How to tell if a Vitamin is Synthetic or All Natural

Some people don’t know how to identify if a mineral or vitamin is synthetic or all natural. Let’s be honest, the labels have way too much information that is listed in a complicated lingo only a true nutritionalist or doctor would know. Most commercial manufacturers create synthetic vitamin and mineral supplements to their products. They usually do this to help increase potency, but most synthetic ingredients are made from the same carcinogenics (cancer-causing) found in cigarette smoke. For this reason alone is why we should only be ingesting All-Natural Vitamins and Minerals.

The absolute best thing for you to do as a consumer is to research and know your ingredients.

Here are 5 ways to tell if your mineral or vitamin is Synthetic or All-Natural.

1. Look for “100% Natural” label

Some products are able to state that they are “natural” if 10% of the ingredients are tested as natural.

2. Find the “Food Source” list on the product label

If the product does not list natural food sources, than it is synthetic. Look for sources like vegetables, citrus, yeast, etc.

3. Identify whole foods in the ingredients list instead of particular nutrients

Dr. Ben Kim, a chiropractor and acupuncturist with his own radio show, says to look for foods on the list of ingredients that contain a certain vitamin, such as “acerola cherry powder,” which contains vitamin C. If you can identify “vitamin C” in the ingredient list, Kim says you can almost guarantee that the vitamin is synthetic.

4. Look for salt forms on the product label

Salt is an additive that is used to increase the stability of the vitamin or mineral. Some of them are: acetate, bitartrate, chloride, gluconate, hydrochloride, nitrate, and succinate.

5. Look for keywords that indicate synthetic ingredients. (Words that end in “ide” or “ate”)

Just like the salts mentioned before they end with “ate” or “ide.” Also if there is a vitamin that has the letters “DL” in front of it, it is a sure indication that it is synthetic.

If you need any more help identifying whether a vitamin or mineral is synthetic or all natural you can always ask a pharmacist.