You may have noticed some of the propaganda in the mainstream media over the last year focusing on the so-called dangers of nutritional supplements. It is not a coincidence. In typical media and governmental fashion, the topic has been sensationalized and polarized, all with intent to discredit the validity of nutritional supplements and open the door for more regulation. And this is a very disturbing trend to see! Of course, all the controversy is good for the media (fear can do wonders for their sales and ratings). Unfortunately, this type of slanted reporting can easily influence the uninformed. And before you know it, there is a shift in the general consciousness of our larger society. Which, of course, is exactly the intent. Truth becomes a victim of pseudo-science and the so-called experts in the world get behind an idea without any sound reason. Such is the case for villifying nutritional supplements.

In what has actually come down to being a fight over human rights, we now face legislation that has the potential to take away our freedom to choose what is best for our own health. With the formidable force of the pharmaceutical industry behind it, and it’s own greed to have more power, the FDA has decided that it needs to oversee the “safety” of nutritional supplements. On the surface this may not seem to be such a bad idea, but the FDA has proven themselves to be a bought-out agency that only acts to protect the interests of those who fund them--Big Pharma and Big Ag. Anything that promotes true health and well-being is at-odds with the agenda of both.  What Big Pharma and Big Ag want, afterall, is more profits and more influence; they want us to believe that the harmful drugs and industrialized, fake foods they peddle are safe, effective, and even healthy. If the FDA gets the power to oversee nutritional supplements as it does pharmaceuticals, it will be the death of supplements. Since supplements are not able to be patented, and as such cannot demand obscene prices for people to get them, manufacturers will not be able to afford the fees to go through the FDA’s approval processes, which will be the same as it subjects to drugs. Can you see the hypocrisy?

Granted, there are some bad eggs in the supplement world, but that is the case with every industry. The way that the FDA is jumping into this fray with it’s full might clearly does not match up with the nature of the problem. If they were actually interested in protecting more people and saving more lives, they would have to look no further that the drugs that Big pharma is peddling and the GMO foods that Big Ag is pushing down our throats. The amount of harm that is being done by nutritional supplements is minuscule compared to these evildoers.

Even with a small number of offenders in the world of nutritional supplements, as consumers, we all have reason to be cautious. Very few people know that there are different types of supplements and that they have a profoundly different effect on you. This is a concern that we at Bioletics hold in high esteem and is the foundation of our business. We have known for a long time that there is a significant difference product-to-product in quality and efficacy, and our testing process confirms it. The basis of our approach is this: do the right test to find out if you are sub-optimal in any key health and performance factors, and then use the best products to restore what you need. It’s simple. Everyone is an experiment of one. Make no assumptions. To that end, we have found that there is a huge difference between types of supplements.

The basic makeup of different supplements may be categorized into three classes:

1. Synthetic

• Artificial chemicals made in a laboratory.

• Most are made by pharmaceutical companies from coal tar or petroleum byproducts.

• Often referred to as “nutraceuticals” (chemical nutrients).

• Based in the same reductionism principles as drug therapy.

• Have a pharmacological (not nutritional or rebalancing) effect on the body.

• Are essentially over-the-counter drugs.

• Lack essential co-factors, which will complete and balance the nutrient complex.

• Create nutritional deficiencies of missing co-factors that naturally occur in food.

• Results in a toxic “mega-dose” approach to therapeutics, e.g. hundreds or thousands of milligrams of ascorbic acid (mistakenly referred to as vitamin C).

• Accurately described as counterfeit or fake vitamins.

• Have consistently been found less effective than food concentrates.

• Common adverse reactions when combined with other drugs.

• 99% of the “vitamins” people take (those from the pharmacy, health food store, vitamin store or mail order) are isolated synthetic chemicals.

2. Fractionated

• Similar to synthetics in principle and effect.

• Chemically extracted from foods or plants.

• For example: d-alpha tocopherol (mistakenly referred to as vitamin E) from soybean oil.

• Most standardized herbal extracts are made in this way.

3. Food Concentrates

• Concentrated foods and plants that retain the full nutrient complex.

• Made by simply removing the water and fiber from the food or plant.

• Quality determined by farming methods; soil, water and sun; and the manufacturing process.

• Produce far fewer adverse reactions and interactions with drugs.

• Non-toxic, unlike isolated chemical vitamins.

• Have a nutritional/rebalancing effect on the body; often referred to as “therapeutic foods”.

• Provides nutrients in the way the body is designed to obtain them: from foods, not chemicals.

• Greater availability of nutrients in their original/natural form.

Note: You cannot compare the amounts (milligrams) of vitamins in a synthetic formula to that of a food concentrate. Foods (e.g. a bag of carrots bought at the store) and food concentrates contain small amounts of hundreds of nutrients not listed on the label.

Thanks to Standard Process for use of this information.

At Bioletics, we advise clients to eat the best quality food, according to their Metabolic Type; add a whole food multi-vitamin/multi-mineral supplement, and only use synthetic supplements to target specific needs when warranted through testing. When synthetics are indicated, it is only for a short period of repletion and/or if the specific nutrient is needed in a concentrated form. Overall, building health through foundational nutrition is the only long-term path to wellness and longevity.

Additional reading on this topic: from Body Ecology. Discusses the differences in supplements - http://bodyecology.com/articles/could-your-multivitamin-be-making-you-sick

Questions? E-mail Tim at tim@bioletics.com or call 888.371.1033