Justin Williamson We’ve all heard over and over how important it is to eat healthy in order to get proper amounts of all the necessary vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. We also have a general idea of what foods we need to eat in order to keep our bodies healthy and strong. But what if our diet is not giving us all of the nutrition we need? What if we just don’t have the time or ability to set up a meal plan that ensures proper amounts of all the necessary nutrients?
The answer is simple; liquid vitamins and minerals. If you know that you aren’t getting the nutrition that you need, it is often possible to make up for what’s missing from your diet with supplements. It’s important, however, to know some things about liquid vitamins and minerals before you begin taking them. Most importantly, these supplements are in no way meant to be a replacement for natural sources of vitamins. It’s also imperative to keep in mind that too much of a good thing can be an extremely bad thing.
Liquid vs. Tablet
There is a lot of back and forth arguing happening about the difference between liquid vitamins and minerals as opposed to the tablets. Since the liquid form is newer, many nutraceutical companies that produce tablets have started a lot of negative talk about them. The biggest debate is about the actual absorption of the supplements. Companies that make liquids claim that tablets are not properly absorbed by the body and that 90% is excreted by the body and wasted. Of course, the companies producing tablets are claiming the same about the liquids.
Another argument that seems to be an endless battle is the idea that since liquids are already in a liquid form, they should be immediately absorbed, whereas tablets require time to dissolve and then be properly absorbed. Of course the tablet companies are claiming that the liquid is just dumped directly into your stomach and never makes it to your bloodstream.
Since there is no solid proof for either of these claims, let’s just discuss the facts. The only way for the body to benefit from supplements is if they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream. What often happens, especially with cheap, mass produced supplements is that most of the nutrients are released into the stomach where the stomach acid completely destroys them. In this case, yes; the majority of your nutrition is literally going down the toilet.
In order for the nutrients to get into your blood stream, they have to be introduced in one of the following ways;
• Via direct injection; these have to be administered by a physician’s office, and allow the vitamins and minerals to enter the bloodstream within minutes. These are already being done with vitamin B12 and the HCG injections.
• The mucous membranes of the mouth can absorb the nutrients in anything that is taken orally. The problem is depending on the route only certain nutrients can be properly absorbed, and many have molecules that are just too large for the mucous membranes to handle.
• The lining of the upper intestine walls is how most well made, high quality nutrients are absorbed. They include products that ensure proper delivery, and once the upper intestine absorbs them, they immediately enter the blood stream and begin serving their purpose.
• The only other option is via a prescription suppository which allows for absorption via the lining of the colon. However, to date there is no such supplement; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
So What Are the REAL Benefits?
Tablets, pills, and everything else aside, liquid vitamins and minerals really do have a long list of benefits. The whole idea behind liquid supplements is that they are formulated to be similar to the concentration of our own body fluid. The fact that they are liquid also makes them much less concentrated, and more and more research is beginning to show that the liquids actually are absorbed better than tablets.
The liquid supplements are better for your digestive system since they are pure liquid and don’t have to be processed and broken down in order to be absorbed. They can bypass the digestive tract completely and be absorbed immediately to get to work.
More and more, liquid supplements are being chosen over pills in the progressive healthcare industry as their list of benefits keeps growing. Some research has even begun to show that the absorption rate of liquids may be up to 9 times faster than other methods. Because they are also available in multivitamin form, some members of the healthcare industry are even being so bold as to call liquid vitamins and minerals the wave of the future.