Why is Nutritional Absorption a Concern?

by Dr. Marc Grossman and Jeannette Manning

Presently, we are witnessing new breakthroughs in vision loss prevention. The National Institute of Health (NIH) is studying 4,600 people to follow the effects of nutritional supplementation on cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. The human eye requires more nutrition to maintain healthy tissue and function than any other organ in the body! The study is identifying "which" supplements are most important and "how" these nutrients should be taken.

Your ability to absorb nutrients from the food you eat and the supplements you take may decrease between the ages of 40 to 60 years as much as 70-90%! Research on senior absorption characteristics indicates that reduced levels of digestive enzymes in your mouth, pancreas and intestines, coupled with reduced hydrochloric acid production in your stomach are culprits contributing to this condition.

When you can't completely digest your food or nutritional supplements, your body can't absorb the vitamins they contain. Vitamins are "locked up" and your body's digestive system uses enzymes and hydrochloric acid (HCI) as keys to release them for absorption into the bloodstream.

Whole raw foods come naturally packaged with their own digestive enzymes but are destroyed by cooking. Digestive enzyme supplements derived from plants are helpful replacements and begin their work in the upper stomach. Amylase for carbohydrate digestion, protease for protein digestion, lipase for fat digestion and cellulase for cellulose (fiber) breakdown are all available in supplement formulas. Animal enzymes such as pancreatin and pepsin are also available and help in the digestion of food once it has reached the lower stomach and the intestinal tract.

Stomach acid is responsible for the activation of the specific enzymes needed for digestion as nutrients travels into the small intestine and colon. Low levels of stomach acid may allow undigested nutrients to travel farther along the digestive tract than the optimal distance for efficient absorption. In older people, this may contribute to lowered levels of vitamins B2, B6, and B12, as well as decreased absorption of zinc from vegetables.

As you pass your 50th birthday, you are likely to produce less stomach acid than you did at age 25. According to estimates, between 24 and 37 percent of adults aged 60 to 80 years suffer from a lack of digestive acid also known as atrophic gastritis. Many people over 50 will benefit from taking HCI with meals. The acid in your stomach is a key player in the thorough breakdown of food. Those who don't have enough stomach acid often can't digest fiber rich food, whole foods or vitamin pills, and end up turning to highly processed foods for energy. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies often already exist because of poor food choices and poor digestion compounds the problem.

Often times we know the therapeutic dosage for a specific condition, but we do not know how much of the prescribed nutrient is absorbed into the bloodstream via the gastrointestinal system when taken orally by tablet, capsule or gel cap. We do know that after age 40 and continuing on as we age, our gastrointestinal absorption rate reduces significantly. (1-4) This problem becomes even more serious when combined with health conditions or digestive disorders that further reduce absorption such as ulcers, diverticulitis, acid reflux, dysbiosis, etc.

Again, it’s not how much you take but how much your body tissues absorb that is important. With a higher level of absorption, more nutrients reach their intended destination thereby requiring a lower dosage intake. More nutrients in a pill or capsule is not necessarily better. What is important is how we can best insure the uptake of recommended "therapeutic dosages".

One way around this problem is to take nutritional supplements using the most efficient delivery system available. The most important

nutrients should be taken in the form of sprays when available. Spraying inside the mouth (intraoral) or under the tongue (sublingual) has the best absorption rate.

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