Understanding Bioavailability

So what exactly is bioavailability and why is it so important?

In layman’s terms, Bioavailability describes the degree to which a nutrient can be absorbed by the body, which determines how much of those nutrients can be utilized for biological activity within your cells and tissues. When you consume a nutrient, only a percentage of that nutrient is able to be absorbed by the body. The measurement of that percentage is how we determine the level of bioavailability.

Why is this important?

Simply put, the absorption of nutrients is critical to the survival of any and all living things. So yes, it is quite important indeed!  Don’t forget that consuming nutrients is only half of the battle; the other half involves absorbing them. Different forms of vitamins and minerals have different bioavailability rates, which brings us to the important differences between nutrients in their synthetic form vs their natural state.

Natural vs Synthetic Nutrients: What’s the Difference?

Vitamins and minerals can be consumed in two different forms: Their natural forms, which are found in whole foods, and their synthetic counterparts, which are chemically developed in laboratories.

In nature, nutrients are found in a package that includes numerous other compounds that interact with your body in ways we don’t fully understand. This is especially true of plants, which contain thousands of different phytonutrients that work together to boost health and prevent disease.

Synthetic nutrients have been isolated from their original food source. This can mean that some of the naturally occurring cofactors (substances that help enzymes perform their function) are removed or altered during processing. Additionally, synthetic vitamins can contain fillers and preservatives that aren’t necessary for health but add cost and calories. In fact, many people experience a negative reaction when consuming synthetic nutrients.

When you consume synthetic versions of these nutrients, you may be missing out on all the benefits that come from getting nutrients from whole foods. Synthetic nutrients, also known as lab-created supplements, are added to various products to improve their taste or texture, or to increase their shelf life. The problem with this process is that it removes a large amount of nutrients from the food source, leaving behind only a small portion of what was originally there, thus making them incomplete and less effective than their natural counterparts. Natural nutrients, on the other hand, are more complete and perfect than synthetic ones because they contain all the essential nutrients that your body needs for healthy living.

A great example of this is Vitamin B-12. Vitamin B-12 plays an essential role in red blood cell formation, cell metabolism, nerve function and the production of DNA, which helps boost energy, support bone health, prevent age-related eye conditions, and strengthen your brain against cognitive decline. 

The two most common forms of Vitamin B-12 you will encounter are Methylcobalamin, the natural version of the nutrient, and Cyanocobalamin, the synthetic version. The two forms of vitamin B12 differ in one major way: Methylcobalamin naturally has a carbon and hydrogen based methyl group, while cyanocobalamin contains a cyanide molecule. That’s right, the synthetic form of vitamin B12 contains cyanide! Though the amount of cyanide in cyanocobalamin is too small to cause any harm, your body must process that cyanocobalamin into the more bioavailable methylcobalamin form, resulting in less of the nutrient eventually being absorbed.

Clearly there are some major benefits to consuming nutrients in their natural form instead of their synthetic counterparts, yet people still readily buy up the synthetic versions. Why? One of the main reasons why people choose to take synthetic vitamins and minerals is because they are cheap, easy, and readily available at any drugstore or grocery store. While it may seem like a good idea to just pop a few pills and call it a day, taking synthetic forms of vitamins and minerals on a daily basis could actually be detrimental to your health. Fortunately, there is an easy and convenient way to get all those wonderful nutrients from whole foods. BIO PEAK Perfectly Balanced Hydration utilizes a truly premium blend of 23 organic fruits and veggies, as well as probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes to offer bioavailable benefits you can taste and feel!

START ENJOYING BIOAVAILABILE NUTRITION TODAY!