Summary of our newsletter: The quality of food supplements

The quality of dietary supplements

Vitamins and minerals must be consumed in the form of chemical compounds. There are better and less good compounds available for this purpose; below are some examples:

Vitamin C

Natural vitamin C, e.g. from acerola, is better absorbed by the body and excreted more slowly than synthetic ascorbic acid. Equally important is tolerability, which is rather poor with very acidic ascorbic acid. It is better to take it in the form of calcium ascorbate, i.e. buffered, non-acidic vitamin C.

Folate

Synthetic folic acid is usually used to manufacture supplements, but it only becomes active in the body after conversion to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5MTHF).
One in two people cannot convert synthetic folic acid into the active form for genetic reasons. Therefore folic acid should generally be taken in the form of 5MTHF. The enzymatic conversion step that is problematic for many people is no longer required.

Calcium

Calcium carbonate must first be converted by the body into calcium citrate. Stomach acid is required for its absorption. People with low stomach acid (e.g. because of taking acid blockers, many older people) should take calcium citrate instead of calcium carbonate, especially as it is generally better absorbed and can be taken independently of meals.
Other forms such as calcium lactate and calcium gluconate are less practical for calcium preparations as they have a lower calcium content.

Selenium

Selenomethionine and sodium selenite are mainly used to provide selenium in supplements, but they act very differently. Selenomethionine, which is also present in selenium yeast, is hardly toxic to cells even at high doses, but accumulates within cells and, over time, has a damaging effect on genes.
Sodium selenite does not damage genes and, because of its short-term action, is more controllable, but in overdose is toxic to cells. It is therefore better to use sodium selenite as a selenium source, with the dose recommended by the therapist being strictly adhered to.

Conclusion

So it's worth checking the ingredient list before buying to see which substances have been used. If manufacturers avoid giving more precise information — for example, listing simply "vitamin C" instead of Ester-C or calcium ascorbate — the reason is usually the use of the cheapest ingredients.
Of course products with better ingredients are also priced somewhat higher. In terms of cost/benefit ratio they are usually considerably more "cost-effective" in the true sense of the word than cheap products of low quality.