Many of the mineral supplements seen today are made using chemicals in place of natural substances which is a very contrary approach to the issue. The growing supplement market however, shows no signs of tapering off and many more are taking supplements. This is due to the amount of debate that there is as to whether chemical mineral vitamins can be more harmful than beneficial in the long term.

The fact of the matter is that these chemical supplements are not as easy for our body to digest as natural ones. This is why there is a constant effort among manufacturers to try and develop products that can be easily assimilated.

A new 'bio available' form of a vitamin or mineral is being brought out by the industry ever so often. To overcome this, a large number of mineral vitamins have been developed that combine other elements to enable them to be more easily absorbed by the body. Iron gluconate is a combined form of iron which the body is able to absorb easily.

For the body to absorb the amount it needs, the amount in the mineral vitamin supplement has to be a lot more than what it would be in its natural form. However, this could also result in larger quantities of the mineral being absorbed than is needed resulting in toxic levels. This is why it is so important that one must consult with a health professional before ingesting large quantities of supplements touted in advertisements. It would help if you keep abreast of news and developments in the mineral vitamin supplement industry so you can buy the latest combinations which would be better.

A common method used by manufacturers for ready absorption is using yeast cells to culture the raw materials. This kind of supplements, referred to as 'food state', is four times easier to be absorbed by the body as the yeast is biological and can be fully digested.

However, the actual need of mineral vitamin supplements is going to depend on each individual's diet. It goes without saying that nutrients obtained in their natural form through the food eaten is much better for the body than by artificial means. There may be times when on a temporary basis there is a requirement for these mineral vitamin supplements but long term use is advised against for many of the supplements available in the market.