Health and Nutrition Info
By Didrik J. Sopler, Ph.D, L.Ac.
02-17-06

The nutrients you ingest need to be bioavailable

Bioavailability means the amount of nutrients ingested that is absorbed and can be utilized by the body.

The different tissue of the body needs specific nutrients. If the nutrients we ingest are not bioavailable the cells of the different tissues of the body will still be starving. That is why the raw materials used in the supplements you are taking are so important.

It may appear that two bottles of supplements may give you almost the same benefits because they contain some of the same ingredients.

However the raw materials which the ingredients are made of may vary considerably, therefore the benefits you receive from two supplements can be very different.

If the nutrients in the product is not bioavailable you will not get the benefit. Mineral supplements are a good example.

The body absorbs nutritional substances across the intestinal wall according to priorities. Amino acids and dipeptides (two amino acids linked together) are high on the priority list. Dipeptides are even absorbed at a higher rate than single amino acids.

If you want a nutritional substance to be absorbed very efficiently it makes sense to link it to two amino acids (a dipeptide). When a mineral is bonded to two amino acids it is called a mineral amino acid chelate. When this bonding is done a particular way so it is stable, it can be called a true amino acid chelate. The body will absorb this amino acid chelate as a dipeptide and the bioavailability of this kind of mineral is a lot better compared with other mineral sources.

Some nutritional companies only mixes minerals with protein and call these minerals amino acid chelates. These are not true amino acid chelates and lose integrity during digestion resulting in compromised availability.

Albion is a raw material manufacturer which has patents on the process of the true amino acid chelates. There are numerous studies showing how much better these type of minerals are absorbed. To be sure it is a true amino acid chelate, look for a patent number on the label of the nutritional supplement.

There are also other important factors affecting how the mineral is absorbed. One of these factors is size. These type of amino acids have a molecular weight small enough to easily pass through the intestinal wall. It is also important that the minerals don’t contain an electrical charge, they should be neutral. This is important because mineral compounds that have electric charges can interact with other dietary components and form substances that are not absorbable. They can also deactivate other important nutrient factors such as certain vitamins as well as certain medications.

What have been described here are the reasons why Albion patented mineral amino acid chelates were chosen for the BMJ formula, because we want you to get the benefits you are supposed to get from your supplements.

To see the graphs which compare different mineral sources log on to www.tissuerecovery.com and click on BMJ The Ultimate Tissue Support.

Wishing you the best of health,

Didrik