What’s the Difference Between Vitamins & Supplements?

In general, supplements are dietary products that assist or support your own body's natural wellbeing. They add nutritional value to your dietary intake and augment your health.

Vitamins  are a type of supplement. Other types of supplements include minerals, herbal extracts, and various nutrients like protein.

Vitamins are divided into two main groups: fat-soluble and water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the liver and include vitamins A, D, E, and K. They are often easier for the body to retain, and stores can last for days, even months.

Water-soluble vitamins include vitamin C and all B vitamins. The body cannot retain them for long periods of time, and any excess tends to be excreted in urine, which is partially why vitamins are recommended to be replaced regularly for some.

All vitamins are supplements, but not all supplements are vitamins. Supplements will also include minerals such as magnesium  and iron, vitamins such as Vitamin C or Vitamin D3, and herbs such as Ashwagandha.  Other supplements include nutrients such as protein powders and creatine. Understanding the difference between vitamins and supplements is important to help you pick the best available options to support your health.

The better the bioavailability of the form of vitamin or supplement chosen, the more of it is absorbed from the gut into the bloodstream. For instance, different vitamin C formulations can vary significantly in absorption rates. How it’s made can be the difference between 80% or just 30% being absorbed. Generally, well absorbed formulations achieve better, quicker results when compared to poorly absorbed options.

Always check if the supplement or vitamin you choose has enough of the active ingredient to help support your health in an optimal fashion. Is the dose or concentration high enough? Is that per capsule, per 2 capsules, or 3? How much do I need to take of this brand to get the correct dose?

For specific dosage recommendations, chat with one of our integrative pharmacists or practitioners, either in person or by booking a complimentary free consult online or over the phone.

Where applicable, how clean or sustainable a brand or formula is can greatly impact how much and how long you can take a specific supplement. Brands that endeavour to provide clean formulations without added nasties are generally safer to use than brands that don’t practice this ethos. Some brands add fillers or other inactive ingredients. These often don’t offer any nutritional value and should be avoided if possible.

Some countries or manufacturing facilities have more stringent rules regarding quality assurance, quality control, quality of equipment used, and where raw materials are sourced. Places like New Zealand, Australia, and the USA have extremely high-quality standards when formulating medicines or supplements. These are usually overseen by regulatory bodies to ensure safety and quality.

Practitioner Ranges are typically stronger formulations of supplements, usually made with higher-quality ingredients that undergo rigorous testing to achieve higher bioavailability than standard over-the-counter options.

Again, very! For many people, the difference between using the best vitamins and supplements and poor-quality ones can be huge.In theory, we agree that most people don’t need supplements or expensive protein powders as long as they eat a very healthy, well-balanced diet. This is true. However, in today’s society, this is becoming increasingly difficult and impractical. Given the commercialisation of our food supply and the amount of processed food in so many food options, it’s hard to get “real food” anymore.Even if you manage to grow all your own food organically, New Zealand’s soil is often deficient in key minerals like selenium or magnesium. This means your dietary intake may not be enough for your health needs. Factor in the amount of stress we endure on any given day, the toxins we are exposed to via gadgets and technology, mounting levels of air pollution, or the low-quality “fast” food options, and investing in good-quality vitamins and supplements suddenly becomes a no-brainer.

Based in NZ, Matakana Pharmacy works hard to bring you a bespoke range of the best vitamins and supplements available. Whether you visit us in-store or via our online pharmacy, you will see all the careful effort put into hand-selecting the best brands.

Our vitamin and supplement ranges showcase high absorption, high purity and strong, adequate formulations to best support your health needs. With brands like Metagenics, Thorne Supplements and Pure Encapsulations, you have access to high-quality, ruinously tested, highly bioavailable vitamins and supplements.

For expert guidance from our practitioners, book your free consultation today or explore our full range of vitamins and supplements online, featuring some of the best brands available.