Is your vitamin and mineral supplement any good?

By Dr. Fi Dann Ray MSc App. Tox, MSc Chiropractic

July’18

There are so many different forms of vitamins and minerals available, from the supermarket shelves to the high end clinical type websites, and it’s very difficult for most people to sort out which supplement is of good quality and will actually give them the nutrient they want.

There are a few indications that can help.

• Working in the industry and producing supplements for other companies, we are well aware of the economics of the industry. Of the retail price, the manufacturer gets 10-15%. That covers development of the product, ingredients, manufacturing and packaging. Cheap vitamins mean cheap ingredients, it’s not possible to do otherwise. With something like vitamin C, as ascorbic acid is ascorbic acid, it doesn’t matter so much, but for minerals, b vits and fish oils for instance, it does.

•  Minerals.
  • There are great differences in the absorption and ability to use different forms of minerals in the body.
  • As a general rule anything that is a carbonate, oxide or sulphate is less well absorbed and used.
  • Chelated, bisglycinate, gluconate, picolinate, food state, bound with yeasts or linked to an amino acid – eg selenomethionine as a selenium source, are better absorbed. They will also cost more.

• Essential fatty acids
  • Fish oils vary enormously in quality. You need one that is cold pressed and preserved with an antioxidant mix at time of manufacture. Eskimo oil has always been a good source.
  • Consider plant based omega 3 oils, but not rapeseed. However not everyone can convert these forms of Omega 3 into the forms needed by the body.  These oils should be cold pressed and kept in the fridge.

• Vitamins
  • Anything with dl-alpha tocopherol as the source of vitamin E. AVOID!!!! This is the chemical form and contains molecules that are the mirror image of each other. One form works in the body, the other doesn’t. Its like trying to put a right hand into a left handed glove. There is evidence that dl-alpha tocopherol can be harmful.
  • Avoid vitamin D in the D2/ ergocalciferol form. Sunlight is needed to activate D2 into D3, which is the form we use.
  • Again on vitamin D, it is best taken with vitamin K2 and in an oil based form.
  • Many people have issues using folic acid at an optimal level. Up to 60% of the population have an alteration to their MTHFR gene and many of these would do better with the methyl tetrahydrofolate form of folic acid
  • Food state/ food based vitamins are considered optimal forms.
  • Many chewable or dissolvable vitamins are sweetened with sugar or an artificial sweetener for which there are concerns as to the impact on health. Read the label to see what is used. Aspartame for instance is an immediate red flag.

Lastly we have seen that the body uses a supplement much better if it ‘knows’ what it is getting. Chewing your supplements, mixing them with the saliva, seems to increase utilisation in our experience.