So-called natural vitamins are those found in food. Through long-term research and experimentation, scientists use artificial synthesis to create vitamins with the same components, which are known as synthetic vitamins and are often used as vitamin drugs.
According to experts from a diet research institute, the chemical structure and activity of natural and synthetic vitamins are the same in most cases, and there is no difference in their effects on the human body. The vitamins in food have the exact same chemical structure as synthetic vitamins. Their effects on the human body are completely identical. The differences between them are:
Natural vitamins are mostly found in the diet in smaller amounts and are often used as nutritional supplements. Generally, consuming large amounts of them does not cause side effects in the human body. In contrast, synthetic vitamins are mostly in the form of medicinal preparations with higher content and purity. They are often used as drugs for disease prevention and treatment and should be used under a doctor's guidance. Generally, they should not be abused, otherwise, they can affect human health and may even lead to serious adverse consequences due to the toxic side effects caused by an excess or accumulation of vitamins.
Synthetic vitamins are more easily absorbed by the human body. This is because vitamins in natural foods exist in the form of compounds, making it difficult for the body to use them as needed. For example, with folic acid: the human body can only absorb 10% of the folic acid from beef liver, whereas with synthetic folic acid, the body can absorb twice as much.