Better Multi-Vitamins for Kids

the following information was collaborated with me by madison regev, an amazingly kind and knowledgable nutrition consultant and research & product developer (@goodseedwellnessllc).

truly this guide would not have happened without her.

she is extremely passionate about debunking misinformation for women, especially during pregnancy and post-partum.

3 Types of Vitamins

Whole Food Vitamins: fruits and vegetables turned into a format (like a powder) that can be incorporated into vitamins. True whole food vitamins will have minimal processing.

Naturally Derived Nutrients: vitamins and minerals that are derived from a natural source, but go through various processes to isolate specific nutrients in the desired doses/potency (ex vitamin A created from beta-ionone found in lemongrass).

Synthetic Nutrients: vitamins and minerals that are derived from a synthetic source, but go through various processes to isolate specific nutrients (ex vitamin A created from beta-ionone found in acetone).

"Whole Food Vitamins"

The term “whole food vitamins” is NOT regulated by the FDA, so a lot of companies use synthetic vitamins or vitamin isolates, but may use “whole food” ingredients and label their products in a deceiving manner. Some supplement companies will ferment synthetic vitamins into a whole food base in order to make stronger product claims.

True whole food vitamins are typically minimally processed and contain lower amounts of nutrients than an isolated vitamin. Many people like whole food vitamins because they want the natural cofactors/flavonoids contained in fruits and vegetables alongside the vitamins/minerals. This is a great option for someone with a balanced diet who is just looking for a little boost. However if, for example, someone was looking for a high dose vitamin C, this would be really hard to accomplish without an extremely high cost and a handful of pills. 

Most multis will contain whole foods ALONGSIDE naturally derived nutrients and/or synthetic nutrients. If you want something truly whole food, your best bet is getting the nutrients from actual whole foods (organic fruits, veggies, meats) or getting single ingredient true whole food supplements.

How to Tell if a Vitamin is Natural or Synthetic

A good first step is to check the active and “other” ingredients to see if there are blatant plant/animal/food sources listed (ex: beta carotene from D. Salina algae with x, y, z other nutrients). Most companies producing a naturally derived product will brag on it, so it’s fairly easy to spot. 

Then you can start checking the long chemical names next to the common vitamin name for the endings “-ide” or “-ate” (ex: B6 as pyridoxine hydrochloride). You can be pretty certain that the product contains synthetic derivatives if those are on the list. 

FACT or FALSE? “the body may have a harder time recognizing and processing synthetic nutrients, which can make them less effective.”

Synthetic nutrients are a double edged sword, and it’s much more nuanced than “the body does or doesn’t recognize it.” It depends entirely on the specific nutrient and the benefit to the individual. For an adult or child with no known health issues or insufficiencies, a whole food or natural multi-vitamin would be the best choice as our bodies typically respond best to nutrients from food. But some bodies may need to fill gaps that they’re unable to from food. 

Pros: they can have higher doses, can create bio-available forms/pre-converted forms of vitamins that certain people may not be able to absorb or convert on their own due to health conditions/genetics. They can be nearly identical to natural forms with a lower cost and smaller amount of pills.

Cons: when talking about something like iron, for example, we know the best source is heme iron from meat. Part of this is because meats that produce heme iron are also rich in b vitamins and other cofactors that aid in the absorption and utilization of iron by the body in specific ratios. 

A Deeper Dive into Synthetic Vitamins

There can be great benefits to high quality synthetic nutrients, especially for populations struggling with chronic health problems, specific gene SNPs, or other health issues that may prevent them from being able to get what they need simply from foods.

Synthetic vitamins are isolated from artificial sources like vitamin A created from beta-ionone found in acetone. The end product is a nearly identical chemical structure that studies generally show positive health outcomes. Reputable ingredient suppliers test their product to ensure that the vitamin they are creating is isolated from the original compound that they would not necessarily want in their finished product. Even when isolating something from a “natural” source, the source typically is not present in the final product.

Synthetic derivatives can oftentimes be more bioavailable. For example, the form of B12 sourced from food is typically a few steps behind (enzymatic process wise) when it comes to the form that is active in our body (5-MTHF). When an individual has certain gene SNPs that stop them from being able to perform this conversion from food into active form, synthetic vitamins may be the best option for them to fill a nutrient gap.

a note on choosing a multi vitamin

Let’s chat before we dive into some multi-vitamin recommendations.

IMO, multi-vitamins are a “pick and choose your battles” type of product. Ideally, the best and safest option for a vitamin is through whole, organic foods (fruits, vegetables, meats, etc). There is never going to be such thing as a “perfect” multi-vitamin.

However, if this is something you feel like your child needs, then you must decide what’s most important to you. That might mean choosing a vitamin with a good supplement fact panel, bio-availability, or 100% natural derivatives, etc., BUT may include sweeteners, natural flavors, or other less ideal ingredients.