03/04/2024
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For thousands of years human beings gained nutrients and vitamins from food. It makes sense when you think about how we survived as a species, but scientifically why donβt recreated vitamins work the same way as the ones naturally found in food? π€
Food is complex. It contains dozens of micronutrients, cofactors, enzymes and phytonutrients that work synergistically together. In food, vitamins are in the form of enzymes or coenzymes. Changes to these natural structures destroys the nutritious effect that these nutrients have in our body.
Itβs believed the synergistic effects of phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables are responsible for their potent antioxidant activities, and the health promoting effects that we see in diets rich in fruit and vegetables. π₯
The complex structure of the nutrients and vitamins found in these foods simply cannot be replicated in a lab.
This explains why no single antioxidant can replace the combination of natural phytonutrients in fruits and vegetables to achieve the health benefits. The whole sum total is greater than itβs parts. π₯
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πππππππ are NOT in the right quantities. Taking isolated nutrients can cause dangerous imbalances in the body. βToo muchβ of one nutrient can seriously affect values of others (such as excess Vitamin D creating Magnesium deficiency and excess Zinc creating Copper deficiency).
We know that a diet full of fruits and vegetables has been associated with reducing the risk of many chronic diseases associated with aging, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke, Alzheimerβs disease, osteoporosis and diabetes.
Stick to organic, local fruits and veg and if your supplements arenβt giving you whole foods, but instead isolated forms of nutrients, you need to rethink your vitamins. π
References:
1. Steinmetz KA, Potter JD. Vegetables, Fruit and Cancer Prevention: A Review. J Am Diet Assoc, 1996;96:1027-1039
