Vitamins That Don't Work Well

Posted by Horton Tatarian, research biochemist, on 31st May 2017

Vitamins That Don't Work Well

Natural vs. Synthetic Supplements

Our  previous article highlights E3AFA, a superfood composed entirely of naturally occurring algae harvested from Klamath Lake, Oregon. These nutrient-packed algae at the bottom of the food chain are one of the finest all-natural formulas for the higher organisms that consume it. 

With certain exceptions, nature is best at creating products that satisfy our nutritional needs. Exceptions include instances where dietary supplements are formulated to compensate for extraordinary nutritional, environmental, and other stresses. Thus, vitamin and mineral formulas also have an important role in human nutrition.

Formulation Errors

Some multivitamins work significantly better than others. Select ones gain a reputation for boosting energy, endurance, and general health. Others may not produce a noticeable effect even with additional ingredients.

This article reveals one reason why some multivitamin formulas do not work well:

Incompatible combinations of ingredients lead to the production of damaging free radicals.

The destructive free radicals frequently created by faulty formulations can offset the nutritional benefits of multivitamins.

Armed with the following information, anyone can

  1. Spot problems on product labels before purchasing a multivitamin.
  2. Protect against taking incompatible dietary supplements at the same time.

Incidentally, the quoted technical information is intended for readers who enjoy scientific jargon. 

Problematic Combinations

Vitamin C and Iron

Vitamin C as ascorbic acid is often added to iron supplements and cereals to improve the absorption of iron. Some studies show a nearly three-fold increase in iron absorption in the presence of vitamin C.

Iron absorption from iron-fortified cereal was measured in 10 women . . . Each woman consumed 4 ferrous-sulfate-fortified test meals (containing 5 mg Fe/meal) with or without added erythorbic or ascorbic acid. . . . The addition of ascorbic acid (molar ratio of 4:1) increased iron absorption 2.9-fold. 1

However, combining vitamin C and iron in a dietary supplement, drug, or as food fortification is unwise. This standard combination releases billions of free radicals that oxidize cell and tissue components, which can lead to chronic inflammation and cancer from damage to DNA.

Co-supplementation of ferrous salts with vitamin C exacerbates oxidative stress in the gastrointestinal tract leading to ulceration in healthy individuals, exacerbation of chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases and can lead to cancer. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) have been ascribed an important role in oxidative stress. Redox-active metal ions such as Fe(II) and Cu(I) further activate RONS and thus perpetuate their damaging effects. 2

Iron is a double-edged sword. In moderate quantities and leashed to protein, it is an essential element in all cell metabolism and growth, but it is toxic when unleashed. 3

Circulating free iron is lethal. Humans have two circulating iron binding proteins to soak up free iron to prevent it from generating toxic quantities of free radicals. 4

When there is a high serum level of reduced ascorbic acid, it drives through the pores of the ferritin protein shell to the inside surface, where it converts the Fe3 to catalytic Fe2, which then leaks out of the pores of the ferritin protein shell and generates billions of free radicals. 4

Vitamin C and Copper

The combination of vitamin C and copper in the same dietary supplement is also detrimental.

These data demonstrate that typical formulations of multivitamin/multimineral dietary supplements can initiate the oxidation of bystander substances and that AAOS-complexes of essential redox active metals, e.g. copper and iron, have reduced ability to catalyze free radical formation and associated detrimental oxidations when a part of a multivitamin/multimineral formulation. 5

Vitamins with antioxidant properties have the ability to act as pro-oxidants, inducing oxidative damage and oxidative stress as opposed to preventing it. . . . Taken together, vitamin C and copper stood out with the strongest oxidative potency, which is of potential concern since both substances are commonly found in multivitamins. 6

Recommendation

Check your multiple vitamins for formulation errors. Discard the product if the ingredients include vitamin C plus significant amounts of any one of the following: iron, copper, iodine, or manganese, all of which are problematic in the presence of added vitamin C. With few exceptions, any product that contains vitamin C along with one or more of those minerals may supply billions of free radicals in addition to its list of ingredients.  Pure Detox Pack appears to be an exception.

Likewise, do not take supplements containing vitamin C at the same time as those containing iron, copper, iodine, or manganese, all of which are problematic in the presence of added vitamin C.

Useful multivitamins correct nutritional deficiencies, protect cells from oxidative stress, and promote cell repair. The most outstanding product of this type is MMF™, a product of top scientists partnered with the US Department of Defense, NASA and several top academic institutions from all over the world. Thus far, we find that only Pure Detox Pack rivals MMF™ in effectiveness.

Scientific warnings about vitamin and mineral combinations pertain only to synthetic ingredients combined by vitamin and mineral formulators. The vitamins and minerals contained in whole foods and their concentrates are compatible products of nature’s biosynthesis.

References

  1. Meredith C Fidler, Lena Davidsson, Christophe Zeder, and Richard F Hurrell. Erythorbic acid is a potent enhancer of nonheme-iron absorption. Am J Clin Nutr January 2004 vol. 79 no. 1 99-102
  2. Fisher AE1, Naughton DP. Iron supplements: the quick fix with long-term consequences. Nutr J. 2004 Jan 16;3:2.
  3. Herbert V1, Shaw S, Jayatilleke E, Stopler-Kasdan T. Most free-radical injury is iron-related: it is promoted by iron, hemin, holoferritin and vitamin C, and inhibited by desferoxamine and apoferritin. Stem Cells. 1994 May;12(3):289-303.
  4. Herbert V1, Shaw S, Jayatilleke E. Vitamin C-driven free radical generation from iron. J Nutr. 1996 Apr;126(4 Suppl):1213S-20S.
  5. Rabovsky AB, Buettner GR, Fink B. In vivo imaging of free radicals produced by multivitamin-mineral supplements. BMC Nutr. 2015 Dec;1. pii: 32. Epub 2015 Nov 14.
  6. Bergström T1, Ersson C, Bergman J, Möller L. Mutagenesis. Vitamins at physiological levels cause oxidation to the DNA nucleoside deoxyguanosine and to DNA--alone or in synergism with metals. 2012 Jul;27(4):511-7. doi: 10.1093/mutage/ges013. Epub 2012 Mar 30.

About Horton Tatarian

Horton Tatarian image

I’m a biochemist who examines scientific findings on health and disease. My degree in biochemistry is from U.C. Berkeley. UCLA School of Medicine granted an M.D. degree in 1974. Since then, independent research prepared me to advise clients on natural ways of self-care.

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