Inositol is often classified as a B vitamin, but officially it is not. Your body can produce inositol itself: it is a substance that is naturally present in the body. Although there are exceptions, your body cannot produce vitamins itself. That is why Inositol is also called a half-vitamin or pseudovitamin.
What does the body's own inositol do?
Inositol is part of the cell membranes in our body. The cell membrane is a thin layer that surrounds your body cells. It keeps the contents of your cells together. The cell membrane selects which substances enter the cell, or should remain outside the cell.
Inositol also plays a role in the function of neurotransmitters. Substances that are also called "messengers". These messenger substances help to maintain hormonal balance throughout our body. In this way, inositol also plays a role in insulin action.
Types of inositol
There are 9 types of inositol. All with a slightly different composition. The best-known form is myo-inositol. That is why the terms inositol and myo-inositol are often used interchangeably.
Myo-inositol is also found in our daily diet. For example, it is found in protein-rich foods such as fish, red meat, poultry, dairy products, nuts and soy.
Another more frequently discussed form of inositol is D-chiro-inositol (DCI). DCI is only present in very small quantities in our food. It is found in chickpeas, buckwheat, carob pods and pumpkin seeds, for example. This quantity is too little for our body, so you have to make it yourself from myo-inositol. This conversion does not proceed equally efficiently for everyone.
Why take inositol?
Although the body produces inositol itself, in certain situations the need for inositol may be higher than the body's own production and the dietary intake of DCI.
Although myo-inositol is found in many foods, we find DCI much less in our food. The myo-inositol has to be converted to DCI in your body. But not everyone is an equally good converter.
Think of the extent of conversion of myo-inositol to DCI as a spectrum.
Some women convert very efficiently, others hardly at all, and everything in between.
Inositol supplement: Myo Inositol 40:1 or D-Chiro-Inositol?
Inositol 40:1
The 40:1 Inositol complex from Ovabalance contains 3120 mg myo-inositol together with 800 mg L-arginine and 80 mg DCI. A high, but responsible dosage. With the purest DCI available. It is a supplement in powder form, without unnecessary aids and fillers. So it is free of junk.
D-Chiro-Inositol
Ovabalance D-chiro-inositol contains 600 mg DCI. This is 7.5 x as much as in the Inositol 40:1 complex. Ovabalance DCI is the most superior DCI product available, with a purity of at least 98%.
Women who do not convert myo-inositol to DCI well, benefit more from a DCI supplement . When conversion is efficient, you may benefit from a higher dosage of myo-inositol ( Ovabalance 40:1 inositol ). You can also use a combination of these two supplements.
You take the DCI capsules with water before a meal. They can also be opened if you have trouble taking capsules.
