Supplements: Natural vs Synthetic?

It is generally believed that synthetic nutrients are nearly chemically identical to those found in food.

However, synthetic nutrients are produced very differently from the way plants and animals create them. So despite the fact that they have a similar structure, people may react differently to synthetic nutrients. Also, it’s not clear how well synthetic nutrients are absorbed and used in the body. Some may be more easily absorbed, not others because when you eat real food, you’re not consuming single nutrients one by one, but instead, you’re eating a whole range of vitamins, minerals, co-factors, and enzymes that work alongside each other as they are used by the body.

Studies have shown, for example, that natural Vitamin E is absorbed twice as efficiently as synthetic vitamin E – for that and many other reasons we recommend natural supplements as much as possible.