The Whole Food Vitamin Myth

Over the past months, I have run into many people who claim that their vitamins are sourced from "whole foods" and suggest that these are best.
The claim that vitamins are best sourced from "whole foods" is a myth.
There is a common misconception that "natural" vitamins and minerals are extracted from plants in their pure form and as such are superior to "synthetic" vitamins and minerals which are made in a laboratory. In reality, this is a misleading distinction.

First, it is not possible to extract pure vitamins from plants without considerable and significant chemical processing. Second, the biological activity of a compound has nothing to do with its source, but is determined by its chemical structure. In other words, it makes no difference whether the chemical originates from a leafy plant or a test tube - it is the same compound regardless.

Some vitamin and antioxidant compounds can be efficiently synthesized in factories to produce products that are identical in chemical form to those found in nature and that are pure and fully safe. In addition, some synthetic vitamins, such as folic acid are actually better absorbed than natural food folates.

The very reason that a vitamin industry exists is due to a the body of research that exists large published studies in the medical and nutritional literature that have given us the knowledge and insight into nutritional elements. With the hundreds of studies on calcium and vitamin D and bone health, it is hardly in dispute that these nutrients can prevent bone loss. If these traditional forms weren't any good because they weren't "whole", where did we get all these positive results? If "whole food" supplements are so much better, why are they rarely, if ever, used in any legitimate studies? If you want full benefits from the whole food, eat the whole food.

"Whole food" supplements are not whole foods. They do not contain water, fiber, calories, other macronutrients and are quite processed. Supplements, whether "whole food", synthetic or naturally derived, are just supplements. They do not replace a varied diet of healthy food.

We do need supplements for several reasons beyond the scope of this article, but it is best to choose those manufactured under pharmaceutical GMPs. If you go this route, you can't lose. The best resource for finding and comparing the best vitamin supplements is Nutrisearch: The Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. Good luck!