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Blog / / Does the Body Absorb the Full Potency of a Supplement?
test-Does the Body Absorb the Full Potency of a Supplement?
Does the Body Absorb the Full Potency of a Supplement?
Vitamins and Supplements FAQs • April 30, 2011
Question: I read somewhere that the body does not absorb supplements very well so it is pointless to take them. What do you say?

I somewhat agree with the first part of the statement, but not with the second half. A much greater percentage of the vitamin C provided by an orange will be utilized by the body than the vitamin C in a tablet or capsule. For example, a medium orange provides about 80 mg of vitamin C, and this amount is 33% more than the RDI of 60 mg for this nutrient. Most of that vitamin C will be taken up by the body. The reason many supplements provide upwards of 10 times this amount is that only a small part of the potency will actually be absorbed. But even if only 120 mg of a 1,000 mg vitamin C capsule is actually bioavailable to the body, that's still double the RDI. So while it's true that supplements are not particularly well absorbed by the body, they are still highly beneficial. To get the most out of your supplements, we recommend taking an enzyme supplement like item Swanson Ultra Digestitol, which was formulated to increase the bioavailability of dietary supplements.



This question was answered by a trained product specialist at Swanson Health Products. Do you have a question you’d like answered? Send it via email to drea658baic@compend.me.

(Note: as per industry regulations, we cannot and will not answer medical questions, make treatment or diagnosis recommendations or comment on disease inquiries. Such questions must be answered by your doctor or professional health care provider.)
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