Natural vs. Synthetic Vitamins and Minerals: What's the Difference?

Natural vitamins are made from non-GMO fruits and vegetables, while synthetic vitamins are made in laboratories, often from petroleum or hydrogenated sugar extracts. Even if the label claims they are "natural", they may not be in the same chemical or structural form as real vitamins from food and therefore not natural to the human body. Natural food vitamins are functionally superior to synthetic ones because the body absorbs and retains them better. Furthermore, it was found that fermentation of natural vitamins increases their bioavailability and absorbability. Isolated synthetic vitamins, although chemically identical, are often just fragments of nutrients.

Studies indicate that the bioavailability of natural vitamins is better than that of most isolated USP vitamins. In addition, it appears that natural vitamins may have positive health effects beyond the prevention of traditional vitamin deficiency syndromes. Some of these vitamins appear to be preferentially retained by the human body. It is not always clear whether these benefits are due to the physiochemical form of the vitamin or other food components that are naturally associated with it, or a combination thereof.

To maintain normal health, it is wise to prefer natural vitamins over synthetic ones. Natural vitamins appear to be functionally superior to synthetic vitamins, and unlike some synthetic vitamins, no natural vitamin has yet been found that does not perform all of its natural functions.