More Health Stores Now Offer Liquid Vitamins, But Are They Really Better?

When most people think of vitamins and herbal supplements, they envision traditional capsules or tablets, but today’s health stores are offering more than just these two traditional options. In addition to tablets and capsules, natural supplements are now also available in softgels, liquids, chewables, lozenges, and powders. Many brands claim that liquid vitamins are superior to these other forms because they’re more easily assimilated by the body, but some confusion still persists around whether or not this is actually true. The fact of the matter is that there are pros and cons to each type of supplement, and you have to decide which ones are right for your particular body, your budget, and the health effects that you’d like to experience. Here are some variables to consider.

Absorption Rates

Yes, it’s true that vitamins in liquid form, can be broken down, absorbed, and made available to your tissues and organs at a faster speed than tablets or capsules. However, it’s important to point out that in most cases the speed of absorption for liquid vitamins is only about 20-30 minutes faster than solid state alternatives. It’s also necessary to consider whether or not rapid absorption is really a benefit for your body. In the case of high potency supplements, it might actually be better for them to be broken down and assimilated at a slower rate.

Ease Of Swallowing

Not everyone enjoys the sensation of swallowing a large capsule or tablet, and some simply cannot do it due to a sensitive gag reflex. For those who can manage to choke the pills down but are taking a regimen of four to five supplements every day, this processes can become quite tedious indeed. There’s no denying that liquid vitamins are an attractive alternative to people who can’t or would rather not swallow large tablets and capsules. Instead, the liquid versions sold in health stores today can be mixed with a small amount of juice or water, and swallowed easily with food or before a meal.

Purity

Anytime you’re dealing with natural supplements, purity is an issue of concern. There are many supplement manufacturers who choose to do the bare minimum when it comes to potency and purity. Because supplements are never cheap, it’s important to make sure that you’re getting what you pay for. While tablets and supplements can have lots of fillers and binders, liquid vitamins can sometimes be diluted with water or other liquids. While these fillers aren’t necessarily harmful to the body, they’re not necessarily worth your money either.

Shelf Life

When the vitamin and herbal supplement industry was still fairly new, shelf life was a big issue because there’s no point in taking a supplement that’s lost its potency. Supplement technology has come a long way since then, and most capsules and tablets have a 1 to 2 year lifespan, provided they’re kept in a cool, dark place. However, when dealing with liquid supplements, it’s necessary that they be refrigerated constantly in order to prevent fermentation, and most health stores will tell you that they’re only considered potent if consumed within four weeks of opening the bottle.