Vitameatavegamin?

   “Vitamins, if properly understood [and used], will help us to reduce human suffering to an extent which the most fantastic human mind would fail to imagine.”

                   ~ Dr. Albert Szent-Gydrgyl, PhD Nobel Laureate in Physiology and Medicine

While we would never argue with a Nobel Laureate, we would certainly clarify the generality called “vitamins” in the quote. Knowing that there is a HUGE variance in available multivitamins, as well as other common supplements (fish oils, probiotics, metabolism and muscle boosters, etc.),  we might add the caveat, “vitamins and supplements that function at optimal levels of nutrition” as the kicker to the above quote.

For instance, multivitamin offerings by a couple of the leading advertised brands that populate drug store shelves don’t score very well when tested and are nowhere close to delivering optimal levels. Ironically, these are both manufactured by or are subsidiaries of major pharmaceutical companies. These are the same corporations that sell high profit drugs to supposedly cure some of the very diseases that may be held at bay if we would wake up and start taking optimal doses of vitamins daily. This vitamin supplementation is of course not to take the place of, but as a  supplement to, eating a nutritional and well balanced diet.

Does anyone else see the contradiction here? Big Pharma puts out an inferior vitamin option, advertises and markets the crap out of it, coaxing the uneducated (on vitamins) amongst us to take their brand daily. We then settle for an ineffective vitamin, almost a placebo in effect, thereby forsaking our opportunity to seek out and take an effective, optimal vitamin. A double disservice is perpetuated: we are lulled into thinking we are taking an effective vitamin, and thus, don’t bother to seek out better options.

The Optimal Solution

So how does one find a potent, optimal brand of vitamins? If your health depends on it, and it may, a bit of research is paramount. But here is a short list of some common attributes of a great multivitamin. And as sad as it may sound, you get what you pay for to some degree.

A Seven-Point Product Quality Checklist

1.    Are the potency levels of the ingredients high enough to provide optimal levels of nutrient intake as a means of preventing degenerative diseases?

2.    Is the product complete with a broad-spectrum of balanced ingredients?  Some combinations of nutrients can inhibit or heighten the action of others. Taking “stand alone” products can upset the metabolic balance of minerals in the body, especially Zinc.

                             

3.    Is the product manufactured to pharmaceutical-grade standards under the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)?  This standard makes sure that what is on the label is exactly what is in the bottle, in the amounts specified. Number 2 is important here because the GMP isn’t effective for optimal health if the broad-spectrum ingredients aren’t there.

4.    Is the safety profile of each ingredient thoroughly researched and evaluated. How is the quality of the raw materials evaluated and tested for purity and safety?  Does the product contain Vitamin A or Beta-carotene?  Beta-carotene is safe and converts into Vitamin A when the body needs it.  Is Iron in the product? Iron toxicity or overload can cause a health disorder and should not be in supplements.

5.    Is the product formulated to meet UPS absorbability standards for full disintegration and dissolution? Nurses refer to inferior grade vitamins as “bed pan bullets”, ie: they pass through the system without even dissolving.                          

6.    Is the product manufactured in-house or contracted out? 

7.    Is the product listed in the PDR (Physicians’ Desk Reference)

Look Better, Feel Better, Live Better

I’m kind of a vitamin nerd, but I realize even the above guidelines may be Greek to some of you, so I researched the web for the best, non-biased multivitamin rating guide I could find. Here is the link:

Best Multivitamins 2015

If you pick and take something in this listing from the top 5 or 10 rated, you’ll be getting optimal or near optimal levels of vitamin support for your body. From there, many things are possible, from potential disease prevention to less inflammation, and/or feeling alive with new found stores of energy to sleeping better and beyond. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll require less or even no pharmaceutical drugs to function, hitting Big Pharma right where they’ll feel it the most - in the wallet!!

              “With the proper intakes of vitamins and other nutrients and by following a few other healthful practices from youth or middle-age on, you can, I believe, extend your life and years of well-being by twenty-five or even thirty-five years.”

                               ~ Linus Pauling

PS: Linus Pauling was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists of the 20th century. In discussing the benefits of optimal vitamin intake, one must be careful not to make unsubstantiated claims. But I think Linus, winner of two Nobel Prizes by the way, makes the possibilities pretty clear.