![[Multivitamin Episode 3] Beta-carotene and Vitamin E are Synthetic and Natural | Dr. Esther Yeo](http://esther-mall.com/cdn/shop/articles/52_37760c4e-6a2a-41f9-8ffa-7baf0b35459c.jpg?v=1734117670&width=480)
Vitamins are divided into synthetic vitamins and natural vitamins. Synthetic vitamins are made from the starch of plants such as coal tar and corn and potatoes that are produced during the refining process of crude oil, and are fermented and refined to synthesize a large amount of the desired vitamins. For example, thiamine, a vitamin B1, is chemically synthesized from coal tar, ammonia, acetone, and hydrochloric acid. Vitamin E is synthesized from refined oils, trimethylhydroquinone, and isophytels. Natural vitamins are extracted directly from the plant and packaged in pills. For example, beta-carotene is derived from carrots and dunariela, and vitamin C is derived from fruits and vegetables such as lemons, berries, and acerola.
Common sense tells us that since the chemical structure is the same as synthetic, natural, and chemical, the benefits in the human body are the same. In fact, there isn't much difference between natural and synthetic vitamin C. However, beta-carotene and vitamin E differ in absorption and bioavailability due to different isomers, which refers to the three-dimensional structure of vitamin molecules. This means that natural vitamins are better than synthetic vitamins. In Dr. Lyle McWilliams' multivitamin evaluation commissioned by Health Canada, there are a variety of multivitamins, ranging from products that scored only 3 points to products that scored 95~96 points. If the vitamin E in a multivitamin is natural, it scores high. As mentioned earlier, you can choose a formulation that lists vitamin E as d-alpha tocopherol rather than d/l-alpha tocopherol on the product label.
Natural vitamins also have their drawbacks. They are three or four times more expensive to manufacture than synthetic vitamins, and their low purity can make pills two or three times larger or require more pills to take. When vitamins are extracted from plants, there are many contamination problems, such as the introduction of impurities.
However, if you only care about your health, I would recommend a multivitamin that contains a lot of natural vitamins, provided that the manufacturer is trustworthy. Another reason I highly recommend natural vitamins is that they provide a variety of phytochemicals that support your health in addition to vitamins. Phytochemicals are pigment components in plants. This is an important reason why plants live longer than animals and don't get cancer. I believe that the essence of a multivitamin is in phytochemicals. This is because when it is difficult to take all the plants containing phytochemicals, you can take them in the form of a multivitamin. What's more, vitamins and minerals work synergistically when combined with phytochemicals rather than individually, resulting in better absorption and bioavailability. Because that's a much closer way to nature. Eating vitamins and minerals in a single ingredient doesn't happen in nature.
Most of the premium multivitamins on the market these days contain dozens of phytochemicals in natural vitamins. Let's take a look at the product label of the American company D that I'm eating. It contains a total of 71 ingredients, including 13 kinds of vitamins, 9 kinds of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, manganese, chromium, iodine,
Growing children, pregnant women, and women of childbearing age who menstruate regularly need iron. However, excessive intake of unnecessary iron after middle age has adverse health effects, such as thickening of the blood and the formation of blood clots. When you consume a lot of iron, free radicals increase due to increased oxidative stress in the body. For a while, there was even a trend in the U.S. to take a multivitamin called "Iron Free" that didn't contain any iron.
Vitamin A has also been observed to have side effects such as an increase in lung cancer when consumed in excess through various epidemiological studies, so it is sufficient to consume it within the recommended daily amount. In particular, if you are taking a multivitamin, you should avoid taking other supplements that contain vitamin A, such as antioxidant vitamins. On the other hand, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin D need to be supplemented separately, even if you are taking a multivitamin. This is because the amount of these nutrients in a multivitamin may not be enough.
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