I have received a number of questions recently about the use of the Whole Food Supplements vs. Non-Whole Food Supplements.

The main argument FOR whole food supplements is that they completely are derived from food and therefore represent a better “form” of the vitamin/ mineral. This argument is based on the tenet that vitamins and minerals are best absorbed when in their natural form which consists of being in combination with other vitamins and minerals. The thinking is that the best form of the nutrient comes from food and so therefore, to supplement with/ for a nutrient, that that nutrient is in it’s best form from the food itself.

I think many of these reasons make sense.  I agree with the notion that vitamins and minerals are best absorbed when in combination with each other. There are many studies that are conducted where the researchers denounce vitamin supplementation because they find that supplementing with JUST vitamin C, for example, does not help with XXXX.  Well, of course not. No one would ever think that you can benefit from JUST one supplement.  We know by virtue of common sense that we need an array of vitamins and minerals TOGETHER for optimal health.

Here is the part that I don’t agree with the Whole Food Supplement argument, however. In today’s world with food handling, processing, spraying, manipulating, etc., it is VERY difficult to get the nutrients we actually need from food. That is why we do need to supplement.  So our food supplies have been compromised and that makes it difficult to get what we need from the food we eat. Unless you have you own organic farm, orchard, and garden, it is impossible to get everything you need from food. Now, we can come very close by purchasing local, organic food products. So to me, when we are supplementing, we are trying to make up for what we don’t get from food. Ideally we would not need to do this–ideally our nutrition would provide us with everything we need. But again, that is no longer the case. So we need to supplement with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc.

Based upon that reasoning, it does not make sense then, to turn back to the food supply that is lacking to obtain our supplemental vitamins and minerals. No, for me, I want to ensure that I am getting high levels of Vitamin A and B  and C and D, etc.  And the best way to do that is to take synthetic, but BIOIDENTICAL supplements. Because I know that when I take my Vitamin C 2000mg that I am actually getting 2000mg of Vitamin C. Because I can no longer guarantee that from the food I eat.

Here is how I go about eating: I eat organic and local food as much as I can. I choose the healthiest foods for me most of the time. And I also choose to eat foods (pizza, chocolate, gummy bears, others) that are not the “best” for me. But I know and firmly believe that I am eating what is good for me EVERYTIME. I am confident that my body will extract the nutrition it needs and do away with the rest. I do not fret about eating pizza and feeling guilty. (I am also extremely lucky that my wife is an amazing cook and uses organic products to make wonderful creations all the time). And I know and trust that my food is not going to be the end all be all for me–that is why I choose to take an array of different supplements including my Daily Essentials Pack (multivitamin, minerals, fish oil, evening primrose oil, amino acids) enzymes, and others.

I am comfortable with what and how I eat and part of that comes from my comfort knowing that I am filling up on all the vitamins and minerals I need from the supplements I take. I don’t feel that I could say that taking Whole Food supplements. And that is why I don’t.

But that is my decision. Ultimately you have to trust what your gut tells you. And then run with it and don’t look back. Again, there are no rules. None.

This is a comment I frequently hear from patients describing the color of their urine after taking a B-complex or multivitamin.  I think the general thinking is incorrect about what this means.

For most people seeing the bright yellow color, they think that they are urinating out all of the “extra” or “un-needed” vitamins.  They think that the yellow color is the color of the vitamins and since they were not absorbed, they get filtered through the kidneys and therefore come out in the urine.

This is not exactly the case.  IF you are seeing bright yellow after taking a B-complex or multivitamin, then you can be ASSURED that you ARE indeed getting those vitamins in.  The reason is that in order for the vitamins to get to the kidneys, they FIRST have to be absorbed by our red blood cells.  And to get to the red blood cells, they HAVE to be absorbed from our GI tract when we digest and absorb these vitamins. So you can feel rest assured that if your urine is bright yellow, you are INDEED absorbing the vitamins you are taking.

People are always wondering if they are actually absorbing the vitamins they are taking.  It is a common question about which form of vitamin is best: liquid vs. capsule vs. tablet. Well, an easy way for you to tell if you are absorbing those vitamins, is to look at the color of your urine–if it is bright yellow (about 4-6 hours after ingestion), then yes, you are absorbing those vitamins. If your urine never turns this bright, highlighter color, then no, you are not absorbing the vitamins into your red blood cells. This is also a way to see if the vitamins you are taking, contain enough of the vitamins you need. Again, if you see the bright yellow colored urine, you know that you are getting a great supply of vitamins to your red blood cells. And if not, either you need to try a more comprehensive vitamin OR you are not absorbing yours well.

There was a recent article published in a major medical journal that concluded that supplementing with antioxidants (specifically Vitamin C and Vitamin E) may IMPAIR one’s performance while exercising. It seems that the antioxidants toned down the free radical production and this free radical production is supposedly needed by the mitochondria to create more ATP (energy).

This study conflicts mountains of other data that concludes the exact opposite–taking antioxidants improves exercise capacity.  While I think more research needs to be completed to answer this question, two thought come to mind:

1. The dosages of Vitamin C and Vitamin E used in the first study were average–we know that as humans we don’t make Vitamin C so we have to ingest it to get it. But if we did make Vitamin C, it is estimated that we would manufacture about 3000mg per day.  I think the dosage in the study was only 1000mg daily.  So it seems to me where I see most people not taking anywhere near 3000mg/ day, that that Vitamin C dose was way too low to draw conclusions. I can’t stress enough that Vitamin C is the most robust booster of our immune system and that most people need to take much higher dosages than 3000mg/ day. Also, any antioxidant supplementation must be well-rounded and try to include lots of varieties of antioxidants including carotenoids, flavones, cucurmins, tocopherols, etc. So just using Vitamin C and Vitamin E would not cut it by my standards.

2. The effect of the antioxidants is most notable to the RECOVERY of exercise, not necessarilly the capacity of exercise. While closely related, exercise recovery and capacity are two different entities and as such need to be approached differently.  It seems that the free radical production that is induced by the stress of exercise (repeated and forceful muscle contraction) is responsible for much of the inflammation and pain that occurs immediately following exercise. And it is the antioxidants, specifically, that can be used during the recovery phase of exercise to make a huge difference.

I find the use of antioxidants to be an exciting topic–not just for exercise related events, but also for the prevention and treatment for many chronic health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. Certainly more to come…..