I would like to share about the differences on pharmaceutical grade vitamins vs.Regular grade vitamins.
Vitamins are necessary for human life and health. They are required in
minute amounts, and with the exception of Vitamin B12, cannot be
manufactured in your bodies. These organic compounds need to be obtained
from diet, and if deprived of a particular vitamin, you will suffer
from disease specific to that vitamin. It is a matter of record that you
are not getting enough vitamins. Though we Americans are living longer,
our quality of life leaves much to be desired.
The thirteen different vitamins are classified into two main categories:
·
Water Soluble Vitamins - They dissolve easily in water. They are
Vitamin C and the eight types of Vitamins B, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6,
B-7, B-9, and B-12.
· Fat Soluble Vitamins - With the help of
lipids, they are absorbed through the intestinal tract. These vitamins
are Vitamins A. D, E, and K.
The term Vitamin does not mean to
include essential nutrients, such as, dietary minerals, essential fatty
acids, or essential amino acids; neither does it mean to include other
nutrients that just promote health, and may not be essential.
The Different Grades of Vitamins
Vitamin
supplements are taken by more than 75% of the world's population. With
the plethora of different brands, it becomes difficult to know what is
what. Vitamins and other nutritional supplements are made from three
different grades of raw materials:
· Pharmaceutical Grade - It meets pharmaceutical standards
· Food Grade - It meets standards for human consumption
· Feed Grade - It meets standards for animal consumption
The main difference is of quality and purity. Due to the addition of
various other substances, no product is 100% pure. Pharmaceutical Grade
Vitamins must be in excess of 99% purity containing no binders,
fillers, excipients - substances used as diluents for a drug - dyes, or
unknown substances. Regular Vitamins of the other two grades are
available as Over The Counter (OTC) products, whereas pharmaceutical
grade vitamins are only available through prescriptions.
Pharmaceutical
grade vitamins are formulated to yield a higher degree of
bioavailability - the degree at which the vitamin is absorbed into a
living system. As these vitamins can be absorbed into your body quickly,
they improve and enhance the quality of your life rapidly.
