Numerous factors impact nutrient bioavailability☀️
Nutrient bioavailability is defined as the measure of the total amount of nutrients in a given food that can be digested, absorbed, metabolized, and stored in the body,
A recent study, co-authored by Ty Beal, PhD, published at The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Perspective: Nutrient bioavailability is the missing ingredient connecting food systems to nutrition security and environmental sustainability) examined (i) the differences in nutrient bioavailability across food groups, and (ii) the complexities impacting ultimate bioavailability.
As nutrient bioavailability varies substantially between plant-source foods (PSFs) and animal-source foods (ASFs), accounting for these differences has important implications for global nutrient supplies, sustainable food systems, food systems modelling, and the environmental costs associated with their production.
Yet it’s the Wild West in definitively determining nutrient bioavailability considering the numerous factors impacting bioavailability. These factors include:
✅Individual characteristics. Age, sex, genetics, pregnancy, infancy, physical traits such as melanin and Vitamin D.
✅Baseline health status. Bone health, sickness, genetic predisposition, existing nutrient deficiencies.
✅Gut lumen health. Intestinal motility, chronic enteric dysfunction.
✅Gut microbiota metabolism. Microbiota composition, antibiotics.
✅Bio accessibility. Food preparation such as fermentation, accompanying foods that enable or inhibit absorption.
✅Enabling nutrient interactions. Synergies such as Vitamin C enhances iron absorption.
✅Inhibiting nutrient interactions. Binding in the food matrix, phytates and oxalates.
Ty Beal, PhD, a joint first author of the review, is a Nutrition Scientist | Host of The Ty Beal Show. See Ty Beal, PhD
Animal-Source Foods vs. Plant-Source Foods bioavailability
The below chart compares the bioavailability of 26 key nutrients of PSF and ASF.
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Takeaway 💪🏻🥛🥚🥩🥦🥬🐟💪🏻
The researchers takeaway: “To build a food systems landscape where sustainability, healthfulness, and supply concerns dictate context-specific dietary recommendations for ASF and PSF consumption, greater recognition must be paid to acknowledge the significant impact that bioavailability can have on estimates of the nutritional value of individual foods and food groups as well as the nutrient adequacy of overall diets, helping to shape a more environmentally sustainable and socially equitable food system for generations to come“.
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