subject: What Is Bioavailability And Precisely How Does It Work? [print this page] In our current times, we're seeing a growing number of terms starting with 'bio' entering our regular speech. Phrases like 'biofuel' and 'biodiversity' are two such terms that we now frequently encounter in modern parlance that are most likely because of society's increasing preoccupation with preserving our planet. This isn't to say that terms similar to this are freshly invented because a lot of them have been around for many years.
On the other hand, you will find words out there like 'bioavailable' and 'bioavailability' for instance which are not commonly used a lot in everyday language. Of course, if you have studied pharmacology then these words will most likely be really recognizable to you. You'll also probably understand what the terms make reference to and how they are used in pharmacological situations. With that being said, what we are interested in here is looking at the concept of bioavailability from a wellness perspective in terms that the layperson can comprehend.
There are numerous ways in which a compound may enter the human body. It could go in via the nose by inhalation, through the skin by means of flesh contact, through being inserted using an IV or syringe or by being ingested. When it comes to the food we eat, or more specifically, at the level that swallowed substances are assimilated by the human body, these compounds are taken up in differing levels and quantities. At this point, we aren't speaking here about the capacity of the different internal organs and tissues to absorb compounds but rather how conducive a distinct substance is to becoming assimilated.
As we mentioned in the last passage, the substances which in this instance are nutritional substances have varying uptake values and rates of absorption. This rate and degree of absorption is referred to as 'bioavailability' (BA) and there are varying degrees of it hinging on how bioavailable a substance is. To clarify this principle a bit better, let's use the process of food digestion in the human body as an example.
Nutrititional compounds which are eaten in the form of food all use the exact same path through the body's digestive system. First of all, the food is broken down in the mouth by saliva and chewing and later by digestion juices in the tummy after it's been swallowed. These processes allow the nutritional compounds to be released so that they are able to carry on their path into the bloodstream and get taken up via the body's tissue and internal organs.
Some nutritional compounds are readily assimilated by the body's internal organs and tissues and, as such, are thought to be to be highly bioavailable whereas others are a lot more hard to assimilate. What is more, the level and pace of absorption can be influenced by things like whether the compound is water or oil soluble, for example. Even a person's eating habits can play a part in absorption rate. Take the harmful substance lead, for instance. Although it is dangerous to the human body and is not something we would like our bodies to absorb in any way, shape or form, we might be susceptible to enhanced absorption of lead if we have insufficient iron and calcium in our diet.
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