Absorption of Cellfood Liquid Vitamins

by Deb
(US)

I really got a lot out of your multivitamin nutritional supplement reviews. Can you tell me what you think of Cellfood Liquid Vitamins as far as being absorbable?

I am trying to find the best multivitamin nutritional vitamin supplement for me.


ANSWER:

Hi Deb,

You asked about the Cellfood Vitamin concentrate supplement.

Firstly let me say that this product contains minerals based on the colloidal form and this is something very technical and is something I'm not qualified to answer from direct knowledge, so I've had to do some research in order to give you an answer.

Firstly, for basic background info, have you read the page on my site devoted to liquid nutritional supplements (It was written in layman terms so that the majority of my readers who don't like overly technical writing will understand).

Now, to Cellfood liquid vitamins (concentrate).

This is an extremely deep, scientific area and would involve A LOT of research so as to comment fully and correctly on the entire subject.

So, instead I will give you a brief overview of the subject.

The claims they are making on their website are all theoretically correct although very little actual evidence and clinical studies exists to back it up.

The evidence suggested isn't supported by any credible relevant authority because of this purpose, so it is currently a case of taking the company's (and related companies such as the manufacturer, Lumina, and their associated, Nu-Science), at their word for much of the claims, so that clearly leaves room for bias.

The concern I have with the bioavailability claims being made is that the extent of references used for the research 'is very 'thin'.

By that I mean it is all based more on opinion, or the type of short term placebo study that is used as an initial step to justify longer or more in-depth study techniques.

So, even though they have some results from, say, a group of 30 people suffering from a fibromyalgia, for instance, this is not considered hard clinical data, and no specific effects were monitored re the condition during this time. Only a result of a general wellness approach.

It would be necessary for me to look at the studies more closely to comment in greater detail, but as an initial summary, and at first glance, I can say they have potential in their claims, but no actual hard proof.

Now Deb, this doesn't necessarily tell us that this supplement is no good or largely ineffective.

At most I could tell you it is probably a good potential prototype vitamin supplement, and I do not see any major negative effects in its use if people did wish to try it.

At around $30 a bottle I feel that at this stage of development it is not good value for money, and because of the unknown long term effects I would probably suggest its use as an intermittent health aid rather than as a core supplement of ones supplement regime which is taken daily over the long-term.

As for their 95% bioavailability claim, there is really not enough information on the particular makeup of this product listed on their website (that I have had chance to view so far) to comment.

Liquid supplements themselves are notoriously unreliable and absorption will most definitely differ from person to person depending on their digestive state, stomach acid level, stomach pH levels, and so on.

This changes and becomes more reliable once ingredients reach the upper intestinal atmosphere, hence the reliability of enteric coating This has been scientifically validated for many years.

The multi-nutrient vitamin/health supplement I use (Total Balance) is enteric coated so I know its bioavailability is very high and this means stronger health benefits and far greater value for money.

For Cellfood liquid vitamin supplements, bioavailability may or may not be scientifically as high as 95%, but my gut feeling from scientific reviews and studies I'm aware of, is that this would be EXTREMELY difficult to judge and guarantee or monitor.

It is possible to say that something has a good level of bioavailability compared with say other products, but to guarantee a certain level per product, per person, is ridiculously overconfident in my opinion and probably should be viewed as misleading and a half-truth.

In summary then, based on my first view of this supplement, I think it may be of decent benefit to overall health, as a means of supplementing essential daily vitamin and mineral intake. I am unsure as to the level or quality of its use, and would therefore use wisely rather than reliably at this stage.

The company (NuScience), we must remember, is geared toward profit and business opportunity which is always a bad sign. Their products are therefore manufactured to a price rather than toward maximum health benefits for the end-user - YOU AND I.

So Deb, at $30 a bottle, Cellfood seems very expensive to me when you consider that it is only giving you vitamins, minerals and amino acids (plus aloe vera but in what form I can't see!).

As I said above the value for money angle is not good. To spend that kind of money each month you should get a supplement that is nutritionally complete, containing a far greater range of nutrient types.

And for about $9 more you can get Total Balance a cutting edge, professional grade multi-ingredient health supplement which contains a scientifically based balance of ALL key nutrient types :

* Vitamins

* Minerals

* Trace Elements

* Enzymes

* Antioxidants

* Amino Acids

* Anti-Glycation Agents

* Neuronutrients

* Flavanoids

* Carotenoids

* Methylation Agents

* Adaptogens

* Calorie Restriction Mimetics

* Herbal Extracts

* Co-factors


Remember Total Balance has very high bioavailability because it's enteric coated. In fact it's the only enteric coated multi-ingredient supplement that I've come across and I've looked at hundreds of them.

The other companies just can't afford to enteric coat their products (and usually don't need to because they don't include any of the expensive, highly efficious supplement ingredients that require protection from stomach acid )

Deb, think about whether you really want multivitamin nutritional supplements rather than multi ingredient nutritional health supplements as they are both very different.

By multivitamin nutritional supplement I mean a supplement that only helps to give you adequate amounts of essential vitamins and minerals by topping up any deficiencies of these that may be present.

On the other hand a multi-ingredient nutritional health supplement refers to a supplement that goes well beyond the scope of a regular multivitamin by targeting every major organ and system in the body with a formula containing a comprehensive range of all or most of the key nutrient forms ( as listed above).

Deb, I hope this answer helps you. Sorry I couldn't give a more detailed and conclusive answer.

Please ask your health conscious friends who use premium grade supplements to have a read through my vitamin supplement comparisons and reviews which they can find in my best vitamin supplements comparisons chart

Stay Well,

Brett