Liposomal vitamin C is a revolutionary way to take this popular and effective supplement. But, what are liposomes and why are they so important in the world of vitamins and nutrients? This is a fascinating topic and we invite you to continue reading to learn more about Liposomal vitamin C and how it works towards a healthier you.
The vast majority of Americans take some kind of nutritional or vitamin supplement every day. But the actual bioavailability, or the proportion of a substance that actually enters the circulation after being consumed, varies widely from product to product. That means when you pop a multivitamin, your body may be absorbing anywhere from ten to ninety percent of the vitamins and minerals that you’re ingesting.
The ugly truth is that when we ingest even some of the most potent vitamins and minerals, only a small percentage of them are absorbed by our bodies. On top of that, our ability to absorb nutrients from orally taken substances is greatly affected by bacteria in your gut as well as the acid in your stomach. With numbers like these, there must a solution to improve the bioavailability of the supplements we depend on for daily use. Luckily, there is that solution and it’s called Liposomes.
What are Liposomes?
Technically speaking, liposomes are tiny, artificial lipid bubbles that are about 1/1000th the width of a single human hair. They are made up of the same type of fat as our own cell membranes, making them both biocompatible and very stable when introduced to our bodies. But most importantly, liposomes are able to deliver fat-soluble substances in a stable way. That means from the moment you ingest them, liposomes are working to help you absorb nutrients and protect against their breakdown by bacteria and stomach acid. Since liposomes are intentionally created out of the same fat molecules (lipids) as our own cell membranes, they can instantly effectively combine with the cells in our bodies to create lasting and powerful support.
There are three different types of liposomes, and each kind can be implemented to aid in the absorption of different drugs or to target specific kinds of cells. There are over 50,000 studies on liposomes from around the world, and amazing advances in their formulation are helping a wide range of industries including medicine, cosmetics, vitamins, botanicals, and farming agriculture.
What are Liposomes Made From?
Without getting too technical, liposomes are generally composed of naturally derived lipid chains that sometimes contain materials from eggs – so be careful when taking them if you are vegan or are allergic to eggs. It’s also pretty common for liposomes to contain a tiny layer of water that is trapped between the layers of lipids.
Liposome Classification
You may recognize the prefix “lipo” from things like “liposuction”. That’s because the words are derived from Greek word ‘lipos’, which means fat. ‘Soma’ in Greek means body, so when you put the two together, you get liposomes.
Liposomes are classified as either multilamellar or unilamellar. Unilamellar liposomes contain a single layer of lipids that holds a tiny amount of water. Multilamellar liposomes, on the other hand, use multiple layers of lipids to hold the water.
Benefits of Liposomes
Besides greatly increasing the bioavailability and absorption of the substances they are helping to deliver, liposomes can be beneficial in and of themselves. The phospholipids in liposomes that your cell membranes recognize are actually therapeutic – they can help nourish cell membranes by providing the lipids needed for them to function optimally. They can help deliver anything from supplements and antioxidants like GSH to cancer treatments and anti-fungal agents.
While all the benefits of liposomes in pharmaceutical use can be difficult to quantify, here are a few of the most common:
- Improves solubility and drug absorption.
- Focuses effects on immune system cells.
- Sustains release for systemic and synergistic effects.
- Improves tissue penetration and bioavailability
- Includes mechanisms to avoid or target certain parts of the body.
Liposomal Vitamins
Today many people take vitamins because they may not get enough natural vitamins and nutrients through their diet. In order for our bodies to stay healthy and function properly, we need a certain amount of vitamins.
There are 13 known vitamins, each of which is either fat-soluble or water-soluble. Fat-soluble vitamins are those that easily dissolve in oils and fats, and absorb and store in the fatty tissues of the body for days or even months. Water-soluble vitamins are those that dissolve in water, are carried to the tissues in the body, but do not store in the body and therefore eliminate from the body through urine. So in order to avoid vitamin deficiency, we turn to vitamin supplementation. Most of the vitamin supplements are in pill, tablet or capsule form. However, taking a vitamin in those forms without liposomes may not be able to deliver its full effect because the enzymes in our stomachs and gastrointestinal tract lessen their therapeutic potency. In order for the vitamins to offer health benefits, they must reach the target tissues. Another issue is often that the amounts of each vitamin actually vary from label to label.
As an alternative, the answer may lie in taking liposomal vitamins. As mentioned earlier, liposomes provide improved absorption, tissue penetration, and bioavailability. These are requirements for vitamins to reach their intended target within the body.
Liposomal vitamins may offer an effective delivery into the cells and rapid uptake. Also, because they are made from natural phospholipids, they tend to be non-toxic and biocompatible.
What is Liposomal Vitamin C?
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant and is one of the most popular vitamins on the market today. It’s the one vitamin everyone runs to take at the first sign of a cold or flu. Vitamin C is also essential for a variety of bodily functions including immune functions, plus it helps to produce collagen, which is important to skin health and is a fundamental component in fibrous tissues such as cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and bones. Vitamin C also helps with the healing of wounds, burns, grazes, and, cuts. Additionally, vitamin C works to combat high blood pressure and heart disease and in some people, it helps to lower cholesterol levels. Plus, people who are being treated for diabetes and take vitamin C may actually lower the deterioration of their kidneys, nerves, and eyesight. Suffice to say, it’s an important part of our overall health.
Unlike just about every other mammal on the planet, our bodies do not store or produce Vitamin C on their own, so we need to get it from other sources. To that end, vitamin C supplements are becoming increasingly popular in recent years. However, the type of vitamin C that we take, whether in pill, tablet, chewable, or capsule form, may not necessarily get into our body’s system because it is a water-soluble vitamin. Therefore, a unique and powerful alternative to traditional formulas is liposomal Vitamin C.
Vitamin C that incorporates liposomes is better for its ability to be absorbed much more quickly and with better benefits. Thanks to its more efficient bioavailability, taking Vitamin C with liposomes ensures that little is wasted. You will see that getting a more effective dose in the liposomal form will help to improve your immune system, digestion, and other bodily functions as compared to traditional supplements.
Benefits of Liposomal Vitamin C
The fact is that switching to a liposomal vitamin C from one of the traditional formulas of vitamin C leads to better absorption across the board. Because it is encapsulated in liposomal form, it integrates much easier and faster into organs and cells, resulting in greater benefits. Below are just a few of the wide-ranging benefits of liposomal vitamin C:
Bypasses the Digestive Process
Unlike traditional forms of the vitamin, liposomal vitamin C skips the digestive system, which allows for better bioavailability. That means that the body will absorb more of the vitamin more rapidly, which results in better health.
May Help to Prevent Stomach Issues
Taking vitamin C in a liposomal form will not disrupt your digestion, which sometimes happens when taking a traditional form of vitamin C. Since it doesn’t go through the digestive system, you don’t have to worry about any pesky side effects like stomach cramps, diarrhea, or gas.
Protection Against Illnesses and Diseases
Because our bodies do not keep or produce vitamin C, we need outside sources to aid in keeping our vitamin C levels up. Using liposomal vitamin C helps to protect us against a variety of illnesses like the common cold and flu. It may also offer additional protection against cancer by preventing the chronic inflammation that allows mutant cells to grow into cancerous tumors.
Fights Free Radicals
Another benefit of taking liposomal vitamin C is that it may help fight against free radicals that cause damage to your system. Free radicals damage skin cells causing premature aging and other imbalances in your body. Since vitamin C contains antioxidants, they help to get rid of the free radicals, resulting in healthier skin and better health.
Improves Your Immune System
Vitamin C is famous for its ability to help support a healthy immune system. By using a liposomal form of vitamin C, you are allowing your body to receive and maintain a healthy amount of vitamin C so that it fends off common infections like colds and the flu.
Delivers Nutrients Directly to Cells
Because of its design, liposomal vitamin C more easily absorbs into your organs and cells and is even used to target certain areas of the body over others. Using the liposomal form of the vitamin ensures that you receive the most out of your dose as opposed to taking it in traditional formulas without the liposomes.
Who Benefits from Liposomal Vitamin C?
A person who has a compromised immune system may benefit the most from a liposomal form of vitamin C. Thanks to liposomal encapsulation technology, the vitamin is delivered directly to the bloodstream and therefore is far more effective. The result is that the liposomal vitamin C boosts the immune system more directly and then is able to help fight a variety of health issues including the flu and colds.
People who feel low energy may also benefit from liposomal vitamin C. There are many reasons a person may feel a low level of energy, including stress, lack of sleep, and poor diet. Using liposomal vitamin C is a great way to feel invigorated since it may help stimulate other bodily functions as well.
Maintaining healthy hair, nails, and skin might also be a result of the best liposomal vitamin C since your body will absorb the nutrients it contains quickly. Liposomal vitamin C is better absorbed into cells and organs, unlike pills and tablets, because it does not need to use up too much energy.
Liposomal Vitamin C Doses
Doses may vary, depending on the general health of the person taking liposomal vitamin C, but here is a recommended breakdown of doses:
- Healthy Adult, with no major health issues: 1,000mg, 1-2 times a day.
- Adults with major health issues or extreme athlete: 2,000mg, 2-3 times a day.
- Adults with an extreme disease, e.g. cancer, heart disease: 4,000mg, 2-3 times a day.
As always, it is important to start with the lower dose to begin and see how your body reacts.
Liposomal Vitamin C Side Effects
Many people think if a little is good then more is better. However, that is not always the case. Taking too much of any vitamin may not benefit your body at all and may result in some side effects. Taking a higher dose of vitamin C may result in kidney stones, for example. However, although not yet proven, there may be some risks in menopausal women developing some cardiovascular issues due to high intakes of vitamin C. In people who have an iron absorption disorder called hemochromatosis, taking too much vitamin c could result in tissue damage.
It’s always a good idea to speak with your doctor about taking any supplements to ensure the correct dose for you.
Conclusion
Liposomes are an amazing use of modern technology that improves the bioavailability and potency of many supplements, including Vitamin C. By creating a liposome delivery system that is made of the same kinds of lipids as our own cell membranes, scientists effectively found a way to trick our bodies into quickly absorbing much-needed substances. Taking vitamin C in liposomal form is sure to show greater benefits to your overall health and well being over the traditional formulas. So next time you are shopping for Vitamin C, make sure it’s liposomal!
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products discussed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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