From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: Re: How to pick a good mulit-vitamin
Date: 14 May 1998 00:52:52 GMT

In <eV3yhw2d9GA.199@uppubnews03> "Jim" <jborkan@email.xxxsn.com>
writes:

>  As for
>bioavailability, in some cases it is dependent on the form.  For
>example, Calcium carbonate is known to have poor bioavailability,
>where calcium citrate has excellent bioavailability;


   No, the bioavailability of citrate is only marginally better.  40%
vs 45% for the average person.  Big deal.  This hardly makes up for the
cost difference.  A possible exception may be people with absolutely NO
stomach acid, but the matter hasn't been well studied.

> in the case of electrolytes, they are
>typically readily bioavailable regardless of the salt (i.e. Potassium
>Gluconate or Potassium Citrate).

   Calcium's an electrolyte.



> Many minerals are more bioavailable when
>they're from natural sources (i.e. Brewers yeast) because the minerals
>are organically bound to amino acids (synthetic versions are called
>Amino Acid chelates), the same way your body absorbs minerals from the
>food we eat.

    Actually, chromium is the only really good example of this.  Other
minerals are absorbed a bit better as neutral chelates, but that
doesn't mean you need to BUY them that way.  Take them as a cheap salt
with a meal containing protein, and all that chelation should happen in
the privacy of your own stomach.  The same way as happens with minerals
already in foods, as the poster says.

                                Steve Harris, M.D.