How to increase the absorption rate of nutrients?

It's a well-known fact that vitamins are broadly classified as water-soluble and fat-soluble. Literally, water-soluble refers to dissolving in water, while fat-soluble refers to dissolving in oil. Thus, some substances are affinity for fats, while others are affinity for water.

What are hydrophilic and hydrophilic?

"Oleophilic" refers to a substance that has an affinity for oil, while "hydrophilic" refers to a affinity for water. Oil and water don't mix well. For this reason, a "oleophilic" substance that doesn't mix well with water is also referred to as "hydrophobic."

Representative hydrophilic substances, vitamins

Vitamin C, as we all know, is a hydrophilic vitamin. When consumed, it isn't stored in the body and is mostly excreted through urine. Therefore, it's said that taking vitamin C frequently is more beneficial than taking large amounts all at once.

Representative lipophilic and hydrophobic substance "Omega 3"

Conversely, omega-3s are lipophilic/hydrophobic oils. Because oils tend to mix with other oils, lipophilic substances like omega-3s are often stored in adipose tissue. Vitamin D, also a lipophilic substance, can be administered in large doses via injection. This is possible because it's a lipophilic substance stored in the body.

What is a surfactant?

Surfactants are substances that contain both hydrophilic and lipophilic portions within a single molecule. They're primarily used in soaps and detergents. You've likely seen many experiments where oil and water don't mix, separating at a distinct interface. However, adding a surfactant to the mixture alters the physicochemical properties of the interface, allowing the water and oil to mix.

​There are many different types of surfactants, each with its own unique function, and one of them is an emulsifier!

Emulsifiers are substances that help two immiscible liquids to mix. They are composed of a nonpolar part and a polar part. Instead of forming a solution in which oil dissolves in water, they mix together to form an emulsion.

That means that oil particles are evenly distributed between water particles.

When oil is mixed with water, the emulsifier aligns the nonpolar tails toward the oil and the polar heads toward the water. This circular arrangement of the emulsifier is called a “micelle.”

A similar phenomenon can be observed in the cell membranes of our bodies. Phospholipids, a component of cell membranes, are composed of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups. As shown in the figure below, the hydrophobic groups are clustered inward, while the hydrophilic groups are aligned outward.

By blending substances that help water and oil mix, we've explored how we can increase the absorption rate of our nutritional supplements. With just a little knowledge and a few changes to your dosage regimen, you can see even greater results.