{"id":49118,"date":"2022-02-16T09:30:52","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T14:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=49118"},"modified":"2024-09-27T10:08:11","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T14:08:11","slug":"vitamin-absorption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/vitamin-absorption\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make sure you absorb your supplements"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is bioavailability?<\/a> | How are vitamins absorbed?<\/a> | What affects vitamin absorption?<\/a> | Calcium<\/a> | Iron<\/a> | Magnesium<\/a> | Turmeric<\/a> | Vitamin B12<\/a> | Zinc<\/a> | Vitamin C<\/a> | Are supplements worth it?<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Did you know that<\/span> more than half<\/span><\/a> of all Americans aged 20 and older take dietary supplements? In fact, 80% of women aged 60 and older take some kind of supplement. The bioavailability of vitamins is one thing that many people fail to consider when they add vitamins or supplements to their diet. Bioavailability is how readily your body is able to absorb the nutrient, which plays a large role in how effective a supplement or vitamin is. If you\u2019re not sure that you\u2019re getting the most out of your supplements, keep reading.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is bioavailability?<\/h2>\n

Bioavailability<\/span><\/a> is the scientific term for how much of a nutrient is absorbed or made available to the body. In other words, just because a food or supplement contains a specific nutrient, it\u2019s not a guarantee that your body is actually able to absorb and put it all to use. Some nutrients are more bioavailable than others. If your body can\u2019t absorb the substance, it won\u2019t reap any of the benefits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How are vitamins absorbed by the body?<\/h2>\n

When you ingest something, it moves through your digestive system. Your body absorbs helpful nutrients for use by your cells or stores the excess. But not everything is able to be used. Those nutrients that aren\u2019t bioavailable are destroyed or excreted. That means just because a food has a particular micronutrient or vitamin in it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that your body is putting it to use. Absorption matters, and quite a few things can affect vitamin absorption.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What affects vitamin absorption?<\/h2>\n

Because all vitamins and minerals are different, what affects each\u2019s bioavailability varies. A major thing for people to consider is the correct type of the vitamin or micronutrient, says <\/span>Tanja Barco<\/span><\/a>, APRN-CNP, a certified functional medicine nurse practitioner with <\/span>MetroHealth<\/span><\/a> in Cleveland, Ohio. Things that can affect vitamin absorption include:<\/span><\/p>\n