Quality and bioavailability of our active ingredients

THE BIOAVAILABILITY OF THE ACTIVE INGREDIENTS, A FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENT
The bioavailability of an active ingredient is the proportion of it that will actually be absorbed and assimilated by the body. The form in which an active ingredient is provided is therefore just as important as the quantity provided. This is why the THERASCIENCE Laboratory favours active ingredients in their most bioavailable forms, to guarantee absorption and availability that will guarantee better efficacy and tolerance.

VITAMINS B2, B6, B9 and B12 IN COENZYME FORM FOR OPTIMAL BIOAVAILABILITY

B vitamins are a group of water-soluble vitamins that act in combination and participate in many metabolic reactions.

PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS
They are co-factors of intermediate metabolism enzymes. These vitamins (enzymes/coenzyme forms) are necessary for the oxidative breakdown of macronutrients, glucose, fatty acids and proteins, as well as for energy metabolism.
They are also involved in many other reactions that control, for example, the metabolism of alcohol, the synthesis of neurotransmitters and the regulation of homocysteine in the methionine/homocysteine cycle.

ADVANTAGE OF COENZYME FORMS DIRECTLY USABLE BY CELLS
Water-soluble B vitamins do not accumulate in the body and escape storage and the risk of overdosage. They are mainly provided in our products in a form identical to that used in metabolism, and therefore more metabolically active :

• Vitamin B2 in the form of riboflavin-5'-phosphate, sodium ;
• Vitamin B6 in pyridoxal-5'-phosphate form ;
• Vitamin B9 in the form of calcium L-methylfolate ;
• Vitamin B12 in the methylcobalamin form.

For riboflavin (B2) and pyridoxine (B6), a prior phosphorylation step is essential to enable them to perform their role as coenzymes of metabolic reactions. This physiological step consumes an ATP molecule and leads from the non-phosphorylated forms to phosphorylated coenzyme forms such as riboflavin monophosphate and pyridoxal phosphate. 

For example, vitamin B6 in the form of pyridoxal phosphate is the most important coenzyme form for energy metabolism. Pyridoxal phosphate acts as a coenzyme of phosphorylase, which catalyses the release of glucose from glycogen, or in the reactions of neoglucogenesis, which form glucose in particular from amino acids.

 

Other B-group vitamins are active, in methylated form, in the methionine ring. These are folic acid (B9), in the form of methylfolate, and cyanocobalamin (B12) in the form of methylcobalamin.

It is known, for example, that vitamin B12 in the form of methylcobalamin is essential for the activation of methionine synthase. It acts in concert with methylfolates to recycle homocysteine into methionine, an essential amino acid for methylation reactions.

 

VITAMINS K2 IN MENAQUINONE-7 FORM FOR OPTIMAL BIOAVAILABILITY

The vitamin K2 used in our formulas is in the form of menaquinone-7. This long-chain menaquinone form has better bioavailability than the other forms.
It also has the advantage of a longer half-life than the other forms. With prolonged intake, menaquinone-7 accumulates at levels 7 to 8 times higher than other forms of vitamin K.

Some of our products benefit from the patented MenaquinGold™ form, a natural vitamin K2 in menaquinone-7 form, resulting from natural fermentation, which guarantees superior quality and optimal stability.

 

 

 

CHROMIUM IN PICOLINATE FORM FOR BETTER BIOAVAILIBITITY
The effectiveness of chromium depends on its form. The picolinate form used in the products developed by the THERASCIENCE Laboratory is the most bioavailable form authorised in Europe.

It has the following characteristics:

• Significant stability and bioavailability in humans^(1-2) ;
• Absence of toxicity⁽³⁾.

IRON AND ZINC IN The FORM bisglycinate form for improved bioavailability

IRON
The iron present in the THERASCIENCE formulas is a patented Ferrochel™ iron, in chelated (bisglycinate), stable and ionically neutral form.

 

Thanks to its binding to 2 molecules of glycine, a non-essential amino acid, Ferrochel™ iron has the advantage that it does not break down in the stomach, is transported intact in the intestine and does not react with other vitamins and minerals. This form of iron is the best absorbed form of iron available on the market.
In addition, Ferrochel™ iron benefits from a TRAACS™ analysis certification that certifies the stability of the 100% chelated form.Several recent studies have demonstrated the following properties of iron bisglycinate :

• Safety : this form has no adverse effects at the highest dose tested (500 mg/kg)⁽⁶⁾ ;
• Bioavailability : the bisglycinate form is 2 to 4 times more bioavailable than other existing forms⁽⁷⁾ ;
• Absorption : 3.4 times higher than that of the sulphate form, one of the most widely used forms in food supplements⁽⁸⁾ ;
• Efficiency : significantly more efficient than the sulphate form in the fight against iron deficiency^(9-10).
  

ZINC
The formulas developed by the THERASCIENCE Laboratory contain mainly zinc in bisglycinate form.
A randomized study⁽⁵⁾ was carried out on healthy volunteers to compare the oral bioavailability of zinc in the form of gluconate and bisglycinate. At an equal dose (15 mg), and after a 7-day wash-out period between doses, the study concluded that bisglycinate had a significantly higher bioavailability (+43.4%) than gluconate. In addition, bisglycinate is very well tolerated by the body.

MAGNESIUM IN THE FORM GLYCEROPHOSPHATE, CITRATE, OR BISGLYCINATE FOR BETTER BIOAVAILABILITY

The magnesium used in the THERASCIENCE Laboratory products is in the form of organic salts (glycerophosphate, citrate or bisglycinate).
Among the different forms of magnesium, these 3 forms prove to be salts that are both well absorbed and cause few digestive disorders.

SELENIUM IN SELENOMETHIONINE FORM FOR BETTER BIOAVAILABILITY

Selenium in THERASCIENCE formulas is selenium in the highly bioavailable selenomethionine form (also called enriched yeast).
To obtain this selenium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast is grown in the presence of sodium selenite. During fermentation, sodium selenite metabolises the selenite and transforms it into organic selenium. This selenium is bound to a molecule of methionine, an essential amino acid, and thus forms the most bioavailable form of selenomethionine.
Some of our products benefit from the Lynside^® Forte Se+ form of selenium in selenomethionine form, which guarantees optimal bioavailability.

 

 

Scientific studies have shown that selenium-enriched yeast, used primarily in our products, is the most bioavailable form of selenium. In fact, its bioavailability is estimated at more than 90%, more than twice that of the inorganic form⁽¹¹⁾.

(1) Anderson RA, PolanskyMM, Bryden NA. Biol Trace Elem. Res. 2004,101(3):211-218.
(2) Anderson RA, Bryden NA, Polansky MM; JAm Coll Nutr. 1997,16(3):273-279.
(3) AdaptédeAndersonRA,BrydenNA,PolanskyMM;JAmCollNutr.1997,16(3):273-279.
(4) Driessens F.C.M et al., « On formulas for daily oral magnesium supplementation and some of their side effects » Magnes Bull. (1993) ; 15 (1) : 10 - 12.
(5) Gandia P “A bioavailability study comparing two oral formulations containing zinc (Zn bisglycinate vs. Zn gluconate) after a single administration to twelve healthy female volunteers” Int J Vitam Nutr Res. (2007 Jul) ; 77(4) : 243 - 8.
(6) Jeppsen et al., Food and Chemical Toxicology, 1999.
(7) Boven-Benjamin et al., The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2000.
(8) Pineda et al., Nutrition, 2001.
(9) Szarfarc et al., Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutricion, 2001.
(10) Ferrari et al., Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 2012.
(11) EFSA Journal (2008) 766, 1- 42.