Last Updated on 02/03/2023 by K9 Oil Supplements
Synthetic versus Natural Ingredients. Natural materials are those that are found in nature and have not been made by humans. By comparison, synthetic materials are man-made and cannot be found in nature.
Synthetic products are usually created in laboratories. Yet, some people still ask – does it really matter?
As humans, we simply do not get enough nutrients in our diet. Hence why the natural supplement industry is critical to our health. For our pets, it is equally as important.
Studies have demonstrated that about half of the US population takes a multivitamin as a way to supplement their diet [1].
Unfortunately, the majority of those multivitamins are synthetic and that continues to spark the debates over whether synthetic nutrients provide the same benefits as natural nutrients. Have you ever heard someone say “that supplement did not work”. Synthetics are usually the product that they tried.
Some sources even suggest that synthetic nutrients may be dangerous. We take the position of absolute agreement. This agreement comes from the principles our company where we have experience across multiple industries, and the fact that have actually witnessed the damage done by synthetics since 2009.
Synthetic versus Natural Ingredients: Nutrients.
Simply put, there is major difference between the actual nutrients found in synthetic versus natural ingredients:
Natural nutrients: These are ingredients obtained from “whole food sources”.
Synthetic nutrients: These are usually made artificially, in a lab, an industrial process.
Synthetic versus Natural Ingredients: Nutrient Differences.
The socially accepted point of view is that synthetic nutrients are almost chemically identical to nutrients found naturally. These are the same people that will say “that supplement did not work”.
However, it is often undisputed that the production process of synthetic nutrients is very different to the way plants, animals, and nature create them. So while its possible they could have a similar structure, your body may in fact react differently to synthetic nutrients.
Additionally, it is also unclear how well synthetic nutrients are actually absorbed and used in the body. Some may be more easily absorbed, while others are not (the answer to why “that supplement did not work”) [2].
When you eat real food, you are not just consuming a single nutrient, rather, you are consuming a whole range of natural vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that allow for optimal use by the body.
Without these natural compounds, synthetic nutrients are unlikely to be used by the body at all (the answer to why “that supplement did not work”)[3].
For example, natural vitamin E tocopherol’s are absorbed twice as efficiently as synthetic vitamin E (absorption properly in the body equals working).[4].
Since our focus is on pets, let’s look at a common synthetic ingredient in pet food.
Menadione and menadione sodium bisulfite complex (MSBC), are synthetic forms of vitamin K. Unfortunately, this is widely used in pet food. Menadione and MSBC can be found in all types of pet foods. It’s a good practice to check product labels carefully to see if this synthetic nutrient is being used in your favorite pet food.
The reason Menadione is used is that it is cheap for manufactures, and it is stable. It’s simply much cheaper to make synthetic vitamin K3 in a laboratory than to use natural food-based forms of vitamin K. However, this synthetic has been identified as a liver toxin.
Meanwhile, the FDA allows for Menadione as poultry feed, however the FDA also warns that this synthetic is widely used in feeds for other species, including pet foods.
Please check your pet food product labels and make an informed decision. There are more synthetics that can be listed such as “sodium selenite” to keep an eye out for. Unfortunately, this list can be quite long once you start studying the subject.
Synthetic versus Natural Ingredients: Pet Supplements
We understand that due to financial issues and other reasons, some pet parents choose synthetic versus natural ingredients. We also understand that some pet parents are limited in their pet food choices. It is for that reason that our product exists in the first place. We aim to attempt to give your pets a fighting chance to overcome potential nutrition issues.
We have written many articles on the subject of digestive systems, studying your pets poop, and more. Please browse our articles to learn more.
If you are convinced your pets needs help from a human grade and natural ingredient supplement, learn more about our product ingredients.
Sources:
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21592424/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17209208/
