicallyyour intake of vegetables and fruits. A healthy diet,
processed in a laboratory.complemented by a high-quality natural vitamin
Research has been leaning more towards naturalsupplement, can ultimately give you a stronger body
vitamin supplements as the more beneficial productand help you live a longer life.
between the two categories. Studies on syntheticABSTRACT: Vitamin supplements are necessary to
vitamin supplements have resulted in mixed results.keep your body healthy. Natural vitamin supplements
Some scientists believe that taking synthetic vitamincan provide you with adequate amounts of vitamins
supplements could result in numerous side effects,needed in your diet, without the side effects
especially when the vitamins are taken in largeassociated with its synthetic counterpart.
amounts. This is because synthetic vitamin