What Form of Vitamin Supplements Offers the Best Absorption

Vitamin absorption depends on many complex factors, including form, diet, and health. The best form of vitamin supplement for you depends on your health and needs.
Capsules, tablets, liquids, and powders — many different types of supplemental vitamins are available today from a range of vitamin brands.
Researchers have long begun studying how different nutrients are absorbed and used in the body.

Although more research is needed, scientists believe a variety of factors affect nutrient absorption, including dietary fat intake, interactions between foods and vitamins, and even stress.
If you’re looking to get the most out of vitamin supplements, there are several ways to improve absorption.
This article reviews everything you need to know about which vitamin supplements offer the best absorption and how to maximize vitamin absorption.

What form of vitamin supplements offer the best absorption?
Vitamin supplements are available in a variety of forms, including gummies, pills, liquids, and powders.
Research, such as this 2022 studyTrusted Source, has looked into whether liquid supplements absorb more easily than forms like powder or tablets. However, more studies are needed to support this claim.
A 1982 studyTrusted Source on vitamin C supplements suggests they absorb equally well in powder, chewable tablet, and non-chewable tablet forms.

More research is needed to understand how different forms of vitamin supplements are absorbed in the body.
Some vitamin manufacturers add coatings to pills to enhance flavor or shelf life. A 2019 articleTrusted Source on vitamin D supplements found that coatings may affect the dissolution or absorption of a vitamin.
Water-soluble vs. fat-soluble vitamins
In addition to a vitamin’s form, many other factors affect absorption. For example, water-soluble vitamins absorb differently than fat-soluble vitamins, and others are stored in the body.

There are two main types of vitamins: water-soluble (all eight B vitamins and vitamin C) and fat-soluble (vitamins A, D, E, and K).
Water-soluble vitamins dissolve in water and are generally not stored in the body. Excess amounts exit the body through urine.
These vitamins must be consumed regularly to prevent shortages or deficiencies in the body. However, one exception is vitamin B12, which can be stored for years in the liver.

Fat-soluble vitamins dissolve in fats, which then travel through the small intestines and are eventually distributed through the bloodstream. Excess amounts of these vitamins are stored in the body’s liver, fatty tissue, and muscles for later use.
According to a 2021 reviewTrusted Source, other factors that can affect the absorption of nutrients include:
• interactions with other foods or vitamins
• dietary fat intake
• age