We often ask the question; what’s the most expensive food supplement that you have ever purchased? The answers are varied, but rarely do you get the obvious response, “the one that didn't work!"
There’s another expression that comes to mind when exploring the topic of whether nutritional supplements containing minerals really work.
“Much education today is monumentally ineffective. All too often we are giving young people cut flowers when we should be teaching them to grow their own plants.” John W. Gardner
I hear you asking yourself, how is any of this relevant?
This article will show that much of the marketing and education around readily available food supplements is clever half-truths. The products themselves are also ‘cut flowers’ and not substances that can be of lasting and authentic benefit.
That’s because many mass-produced nutritional aids and supplements are based on cheaply produced inorganic minerals, presented in product types not formulated to be instantly usable in your metabolism.
To truly benefit from consuming additional minerals, you really do need the organic kind, and in many cases, this means looking for a certain type of supplement.
We will dig down on organic v inorganic minerals later, and how to find authentically effective food supplements. First, as background, here’s some of the science behind the minerals our body needs to function properly.
A quick guide to nutritionally vital minerals
Ideally, the things we eat each day would enable us to extract everything we need to support the intricate workings of our body. Nutrients that operate on a cellular level, and help us to regulate and produce vital hormones, for example.
One of the most important jobs minerals do, is in helping us to break food down to release energy. They are central to our metabolic function. That is why one of the first symptoms of certain mineral deficiencies is often tiredness.
Also, a nutritional balance of key minerals can help to prevent some illnesses, and slow down the ageing process (especially by combating free radicals).
Pivotal in all of this are certain dietary minerals that carry out very important jobs in our body. Shortfalls can leave us at risk of serious health problems. Unlike vitamins, they don’t always get the ‘publicity’ they deserve but you need to know their names: calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc, iodine, chromium, copper, molybdenum, manganese, and selenium. Each is needed in different trace amounts. Also, some minerals need to work in unison to be effective, or with other enzymes that our bodies contain.
Our bodies can’t produce their own supply of many key nutrients, and therefore we must get them from what we eat. Leafy green vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, meat, and fish are among the mineral-rich foods you can choose from.
Unfortunately, achieving the perfect diet based on the foods you buy is becoming increasingly challenging. Modern cultivation and production methods strip some nutrients out and highly processed foods contain even less of the ‘good stuff’ we need.
Vegan, vegetarian, and mainly plant-based diets can present nutritional difficulties and shortfalls, and having existing digestive issues, or taking medications can also interfere with complete nutritional balance.
The growing popularity and credibility of food supplements
To achieve purposeful nutrition, people are increasingly turning to supplementary products. Dietary aids that contain a measured dose of key nutrients that they may be missing out on.
It is something that medical science is getting very involved in. There is global experimentation with the dosages and combinations of nutrients needed to (a) overcome deficits (b) prevent illness and (c) potentially TREAT some illnesses. There are exciting results showing that using the correct type and amount of minerals can help address some common health issues.
As you would expect, as interest in food supplementation grows, so does the availability of mass-produced products You can see these stacked on supermarket shelves across the UK. These supplements are regulated to a certain degree – for example, they must contain all the elements listed on their labels, and they must make realistic marketing promises.
However, the average consumer can still find the choice of food supplements overwhelming.
What is crucial to this article though, is that consumers may also find that they are buying products that contain a largely ineffectual version of some key minerals.
Yes, they are in there - so no false advertising – but they are present in a form that could be challenged when it comes to their utilisation, and thus overall product efficacy.
Knowing the truth about minerals can therefore help you to understand the best food supplements to buy, that work well and are therefore delivering greater value for money.
Mineral balance and citrates
To illustrate how complex minerals are in biological terms, let’s look at citric acid and its salt form which is called citrate.
Citric acid is extensively used in manufacturing as an acidity regulator, and to create everything from cosmetics to detergents. However, it is also important in human physiology.
Citric acid is an organic compound found in certain foods, especially lemons and other citrus fruits. It is a weak acid that our body can use to detoxify itself. To ensure we have enough, citric acid can be produced as a ‘salt’ or citrate.
Some supplements – such as those containing potassium and magnesium – are sold as a citrate and therefore combine citric acid and other active ingredients.
Citric acid carries diverse biological benefits. For instance, it can be used to alkalise your kidneys, counteract issues created by kidney disease and prevent kidney stones and gout. It achieves the latter as this antioxidant inhibits the formation of calcium-based stones in your body.
This is a good illustration of how the balance of minerals needs to be finely tuned – you can create mineral citrate that contains key elements including citric acid, to help your body process calcium properly and avoid it clumping.
You may also be advised to opt for food supplements classed as citrates, as the citric acid helps you to release energy from food, as part of the Krebs cycle outlined below.
The Krebs cycle
Nutritional minerals work together like a symphony – different instruments come together at different points, in different ways, to create biological harmony. Equally, when out of tune, they can cause jarring notes that lead to problems!
This takes us to something known as the Krebs cycle.
It is easy to think of human life in simplistic terms. We eat – our bodies turn carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into energy – and then we have the energy to move around and complete all our biological functions. In fact, how that happens is complex and intricate.
A German biochemist called Hans Krebs was the first to chart a vital series of eight chemical reactions involved in the production of biological energy. These are also sometimes referred to as the citric acid or tricarboxylic acid cycle.
This cycle is extremely important to our health, as it underpins how living organisms get their energy, as well as the molecules needed as cellular building blocks. Each step in the cycle is used to harness the available chemical energy of acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl CoA), in combination with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH).
One of the reasons we are referring to the Krebs cycle is that it depends on an organic citric acid to be effective. Preferably in harmony with other organic minerals.
Do citrates offer the best option for mineral supplementation?
As mentioned, the form that minerals take when they are consumed has a direct impact on how absorbable and usable they are, and whether the proper interactions between them can take place.
There are biochemists who believe that delivering additional minerals in a citrate form offers us the best solution, for many nutritional targets. For example, research has shown that a citrate form of magnesium is more water-soluble than an oxide form. To work efficiently and quickly in our body, a soluble form is preferable.
Other studies of calcium supplementation have concluded that a soluble source can prove substantially more effective than calcium carbonate.
More evidence of the importance of citrates in human biology comes from the beginnings of human growth. A mother’s milk contains valuable minerals that the baby needs. A highly concentrated amount of citrates is believed to be the main reason babies can benefit so well from these trace elements in human milk.
For instance, one study - Lonnerdal et al 1980, Lonnerdal, 1989). Bratter (1997) – isolated citrate as the principal binding agent for zinc in human milk.
There are many other studies too that indicate that citrates are often the most beneficial organic form of minerals. Plus, the presence of citric acid (such as in orange juice) can enhance the bioavailability of some other organic mineral supplements.
This takes us neatly to why the supplements you purchase need to contain organic, not inorganic minerals.
Organic v inorganic minerals
The Krebs cycle and the way our bodies use a citrate (salt) form of a mineral are both fascinating and complicated aspects of biochemistry. However, one fact linked to this is simple – our bodies need and respond best to organic forms of minerals.
Organic refers to a version that has been already used by a living organism. That could be an animal or a plant. It is a ‘bioavailable’ substance, that our bodies quickly recognise.
An inorganic mineral is one that is not yet been ‘purposed’ by a living organism. Instead, it is found in the water or soil.
We will look at this in more detail later, but to sum it up, the organic form of minerals is often easier for our bodies to absorb and use. Organic forms are especially powerful when used in conjunction with an organic citric acid.
This is not universally so – as not all minerals are processed in the same way. For example, the sodium chloride (salt) commonly used in households is inorganic. It has often been extracted from water, and it is very soluble and immediately used by our metabolism.
However, with some minerals, there is a very different picture. Some inorganic minerals are not simple for our bodies to use. In fact, they can potentially pass away in our waste without ever serving their purpose. Making some supplements with inorganic minerals shockingly poor value.
Keep in mind also, that the number of minerals in a supplement will impact on their efficacy (measure of effectiveness), not just how much of it is bioavailable. Are you buying supplements with low – or little – bioavailable minerals?
Why organic minerals perform better
You will find organic minerals in citrates (as mentioned above) but also supplements known as acetate, fumarate, malate or lactate. When sourced from a reputable nutritional advisor or company, these can be mineral-rich products that are highly effective in working in unison with your metabolism.
The central reason is that they contain organic minerals and therefore offer more bioavailability.
Organic minerals are ideally structured to work in synergy with naturally occurring nutrients, and your metabolic system. This is partly because they contain carbon and other chemicals linked to how cells are formed, repaired, and reproduced.
Also, electrons in organic minerals spin clockwise, which is the same direction as electrons in our cells. This also helps our metabolism recognise them instantly and absorb them quickly.
Keep in mind too, that the best organic formulations of minerals will be carefully balanced to include the ones that must be consumed together, to optimise their benefits.
Can organic minerals be ‘produced’
Here’s an interesting side note, on how quality food supplements are produced to keep pace with growing demand and improved knowledge. It is possible to ‘feed’ some inorganic minerals to a living organism to be processed and converted into an organic form. Yeast is often used to create these ‘food form’ minerals.
As these are organic, they are considered by nutritionists to be a good way to consume the vital minerals your body needs. They are certainly preferable to low-cost supplements containing inorganic alternatives.
However, there appears to be no testing to date to compare food from minerals that have been processed, to minerals that naturally occur in plants and animals. Do the naturally occurring versions add extra benefits?
Thanks to multiple and diverse tests, we do know that the organic minerals in citrate form are easy for the body to absorb and use, and a wonderful way to support your body’s metabolism. Making them a highly preferable option.
Why use inorganic minerals in supplements then?
Anyone who studies biochemistry understands that many organic forms of minerals outweigh the value of their inorganic counterparts. So why are they still used in many ‘off-the-shelf’ food supplements and dietary aids?
The answer is largely cost. As well as the ease at which they can be accessed to support large-scale production, and often boast a higher label claim, therefore theoretical better value for money.
Extracting these nutritionally relevant minerals from soil and water is far less expensive and complex than harvesting the organic forms of minerals.
What the public doesn’t always realise, is this lower production cost also lowers the effectiveness of the supplements they are buying.
Potential supplements and toxicity
If you follow the informed advice of a trained CAM practitioner or the direction on the label, you should be in safe hands.
What to look for in effective nutritional supplements
You will generally find a good level of organic minerals in supplements classed as chlorides, acetates or citrates (containing citric acid). They will offer you good value for money supplements delivering well-absorbed minerals.
As discussed in this article, this is especially true of citrates, as they are quickly absorbed, and usually contain an effective level of essential minerals that is balanced and avoids potential toxicity.
Don’t forget that citrates offer important additional benefits too, including helping to support your metabolism and protect kidney function!
However, you can still enjoy an efficient and effective dose of some key minerals from non-citrates. For instance, some valuable forms of chromium and selenium can’t work in citrate form as they need to be organically bound for optimum utilisation.
If you want to navigate your way to the best food supplements containing organic minerals, it is highly recommended that you consult a naturopathic practitioner. They may not signpost you to what, on the face of it looks like the cheapest food supplements, until you review the efficacy of the nutrients. However, they will make sure you get something that truly works to help you to invest well in your health.
You can always call our no-obligation nutritional advice line for guidance 03333703256, option 2 should you have any questions or concerns.
