Natural vs. synthetic vitamins and minerals: What is the difference?

Natural vitamins are made from non-GMO fruits and vegetables, while synthetic vitamins are produced 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 are not natural for the human body. Natural food vitamins are functionally superior to synthetic ones because the body absorbs and retains them better. Furthermore, it has been found that fermenting natural vitamins increases their bioavailability and absorption. Isolated synthetic vitamins, even if chemically identical, are often just fragments of nutrients.

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

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