Compounds versus their Precursors - Which to Supplement with?

[MidwestBeast]

I'm just in the middle of reading a chapter for a nutrition course I'm in and in discussing B vitamins, it mentions obtaining certain vitamins directly through food or supplementation or ingesting a precursor that the body can turn into that vitamin. I've thought about this before; this was just the trigger for me to post this. B vitamins are just one example of many different vitamins/minerals/compounds that the body produces or needs in which you can take the source directly or a precursor to let your body do the conversion.

I'm just curious, what are your thoughts on this, Doc? I would venture to guess that it varies from case to case (i.e. there isn't a blanket statement of compound is always better than precursor, or vice versa), but I obviously don't know; hence my asking.

[mr.cooper69]

It varies with everything...very dependent on the pharmacokinetics and dynamics of the respective compounds.

[MidwestBeast]

It varies with everything...very dependent on the pharmacokinetics and dynamics of the respective compounds.

I figured as much; especially with bioavailability. I thought I'd ask anyway, though, just in case if all things were considered equal, it was better to take an active form or make your body do the conversion.