Do We Really Benefit from Oral Supplements?

InOral supplements are tablets, capsules, powders, or liquids taken by mouth to provide nutrients your body needs, like vitamins, minerals, or probiotics. As form of nutraceuticals, they support health or correct deficiencies, but their effectiveness depends on:

How much your body actually absorbs?

Just because you swallow a supplement, doesn’t mean your body absorbs all of it. It all comes down to bioavailability.

Bioavailability is the proportion of an active substance that enters the bloodstream when introduced into the body and is available for biological activity.

👉 Bioavailability = % that reaches your bloodstream.

Bioavailability of oral supplement is lowered by poor intestinal absorption and “first pass” metabolism in the gut wall and liver.

The “first pass effect”

First pass metabolism includes:

• Ingestion – Oral supplement enters the GI tract (stomach + intestine).
• Dissolution – Supplements dissolved, and active ingredients are released in the stomach or intestine.
• Absorption – Compounds pass through the intestinal wall into the portal vein.
• Liver Metabolism – The liver metabolizes part of the compound, potentially modifying or inactivating it, before it reaches the bloodstream.

How this limits bioavailability?

Source: https://www.bonchabio.com/blog/oral_absorption

First pass metabolism leads to:

• Reduced active compound – A large portion may be chemically altered or inactivated before reaching the bloodstream.
• Enzymatic breakdown – Liver enzymes can degrade or transform nutrients or bioactive ingredients into less effective forms.
• Low systemic circulation – Only a small fraction of the original dose may reach the body’s circulation in its active form.

Result: Less than 50% of what you take is actually used by body

Do oral supplements still work?

Oral supplements work best when the formulation, co-nutrients, and timing optimize bioavailability. However, there are conditions when oral supplement may not be effective such as:

• Individuals with poor gastrointestinal absorption
• Individuals with swallowing difficulties
• Nutrients with naturally low oral bioavailability
• Non-compliance or pill fatigue in long-term supplementation

Looking beyond the gut

Even the best oral strategies can’t fully overcome the first-pass metabolism. By bypassing the gastrointestinal tract, it’s possible to avoid first-pass metabolism entirely, prompting researchers to explore the skin as an alternative delivery route. 

However, this approach remains an active area of research, as scientists work to optimize safe and effective methods for delivering nutrients through the skin.

The future of supplement delivery

Clothing is in constant contact with our skin, worn nearly every moment of the day. Inspired by this closeness, Biorism envisions textiles as more than fabric but as carriers of wellness.

Biorism Sil2U technology is redefining the future of nutraceuticals by transforming the skin into both a gateway and a delivery channel, using functional clothing to deliver health benefits seamlessly.

The article is prepared by Biorism Scientist, Dr. Maisarah (PhD, Molecular & Cellular Biology).