Liposomal – The Essential Nutrition

We exist in a time of extraordinary food abundance. Walking into a supermarket or grocery store you will find an array of fresh fruits, greens and vegetables from around the globe as well as freshly baked whole grain breads, fresh fish and a panoply of yogurt crafted from dairy and nut milks.

Our choices of healthy foods have expanded where there has been a 27% increase in consumption of fresh fruits and a 21% increase in consumption of greens and vegetables from 2010 to 2021. We are consuming more broccoli, avocadoes, tomatoes, onions, apples, bananas and grapes.

In spite of this bounty full of greens, vegetables and fruits, we are often nutrient deficient and over 40% adults have dietary intakes of vitamin A, B, C, D and E, calcium, and magnesium below the average requirement for their age and gender. These statistics do not even account the important antioxidants that keep us healthy, such as glutathione, coenzyme Q10 and resveratrol.

Nearly two third adults believe that standard, oral multivitamin supplements are the solution and hence take vitamin, minerals or herbal supplements. But the typical oral supplement may not deliver its complete therapeutic prospective. Enzymes in the digestive system can degrade the supplements. On their own, potent antioxidants may not be able to efficiently cross cell membranes. 

CoQ10 supplementation can be challenging as a lipid molecule, CoQ10 is best digested with fats and suffers poor absorption in water. Less than 1% of simple CoQ10 powder is absorbed. Similarly, the breakdown of glutathione, our bodies' most powerful intracellular antioxidant, in the stomach greatly reduces its oral delivery.

In order to offer health advantages, vitamins and minerals need to reach the target tissue of action. Supplements and functional foods, as well as related health claims, require high bio-availability. Many aspects affect bio-availability, including digestive problems, low stomach acid, and low uptake of a nutrient.

In addition, supplements themselves vary in amounts of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants they offer sometimes more than the recommended daily amount and sometimes lesser. Products are available in many forms such as powders, liquids, tablets, capsules, chewable and gummy candies, all of which result in variable amounts.

Enter Liposomal Delivery Systems: Taking a Cue from Nature

The word liposomal is derived from the Greek words ‘lipo’ meaning fat and ‘soma’ meaning body. Liposomes are spherical "sacs" made up of a double ring of fatty acids molecules called phosphatidylcholine. The spherical ‘sac’ can be used to enclose and deliver whatever it contains directly into the cells and body tissues.

The cell membrane, which is composed of phospholipids like the liposome, easily blends with the liposome's phosphatidylcholine, incorporating into the cell via a fusion and 'blending' process, allowing the liposome's enclosed active substance to be easily included into the cell where it can readily provide benefit.

The body in fact naturally produces liposomes around ingested nutrients using phosphatidylcholine. This process takes time, while providing nutrients contained with liposomes speeds up the absorption process for the nutrient. Timing of the dosage does not require accompaniment of food as the absorption via the liposome avoids the digestive processes.

There are benefits of the liposomal delivery system for supplements. The water soluble and fat-soluble active ingredients can be liposome-encapsulated and delivered to cells. The phospholipid membrane protects the enclosed substance from deprivation and getting lost in the digestive tract.

By this it means that the liposomal delivery will benefit those with digestive issues who may not be able to absorb nutrients readily. Any digestive side effects can also be avoided by consuming liposomal supplements. The natural lipids are compatible with human tissue and are not toxic or foreign by the body. Liposomal delivery system permits direct and efficient delivery of nutrient to the cells.

Ordinary or traditional non-liposomal products generally have low absorption and bio-availability and this fact is clinically well documented. Liposome science allows improved nutrient absorption and higher bio-availability and similar to other liposomal products, dry powder liposomal products allow this enhanced bio-availability.

Liposomal delivery is particularly useful for nutrients such as magnesium, Vitamin C, glutathione and curcumin. The primary advantage of liposomal supplements is delivery of larger dosage directly to the cells. In the case of Vitamin C, it can be very beneficial in situations where you have to take higher dosage leading to diarrhoea or other digestive issues.

Dry liposomal powders have other benefits over liquid liposomal products, including neutral taste, longer shelf life and doesn’t include other undesirable substances such as preservatives and flavorings. They can provide high-quality, readily bioavailable nutrients for direct and immediate use by the body.

Liposomal supplements are a type of nutrient delivery system that has a high rate of uptake and effective delivery into cells. Liposomes are highly effective at facilitating antioxidant delivery, and they are biocompatible and nontoxic because they are made from natural phospholipids.

Since they protect therapeutic molecules from breakdown in the digestive system, liposomal delivery systems are becoming increasingly popular for nutraceuticals. Liposomes can increase intracellular delivery 100-fold in cell culture studies when compared to non-liposomal delivery.

Traditional and Liposomal delivery system

When it comes to bioactive agents that have therapeutic or preventive effects and patient compliance, oral administration is frequently the best option. The harsh environment of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, on the other hand, can reduce the solubility, stability, and absorption of oral bioactive agents.

An individual should have adequate uptake of bioactive compounds such as vitamins and nutrients, to derive beneficial effects on the body. As a result, previous researchers have created structurally complex formulations to improve physical stability, protect active ingredients from degradation, and provide controlled release during digestion to improve absorption and bioavailability, but it still doesn’t provide the complete benefits.

Liposomal delivery system encapsulates bioactive compounds and increases the solubility and bio-availability of the supplements when administrated by the oral route. Encapsulating nutrients in liposomes is an excellent strategy for increasing bioavailability and ensuring that the majority of nutrients reach the cells for effective treatment.

Compared to traditional oral formulations, liposomal nutraceuticals and health supplements have numerous advantages. The following are some of them:

• High bioavailability and absorption
• Defending nutrients from the GI tract's harsh environment
• Increasing oral uptake through the mucosa in the mouth
• Increased cellular uptake
• Liposomes can be designed to hold both water-soluble and fat-soluble molecules.
• Liposomes' liquid format may be more suitable for those who have difficulty swallowing large tablets.

Vitamin C can benefit from encapsulation (also known as "liposomal vitamin C"), since the hydrophilic nature of these molecules makes it easier for vitamin C to dissolve within the aqueous center of liposomes. Liposomal vitamin C offer several advantages over their traditional counterpart:

• The insulation provided by the liposome membrane, vitamin C is protected from deterioration after passing through the gastrointestinal tract (from gastric juices, enzymes, pH changes, oxidation, and so on).
• No coloring agent or preservative;
• Since liposomes are better absorbed by the intestines, they avoid bowel tolerance and the limitation of vitamin C concentration in the blood.
• Due to the vesicles' insulation, there is no diarrhoea or stomach problems associated with heavy doses of vitamin C.
• Liposomes - and then vitamin C - have a better range in the body and a greater content in the blood than free vitamin C;
• Increased cell absorption due to the related presence of cells and liposome membranes, as well as their special affinity;
• Improved liposomal vitamin C action as a result of higher vitamin C concentrations directly released inside cells;
• A longer action cycle due to liposomes' higher bioavailability, which causes vitamin C to be released for a longer period of time.

In summary, liposomal vitamin C is the most effective method for achieving the daily vitamin C requirement. The use of liposomes to encapsulate vitamin C overcomes all of the difficulties that conventional vitamin C faces and prevents the risks of intravenous injection.

Magnesium, like vitamin C, does not pose a significant health risk in large doses and the surplus is excreted into the urine by the kidneys. Magnesium deficiency is very uncommon. However, there is a disorder known as magnesium deficiency that cannot be overlooked. Magnesium absorption can be hampered by inflammatory bowel disorders. Since they are less able to consume and excrete magnesium, older adults are more likely to have a magnesium deficiency.

In general, only 35-55% is absorbed, depending on the type of magnesium. If the amount is divided ideally or combined with meals, this can still improve. If too much magnesium is consumed, a smaller proportion will be taken up. With the introduction of liposomal delivery of magnesium there are various benefits that took into play:

• You don't have to spread the dosage out during the day. Magnesium does not appear to be actively ingested in the stomach anymore. With the aid of passive fat absorption, it may pass through the intestinal barrier. Since zinc and magnesium share the same absorption channel, they can be taken together in liposomal form without competing.
• The osmotic side effects are avoided.
• Reduced absorption in inflammatory bowel diseases patients or the elderly can be improved.

A Closer Look at Liposomal Supplements

There are definitely key advantages with liposome products such as

• Increased bio-availability
• Increased cellular delivery
• Delivers hydrophilic and hydrophobic compounds
• Increased oral uptake and lymphatic absorption
• Convenient for the individual user

There's no denying that well prepared liposomal products enhance nutrient absorption both systemically and cellular. Biocompatible liposomes absorb into the mouth and lymphatic system, affecting systemic circulation in a manner that only intravenous therapies might before. Furthermore, lymphatic transmission via liposomes avoids the liver's first-pass metabolism, increasing oral bioavailability.

With strong lecithin loads and low-to-medium shear processes, nutritional manufacturers have created gel-phase products with very large diameter particles and a wide variety of sizes, usually 400 to 1000 nm. 2 They can also be made with rotor-stator dispersion systems, which contain a milky liposomal solution with particles varying in size from 200 to 400 nm.

Refined chemistry and high-shear machines provide smaller liposomal spheres and emulsions, which, of course, comes at an expense in terms of processing. However, the larger spheres are less bioavailable than the smaller liposomes, leaving the user with a less efficient but still costly product. Smaller liposomes are much efficient at intracellular delivery than larger liposomes.

Furthermore, the therapeutic capabilities of a liposomal delivery system are attributed to how rapidly the body extracts the liposomes from the bloodstream. It's no surprise that clearance is inversely proportional to size, with smaller liposomes and micronized emulsions circulating in the blood for the longest time. Larger liposomes are recognized as foreign agents by immune system macrophages and are cleared from the bloodstream more quickly.

Liposomal formulations are extremely beneficial to glutathione. Immune system responses can be restored with liposomal glutathione. Liposomal technology is also ideal for a water-soluble antioxidant like Vitamin C, as it increases blood levels more effectively than traditional oral supplements. Our most powerful lipid-soluble antioxidant, coenzyme Q10, also benefits from liposomal formulation. Liposomal formulations containing high-quality complex mixtures of pure compounds and botanicals provide excellent efficacy and ease of use.

Despite the fact that many liposomal products claim to improve bioavailability, few are able to deliver the increased absorption that these formulations can provide. Many natural substances' bioavailability, absorption, and cellular uptake can be dramatically improved with sophisticated, well-designed lipid nanoparticle delivery systems. Phosphatidylcholine, which makes up the membrane of lipid nanoparticles, also feeds the lipid membranes of cells, providing phospholipids that can help with cellular repair.

At Healthy Buzz we offer various Liposomal products by Coyne Healthcare. Coyne Liposomes are made in a GMP facility and have no preservatives like alcohol, single use plastic or flavorings that you would see in liquid products. Coyne Healthcare Liposomes are:

• Made using a patented technology process which preserves the active ingredient without the need for any preservatives or additives keeping their products nasty free!
• In form of powder
• Certified GMO free
• Free from Soy as created from Sunflower.

Liposomal products ranging from Biomax Vitamin C Liposomal®, Biomax® Activated VIT B.CO, Biomax Glutathione, Green Tea Origin 8, Biomax Magnesium, Bio-Canna™ and Bio-Milk Thistle are available on Here on our site.