Since the 1940s, Americans have taken multivitamin and mineral supplementation. Unfortunately, many major vitamin brands are made by well-known pharmaceutical companies. These companies don’t care about creating the best bioavailable or nutrient-dense product, and instead produce products that are poorly absorbed vitamins. It is important to understand labels so you can avoid certain brands of vitamins.
Let’s look at Centrum vitamins as an example. With new ownership by Pfizer (one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world), Centrum vitamins have become the top-selling multivitamin in America and Canada. Since then, Pfizer has been involved with many scandals, frauds and legal battles.
Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer watchdog group, sued Pfizer for making false claims about Centrum Vitamins in 2012. They had to retract their misleading multivitamin claims about breast and colon health as well as the controversial language on their bottles that claimed certain health benefits ( 1).
Pfizer’s Centrum vitamins are also promoted to be “complete multivitamins”, when in reality, no one supplement or multivitamin will provide all the nutrients your body needs in a single day. It’s fair to say that our food supply isn’t as rich in nutrients as it once was. Therefore, it’s important that you eat lots of plant-based foods and replenish certain minerals (such as magnesium) when possible.
Debunked
If you’re buying vitamins from a large pharmaceutical company, I wouldn’t trust you. The Centrum nutrients are very low in dosage and do not reach therapeutic levels. Vitamins are also very expensive and are difficult to absorb by the body.
Some vitamins, including Centrum, are made with harmful fillers. These include chemicals that were used to make tin cans, charcoal, and propellants. Centrum contains at most three preservatives and many color additives. There are also various additives that can be carcinogenic or toxic to your health ( 2).
These are the vitamins and minerals that are not well absorbed in centrum:
1. Magnesium oxide is an unchelated magnesium form. It has a low quality and extremely low purity. It is the most absorbable and least expensive form of magnesium.
2. Iron as ferrous fumarate: This type of iron can cause constipation and may be harmful for those who already consume too much iron through a carnivore diet.
3. B vitamins: The concentration of Centrum’s B vitamins is so low, it would have no impact on energy levels (which they claim are promoted).
4. Vitamin E as DL–alpha tocopherol: Synthetic form of vitamin E that is linked to prostate cancer risk and other diseases (3).
5. Nickel Tin Sulfate – Humans don’t need to supplement with nickel and tin so this is an ineffective addition.
6. Calcium Carbonate is the most absorbable form calcium available. Only a tiny percentage of calcium is absorbed into the body.
Additional fillers and bindingers found in Centrum are:
1. Magnesium Stearate: Prevents other ingredients sticking to machine equipment. It forms formaldehyde ( 4), and inhibits cells’ immune response ( 5).
2. Corn Starch: A binder made most likely from GM corn. It has many side effects.
3.BHT is a chemical preservative, which has been linked with liver, thyroid, lung and kidney toxicity and has been proven to promote tumors ( 6).
4. Gelatine: These are made from beef and poultry. They are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans.
5. Soybean Oil: Another GMO product subject to hydrogenation. This process has been linked with cancer, heart disease and other diseases (7).
6. Sodium Benzoate: Deprives cells oxygen, causes cancer and destroys the immune system (8).
7. Sodium Aluminosilicate: Prevents dry foods from clumping together, and also helps to prevent kidney failure and cancer (9).
8. Artificial colors: These coloring agents are derived from coal Tar, and dyes like Yellow 6 Lake that have been banned in some countries.
9. Maltodextrin is a suppressive agent that inhibits the growth and development of good bacteria, which can lead to increased inflammation.
Synthetic vitamins
Synthetic vitamins can be synthetic. These synthetic vitamins are either isolated nutrients or synthetic nutrients that do not function as intended. Because they are synthetic forms of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D and E, which accumulate in fatty tissues, they can become toxic.
These synthetic vitamins should not be used ( 10).
- Vitamin A: retinyl palmitate
- Vitamin A1 (Thiamine),Thiamine mononitrate and Thiamine hydrochloride
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Riboflavin
- Pantothenic Acid:Dcalcium pantothenate
- Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine hydrochloride
- B12 vitamin: cyanocobalamin
- PABA (Para-aminobenzoic acid): aminobenzoic acid
- Folic Acid:Pteroylglutamic Acid
- Hill:Choline Chloride and Choline Bitartrate
- Biotin: d-biotin
- Vitamin C:Ascorbic Acid
- Vitamin DIrradiated Ergosterol and Calciferol
- Vitamin E: dl-alpha tocopherol, dl-alpha tocopherol acetate or succinate
Avoid
Centrum isn’t the only brand to be avoided when it comes to vitamins. Many other companies also include poor quality and poorly absorbed vitamins and minerals in their products.
These are some other brands to be avoided:
- One per day
- jamieson
- kirkland
- Equivalent
- go up
- Vitamins
- spectravite
- Made by nature
- rexall
Real food and real vitamins
Real, whole foods are the best source of vitamins. Even though the soil is depleted of many nutrients, plants are still the best way to get adequate nutrition. You will see a gradual decline in your health if you only consume processed foods and do not take a multivitamin.
Fruits and vegetables are rich in essential vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and other nutrients. They are one the richest sources of vitamins, minerals. Broccoli, well ripened leafy greens and seasonal fruits, as well as avocados, Brussels sprouts (carrots), carrots, beets, and other vegetables. There are many more! The amazing health benefits of herbs include their high levels of antioxidants, phytosterols, essential oils, and other nutrients. My favorites include ginger, turmeric, garlic and parsley.
Despite this, I recommend that people still take certain supplements due to poor soil quality or the degrading of certain vitamins and minerals (such as magnesium).
Vitamins & Supplements from Brands I Trust
There are many vitamin and supplement companies that don’t care about your health. They aren’t all bad, however.
Multivitamins can be beneficial, provided they are taken correctly. However, you may also need more specific nutrients. Poor agricultural practices have led to the extraction of magnesium from soil. Magnesium should be supplemented by most people.
Vitamin B12 is another vitamin that is difficult to absorb in those who have had a history of drug abuse, antibiotic abuse and alcohol abuse. This means that only a small percentage of people can absorb vitamin B12 from the food they consume. Yes, even carnivores! It is important to take a high-quality B12 supplement, which contains the correct forms of B12 (methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin). It is surprising that multivitamins often contain cyanocobalamin. This is the most expensive and least well-absorbed form of B12.
These are the key supplements I carry around and use almost every day or every other day. All of them are made by incredible companies I trust and love. They are free of fillers and made with your health in the mind so that every nutrient is absorbed.
Follow these guidelines if you decide to take a multivitamin:
– BUY:100% organic, 100% whole food based, either raw or at a low heat. To ensure vitamin absorption, make sure you include minerals. USP Verified vitamins also include synthetics ( eleven).
