Whole Food or Food Form Vitamin Issues

There are some issues that whole food or the Food Form Vitamin companies need to address. The claim is that these vitamins are all natural from food or are in a food like structure form and contain all the co-factors and synergistic nutrients found in foods that make up vitamin actions. But this impression is far from reality.

• Vitamin E contains 8 different forms in nature, but only 1 is listed on labels. Do the whole food or food form vitamins contain all 8 forms?   
  • Analyzing the nutrients in the food sources listed that supply these vitamins reveals that whole food vitamins or food form vitamins do not contain significant amounts if any of the other vitamin E family members. While the nutrient box on vitamin labels does not require these nutrients to be listed, it is a fact that they cannot be listed until after the box by a very strange Government rule. The Government still does not recognize the importance of these other vitamin E forms: beta-, gamma-, and delta- tocopherols, and alpha-, beta-, delta-, and gamma-tocotrienols. ref  See this article for vital functions of these other E members on brain activity. Here is another article with many other functions the other 7 vitamin E family members do better than the only 1 E member the Government allows to be called vitamin E. Another article, check out which form of vitamin E is more effective on cancer cells?
• During Digestion, most vitamin compounds breakdown to their isolated form, and then once inside the body, attach to their body wise carrier or transporter protein. Therefore, what advantage is gained to first put an isolated (synthetic and/or natural) vitamin back into a food form like structure in the growing yeast cell mixtures? 
  • This may be why even most synthetic vitamins have some level of function as a vitamin. The isolated synthetic vitamin is often very similar to an isolated natural vitamin. Synthetic Vitamin E represents the largest exception at just 50% functions of natural form. Plus, synthetic beta carotene also only contains one of the forms found in nature. These tow nutrients should never be consumed in their synthetic form. Since the exact form added to the growing yeast cell mixture in the manufacture of food form or whole food vitamins is not specified, no determination is possible as to which form(s) they contain. There may be a little natural source vitamin in the foods added to the finished products, but not anywhere near the label amounts. The label amounts are from the vitamins added to the growing yeast cell mixture. This information is relevant to these Brands: New Chapter, MegaFoods, and the older Garden of Life multiples. To properly analyze, the starting form of vitamins added to the growing yeast mixture would have to be known. The new MyKind Organics Multiples represent a different approach. See here.
• • One advantage that some whole food or foodform vitamins mention is that they exhibit a greater absorption percentage over isolated vitamins. This is usually true since the food part can help here as well and the nutrient dosages are lower, which helps any vitamin increase absorption. But, there are a few exceptions like synthetic folic acid. Also, certain combining elements or isolated vitamin forms like phytosomes can increase isolated vitamin absorption, too. It may depend on price differences if whole food or foodform vitamins gain an advantage over isolated vitamins. If a whole food vitamin claiming a 300% absorption benefit is three times the price, is there really any value gained?
• The marketing story that whole food or food form vitamins contain co-factors and synergistic food elements sounds very important and significant. First, what are these co-factors and synergistic elements? Plus, are the amounts found in the supplements significant enough to make a vital difference in the body? 
  • There simply is not enough space in a few capsules or tablets for the bulkier co-factors and synergistic elements. Fibers, lignans, phytonutrients, minerals, proteins, and fats take space and are also almost impossible to condense. Vitamins are very tiny. The food based multiples may have a spoonful or two or food value added. And in cases where the fibers and water are first removed, any toxic heavy metals present will also be concentrated in the finished product, like in green powders of wheat grass, chlorella, and spirulina. This especially applies to whole food and food form vitamins, especially if organic food sources are used. Natural fertilizers can contain more heavy metals than synthetic fertilizer. Minerals by far take up the largest space in supplements.
• • Rather than think of the added foods as supplying nutrients or co-factors, think of then as a better filler, if free of heavy metals, than the artifical colors and non-food chemicals many other supplements use. 

Whole Food Vitamin Brands

Synthetics in Whole Food Vitamins: THIS IS NO LONGER IN QUESTION. The answer is YES. The following whole food vitamin Brands all now admit on their labels or on their websites that they use some synthetic vitamins with some natural isolated vitamins in the production process for their products. There are only a few brands that have completely and only vitamins all from food made by nature. These new changes were mandated by the U.S. FDA in these new label regulations.

New Chaptertm, MegaFoodtm (ref), and Garden of Lifetm(**see below), and YES, even Standard Process Labstm. These major "foodform" or "food grown" or "whole food vitamin" Brands all start out feeding growing yeast cells with some synthetic B vitamins and some isolated natural vitamins. Their marketing stories are not telling the "whole" truth. Not all of the vitamins are made by nature. In fact, they won't reveal which ones start out as natural and which as synthetic. The vitamins they produce are simply a combination of some natural isolated vitamins and some synthetic vitamins combined into complexes in the yeast cells during the growing cycle similar to how nature builds complexes in foods.

**Garden of Life, while earlier lines all had synthetics, has a new MyKind Organics line that is possibly an exception and might be mostly "all" from food source vitamins. See article here.

MegaFood finally forced to "honest up" their labels here

Notice their vitamins are paired with a food and not from the food. They mention the FDA made them change just one word; vitamins "in" food changed to "with" food. That is part of a bigger change. The new label reveals this bigger truth. MegaFood does put some synthetic B vitamins into a container with growing yeast and then later adds a dried powder from this mixture with the powder from the food listed to finish making their multiples. Look at the new label for vitamin B1. It lists thiamine HCl. This nutrient form, Thiamine HCl, is synthetic vitamin B1. It does not exist in nature. Period! End of Marketing story!

This reference ref is from the European FDA called EFSA evaluation of a yeast grown folic acid. No conclusions could be reached because the company requesting the ruling did not supply adequate bio-availability or safety studies. Interesting! Standard Process uses a slightly different pathway for some of their vitamins, mainly animal glandulars with added (spiked) synthetics even though they are at very low doses.

For New Chapter's company new labels, click HERE  and then scroll down to supplement facts. One question in their presentation needs some clarification.  

This factor is even more significant when using greater quantities of "whole" foods, since heavy metals are often found in foods, especially "green" foods. And don't count on "organic" for protection as using natural source fertilizers may actually increase certain possibilities for heavy metal contamination over synthetic fertilizers. ref 

UPDATE Feb 2018: On the New Chapter changing labels, here is the wording for source of vitamin B1:"Thiamin (as thiamine hydrochloride from culture media) 1.5 mg 100%".  

Their website says their vitamins are combined with organic foods (culture media), NOT from the food. Thiamine Hydrochloride is 100% SYNTHETIC vitamin B1.

Here is the website for New Chapter's vitamins. Under FAQ, the first questions mentions their vitamins are made with whole foods. Check out this third question copied next with their answer:

"How does New Chapter source their vitamins?

"New Chapter vitamins are made with organic vegetables and herbs, gluten free, 100 % vegetarian, kosher, and Non-GMO Project Verified. Each (food) ingredient is sourced from where it’s grown best: Ginger is grown in India, Maca is grown in Peru, and Kale is grown right here in the U.S.A., for example. And our vitamins and minerals are fermented (with the foods) to bring greater vitality and make them gentle on your stomach."

Did you notice that they never answered the question giving the source of their vitamins, just the source for the foods the vitamins are combined with? Still, New Chapter vitamin formulas are pretty good overall. But, forthright information is still not a strong suit for them, or for most of the "whole food" or "foodform" vitamin companies.

THE ANALYTICAL TRUTH

Below are examples of old and new labels for Megafood's Ultra C 400 using Uncle Matt's Organic Oranges. Some people believe the vitamin C is all natural from the oranges. (for Megafood new Dr LowDog multiple label ) UPDATE: Feb 2018, here is website introducing the new label to compare to the old one below. New shown second.

Below is new label Feb 2018.  Vitamin C as ascorbic acid with organic oranges.  The made-up term FoodState carried no meaning for the FTC and FDA.