They are foods that are intended to complement the normal diet. They are concentrated sources of single or combined nutrients or other substances having a nutritional or physiological effect, which are placed on the market in the form of capsules, lozenges, tablets and other similar forms. They may contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, fibre, plants and plant extracts, micro-organisms and other substances having a nutritional or physiological effect.
Who are the users of food supplements?
Vitamins can also be obtained from food. Why should I also take vitamin supplements?
Modern diets are often too varied to provide adequate amounts of vitamins, so taking vitamin supplements is an effective way to provide the nutrients you need.
A deficiency of one or more vitamins and minerals can lead to a variety of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, anaemia, reduced immune resistance, etc.
Studies have shown that using food supplements could save on healthcare costs. Billions of euros could be saved each year in treating diseases that could be prevented with sufficient intake of vitamins and nutrients.
What are the amounts of vitamins that should be consumed?
The National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) defines precise recommended intakes of minerals and vitamins for each age group.
Food supplements containing vitamins and minerals must be labelled with the vitamin value per dose, expressed as a percentage of the recommended daily allowance (RDA).
It is also important to note that the recommended values refer to the total intake of the vitamin, including that obtained from food.
SOMETIMES YOU MAY SEE ON FOOD SUPPLEMENTS THAT THE CONTENT OF A PARTICULAR VITAMIN IS 600% OF THE RECOMMENDED DAILY ALLOWANCE, WHICH MEANS THAT THE VITAMIN CONTENT IS 6 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE RECOMMENDED DAILY ALLOWANCE.
Are such products more effective ?
Unfortunately NO, vitamins can be divided into water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, and fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, E and K. Our body excretes excessive amounts of water-soluble vitamins through the kidneys, so it will use up as much of the vitamin as it needs and the excess will simply be excreted.
If too many vitamins are consumed, this can cause inconvenience and lead to health problems such as hypervitaminosis.
Taking more vitamins also increases interactions with other nutrients or even the medicines we take, so it is not sensible to take more vitamins than recommended, as this can be dangerous.
Why then do manufacturers choose to use such values in food supplements in the first place?
Vitamins are very unstable molecules. Various factors such as the pH of the medium, the presence of oxygen, light and elevated temperature can cause vitamins to break down or convert into ineffective forms.
For this reason, some manufacturers resort to the method of over-vitaminisation to ensure that at least a minimum vitamin content is still effective at the end of the shelf life.
Of course, it is also possible to ensure the stability of vitamins by other technological processes without risking overdose for our users.
How do we make sure that our food supplements are of good quality?
Food supplements are in liquid form and have a balanced pH value that is best suited to preserving vitamins.
The products are protected from oxygen by a method of nitrogen purging, which displaces oxygen that accelerates the decomposition or conversion of vitamins.
The packaging is dark to further protect the contents from light, and once opened, they are stored in the fridge in their original packaging to preserve the vitamin content until the end of their shelf life.
Some products are ENCAPSULATED with lecithin. This gives the vitamins extra protection against external influences.
What are the advantages of the liposomal form?
Lecithin is a small molecule which, in high concentrations, such as in the Elixiré food supplements, forms spheres called micelles or liposomes. Within these spheres, vitamins are trapped and thus protected from external influences. This is the micellated or liposomal form of the vitamins.
Another major advantage of encapsulation with lecithin is better solubility of the vitamins and, above all, better absorption. In the case of Elixiré products, more of the vitamin is absorbed than the same amount of vitamin without lecithin encapsulation. This allows us to state with greater certainty that the user will receive a sufficient amount of the vitamin compared to other food supplements.
What then is the difference between capsules and liquid liposomal food supplements?
- Capsules are usually tablets or capsules containing concentrated nutrients or medicines. When taken, they are broken down in the digestive tract and the substances are then slowly absorbed into the body.
- Liquid liposomal food supplements are an advanced pharmaceutical technology where nutrients or vitamins are coated with liposomes. Liposomes allow for better absorption and faster administration, as the substances are absorbed faster and better in the digestive tract, which means that they reach a high concentration in the blood.
Liposomal food supplements are often more effective as they allow better protection and transfer of substances in the body.
