Are 90% of your vitamins going down the toilet? by Warren Matthews

If you live in the USA it is likely that you have

been exposed to advertising suggesting that 90%

of the vitamin tablets that you are taking are

going down the toilet. Because these claims are

so wide-spread I feel that is appropriate to address

the issue of bio-availability and sort out the

fact from the fiction.

Is this claim true or not? The answer is not a

definitive yes or no because there is no benchmark

given in which to base the claim on. I'll try to explain.

Supplements are a bit like cars. For example, at one

end of the spectrum you may have a Russian built Lada

which are cheap, utilitarian and very unreliable

(at least they used to be) and cost a few thousand

dollars or you may have a Rolls Royce which is the

ultimate in luxury motoring and reliability and will

set you back around a half million dollars. There is

no comparison between the two vehicles.

The same principle applies to supplements

You can buy cheap supplements at the supermarket and

what you get is a product which is manufactured to a

price. This means that the cheapest possible ingredients

are used as well as the cheapest excipients which bind

the ingredients together. To give you an idea of just

how big the difference of ingredient costs can be I will

quote an example of one nutrient... Beta Carotene.

The overwhelming majority of manufacturers use synthetic

beta carotene (even those producing the more expensive

brands). The cost of synthetic beta carotene to a

manufacturer is around $60 per kilo.

However, the 98% pure natural crystalline beta carotene

that we use in our Total Balance costs over $2,400 per kilo.

The same differences can apply with Vitamin B12 which is

generally 3% pure and costs $340 per kilo versus the

99% pure that we use at $12,000 per kg. The differences

do not stop at the active ingredient level but can also

apply to the excipients as well. Some cheaper excipients

bind the ingredients together so well that after swallowing

the tablet a large proportion of it passes right through

your system and does indeed end up in the toilet.

To make matters worse those ingredients that are released

are done so in the stomach and are largely destroyed by

your stomach acids. When using these types of cheap

supplements as the 'yard stick' the statement of 90% of

the supplement ending up down the toilet is indeed true...

But, that is like trying to compare apples with oranges...

The difference between some supplements are as great as the

example given earlier about the motor vehicles, not only in

the quality of the ingredients used but also the delivery

system employed or in most cases the lack of it. When I am

talking about a delivery system I am referring to how the

active ingredients get into your blood stream where they

are needed to do their work.

There are only four effective ways in which nutrients can

get into your blood stream.

1. By injection.

2. Through the mucous membranes of the mouth. (Only some nutrients)

3. Via the lining of the walls of the upper intestine.

4. Via the lining of the walls of the colon.

The methods which are used are as follows:

1. Injection with a hypodermic syringe... only practical via

a clinic or physician. B12 injections for example.

2. Through the mucous membranes of the mouth by a sublingual

tablet or liquid. Note: This has limitations because many

Go to Page 2

BIO:

Mr. Matthews is the Editor of Xtend-Your-Life, a FREE service of Xtend-Life Natural Products and manufacturer of Total Balance, a complete multi - nutrient supplement. He is also the publisher of a series of Special Reports designed to help you achieve a long and healthy life. His latest report entitled, "How to Achieve Permanent Weight Loss!", can be found at ...
http://HealthyBody.Xtend-Life.com

Some Aditional Articles you may enjoy

Rush Limbaugh, Victim, Perp or none of the above? (Part 1) by Bill Kammarada

"THE 3RD BIGGEST CAUSE OF DEATH!" by Warren Matthews

All Dressed Up for Sitting Down by Sherri L. Dodd

A Heart That Survived, My Personal Trial by winston williams

Flatten your Abs! by Beth Scott

Click a Number to go to an article index page
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39