*Accepting or refusing specific medical care is a
personal decision. Please consult your family doctor or other healthcare
professional prior to commencing any medical treatment, including taking health
supplements.
We often
say that size matters, but bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes
to supplements and the body’s ability to absorb them. You might have heard that
Americans are considered to have the most expensive urine. Why? Well, if your
body is unable to absorb the vitamins and minerals you swallow every morning, then
your literally flushing all your money down the toilet. So, why can’t we absorb
all of the vitamins and minerals on the market? And why does micronization make
such a difference?
Why You May Be Pouring Your Supplements Down the Drain
The
controversial topic of absorption hit the market years ago. Are all those
vitamins and minerals you’re taking really doing you any good? Or are you among
those worldwide wasting millions upon millions of pounds each year? It has
become common practice over the last few decades to substitute proper eating
habits for vitamins and supplements. And let’s be honest, it’s easier to pop a
few pills in the morning than to go to the grocery store in search of quality
produce. Add to that the growing popularity of health supplements and you’ve
got a large section of the population taking pills rather than following a
balanced diet.
What’s the
big deal about taking pills? Well, the problem lies primarily in the
bioavailability of the vitamins and minerals themselves. What does that mean?
Bioavailability refers to how well a substance is absorbed into your system.
Some products, when taken orally, are not very bioavailable, meaning they are
not easily absorbed into your body when passing through the gastrointestinal
tract. If these particles are not absorbed into your system then your body either
metabolizes them (breaks them down into their component parts) or simply passes
them out of your system; either way, your body isn’t benefiting and neither is
your wallet. What can be done, then, to improve bioavailability and to ensure
our bodies are absorbing the supplements were are taking?
What is Micronization and Why Bother Doing it?
In order
for a substance to be more bioavailable, the molecules would need to be smaller.
And that is exactly what micronization does. Micronization is the process of
making the particles of a substance “micro” or very small. To put it in
layman’s terms, this is how micronization works: Imagine trying to sieve rice
with a colander. Some rice may fall through the cracks but the majority will
remain in the colander. Micronization makes the rice particles the size of salt,
so to speak. And salt easily falls through the cracks of the colander. In a
similar way, our bodies have a much easier time absorbing particles after
micronization.
Micronization
isn’t a new technology. In fact, it has been around for about 50 years. Micronization
is actually fairly simple. There are several types but one of the most common
is the jet mill. This mill uses collision between particles to “grind” the particles
into smaller pieces, without the use of heat. When done properly, nearly all of
the particles become uniformly smaller. This helps our body to absorb the
substance more easily when taken orally.
Why Should I Buy Micronized Health Products?
Quality health products aren’t cheap. In fact, they’re darn
expensive! So, why would you pay an arm and a leg for a product that you aren’t
sure can even be absorbed by your body? Good question! The truth is that even
if a product claims to be easily absorbent, it doesn’t mean that YOUR body will absorb it. If you are in poor health, your system could need extra
“help” in order to absorb properly. Many of us eat what we want, when we want.
This takes its toll on our bodies and results in poor health. In fact, some of
us have treated our bodies so badly that even following a balanced diet isn’t a guarantee
that our bodies will be able to absorb the nutrients in the food we eat.
And the Conclusion of the Matter is…
In the end
you need to listen to your own body. If you are taking an non-micronized
product that seems to be working well, then by all means keep taking it. If,
however, you are unhappy or only just satisfied with the results of the
products you are taking, then why not try the micronized version of a similar
product? There are some pretty amazing testimonial cases of customers who have
tried micronized products, such as medicinal mushrooms, and have been blown away
by the results.
You, of
course, will need to decide for yourself. That said, what’s there to lose? Why
not give micronization a try?
by Barak Anderson
Resources/Credits:
“Micronization as a Bioavailability
Enhancement Tool”, Adeline Siew, PhD, http://www.pharmtech.com/micronization-bioavailability-enhancement-tool
Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronization
“API Mocronization & Nanosizing: Master Particle Size”, Sarhash
Davuluri, http://www.neulandlabs.com/blog/2014/06/02/api-micronization-nanosizing-mastering-particle-size/
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