The difference between synthetic and natural vitamins

Starting the day with a nice breakfast and your daily dose of vitamins. Some people take their vitamins via a synthetic tablet, others by taking natural capsules and/or drops. Are both forms equally healthy? Let us explain!

Broadly speaking, getting vitamins in any form adds value for the body. However, each form of vitamin differs in the way the body absorbs it, and this can certainly make a difference. Professor Renger Witkamp of nutrition and pharmacology at Wageningen University points out that there is a difference in the molecular composition and structure of the substances [1].

Synthetic dietary supplements consist of substances made (artificially) in a laboratory. Natural dietary supplements, on the other hand, consist of substances that have formed in nature and occur there as such. This form therefore comes from plants and/or an animal origin.

For example, vitamin E in its natural form is absorbed faster and better than in its artificial form. The body recognises natural vitamin E better and will therefore absorb it better too. This is due to the way the body recognises the substance. “Natural sources are composed in such a way that everything comes in nicely balanced.”

Processed food and artificial vitamins contain synthetic components that did not form in nature. Vitamins on a natural basis are therefore created by nature and thus have better absorption straight away. Synthetic supplements also often show on the label that they contain more than the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) needed. The body then doesn't absorb all the vitamins well, because it has a lot of trouble recognising the substances and thus absorbing them properly. This can sometimes be as little as 20%. Compared with natural vitamins, which have an absorption rate of well over 80% and sometimes even higher than 96%, it is therefore always advisable to choose a natural variant.

At CHRIS beauty bar you buy only the very best natural vitamins and beauty supplements from Advanced Nutrition Programme. Available in our store and via the webshop. Need advice? Send us a message or email and we'll be happy to help you further.

[1] Interview with Rene Witkamp, professor and Dutch biologist and pharmacologist at Wageningen University. 12 December 2015, De Volkskrant