What is bioavailability and why is it important?

Simply defined, bioavailability is the measure of the rate that a supplement or drug is absorbed within the body after it has been administered. Just because you take a certain dose of a product, doesn’t mean that it’s what your body will receive. The question then is, “How much of the dose is dissolved in the gastrointestinal tract?“

The bioavailability of a nutritional supplement or drug depends upon three things:

• How it has been formulated
• The quality of the supplement itself
• The form in which it is administered

Supplements or drugs taken by IV have a 100% bioavailability. But for a drug or supplement to be convenient for someone to self-administer, it needs to be available in an oral form. Common oral forms are by pill or by liquid. In a pill form, any supplement will vary in its percentage of absorption from 15% – 30%. As a liquid, the absorption rates for many nutrients typically increase to around 90%.

Dr. Stevens has chosen for our Optimal Health Formulas to be available in a drink mix so that his patients may gain the highest absorption rate available. Also, we at DRS Health have committed to using the highest quality of ingredients. The higher the quality of supplement, the higher the absorption rate for your body. Don’t be fooled by cheap supplements; you truly get what you pay for. A cheap supplement is a low-grade supplement and the dosage must be doubled or tripled to obtain any reasonable value for your body. Choosing the Dr. Marc S. Stevens Optimal Health Formulas for all your nutritional needs, guarantees that you’re getting the highest quality supplements, with the highest absorption rates, for your health care needs.