Why Liquid Vitamins Are Better Than Pills

Why Liquid Vitamins Are Better Than Pills

Getting the right amounts of vitamins and minerals in your daily diet is an essential part of maintaining and even optimizing your health. These nutrients are necessary to help your body maintain a strong immune system in order to fight off disease, boost energy to combat fatigue, manage stress, get quality sleep and much more.

While ideally you would get the multitude of these vitamins and minerals from the food you eat, the truth is that for most, if not all of us, that simply is not possible. In fact, while the Centers for Disease Control recommend consuming at least 1.5 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables each day, they estimate that less than 25% of adults actually hit this level of fruit consumptions, and the number when it comes to veggies is even worse at less than 10%.

When you add the reality of mineral depletion in the soil our foods are grown in that leaves them nutrient deficient, it’s easy to see why it’s so important to take vitamin and mineral supplements.

What’s the best way to get enough vitamins?

In fact, you can think of taking daily vitamin and mineral supplements as filling the gaps in your nutrition in order to keep your body strong and healthy. It’s like an insurance policy for your health.

Supplements allow you to give your body the nutrients it needs and that it’s not able to store. While fat-soluble vitamins (like vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin A, and vitamin K) can be stored in your fatty tissue and liver, water-soluble vitamins aren’t held onto by your body and so have to be supplemented every day in order to maintain optimal levels. These include your B vitamins and vitamin C.

What are the differences between liquid vitamins and pills?

Of course, simply adding vitamin and mineral supplements to your day isn’t always enough to keep your health at its best. That’s because not all supplements are created equal and if you’re using a pill instead of a liquid vitamin, you’re missing out on important benefits of liquid vitamins.

What Works Best: Liquids or Pills?

When you’re wondering why you should take liquid vitamins or minerals instead of pills there are important factors to consider.

Differences to Consider

Liquid Vitamins

Pills

Solubility

No outer shell to create a barrier between your body and the vitamins and minerals

Hard outer shell that must be broken down in order for vitamins to be absorbed

Absorption Rate

Delivers 98%` absorption

Offers only 5-18% absorption

Shelf-Life

No fillers and stabilizers so shorter shelf-life means fresher nutrients

Long-shelf life due to added fillers and stabilizers you may not want in your body

Ease of Dosing

Provides ability to precisely dose your nutrients

One-size-fits-all dosing may not be best for your body’s unique needs

Cost-Effectiveness

Ability to alter dosing also eliminates the need to buy different bottles for multiple family members

The same vitamin pills can’t be used across age groups so multiple bottles of supplements must be purchased

Simple Swallowing

Liquids also offer the preferred method of supplementation for children or those with swallowing issues

May be difficult to swallow and carry a risk of choking

Synergistic Action

Higher levels of nutrient density improves effects of vitamin and mineral action

Less powerful doses of micronutrients may decrease effects achieved

So if you’re asking yourself “Are liquid vitamins best?”, the answer is YES!

Why take liquid vitamins or minerals?

Let’s take a deeper dive into each of those factors that make liquid vitamins better than pills.



#1 – Solubility

One of the main reasons to choose liquid vitamins is solubility. While pills have a hard outer structure that your body has to break down prior to absorption, with liquid vitamins, there is no barrier between your body and all of the benefits the vitamins and minerals have to offer.

In fact, a study by ConsumerLab was able to identify that the ideal disintegration time for your body to absorb the nutrients found in vitamin and minerals pills is less than 30 minutes. Yet, the same study found that some brands failed to break apart within that window. Even more shockingly, some didn’t even break after an additional 30-minute extension.

This means that if a pill fails to disintegrate, you miss out on the nutrients inside. Yet, a liquid multivitamin and mineral supplement avoids these issues completely. Since there is no hard outer structure to break, it simply can’t fail the disintegration test.

Instead, your body is able to absorb it as soon as you take it.



#2 – Absorption Rate

The next question to ask yourself when deciding on the right vitamin supplements for you and your family is, “Do liquid vitamins absorb better than pills?” And once again, the answer is YES!

In fact, you only have to turn to the Physician’s Desk Reference Guide (one of the most widely used medical reference books in the world) page 1542 to find clear proof.

It states that the body can absorb up to 98% of a liquid. On the other hand, the guide makes it clear that the absorption rate of pills and capsules is just 5% - 18%. This means that 82-95% of the ingredients contained in vitamins and mineral pills pass right through and are excreted or eliminated from the body.

Additionally, liquid supplements may be absorbed within 22 to 30 seconds, which can mean much faster results. The best way to get your vitamins is to bypass the need for your digestive system to break them down.

As an added bonus, studies have demonstrated that This is a big benefit of taking liquid vitami liquid multivitamins tend to have a higher peak concentration and a shorter time until they reach peak concentration, which means higher bioavailability.ns and minerals instead of pills.



#3 – Shelf-Life

Liquid vitamins and minerals also have a shorter shelf-life than those in pill form. While this might first sound like a negative, the truth is that it’s actually a benefit.

You see, that long shelf-life that is expected with pills is due to the fillers, binders and additives they contain, all of which can be behind the stomach irritation you feel when you take them.

In fact, if you find that you can’t take vitamins, it’s probably not because of the A’s, B’s, and C’s in them, but instead thanks to their F’s – fillers.

So what’s the “bad stuff” that can be lurking in vitamin and mineral pills?

Fillers – Used to bulk up a supplement in the most inexpensive way possible, which may lead you to believe you’re getting a great deal on your supplement, without delivering on its promises.

Binders – Used to hold the shape of the pills, these may have ingredients such as lactose which can cause stomach irritation, gas, bloating, and other unpleasant symptoms.

Coatings – Used to make pills and capsules easier to swallow, these often contain animal products like gelatin that make them unsuitable for vegans.

Coloring – Used in vitamins to increase their visual appeal, these may include artificial colors that could cause health concerns.

Just a few of the unhealthy additives that can be found in some supplements in pill form are:

  • Hydrogenated oils – Packed with trans-fats, hydrogenated oils are used to increase the shelf-life of vitamin pills. Yet, these bad fats have been linked to cholesterol issues and inflammation.
  • Boric acid – This acid is also used to increase shelf-life thanks to its ability to kill off harmful microbes, but studies have linked it to infertility, birth defects and even DNA damage.
  • Sodium benzoate-Found both processed foods and vitamin pills, this ingredient helps keep the pills fresh longer. But in exchange for that freshness, it can cause liver damage, hyperactivity, and even cancer.


#4 – Ease of Dosing

Another great reason to switch to liquid vitamins is how easy it makes precise dosing. While vitamin pills take a one-size-fits-all approach to nutrient doses, liquids allow you to customize your supplements to meet your unique needs.

You can choose to take a liquid multivitamin and mineral blend and then add on other liquid supplements, such as vitamin B12 for energy, vitamin C for a healthy immune system and improved collagen support, or Zinc for added immune and metabolic support.



#5 – Cost-Effectiveness

Liquid vitamins also make supporting the health of your whole family simple, using just one bottle.

Instead of buying one supplement for your toddler, another for your teenager, a separate dose for you, and a fourth for your senior parent, all members of the household can use a single product and simply modify the dose to fit their needs.

This makes liquid vitamins much more cost-effective than buying multiple doses of vitamin pills to care for every member of your family.



#6 – Simple Swallowing

According to the New York times, an incredible 40% of adults have trouble swallowing pills. This can lead to choking hazards or simply prevent them from following through on getting the vitamins and minerals they need each day to stay healthy.

In these cases, liquid vitamins offer the perfect alternative with no need for the fear and anxiety pill swallowing can bring on.



#7 – Synergistic Action

Finally, one of the big benefits of choosing liquid vitamins instead of pills is their ability to work synergistically together to boost their effects. With higher concentrations of micronutrients versus pills, their potency can be intensified and their health-boosting benefits amplified. In essence, the nutrients in liquid vitamins and minerals simply work better together.



What is the best time to take liquid vitamins?

The best time to take your liquid vitamins depends on which vitamins are part of your supplement.

When taking water-soluble vitamins like vitamin B12 or C, empty stomach when you first wake up in the morning.

For fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E or K the optimal timing for supplementation is with your evening meal since they are best taken with a meal that contains soluble fats or oils to boost absorption.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that if you want a vitamin or mineral supplement that delivers the highest absorption, best concentration, and superior health benefits, liquid vitamins are the way to go. Compared to pills liquid vitamins are not only fresher, without fillers, binders and additives, they can also offer a cost-effective way to care for the health of your whole family.

Sources:

Only 1 in 10 Adults Get Enough Fruits or Vegetables – CDC

Are liquid vitamins better than pills? – ConsumerLab.com

Relative Bioavailability of Liquid and Tablet Formulations of the Antiparasitic Moxidectin – NIH

Trans Fats – American Heart Association

Effect of industrially produced trans fat on markers of systemic inflammation: evidence from a randomized trial in women – NIH

Abuse of Boric Acid and Borax in Foods – Centre for Food Safety

Dangers of Sodium Benzoate – NutriNeat

Can’t Swallow a Pill? There’s Help for That – The New York Times

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