Consumer guide

Bioavailability: how much actually gets through

The label tells you how much of an ingredient is in the capsule. But the real question is a different one: how much of that amount the body manages to absorb and use. That share is called bioavailability.

Put simply: if you absorb little of it, the bigger number on the label does not help much. Two products can declare the same milligrams of the same substance and behave differently, because the form that substance comes in is different — and the form decides how much really gets through.

This is why a lower amount in a well-absorbed form is sometimes worth more than a higher amount in any old form. It is the criterion by which we choose our ingredients: magnesium bisglycinate instead of more common salts, folate already in its active form, turmeric as a phytosome, micronised Diosmin®.

Why ingredients work together

The other number people often look at is the assay. Standardised means that the percentage of active principle in an extract is known and guaranteed: "80% silymarin" means that 100 mg of extract contains 80 mg of silymarin. It is a useful figure, because without it you do not really know what you are taking.

But the highest assay does not automatically make the best formula. Ingredients do not act each on their own: they often support one another, and together they deliver more than they would if simply added up. That is what is called synergy.

One active can improve the absorption of another, or two substances can work towards the same goal from two different directions. In cases like these, a well-built combination counts for more than a single ingredient pushed to the maximum assay. That is why, when we develop a formula, we look first at how the ingredients sit together and only then at how high the number for any one of them is.

Why patented ingredients

Some of the ingredients we use carry a registered name. It is not a marketing flourish: a patented ingredient is produced according to a defined process, controlled by the company that holds the patent, with constant specifications from batch to batch and studies carried out on that exact form. So you know not only which substance you are taking, but also how it was obtained.

In our formulas: Quatrefolic®, the active form of folate (5-MTHF), and Meriva® Phytosome® turmeric by Indena®, both in Nevralis; the micronised Diosmin® in Flebocare, where the patent covers the micronisation process that reduces the particle size to aid absorption.

Formulas designed for everyone

When we develop a formula we look not only at the actives, but also at who will be taking it. All Stilo Lab products are gluten-free and lactose-free, and the capsules are plant-based: no ingredient of animal origin.

This is not a technical detail. It means the same formula suits someone living with an intolerance, someone who has chosen a vegetarian or vegan diet, and someone who follows religious precepts that exclude animal ingredients. Whether by necessity or by choice, nobody has to go looking for an alternative.