Clinically Proven Bioavailability

Abstract

Introduction:

Most fortified foods use synthetic or non-food sources of vitamins and minerals rather than organic ones derived from plants, fungi, and algae. Synthetic vitamins are not always identical in shape and structure (Vandamme et al., 1992), and may lack the synergistic compounds present in micronutrients from plant extracts.

Fortifying foods with organic micronutrients may offer advantages in consumer preference and sustainability (SAFE, 2024), but adoption has been limited by a lack of evidence on their absorption and utilisation compared with synthetic sources.

This pilot study aims to characterise the acute and moderate-term changes in blood vitamin and mineral concentrations in response to organic or synthetic micronutrient supplementation in healthy individuals.

Methods:

This was a single-blind, randomised interventional trial involving 61 healthy volunteers (34M:27F, 33.2 ± 10.6 years, BMI 25.6 ± 4.5 kg·m⁻²). Participants were split into two arms: one consumed an organic supplement supplied by BIOVIT (ORG), and the other a synthetic one (SYN). The study comprised a 2-hour ingestion trial and a 28-day ingestion trial. Both supplements contained equivalent dosing for 12 micronutrients at 60% recommended intake (RI).

Venous blood samples were collected at baseline (fasting, TP1), 2 hours post-ingestion (TP2), and after 28 days of supplementation (fasting, TP28). Samples were centrifuged on collection and stored as plasma or sera for analysis of calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin B7, vitamin B9, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and vitamin D.

Secondary variables of participant health - blood lipids and glucose, anthropometry, and cognition - were taken at both visits. Data were analysed via repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni-corrected pairwise comparisons to assess changes in variables over time against conditions (p<0.05 deemed statistically significant).

Results:

There were no significant differences in the change in nutrient levels over time between the ORG and SYN groups in either the 2-hour or 28-day studies. In the 28-day study, both groups saw significant increases in B9 (5.73 vs 7.23 µg/L; F=5.46, p<0.05) and B7 (1.432 vs 1.938 nmol/L; F=5.36, p<0.05) from TP1 to TP28, with no other significant differences found. There were no significant differences in the change in other health measures over time between the two groups.

Conclusion:

Circulatory levels of key vitamins and minerals are complementary across both organic and synthetic supplements, in both an acute (2-hour post-ingestion) and moderate-term (28-day ingestion) context. The findings indicate that organic vitamin and mineral supplements offer bioavailability comparable to synthetic ones. This may carry great significance for the future use of organic vitamins and minerals in foods, drinks, and supplements.