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The Definition of Organic Vitamins

In the supplement industry, unlike the food industry, there is no regulation that defines the use of the word organic. Without a clear definition, it becomes merely a marketing word to attract consumers. The truth about organic vitamins is complex, and the consumer must sift through mounds of evidence and anecdotal information. The best definition of organic vitamins is to say that they are vitamins derived from organic sources. But without regulation, what does that definition mean?

  1. Define Organic Vitamins

    • Vitamins are not produced by the body. They are organic chemical compounds that must be obtained through food or supplements. Each vitamin has a food source or sources that are fairly simple to recreate in a laboratory. In truth, all vitamins are organic. What is not organic are the fillers and binders that are often used in producing vitamin supplements.

    Food-Based Vitamins

    • Food-based vitamins are based on the idea that the body absorbs those vitamins more easily than vitamins made from synthetics. Rainbow Light is a California supplement company that claims to have pioneered the formulation of food-based supplements. In a 2007 article for Now Magazine, Marci Chow, Rainbow Light's technical services director, identifies the standard of an all food-based supplement as being unrealistic. "It's very difficult to make a multivitamin product that will be truly 100 per cent food-sourced without any synthetic ingredients."

    Daily Vitamin Intake

    • The recommended daily allowance of vitamins are standards set by the independent Institute of Medicine (a nonprofit organization) and the Food and Drug Administration. These standards are based on vitamin intake and have nothing to do with the way the vitamins are derived. The actual absorption rate of vitamins into the body can have many factors, which was discovered by a clinical trial conducted by the Linus Pauling Institute. The study noted vitamin E had a higher absorption rate when ingested through vitamin-E-fortified cereal than when combining unfortified cereal and a vitamin E supplement or taking the supplement alone.

    Are Organic Vitamins Better?

    • Organic vitamins are not necessarily better, according to Aileen Burford-Mason, the president of Holistic Health Research Foundation of Canada. Burford-Mason was interviewed by Now Magazine in 2007 and acknowledges that some synthetic vitamins are better absorbed by the body. But synthetic forms of vitamins D and E are ineffective and food-based forms might provide a better alternative.

    Finding Good Vitamins

    • Recent revelations about where vitamins are made brings further complexity to making vitamin choices. The Seattle Times revealed in a 2007 article "China Corners Vitamin Market" that China makes the bulk of vitamins A, C, B12 and E that is used in the U.S. market. U.S. laws do not require vitamin manufacturers to label products with the country of origin of their ingredients.

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