Plant extracts
The natural world does not need to be replicated.
Every organism needs to be nourished. Nature offers the adapted body everything it needs for daily life. Whether plant, animal or fungus: every multicellular living being is composed of the nutritional components that are simultaneously ingested with the food. A distinction is made between essential, i.e. vital, and non-essential nutrients. Essential nutrients, which include the majority of vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids and minerals, must therefore always be taken in with food. A much smaller number, the non-essential elements, can be synthesized by the body on its own.
The synthetic production of food components is due to the mental striving for imitation. It is therefore first of all human curiosity and the associated learning behavior why man always tends to imitate or replicate something. However, special care must be taken here, as any misinterpretation can lead to a serious error.
The intention to imitate something should therefore always include the thought of possible consequences. While the Swiss author Peter F. Keller was able to express this very well with the following saying: “Next to a spider’s web, every human building pales“, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe set a poetic monument to this hubris with his ballad “Sorcerer’s Apprentice“. In terms of nature, therefore, nature is its own master. Man, on the other hand, is at best an apprentice who must pay for every mistake he makes. The decision to choose a natural or a synthetically produced food is therefore not a matter of faith.
Next to a spider's web pales any human structure
The history of vitamins
Why are there synthetic vitamins?
Synthesis, which by definition means the union of two or more elements, was first coined as a term by the natural scientist Herrmann Kolbe in 1845. Away from the spiritual science, which also uses this term, it is chemically regarded, a union of matter. The synthesis is preceded by the analysis, which is thus closely related to the aforementioned scientific method. In this context, it was first the discovery of vitamins that made vitamin synthesis biochemically possible.
The history of synthetic vitamins begins with disease patterns that became overt due to vitamin deficiency. The first isolation of thiamine, vitamin B1, was achieved in 1926 by the Dutch chemists Barend C. P. Jansen and Willem F. Donath. These isolated the substance in crystalline form from rice bran. By 1980, all 13 vitamins had been isolated in pure form and chemical synthesis routes developed for their production. What once began with the prevention of diseases such as scurvy, beriberi, and many others that openly appear due to vitamin deficiencies, has nowadays matured into a real industry. The Swiss company Roche, for example, began industrial production of vitamin C as early as 1934. Now vitamins are offered and sold in natural, synthetic or genetically engineered form. The body of studies on the efficacy of synthetic vitamin products increasingly points to their lack of evidence. But what are the differences?
The production of vitamins
An industrial market that is all about the bottom line
What once began as a laudable effort to effectively prevent disease has morphed into a global marketing strategy that ends in loss and profit. Legally, the term “natural” is not protected. By definition, however, it is a natural vitamin if their natural origin from plants, animals or fungi can be clearly traced. The synthetic production of vitamins can be done in a variety of ways.
Genetically engineered vitamins are derived from genetically modified bacteria. The fact that there is no legal requirement to label such supplements seems dramatic. Especially since so-called “white biotechnology” is also funded by the Federal Ministry of Research. In addition to genetically modified bacteria, other single-celled organisms and microorganisms such as fungi and yeast can also be used for vitamin synthesis. This is called biotechnical fermentation. Furthermore, vitamins can be obtained from certain substances by chemical reactions. Thus, the synthesis of vitamin C is enabled by the sugar glucose. The production of vitamin A, on the other hand, is made possible by cracking processes from crude oil or gasoline. In our video shown here, which demonstrates the synthesis of vitamin C, it is made clear how these reactive processes take place.
While Western European, American and Japanese corporations were initially mainly involved in the production of synthetic vitamins, today the dietary supplements are mainly distributed by China. Since many European pharmaceutical companies such as BASF and DSM have decided to outsource their production facilities to China, since April 01, 2020, it must be explicitly stated on pharmaceutical packaging where the individual primary ingredients come from. However, this is not the only problem with vitamin synthesis, whose reactive processes generate hazardous chemical waste as well as high energy costs.
The advantages of organic vitamins
Made in the factories of nature
Healthy foods provide the body with all relevant nutrients. Deficiency symptoms and overdoses should be avoided as a matter of urgency. Thus, an unbalanced diet can lead to hypovitaminosis or hypervitaminosis. While vitamin deficiencies can cause drops in performance, fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and numerous metabolic disorders, vitamin overdoses cause acute or chronic symptoms of poisoning. These are manifested by loss of appetite, lethargy, nausea and much more.
After the introduction of organic labels, according to the EU organic regulation, only ingredients from organic farming could be taken for use in food supplements. In this context, the enrichment of synthetically isolated vitamins, minerals, trace elements as well as amino acids is strictly prohibited. Minerals are thus obtained mainly from algae, herbs and other plants. Good sources of calcium include stinging nettle, red clover or red algae powder. Iron, on the other hand, is extracted from curry leaf or guava leaf extract.
Vitamins are mainly obtained from fruits, herbs, bee products or other biological sources of nutrients. For example, B vitamins are mainly found in cereal sprouts such as buckwheat, wheat, spelt and barley. Vitamin C, on the other hand, is obtained from extracts of the Aerola cherry.
What does science say?
A clear conclusion
Numerous studies have questioned the efficacy of synthetic nutritional supplements and thus also of vitamins. From the studies, it appears that the use of multivitamin supplements is a common health practice in many developed countries. Despite the availability of natural and sometimes affordable food options, about 50 percent of the population resorts to such preparations. The reasons for this are manifold and range from chronic complaints to the prevention of cancer as well as cardiovascular diseases.