Truth About Vitamins

By biochemically labeling the natural and synthetic vitamin E supplements, Burton and his colleagues were able to tell them apart and to also distinguish dietary vitamin E. While natural and synthetic vitamin E were absorbed equally well through the digestive tract, the liver selected for the natural form over the synthetic: blood levels of natural vitamin E were consistently twice those of the synthetic form.

"What we found was that blood and organ levels of natural vitamin E were almost double those of synthetic vitamin E, and they were consistently so," Burton explained. "The beauty of this study design is that each participant served as both a control and experimental subject."
A similar trend was found in the blood of 22 surgical patients given the half-natural, half-synthetic vitamin E supplements for up to six weeks and in two terminally ill patients given the supplements for one to two years.

Tissue levels of natural vitamin E - based of organs removed during surgery - also increased compared with the synthetic. However, it appeared to take at least a year or two for the 2:1 natural-to-synthetic ratio to develop in tissues.

In the other study, Robert V. Acuff, MD, of East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, gave vitamin E supplements - again, half natural and half synthetic - to 15 pregnant women five days before giving birth. At delivery, natural vitamin E levels in the mothers' blood were consistently double those of the synthetic vitamin. Furthermore, natural vitamin E levels in the placental cords was almost 3.5 times higher than the synthetic form.

The bottom line is that price should not be the primary focus when selecting your vitamin supplements. If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing right, and nowhere is that more important than with your health. Remember, "God made naturals - MAN made synthetics.
In which will you put your trust?"