So let’s get back to this business of liposomal supplements we mentioned last time.
“Liposomal” means relating to liposomes – which is no help at all, really, unless you know what a liposome is. That word comes from two Greek words: lipo (fat) and soma (body) – a great descriptor for this round vesicle with at least one double layer – a bilayer – of lipids (fat). The bilayers form a spherical vesicle that encloses fluid.
In this form, liposomes can transport and release any material in the vesicle into a cell.
Liposomes were first described in 1965, and it didn’t take long for researchers to consider them as a way to deliver drugs. If, for instance, they could carry chemotherapy drugs, they could deliver them right to cancer cells and not expose the rest of the body to their toxins.
Over the years, the technology has been used to safely deliver a number of drugs for use in antiviral, antifungal, anti-tubuercular, and gene therapies.
While liposomal delivery of medication offers promise against a whole host of medical diseases, it’s also of help to those of us who want to prevent disease before it starts. Liposomal technology is now being used for the delivery of antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C and D, B-vitamins, and immune boosters such as glutathione and alpha lipoic acid.
Here’s how it works:
The importance of applying this technology to beneficial nutrients is significant. Why? Because, as one paper noted, most natural antioxidants are unstable, not very soluble in water, and poorly distributed to target sites. All this lowers their bioavailability.
Many of us try to solve the problem of variability of nutrients through diet and supplementation. We want to ensure our bodies get the all the nutrients they need for optimal health. Other times, supplement therapy is a critical part of naturopathic healing from chronic health conditions – a time when we need more than just the minimum.
But there can be problems with this approach.
This greater bioavailability of liposomal supplements is exactly what makes liposomal delivery so great. Nutrients go directly into your body’s cells. This gives you the best potential to get the antioxidant and immune support your mouth – and your body – needs.
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