Well, if you are still buying synthetic vitamins, like most of the American public, you won’t be finding any supplements that are organic – they’re all just made in a lab. However, if you have done your research and are convinced that whole food supplements contain all the necessary co-factors your body needs to process them and are far superior to synthetic vitamins, we think you do need to search out organic ingredients in your vitamins. Most whole food supplements are concentrated because they are usually dried out and converted to a powder form and either put into a tablet or a capsule (and you should avoid tablets as they are often toxic and less absorbable). This concentrates the nutrients, but will also concentrate any toxins like pesticides or heavy metals.
Organic foods have also been shown, in general, to have higher vitamin and mineral contents. So it is worth seeking out organic vitamins and minerals for your best health. Consider some of the following information:
Organic Means More Minerals
Not only do organic foods have fewer chemicals like pesticides in them, but they have been shown in many studies to have higher levels of various nutrients. An article in the Journal of Applied Nutrition studied the mineral content of organic vs conventionally grown apples, pears, wheat, potatoes and corn. In general, the organic foods in this study had much higher levels of minerals:
Chromium was higher on average 78 percent
Selenium 390 percent higher
Calcium 63 percent higher
Magnesium 138 percent higher
Organic Means Fewer Toxic Metals
In addition, this study showed that organic produce had much lower levels of toxic metals:
Mercury levels were 25 percent lower
Lead 29 percent lower
Aluminum 40 percent lower
Mercury, lead and aluminum are all toxic heavy metals with various dangers. Mercury can cause neurological problems, lead lowers IQ levels in children, and aluminum has been implicated in Alzheimer’s. You want to avoid these heavy metals in your vitamins if at all possible.
Organic Means Higher Vitamin Levels
Other studies have compared vitamin levels of organic vs conventional foods. These studies showed that when certain pesticides were applied, it lowered some vitamin levels, especially the B and C complex vitamins and beta carotene. B and C and beta carotene are all known as antioxidants and are necessary for our bodies to properly deal with all the chemicals that we are exposed to in our environment today (hmm, perhaps the plants used up some of the vitamin B and vitamin C and beta carotene in order for them to deal with the onslaught of the pesticides).
In any case, these studies would lead you to believe that eating organic foods and taking organic whole food supplements means in general getting higher levels of vitamins.
Organic Means Fewer Pesticide Residues
It goes without saying that there are fewer pesticide residues on organic foods, since pesticides are not being used on them. It is sad to say, however, that some pesticides are found even on organic foods because of pesticides in the water used for irrigation and from drift from adjacent fields. However, the amounts of pesticides are often significantly lower if the crop is grown organically.
Only a very few supplement manufacturers actually go a step farther and test every batch of incoming ingredients for the absence of pesticide residues. It is worth it in our opinion to find vitamins made by these manufacturers. Why ingest a product designed to increase your health and vitality that has pesticides concentrated in it?
Although it has been difficult to prove the adverse health benefits of consuming small amounts of pesticide residues on our foods, some people don’t need a study to tell them that chemicals that kill living things are not good for them. Recent studies have shown a clear relationship between pesticides in women’s fat cells and an increased risk of breast cancer.
Although we cannot always control our breathing in chemicals or what is in our water (although air and water filters can help), we can choose to eat more organic food and to use organic food supplements so as to reduce our risk.
So besides having a higher vitamin and mineral content, organic whole food supplements will be lower in toxins like heavy metals and pesticide residues. It is worth seeking out organic vitamins and minerals for your best health.
Beyond Organic Vitamin Potency
In addition to looking for organic ingredients in your supplements, you might want to hunt around for one that is made of highly potent ingredients. Depending on the richness of the soil in which it was grown, and how it was harvested and preserved, the nutrient content of various plants can vary by over 900 percent! This means you can get something that runs from barely containing the nutrient that you are looking for to something that is spectacularly potent.
Always ask about how the ingredients were grown and harvested if the manufacturer doesn’t discuss it. Look for vitamins that come from ingredients grown in a “beyond organic” manner.
Karen Pijuan
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/are-organic-supplements-superior-105965.html
Full Spectrum nutrition is the concept of providing the body with all the essential nutrients it needs in the right potency, ratio and absorption factors to ensure maximum benefit. By using a liquid delivery system, we can increase absorption of nutrients many times since liquids supplements, with the proper pH, have two opportunities for absorption, the stomach and small intestine. Also liquid supplements afford us the opportunity to adjust ratios of one nutrient to another, matching the natural presence of these nutrients in the human body. We have developed a liquid dietary supplement, which is now being offered by Phoenix Nutritionals, Inc., and it provides mega doses of over 130 nutrients including fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytonutrients and antioxidants. This is the identical formula we use on our clients and patients at our Centers around the world. Full Spectrum Nutrition, providing all the essential nutrients known to be involved in human health and longevity such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, phytonutrients and antioxidants, and for the first time in a liquid dietary supplement, even the essential fatty acids, can rebalance the body chemistry, increasing energy and the sense of well-being. Now Full Spectrum is finally available in one convenient bottle! This formula contains a wider range of vital antioxidant nutrients such as lycopene, bilberry, milk thistle, lutein for the eyes, and alpha lipoic acid, one of the most powerful anti-aging antioxidants presently known to science. When you consider everything contained The Full Spectrum concept, the vitamins, 75+ minerals, essential fatty acids, phytonutrients from plants, heavy hitting antioxidants such as lycopene, lutein, alpha lipoic acid, bilberry, and milk thistle, as well as the full range of amino acids, you just can’t find a more complete formula. By combining all these nutrients into one bottle, the cost to the end user is but a fraction of purchasing this range of nutrients in individual products. You can obtain the exact same formula that we use with all of our clients and patients at our Centers around the world by contacting Phoenix Nutritionals at 1-800-440-2390 or from their website at www.phoenixnutritionals.com. There are several forms that vitamin and mineral supplements to choose from. The most common and often least expensive are in tablet form. Tablets offer higher potencies in smaller spaces due to the tight compression of the material. Tablets have the convenience of being able to take fewer pills but the breakdown and absorption of many tablet formulas is very poor. You may have heard of the stories about the thousands of vitamin pills found in sewers and septic tanks that have passed through the body undigested. Sadly, these stories are true. Those at the greatest risk for absorption problems are those over the age of 50. As we age our ability to digest and break down hard tablets decreases. This is why it is important to consider the delivery system for those of that age group. The better supplements are found in capsule form. Capsules can be either from animal or vegetarian sources. Encapsulated multi-vitamin/mineral products tend to break down in the stomach very rapidly, usually less than 3 minutes. This allows the natural stomach acids to begin to prepare the nutrients for absorption. This is further enhanced if you take your multi-vitamin/mineral supplement with a meal. The food in the stomach will also increase the rate at which your system will absorb the nutrients. The last delivery system for a good Full Spectrum Supplement would be in a liquid suspension. Liquid supplements are far superior to either tablets or even capsules since we can easily adjust the pH of the fluid in which the nutrients are suspended. Keep in mind that most nutrients absorb at the cellular level in an acidic pH. By acidifying the liquid base, we add another layer of increased absorption potential. Another area of discussion when it comes to multi-vitamin supplements is that of additives or fillers. Fillers are most often used as binder in hard tablets, but can also be used in some capsule formulas as well. Some fillers are harmless and actually enhance absorption by preventing moisture and caking of the nutrients. Other fillers in supplements are there simply to fill out the tablets or capsules by increasing the volume of the material contained within. To conclude our discussion of Multi-vitamin and mineral formulas, there are several essential points that a consumer should consider. The first factor is of course, potency. A formula must provide adequate amounts of each of the known essential nutrients in order to meet the bodys daily requirement. The minimum dosage is rarely enough as we all absorb nutrients at different levels of efficiency. Next we must consider absorption. It has been said that you are what you eat, but we know that really you are what your body is able to absorb and imilate.