by Frederick Cheng, R.Ph., and Christine Cheng, R.Ph.
An oral supplement is useless if it is not absorbed fully. Furthermore, if left unabsorbed, the active ingredients could irritate the gut, leading to gassiness and bloating. We take supplements to enhance our health, but, for that to happen, the active ingredients must pass through the selective physical barrier formed by the membrane lining our gut. Hence, manufacturers spend a lot of time, energy, and money researching ways to make an element or molecule more absorbable by the body, without altering its physical properties. This is important to maximize absorption into the bloodstream at the same time as minimizing the amount of supplement that is left in the gut. Examples of strategies include stabilizing it with various chemical salts, or with the use of larger “bait” molecules.
An ingenious way to ensure full absorption of an active ingredient is via microscopic vesicles called “liposomes”. The physical barrier formed by your gut’s membrane is very selective in terms of what it allows through its walls, which has both water and oil properties. Since oil and water do not mix, this arrangement offers a fluid yet impenetrable wall for the majority of things we ingest, which is exactly what we want normally. However, we need a way for the supplement or active ingredient to pass through. This is where liposomes come in handy.
Liposomes are made of micelles. A “micelle” is an aggregate of molecules in an immiscible concoction of, for example, water and oil. Each unit of a micelle (shaped like a tadpole) contains both a small water-loving (“hydrophilic”) portion (the “head”) and a long water-hating (“hydrophobic”) tail. The micellular molecules naturally line up such that the hydrophilic heads are attracted to water and the hydrophobic tails are attracted to oil. This forms either a layer of “membrane” or a vesicle (aka. the “liposome”). The liposome, thus, protects the active ingredients, and, upon contact, will fuse with the gut’s membranous wall. In turn, the contents of the liposome are pushed into the bloodstream and allowed to be freely carried to where it is intended to take action.
Sisu is a trusted local company that has used liposomal technology in their Full Spectrum Curcumin soft-gels for nearly a decade. Some companies like CanPrev will take it a step further with multi-layered liposomes, allowing for more prolonged action (and thus minimizing dosing to just once daily). Since the fats in the micelle are prone to oxidation, each CanPrev bottle is sealed with nitrogen (rather than oxygen), to minimize oxidation and spoiling of the contents. In addition, they add an extra bicarbonate purification step to the liposomal process, which essentially is a purification step to minimize the amount of peroxide and free-oxygen in order to minimize spoilage and maximize taste. CanPrev’s line of liposomal products include a curcumin, Vitamin C, magnesium, coenzyme Q10, and milk thistle.
Come in to Cloverdale Pharmasave and Pharmasave Steveston Village and have a chat with Fred, Christine, or one of our five other integrative pharmacists to see if there is a liposomal preparation that could simplify yet maximize your supplement regimen.
Christine and Fred Cheng are a passionate, charismatic sister-brother pharmacist team at their unique, family-operated Pharmasave stores in Cloverdale and Steveston, B.C. They specialize in natural remedies and compounding for both human and veterinarian use. Find them on Instagram and Facebook! Everything mentioned in their article is available InStore.
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