We often hear from experts that eating clean, nutritious foods is key to maintaining optimal health. After all, the cells that make up our body and vital organs need plenty of nutrients to function properly, and these nutrients all come from food.
But ensuring good nutrition isn’t as simple as eating all the right foods. According to Dr. Suzanne Cole from the University of Michigan, several factors affect the bioavailability of nutrients – that is, the fraction that’s absorbed and used by your body from your diet. These factors include the structure of the food you consume, your health and age, the chemical form of nutrients and their interactions with other food components. [1]
To elaborate on how food structure affects nutrient absorption, you may have heard that some nutrients from animal-based foods, such as protein and iron, are more readily absorbed by the body than their plant-based counterparts. [2][3] This is because plant cell walls are more rigid than animal cell walls, so they’re more difficult for humans to digest.
Some plant nutrients, like protein, are also broken down into bulkier, less water-soluble fragments than nutrients from animal sources, so they pass through epithelial cells at a much slower rate. This is why protein from plant-based foods is absorbed less efficiently by the body than animal-based protein. [4]
Your health and age also influence how well your body can absorb nutrients from the foods you eat. Research shows that older adults produce less stomach acid than younger ones, so they often suffer from poor nutrient absorption. Aging also brings about alterations in the expression of genes related to nutrient absorption, which is why besides following a healthy diet, taking dietary supplements is important and highly recommended for the elderly. [5]
Today, nutrient deficiencies are prevalent not just in developing countries, but also in the United States. Experts attribute this to nutrient-poor diets and generally low adherence to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. [6] Natural supplements have become a great recourse for people who don’t get enough nutrition from their diet, as well as people with restrictive diets who need alternative sources of some essential nutrients.
How nutrients are absorbed by your body
When talking about nutrients, the first ones that probably come to mind are vitamins and minerals. Indeed, these nutrients are considered essential because – apart from vitamin D, which your body produces upon exposure to ultraviolet B rays from the sun, and vitamin B3 (niacin), which your body can produce from the amino acid tryptophan – the human body is incapable of producing them on its own. [7]
The process of nutrient absorption starts after the breakdown of food. The latter occurs partly in your mouth while you’re chewing, and in your stomach where food is further broken down into digestible particles with the help of stomach acids and gut bacteria. [8] The particles then move to the small intestine, where specialized cells called enterocytes help absorbed nutrients cross the intestinal lining and enter the bloodstream. Absorbed nutrients are then distributed to other parts of your body by your circulatory system. [9]
Depending on their chemical properties, your body employs different mechanisms to absorb nutrients. For instance, water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and B-complex vitamins, are absorbed in the intestine quite differently from fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E and K.
According to an article published in the journal Current Opinion in Gastroenterology, each of the water-soluble vitamins require specific carrier-mediated transport systems for absorption across enterocytes. Some of these transporters are sodium-dependent, while others rely on other molecules. In the case of cobalamin, for instance, absorption involves at least four different binding proteins. [10][11]
Fat-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, are absorbed from the intestinal lumen – the opening inside bowels – via the same mechanism your body uses for other lipids. This involves their incorporation into micelles, which are lipid molecules (specifically a single layer of fatty acids) that arrange themselves in spherical form. These micelles allow the fat-soluble vitamins and other lipids they’re carrying to enter enterocytes via diffusion.
Like vitamins, mineral absorption also occurs largely in the small intestine and is also facilitated by specific or non-specific transporters, binding proteins and even minerals themselves. For example, phosphorus is transported into enterocytes together with sodium, while iron enters enterocytes with the help of a non-specific metal transporter protein. Zinc, on the other hand, relies on a number of transporters and binding proteins that facilitate its absorption. [12]
Liposomal Supplements and how they support optimal nutrition*
Although your body has these transport systems that allow nutrient absorption to take place, its ability to absorb nutrients efficiently can be greatly reduced by various factors, such as medication, genetics, poor lifestyle habits and existing medical conditions. This is why researchers have been looking for ways to help people make the most of not just their diets, but also the supplements they’re taking.
One of the innovative ways they’ve come up with is to increase the bioavailability of dietary supplements using delivery systems called liposomes. Liposomes are spherical carriers that are made of phospholipids, the same class of lipids found in cell membranes. Like micelles, liposomes are non-toxic, biodegradable carriers or transporters that don’t trigger an immune response.
Liposomes differ from monolayer micelles in that they are composed of one or more phospholipid bilayers that closely resemble the one found in cell membranes. [13] The phospholipid bilayer in cell membranes serves as a protective barrier against environmental threats and helps regulate the entry of substances, such as nutrients, inside cells. [14][15]
The unique structural and chemical properties of liposomes make them the ideal delivery vesicles for nutrients as well as other beneficial compounds. Besides having the ability to encapsulate and carry compounds within their cores, liposomes can also interact easily with cell membranes, thanks to the similarities between their phospholipid bilayers. This facilitates the delivery of their cargo, which enhances supplement bioavailability and nutrient uptake by cells. [16]
Another advantage of liposome-encapsulated supplements is that, when formulated correctly, they can protect their precious cargo from degradation by digestive enzymes and stomach acids. [17] Studies show that liposomes with enhanced stability can withstand the harsh stomach environment long enough to ensure efficient absorption of the substances they’re transporting. In fact, several reports suggest that incorporating bile salts into liposomes work wonders for their transmembrane absorption and the oral bioavailability of their cargo. [18]
Liposomes used for supplements can be made with purely natural ingredients so they’re safe and won’t harm living tissue or elicit an immune response. According to an article published in Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, phosphatidylcholine from lecithin derived from seed oils is the most commonly used natural phospholipid in nutritional liposomes.
Phosphatidylcholine is a major component of human cell membranes. [19] It is also the ideal phospholipid for use in liposomes because, as a long-chain triglyceride, phosphatidylcholine is better at maintaining the solubility of liposomal cargoes than short-chain triglycerides. Being acidic, it also provides more stability to liposomes and makes them biocompatible. [20]
Therefore, supplementing with nutrients encapsulated in phospholipid-based liposomes not only ensures the safe and efficient delivery of nutrients directly to cells, but it also allows you to enjoy the full benefits of the supplements you’re taking.
To recap, here’s how Liposomal Supplements support optimal nutrition:*
- Increase the bioavailability of their nutrient cargo
- Protect encapsulated nutrients from digestive enzymes and stomach acid
- Facilitate nutrient absorption in the intestine
- Deliver critical nutrients directly to cells
- Ensure the body fully benefits from nutrient supplementation
Where to get clean, lab-verified Liposomal Supplements for optimal health and nutrition
Nutrient absorption is a complex process that’s influenced by various factors, such as diet, age, health and lifestyle habits. Because of this, eating nutritious foods alone may not be enough for some to meet their daily nutritional requirements. For people who wish to help their body absorb nutrients more efficiently, the Health Ranger Store is offering a range of products that are developed specifically for you.
Groovy Bee® Liposomal Supplements are high-quality, lab-verified dietary supplements specially formulated for superior absorption. Made with natural ingredients, our premium liposomal supplements are encapsulated within phospholipid-based liposomes derived from non-GMO sunflower lecithin. Because liposomes mimic the phospholipid bilayer in cell membranes, they can efficiently deliver nutrients directly to your cells.
Groovy Bee® Liposomal Supplements provide a wide range of highly bioavailable nutrients to help you meet your nutritional requirements. We offer liposomal vitamins like vitamins B12, C and D3 + K2, as well as liposomal zinc. And because liposomes are versatile carriers that can protect their cargoes as they travel through your digestive system, we also used them as a delivery system for beneficial (antioxidant) plant-derived compounds like glutathione, curcumin and resveratrol so you can enjoy their many health benefits.
Groovy Bee® Liposomal Supplements are all made in the USA and contain no gluten or any ingredients derived from GMOs. They are also vegan and lab verified from cleanliness and purity. As with all products at the Health Ranger Store, our premium liposomal supplements are thoroughly lab tested for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbiology so you can be sure of our products’ safety.
Support good health and nutrition by eating nutritious foods and supplementing with liposomal vitamins and minerals for optimal nutrient absorption!
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose any diseases.
References
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
[4] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com
[5] https://behavioralnutrition.org
[6] https://lpi.oregonstate.edu
[7] https://www.sciencedirect.com
[8] https://www.healthycell.com
[9] https://www.niddk.nih.govworks
[10] http://www.vivo.colostate.edu
[12] http://www.vivo.colostate.edu
[13] https://www.news-medical.net
[14] https://www.frontiersin.org
[15] https://www.khanacademy.org
[17] https://www.mdpi.com
[18] https://www.future-science.com
[19] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
[20] https://www.fxmedicine.com.au
