Common Vitamin Myths and Pseudo-Vitamins to Know About

Not Everything Labeled a "Vitamin" Is One

Thirteen vitamins are officially recognized in human nutrition: A, C, D, E, K, and the eight B vitamins. Over the decades, various other compounds have been marketed using vitamin-style names, B15, B17, and a handful of others, despite not meeting the scientific criteria for an essential vitamin: a compound the body cannot produce itself and requires from an outside source in small amounts for normal function.

Why the "Vitamin" Label Gets Misapplied

Calling a compound a vitamin, even informally, lends it a credibility and sense of established safety it may not have actually earned. Historically, this labeling pattern has been used, sometimes deliberately, to market unproven or even dangerous substances by association with genuinely essential, well-studied nutrients. Recognizing this pattern is a useful, general-purpose skill for evaluating any supplement claim.

A Specific Example Worth Knowing: "Vitamin B17"

One of the more well-documented cases involves a compound sometimes marketed as "vitamin B17," chemically known as amygdalin, found in apricot kernels and marketed at times as a cancer treatment under the name Laetrile. It is not a recognized vitamin, and more importantly, amygdalin can release cyanide when metabolized in the body, and its use has been associated with real cases of cyanide poisoning. Major health and regulatory authorities do not recognize it as a legitimate treatment, and it is not included anywhere in this site's vitamin reference for that reason.

"Vitamin B15" and Other Unrecognized Compounds

Pangamic acid, sometimes marketed as "vitamin B15," is another compound that has been sold under vitamin branding without meeting the scientific definition of an essential vitamin, and its composition and safety profile have been inconsistent across products historically sold under that name. It, too, is excluded from this site's reference for the same reason: we only list compounds that meet the established, verifiable definition of a vitamin, vitamer, or well-documented essential nutrient.

How to Evaluate a Supplement Claim Yourself

A few practical questions help filter out pseudo-vitamin marketing: Is this compound recognized by mainstream nutritional science and major health authorities, not just by the company selling it? Is there a plausible biological mechanism explained, or just a vague appeal to "natural" and "ancient" origins? Does independent, peer-reviewed research support the specific claims being made, separate from the marketing material itself? None of these questions require a science background, just a habit of asking them before trusting a bold claim.