Vitamin D, whether on its own or as a part of a multivitamin, has many potential benefits in supplement form. Especially for those who either cannot go outside or do not have enough time to be outdoors as often as they would like, a supplement can be a great source of this essential micronutrient. Providing your body with adequate amounts of vitamin D can help improve depression and overall depressive symptoms as well as bolster calcium absorption to maintain healthy bones. But, when faced with the multitude of options available in the way of vitamin D supplements, the question quickly becomes which is the best form to take? Is liquid vitamin D better than pills? We believe it is! In this article, we will discuss a few reasons why liquid vitamin D, and liquid supplements in general, tend to be superior to pills and other solid supplement formats, especially when it comes to better absorption rates and avoiding common hiccups like dysphagia that occur when taking pills.

Absorb More Efficiently

While browsing your options for a vitamin D supplement, you will frequently come across vitamin D pills, which claim to provide the same boosts of nutrition that a liquid supplement does. However, this is not always the case. Even though pills may have the same amount of a nutrient as the liquid alternative does, the nutrients inside pills are much harder to access, oftentimes resulting in a lower absorption rate. The barrier that protects the ingredients inside a pill-based supplement must be digested before your body can begin absorbing any nutrients. As a result of this bump in the process, you may absorb less of the dosage than you intended, with some of it exiting your body prior to being properly utilized (1). A liquid vitamin D supplement, on the other hand, avoids these dilemmas by using only liquid forms of the nutrient, meaning that absorption can begin right after you swallow without the need for digestion to access the ingredients. For that reason, liquid supplements tend to showcase much more efficient absorption results than pills.

But why should you worry about absorption rates? It might not have even crossed your mind before now that differences in absorption can occur between supplement formats. Well, if you want to make the most of your vitamin D supplement and guarantee that your body experiences all the benefits that come along with it, then efficient absorption is key. Losing all or part of your dosage can be extremely detrimental, especially for someone trying to recover from a deficiency in that nutrient. Therefore, we would recommend a liquid vitamin D formula over vitamin D pills.

Circumvent Dysphagia

Dysphagia refers to a health condition that involves difficulty swallowing. Many people who experience dysphagia may find pill supplements nearly impossible to swallow. This condition is much more common than you might think, with up to 15 million adult Americans suffering from it on a consistent basis (2). Dysphagia occurs even more frequently in seniors, whose mouth and throat muscles may have begun to weaken throughout the aging process. This is completely natural and oftentimes cannot be avoided. However, the higher rate of dysphagia among seniors is particularly harmful when it comes to vitamin D supplements, as it is one of the most commonly recommended vitamins for older individuals. 

Seniors need vitamin D for a variety of reasons. This nutrient is unique in the fact that it is produced when a protein in your skin reacts with sunlight, but it is not often obtained from your diet unless you are eating foods that have been fortified with vitamin D. Those who are over 65 typically produce less vitamin D than the average younger adult, whether because they cannot be out in the sun as much or because the body’s production simply slows down with age (3). Having lower amounts of vitamin D can be dangerous for older individuals, especially those who suffer from bone diseases like osteoporosis. This micronutrient is a key component in calcium absorption, and, as you probably know, calcium is essential for building and maintaining healthy bones (4). Without enough vitamin D, their bodies will not be able to absorb sufficient amounts of calcium, leaving the bones weaker and further increasing the risk of fractures. If you have an older loved one who needs a vitamin D supplement, you may want to consider giving them a liquid formula in order to ensure that taking it is a pleasant and useful experience for them.

Resources

1. Giampapa, Vincent. “The Pro’s and Con’s of Liquid Vitamins for Adults.” healthycell, 21 June 2021, https://www.healthycell.com/blogs/articles/liquid-multivitamins-for-adults. 
2. “Deciphering Dysphagia.” National Foundation of Swallowing Disorders, 28 September 2016, https://swallowingdisorderfoundation.com/deciphering-dysphagia.
3. “What to Know About Vitamin D Dosage for Older Adults.” WebMD, 16 March 2021, https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/what-to-know-about-vitamin-d-dosage-for-older-adults.
4. “Vitamin D for Osteoporosis.” WebMD, 25 October 2020, https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/vitamin-d-for-osteoporosis.