Mineral Absorption and pH balance
Because its common knowledge that our food supply no longer contains adequate minerals and vitamins as it once did 80 - 100 years ago, many people support their nutritional requirements with vitamin supplements. But are all these vitamin supplements being absorbed? To think it only takes just 1 - 2 vitamin deficiencies to negatively effect the entire body, we better hope so.
If you’re taking it upon your self to supplement with any of the following vitamins, you want to be sure you’re not mineral deficient first. In the absence of minerals, vitamins have no function to perform. Lacking vitamins, the system can make some use of minerals. But lacking minerals, vitamins are useless. We won’t receive all the medicinal benefits from each vitamin as listed below…
Water Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin C recharges other antioxidant nutrients like Vitamin E and Glutathione. Reduces histamine release from mast cells. Heals tissues (skin, gum lining of the blood vessels). Synthesizes collagen. Aids in the absorption of iron.
Vitamin B1 converts food into energy. Maintains healthy glucose levels. Helps with neurotransmitter synthesis. Protects brain cells against oxidative damage.
Vitamin B2 boosts energy, increases blood circulation, promotes growth and development, regulates thyroid activity, protects vision and nervous system, repairs tissues, protects the GI tract.
Vitamin B3 improves cholesterol levels, blooks the production of “bad” LDL cholesterol, increases “good” HDL cholesterol. Boosts metabolism. Improves nervous system and mental health. Reduces histamine, combats allergies.
Water Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin B5 promotes the intake of amino acids. Converts fat, protein and carbs int o energy. Essential for the normal functioning of the adrenal glands. Improves mood, reduces anxiety, stress - and improves focus, memory and energy.
Vitamin B6 is an anti-tumour or anti-toxicity agent. Regulates homocysteine levels which are linked to inflammation. Treats anemia.
Vitamin B9 prevents premature aging, boosts metabolism and prevents the products of stress hormones. Helps prevent birth defects. Creates red blood cells.
VitaminB12 is essential to the production of new DNA, red blood cells, proteins, hormones and fats, as well as regulating mood and maintaining healthy nervous and immune systems. Tip - have your levels checked annually and aim for 1000 pMol/L.
Fat Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin A is crucial for a healthy immune system. Produces white blood cells which keep your blood stream clear of pathogens. Necessary for good eye sight.
Vitamin D stimulates the body to manufacture a peptide know as Cathelicidin - a natural antimicrobial which can attack all pathogens including viruses. The higher the blood level of Vitamin D, the higher the cathelicidin concentration and the more powerful the antiviral effects.
Vitamin E improves immune function. Has anti-inflammatory properties and prevents blood clotting. Elevated levels of vitamin E are related to decreased risk of age-related cataracts.
Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting. Supports the absorption of calcium and vitamin D to the bone. Improves cardiovascular health.
And so, we need to ensure we aren’t in fact deficient in important minerals as they are involved in almost all enzyme reactions, metabolic activity, and detoxification cycles. Minerals are vital for the effective absorption and proper function of all nutritional intake. Our bodies cannot utilize vitamins and other nutrients without a correct balance of minerals, even in trace amounts. Improper mineral balance has been linked to chronic fatigue, weight gain/loss, headaches, depression, osteoporosis, malabsorption and more.
And how do we know if we’re mineral deficient? We can find out a few ways - with pH testing and a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis.
First, knowing our body’s pH (acid / base) levels are important to know because until pH, gut and stress are dealt with, we won't absorb anything very well. And as you can see in the chart below, each mineral has a very specific pH range for its absorption - iodine being one of the finicky ones which is crucial for detoxification, autophagy, our thyroid which controls our metabolism, breast health, our overall health. As you can see below, a pH of 5.0 (acidic terrain) will not accept any minerals. And an acidic internal terrain makes you more vulnerable to disease.
I’m sharing two pH tests that you can easily do at home. You'll need to purchase some pH strips which are typically less than $20 at a health store. While these tests aren't diagnostic tools, they do help me with designing/curating a supplement regime, supplement strategies and dietary recommendations for my clients - and may help you too - to start making the necessary changes with your current diet & supplement regime and lifestyle strategies. And too, to answer your question, “is this vitamin supplement really absorbing?” “Or am I just making expensive pee?”
The first pH test I’d like to share with you is easy - is simply taking a pH (acid/base) reading of both urine and saliva for a minimum of 3 but ideally 7 days. When you open the test details here, you’ll see how easy it is and what your ideal pH range should be at different times of the day. If you see that you’re more acidic than ideal, you can start by making changes within your diet first - choosing more food and drink that are alkalizing (ie; anything organic raw & green) and less that are acidic (ie; sugar, processed foods, meat, alcohol, coffee - which most brands are moldy).
The second pH test is what is called an “acid challenge” test and is used to monitor available mineral reserves and not actually pH. As well as highlighting patterns for a hyper-sympathetic nervous system, potential adrenal stress, mineral depletion risk factors, cell rigidity and possible organ pathology. You’ll also see 6 patterns that you can compare your results with and get an idea of what may be happening in your body. More often than not, I see patterns for a dysregulated nervous system indicating that more stress relief practices must be incorporated.
If you’re willing and able to take a deeper dive into your mineral and vitamin reserves, I offer a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) which gives a long term reading that is unaffected by recent meals, activities such as exercise, or emotional states. When mineral deficiencies occur, toxic metals often replace these vital minerals in the body. Various mineral imbalances are revealed by a HTMA. An affordable, non-invasive HTMA helps me establish a nutritional profile to be used by my clients to guide in the development of an effective wellness and nutritional balancing regimen.
Again, these tests aren’t diagnostic tools. But I do recommend them to every client and use these personally throughout the year especially when I’m doing any deep cellular detoxification (ie: parasite cleansing) as we can be vulnerable to becoming more acidic with targeted detox strategies. If I ever fall out of range on the 1st test, I take it upon myself to incorporate more fresh green foods and drinks, do more stress reduction, and slow down on my detox efforts. There’s one product that I’ll bring in to support my efforts and only recommend with my 1:1 clients and that is Biomedicine’s Pleo Alkala as it rids the body of excess acidic waste. It’s only available through Practitioners and does require education before using it so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’re interested in learning more.
Hope this helps! Blessings,
Your Orthomolecular Nutrition & Practitioner BFF,
Angela :)