The shocking truth about vitamins!

The Journal of the American Medical Association Volume 294(3), 20 July 2005, p 351-358, found whole foods to be the best source of nutrition and not the synthetic chemicals in multi-vitamins. In the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition January, 2004;79(1):86-92, we learn that vitamin E supplements do not work as well as foods naturally rich in vitamin E.)

A New England Journal of Medicine (Nov, 1995) Boston University School of Medicine study stated that synthetic vitamin A given to pregnant women in medium to high doses of 10,000-20,000 IU per day, increased the risk of birth defects by 240% at the lower dosage and 400% at the higher dosage. Serious genetic damage that caused cleft lip, cleft palette, heart malformations, and nervous system damage such as hydrocephalus were linked to synthetic vitamins. This comprehensive study of 22,748 women over a period of four years reported that there was no birth defect risk noted from foods containing vitamin A in foods. Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School ran a four-year study to see if antioxidant supplements could prevent the recurrence of adenomas of the colon after surgical removal in 864 patients. After four years of giving 25 mg of beta-carotene, 1000 mg of ascorbic acid, and 400 mg of alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E), all in synthetic forms, there were no positive effects noted and the researchers concluded that: "Current data do not support the use of antioxidant vitamin supplements for purposes of cancer prevention" (July 22, 1994 New England Journal of Medicine).

A 10-year Finnish study on 29,133 male smokers (ages 50-69) studied synthetic vitamin E and beta-carotene for reducing the incidence of lung and other cancers. A daily 20 mg dose of beta-carotene raised the blood levels tenfold. A 50 mg daily dosage of alpha-tocopherol elevated blood values of vitamin E by approximately one-third. The researchers noted no protection from the supplementation and harmful effects that included: 18% higher incidence of lung cancer, more heart attacks, more strokes, and an 8% higher increase in the overall death rate (New England Journal of Medicine, April 14, 1994). Another 1994 study in the New England Journal of Medicine on elderly Americans to improve muscle weakness and physical frailty demonstrated no benefits whatsoever. A study in 1945 American Journal of Digestive Diseases" vitamin E-deficient laboratory animals that were fed tocopherols died before the control group that did not receive any vitamin supplement at all.

Agnes Fay Morgan, Ph.D., food research scientist at the University of California, reported in Science, (93: 261-262, 1941) that animals on a synthetic vitamin-enriched diet died long before the animals on an unprocessed diet became disabled. She stated that the enrichment of processed foods with synthetic vitamins may "precipitate conditions worse than the original deficiency." Other animal studies reveal untimely deaths, sterility, and serious health deficits with the use of synthetic vitamins versus whole foods in animal feeds (Scandinavian Veterinary, 30, 1940; Journal of Natural Agriculture, 1939).

Vitamin Man-made or Distilled USP Synthetic Vitamins

	Vitamin A   -   Acetate, Retinal Palmitate, Beta Carotene
	Vitamin B1   -   Thiamine HCI, Thiamine Mononitrate (coal tar derivatives)
	Vitamin B3   -   Niacin *
	Vitamin B6   -   Pyridoxine *
	Vitamin B12   -   Cyanocobalamin (from activated sewage sludge)
	Vitamin C   -   Ascorbic Acid, Pycnogenols (distilled* from corn sugar/syrup)
	Vitamin E   -   d-Alpha Tocopherol, d1-Alpha Tocopherol, d-Alpha Succinate (from processed cottonseed, soybean)
	Vitamin K   -   K3 or Menadione
	Folate   -   Folic Acid *

*Distillation is a process whereby the source-foods are exposed to high powered chemicals, solvents, heat and distillations reducing it down to the desired individual crystalline vitamin or amino acid.