Gel Capsules vs Tablets

Gel Capsules vs Tablets
Question: Recently a friend made these comments:
i) Binders in tablets are not necessary for the body, and why take them? Your liver overworks with tablets.
ii) Gel capsules are a superior method of delivering nutrients. Your liver doesn't have to work as hard and the nutrients are more likely to be absorbed, because your body doesn't have to function so well.

Ask the Scientists Response:
Excipients (non-actives) are the additives used to convert active compounds into dosage forms suitable for administration. Interest in the physical effects and properties of the excipients used in pharmaceutical formulations has increased in recent years as pharmaceutical scientists have become increasingly aware of the fundamental effects that excipients can exert on the bioavailibility, stability and overall performance of the product. Relatively small variations in the physical properties of an excipient can produce significant differences in the behavior of the formulated product. In other words, using top quality excipients is as important as using the best quality raw materials for the active ingredients.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is a science and at Usana we approach excipients with the same scientific scrutiny that we do with all of our products. Safety, quality and effectiveness are all paramount in both our active ingredients and "other ingredients." All pharmaceutical or nutritional products, whether they are tablets, capsules, or liquids contain excipients (whether they are labeled or not).
The excipients that are used in Usana formulations are selected for their non-toxicity and contribution to the overall integrity and performance of the product. Since we use the best ingredients, minimal amounts can be added to achieve the desired effects.
USANA will continue to monitor the research concerning all of its raw materials and will be governed by credible science in order to provide you the best products for your health.
Please visit the following Health Resources link regarding tablet excipients which I hope will be helpful for you:
http://www.usana.com/USNUSUPPINGREDIE_18918.html
The scientific definition of bioavailable is: the degree and rate at which a substance (as a drug) is absorbed into a living system or is made available at the site of physiological activity. Different vitamins and minerals have different absorption rates no matter if they come from tablet, liquid, powder, or food. For example Calcium has a pretty standard absorption rate around 25-35%. The form does not generally make a significant difference. The bottom line is - a well made tablet provides a very effective delivery system for pharmaceutical medications. Most medications come in a tablet form. This is because they have been found to be the easiest and most efficient delivery system for medications. Why would vitamin supplements be any different? Does anybody doubt that an aspirin tablet is less effective because it comes in a tablet? Tableted products are more advantageous to take, simply because more active ingredients can be taken in one tablet (almost 3 times as much as a capsule and much more than liquid or spray). The stability is also much better. The USANA tablets are formulated to meet USP standards requiring full disintegration within 30 min. Tablets are also formulated to meet USP standards for dissolution. Because of the disintegration time, the vitamins and minerals found in our supplements are properly absorbed into the body and are very beneficial. Innovative formulations have been developed to optimize nutrient bioavailability. Each lot of USANA tablets is tested against finished product specifications to ensure that it meets standards for: identity, target weight, hardness, thickness, disintegration, potency, purity, and (microbial counts). USANA is committed to providing its customers with the best nutritionals that money can buy. Our formulas are carefully designed with quality and safety in mind.
In addition, there are many factors which can affect the absorption of vitamins and minerals in the body. Some of these factors are a function of the person taking the nutrient and are dependent on the age of the person, the integrity of their digestive system, the state of their health, the time of day, the person's gender, and if they were taken on a full or empty stomach. People whose nutrient needs are greater, such as growing children and pregnant and lactating women, or those who are currently deficient, may have significantly enhanced absorption rates for certain nutrients. Recently, some individuals and companies have made claims that their products are superior because they are "98-percent absorbed" or some similar number. This is a misleading statement because there are simply too many variables to say that absorption is a certain percent of the material consumed. Even absorption of minerals from food sources vary greatly. Boron, molybdenum, and iodine can be absorbed at over 90 percent while the average absorption rates of zinc, copper, and selenium can range from 30 to 80 percent depending on the form. It should seem reasonable, then, that stating an average absorption rate does not make much sense. USANA provides its vitamins and minerals in amounts and forms so that, in conjunction with a healthy diet, you will receive maximum bioavailability, full effectiveness, and uncompromised safety.
A couple of questions to ask are:
The very reason we have an industry is due to large published studies in the medical and nutritional literature that have given us the knowledge and insight into these nutritional elements. With the hundreds of studies on calcium and vitamin D and bone health, it it hardly in dispute that these nutrients can prevent bone loss. If tablets weren't any good, where did we get all these positive results?
Regarding the Liver. I guess we'll need to go over a little anatomy and physiology to answer your question. Once food, or tablets for that matter, enters the stomach it is broken down by gastric juices it makes its way to the small intestine. The small intestine is the site of absorption for nutrients. From the small intestine the nutrients make their way into the blood stream and gradually are distributed to the cells of our body. Whatever the body does not require eventually makes its way to the kidneys where it is filtered and excreted in the urine.
Bottom line, the kidneys and liver do not involved until the nutrients have been absorbed by the small intestine. Not vice-versa.

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