Liposomal Supplements: More than just hype?

You may have seen liposomal supplements in your health food store or an advertisement. If so, did you wonder what makes them different from regular supplements, and whether the additional cost is justified? Here’s some information to help you decide.

In the 1960s Alex Bangham discovered that the hydration of a lipid film gave rise to closed spherical structures of microscopic size: the first liposomes. Since then, liposomes have been increasingly used to encapsulate drugs, because they can promote intestinal absorption, delivery, and bioavailability of the substances they carry. And now this method is being applied to nutrients as well. 

Liposomes are like little bubbles. The film of the bubble is made of long molecules with very different ends: one end works well in a water-based environment so it is called hydrophilic (water-loving) and that is represented by the blue dots in the diagram above. The “tail” end works well with fats, is called lipophilic (fat-loving), and is indicated by the blue zig-zag lines in the diagram above.

When a double layer of those molecules is made into a sphere with the water-loving end of the molecules on the outside and inside, and fat-loving tails lined up between them, then fats or water-based nutrients can be transported inside. Watery molecules go into the centre of the liposome, and fatty ones are transported within the membrane.

 The method they use takes a page out of mother nature’s book: it is the same way we transport cholesterol around our bloodstream.

Your cells’ membranes are made up of double layers of phospholipids arranged in that way: they are akin to very large liposomes. And the fact that cell membranes and liposomes are made up of very similar substances makes it easy for the liposomes to deliver their payload to the cells.

Carrying a nutrient in liposomes provides a protective barrier around it, which increases resistance to digestive enzymes, stomach acids, intestinal flora, and oxidation. Liposomes can remain whole as they travel down to the small intestine, where their structure enables absorption directly through the intestinal wall. Some supplement brands have multiple layers of liposomes, for a sustained release effect.

There have been more than 10,000 publications on liposomes as drug carriers, so we know a fair amount about how they work, but there has been much less research on liposomes carrying nutrients. So it’s still early days in our understanding of how much these delivery methods benefit our absorption of nutrients. However we do know that when a liposomal multi vitamin-mineral was studied, the extent of the benefits differed depending on the nutrient. Here are some points to consider in your decision-making:

Iron can interact with a variety of other nutrients, reducing its absorption. Given that, it makes sense that keeping it separate in a liposome can avoid such interactions and confer a real benefit. An early trial supports this, with statistically improved iron levels from an iron-containing multi-vitamin-mineral in a liposomal form, compared with a regular multi with the same ingredients. Taking liposomal iron also reduces the hassle of having to take it separately from those other nutrients, so it is likely to be taken more regularly.

On the other hand, the magnesium in that trial on the same multi vitamin and mineral showed no benefit from the liposomal delivery.

Vitamin C is a potent anti-oxidant which humans cannot make so we have to ingest it.  Keeping it stable and able to get to the desired tissues are significant challenges in the supplement industry. Liposomes offer help in both regards.

Vitamin C is also used in skin care in the cosmetic industry, for its for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It has been shown that liposomes improved skin penetration of topical Vitamin C, and had stronger antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties against skin damage by ultra-violet light. So liposomal vitamin C looks promising for use in natural suntan lotions.

Glutathione, sometimes called “the master anti-oxidant”, is another nutrient that benefits from liposomal delivery. It is not well absorbed in its natural state, and is likely to be significantly oxidized between being swallowed and getting to the tissues you want to support.

Berberine has multiple anti-microbial effects as well as helping to lower blood sugar, but it too suffers from poor absorption. And curcumin is another very beneficial but poorly absorbed natural substance, which also benefits from this method of delivery.

Liposomes containing fish oils have been used to make them more tolerable to fussy palettes. When liposomes containing fish oil were added to yoghourt, consumers could barely detect it!