Vitamin Mis-Steps

Following the 70 year evolution of the Multiple Vitamin formula reveals some of the major vitamin health issues facing consumers today. The first vitamins were mostly natural food concentrates. In 1941, Dudley La Blanc developed one of the first multiple vitamins, Hadacol, for Happy Day Company, containing a mixture of vitamins B1 and B2, iron, niacin, calcium, phosphorous, honey, and diluted hydrochloric acid in 12% alcohol. 

Here are the multiple vitamin changes in general terms since than that created issues.  

• Early Multiple Vitamins had lower vitamin dosages than today and the serving size was usually 6 tablets, 2 three times a day. 
• Six tablets were used due to the large space needed for the appropriate amount of natural food sources for vitamins and minerals.
• Early sources for vitamins were natural such as Cod Liver Fish Oil for vitamins A&D, Algae for beta carotene, Liver and Yeast for B-Complex, Wheat germ oil for Vitamin E, Rose hips with ascorbic acid for vitamin C, Bonemeal or Dolomite for minerals. 
• These formulas were nutritionally balanced to body functions and vitamin body usage, not all the same amounts.
• Plus, early multivitamins had natural food bases such as rice bran and the liver and yeast that also provided the B Vitamins instead of mainly chemcial additives used today.
• The use of many natural sources opened the door for contamination issues unless lab checked, a rare occurance in the early years.
• The first changes to the multiple: Introduction of the one a day multiples. These often had greater amounts of tiny vitamins while larges size mineral amounts had to dramatically decrease. This was obviously a convenience move to get more people to take multivitamins.      
• Next, the various amounts of nutritionally balanced B vitamin Complex changed from being balanced to body usage amounts to being balanced at all the same amounts. (i.e. Balanced B 50, a misuse of the term balanced)
• As the vitamin dosages grew larger, time-release mechanisms were introduced to attempt to increase vitamin absorption by slowing down the release into the digestive system. This has now proven to be unwise for two reasons. 1. Some tablets did not break down at all. 2. This delayed breakdown hindered nutrient processing for absorption channels.
• Then, the six a day was reduced to 2-4 per day, sometimes by larger tablets or capsules, or just by reducing amounts of some nutrients. 
• The trend was to reduce minerals since they took up so much space and to increase vitamins because they are so small. This was completely counter to what should have taken place. 
• Vitamins are only needed in small amounts due to how the body processes and uses them. As you increase dosages, the body reduces absorption percentage
• The one a day, while still having the same amount of vitamins, began changing to more synthetic forms which also reduced the need for number of tablets without the quantities of natural source material such as liver and yeast. 
• Minerals become part of the structures of your body and should not have been reduced to such low amounts found in the one a day, unless dietary minerals are factored into the totals from food.
• Both vitamins and minerals form enzymes which are tireless workers and can perform thousands of actions in seconds. This is why vitamins are only needed in small amounts.
• When startches were labelled in the diet as a problem, tablet makers took out the starches. These tablet starches functioned like a dry sponge that when becoming wet, swelled up to quickly break apart the tablet vitamins and minerals for absorption. Look for quick release tablets, usually mentioned on label.
• It is interesting to note that the B-complex, originally from liver and yeast, reduced from 11 members in older formulas to just 8 in current formulas. PABA, choline and inositol status changed to nonessential status, but they still have vital body functions. NOTE: They all play vital roles for normal brain development, ref, either directly or indirectly, such as PABA buildng up folate levels. Only a few Prenatal Formulas provide Choline, but not PABA or inositol since the body does build some of these from food ingredients. ref
• Rose hips was historically added with ascorbic acid vitamin C, but did not supply a significant amount of natural form vitamin C.    
• The next change was the introduction of added greens and other food base items. Usually the amounts are so tiny, it is like one half teaspoon of food that is overzealously given mountains of added value. It is of course better than chemical additives.
• The last change was the introduction of what is sometimes called foodform vitamins or whole food vitamins. Both of these names are quite a stretch for these terms. article 
• The early whole food vitamins added synthetic vitamin forms to a mixture of alive and growing yeart and over time, the yeast absorbed the vitamins which was thought to change them to a natural form.
• Even the vitamin forms that yeast does not naturally produce, like the fat soluble vitamins and B12.
• With food bases and the yeast from foodform vitamins comes an added element to consider: CONTAMINATION WITH HEAVY METALS such as lead and ALLERGIES TO YEAST.
• There are only a few real whole food multiples that have vitamins made entirely by nature.
• Nutrient formats in multiples have occasionally experienced new concepts and forms, such as the chelation of minerals with amino acids.
• While these new forms do increase mineral absorption, they can be counter to built-in body mechanisms to maintain and control mineral ratios.
• Another changing item is the second most disappointing feature is that in all these years, the trend has moved from more natural vitamin sources, such as liver and yeast for B vitamins, fish for vitamin A, carrots and algae for beta carotene, to almost all synthetic. Even the foodform vitamins start out with many synthetics.
• Gummies are a new delivery method that has modified formulas and ingredients for taste. Sugar factor not a good addition and as some vitamins are acid, gummies expose teeth for longer peiods to eating acids. 
• And now the last and largest disappointment originally generated by early science and sanctioned by Government health agencies; Vitamins C & E, plus beta carotene are incomplete and missing vital family members naturally found together in whole foods needed to perform all the necessary functions nature intended.
• Since the vast majority of current multivitamin formulas contain numerous flaws and incomplete formulas, there is a developing concern that the longer one takes these products, there is a greater risk that serious adverse health effects might eventually manifest. here  here 

There are a few multiples that include some family members, but far too few. THEY ALL SHOULD and will in the future as the resource information presented on this website gains greater exposure.