Sublingual supplements better than capsules, says Victoria Health pharmacist

It’s a question many looking to supplement ask – are sprays better than capsules? The answer is ‘yes’ according to Shabir Daya, a pharmacist at Victoria Health who specializes in natural health products.

Trinny and Shabir

In a recent Facebook Live with Trinny Woodall discussing supplements that work, Shabir explained that where possible it is always better to go for a sublingual supplement as it bypasses your digestive system.

This is because anything that goes through the stomach is likely to become compromised as this is a highly acidic environment and could deactivate the supplement in some way. Not all vitamins are available via sublingual method, but you can get vitamin D and vitamin K.

Examples of effective sublingual supplements included BetterYou DLux Oral Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2 Spray.

Shabir highlighted that many of us are deficient in vitamin D and K due to lack of sunshine and poor diet, and those who are worried about deficiency should do a test – ideally by visiting their GP. However, other alternatives are available.

BetterYou works with the NHS to offer provide a simple, effective at home test kit to help you to determine vitamin D levels and provide advice on how best to optimize your levels, based on your results. As part of the service, BetterYou also offers a complimentary vitamin D daily oral spray product to everyone who uses the home test kit.

Shabir concluded that Vitamin K is gaining in popularity. This nutrient is vital for blood clotting and protecting heart health. It keeps calcium mobile and assists in the depositing of calcium into the bone mass rather than in the arteries which can cause calcification (hardening). It is needed for childhood bone development and later in life as done density deteriorates (typically around the menopause in women).

A study published in The Nutritional Journal showed that vitamin absorption via an oral spray is 2.5 times more effective than vitamin capsules. A recent study in Nutrients Journal highlighted a strong link between low vitamin K status and cardiovascular mortality.

Victoria Health stocks the full range of BetterYou oral vitamin sprays and transdermal magnesium products.