Nano Nutrients

People take vitamins for many different reasons but most often to compensate for compounds whose daily dose they typically cannot meet. While these supplements are supposed to provide the vitamins and nutrients people need, a number of studies have found that some of them can be futile or even harmful. Anti-supplement proponents argue that the content of the pills often cannot be absorbed by the body and used for its desired purpose. In the end the compound of interest (in the pill) is filtered through the renal system and ends up in urine.

This concern is one of the reasons nanoparticles are advantageous for the pharmaceutical industry. Nanoparticles’ shapes can be modified, which means you can make nanotubes or spheres. Those special shapes can carry vitamins and minerals that are often difficult for the body to absorb through traditional mechanisms. The nanoparticles can carry the desired compound through the body so that it gets to its proper location and can be absorbed instead of secreted. This is called increasing the bio-accessibility of the compound.

In spite of all the good that can come from using nanoparticles in this way there is a certain amount of caution and wariness surround nanoparticles. Another major concern with nanoparticles in the food industry relates to the fact that not enough research has been done that looks at how nanoparticles react inside the human body and in the environment. Myriads of people take vitamins and supplements to make up for things they cannot get from their diet or environment. This often means prolonged use of the supplements.

A variety of nanotechnology to be used in food is in development, and a few products have hit the market. But experts say that the traditionally conservative food industry is unlikely to adopt nanotechnology on a large scale unless it has compelling benefits for their business or their customers. One of the main uses could be to deliver more vitamins and minerals through the food we eat. Nanoparticles could encapsulate vitamin supplements, which could be added to everyday foods such as bread.