For example H20 (normal water) is chemically similar to D2O (heavy water) and behaves similarly under most conditions, but whereas H20 is non-toxic to living organisms, D2O at elevated concentrations above its natural abundance has toxicity toward plants and animals. However, the way these compounds behave in biological systems can be very different. Chemically, they should behave the same because they both have one valence electron, and in fact they do form analogous compounds with other elements. A clear example of this occurs with the two major stable isotopes of hydrogen, which are “normal hydrogen,” with one proton, and deuterium, which has one proton and one neutron. In biological systems, there are some notable exceptions to this rule. So, according to this thought, stable isotopes such as C12 and C13 should theoretically behave the same. Strictly speaking, the “chemistry” of an element is primarily dictated by the outer valence electrons of an atom. Organisms Distinguish Natural from Synthetic So the next question is, is this difference biologically important?
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So, these two sources are not strictly identical as previously assumed. But suffice it to say that if we have two samples of a pure compound, such as beta-carotene, one of which is from a plant and the other synthesized from fossil fuels, it is possible to tell the difference. Beyond this, we get into heavy chemistry. Carbon-based compounds such as vitamins and phytochemicals are all made up predominantly of two stable carbon isotopes (C12and C13) and one unstable isotope (C14), but the ratios differ depending on whether the material is derived from fresh plant material or from fossil fuel sources. These analytical machines are equipped with mass-selective detectors that can determine the ratio of isotopes in a particular compound. There are analytical machines readily available today, including those in Mannatech’s own R&D laboratory, that can blindly distinguish plant-sourced compounds from “bioidentical” compounds synthesized from fossil fuels such as coal tar or petroleum. The first thing that helped change my thinking about natural versus synthetic vitamins was the wider availability of better analytical technology. Technology Now Distinguishes Natural and Synthetic Vitamins We have to accept that science is always a work in progress and what we may “know” about our technology at one time could be radically different several decades into the future because of factors that we didn’t know about or take into serious consideration. While these differences are still in the early stage of being defined, I personally believe that there is something important we have been missing, and it will not be a simple matter to sort it out. Based on information and equipment that simply was not available when I developed my original thoughts on the subject, I now realize several factors that certainly could make a significant difference in how natural and synthetic vitamins perform in actual living beings. It didn’t occur to me (or others) at the time that this could be due to a limitation of our methods rather than an absolute “truth” about the equivalency of natural and synthetic vitamins. Both compounds co-eluted using these methods, so it was assumed that they must be the same.
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This was because the analytical methods commonly employed at the time were based on relatively simple chromatographic equipment that could not distinguish natural from synthetic. When I first started into analytical chemistry in the 1980s, it was accepted practice to use synthetic vitamins as the standard when analyzing and quantifying vitamins from both natural and synthetic sources. My thinking on this subject has evolved over several decades from the point where I assumed equivalency between naturals and synthetics, to where I am today.
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I have been asked on many occasions to share my thoughts about naturally sourced vitamins and minerals, specifically why I prefer them when designing new product formulations.