Expert: Ronda Snow, Ph.D. - 7/5/2005

Question
Hi Baihu,
I've learned where our soils have been depleted of minerals from wind, leaching, poor farming practices, etc., resulting in the unavailability of these minerals to be incorporated into the foods grown upon such soils. I can see where we are not getting the minerals we need from our diet, thus creating a need for some type of supplementation.
My question is: What form of vitamin and mineral supplements are best to take? I hear liquid supplements are more absorbable and bioavailable than caplets or capsules. Then a guy at GNC tells me that liquid supplements are absorbed more readily, but absorption is too quick and that a time release capsule or caplet form is best to take. I've read different things searching the "net" and cannot seem to get a clear picture on this subject. What would be your suggestion concerning the best form of vitamin/mineral supplementation which might offer the best benefit?
Thank you very much.
Mike Eidson, LAc.


Answer
You are doing a good job in evaluating all of this...keep up the good work!

It is true, that with soil depletion, some mineral supplimentation is not a bad idea. But there isn't any need to go overboard, either.

Getting as much as possible from natural (and thus properly absorbable) sources is your best bet. I know it is expensive, but try to buy orgainic and eat well...whole foods may not have the mineral content they once did, but at least they haven't been further depleted by processing.You might even want to try your hand at growing your own!

As for other suppliments, in my experience, I feel better and see better results with just a good, solid multivitamin. I like vitamin world "one" or centrum for quality and cost effectiveness. There isn't a need to get one of those fancy vitamins with a lot of esoteric minerals...many of these aren't proven to be needed in the diet in the first place, and in the second place, trace minerals vary in the soil natrually, and aren't a part of all natural diets anyway...so why waste money on something that isn't really needed? I'm not impressed at all with the liqueds I've tried. They seem to very expensive AND very dilute...the dosages are so small that I don't see how the proper amounts can be utilized, even with the more effecient absorbtion. But that is just me...I don't have any hard data one way or the other.

My personal favorite...and I don't sell anything except education...is this: Spiru-tien shakes. They are vitamin fortified at 100% rdi, and it is easily digested and asorbed, and it gets much of its benefits from food sources such as pectin, fiber, spirulina, etc. Tasty too. I'm not often brand loyal, but in this case the extra few dollars are worth it to me...they use non-gmo soy, and no artificail sweetners. The knock offs of this sort of drink are often laced with aspartame :(

I hope this helps! Don't worry, don't spend alot of extra cash on the fancy pills or liqueds. You'd be better served with a no-nonsense multivitamin and healthy, whole food diet. That is the Chinese appraoch, isn't it? The grapes, leafy greens and yellow veggies have helped my tendency to a kidney yang decrease :)

If I can be of further service, feel free to contact me here or if I'm on vacation here, I'm always available through www.white-tiger-wellness.com.

Take care, and be well!

Baihu