The orthomolecular concept within medicine
The term orthomolecular, once introduced by two-time Nobel laureate Linus Pauling, refers to the pursuit of an optimal molecular environment in the body – by providing substances naturally occurring in the human body in optimal concentrations. In practice, this means targeting nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, trace elements, fatty acids, amino acids and phytonutrients to support physiological functions, prevent or correct metabolic derailments, and optimize recovery processes.
Orthomolecular medicine is not alternative medicine
The orthomolecular concept fits perfectly within today’s movement toward precision medicine, lifestyle medicine and preventive medicine. It focuses not on treating symptoms, but on strengthening biochemical balance, mitochondrial resilience, immune modulation and inflammatory regulation – all processes that underlie both health and disease.
At the Linus Pauling Prevention Center, we apply the orthomolecular concept not as an alternative model, but as an essential part of medical practice:
– In the follow-up of cardiovascular risks (e.g., homocysteine, magnesium, omega-3 index)
– In metabolic care in prediabetes, insulin resistance or NAFLD
– In supporting immune function, cognitive health or hormonal balance
– As a complementary strategy in aging-delayed interventions (biogerontology)
A medical concept consistent with prevention, personalization and precision medicine
The orthomolecular concept does not belong to some alternative form of medicine but is a necessarily scientific view within medicine. Unfortunately, what is often understood today in the public mind under “orthomolecular medicine” is often an incoherent set of advice, supplements and dogma that is not always evidence-based. That distortion detracts from the orthomolecular concept as it was originally intended: as a science-based approach that belongs in medical practice, and that can be tested against the same quality criteria as any other medical intervention.
Orthomolecular thinking means:
– Recognizing the role of micronutrients in biochemical and epigenetic regulation
– The use of nutritional laboratory diagnostics indicating epidemiological health thresholds as risk factors for chronic disease.
– Personalizing interventions based on genetic, epigenetic, metabolic and lifestyle factors
– The rational use of supplementation when clinically indicated – just as one would with a pharmacon
A plea for integration into mainstream practice
It is time to free the orthomolecular concept from the alternative sphere in which it has been unjustly lodged. Failure to apply nutritional correction when a deficiency is clinically demonstrable, or ignoring nutritional factors in chronic disease, is a shortcoming of current practice rather than a result of a lack of evidence.
Medicine that refuses to look at what nourishes people is incomplete. In this sense, integrating the orthomolecular concept into mainstream care is not “alternative thinking,” but rather a restoration of good medical practice.A plea for integration into mainstream practice