In our previous blog, we explained how First Pass Metabolism affects how well the nutrients in oral supplements are absorbed by your body, and means they might not be providing you with as many vitamins and minerals as you'd like.
In a nutshell, this phenomenon means that nutrients are lost as they make their way through your digestive system and liver. Your liver metabolising the active ingredients in your oral supplement means way less make it into your bloodstream. Leading to reduced bioavailability and fewer nutrients for your body to make use of.
Worse still, you're paying for vitamins and minerals you're not feeling the benefit from. And may be getting a false sense of how much you're topping up to prevent deficiencies. But don't panic, there is a simple way to swerve the first pass effect and it's very simple. Try wearing your vitamins instead with our patches!
How do patches avoid First Pass Metabolism?
Patches deliver their active ingredients directly ino the bloodstream through the skin. Your skin is very rich in blood vessels, which means substances can enter your circulation without needing to pass through the liver. So, by getting your vitamins in patch form, they totally bypass your liver AND First Pass Metabolism. Which means far less of the good stuff is filtered out – hurrah! There's even a new study that backs this up and suggests patches have a vital role to play in supporting the health of people who haven't been able to improve essential nutrient levels with traditional oral supplements.
Patches have been used for years in medication such as HRT, pain relief, and nicotine replacement with excellent results. So why not take your favourite supplements this way too? As well as avoiding first pass metabolism and ensuring more nutrients make it into your bloodstream in the first place, patches also deliver the vitamins and minerals more slowly than many traditional oral supplements, over the 8 hours you wear the patch. This drip feed effect is a more effective way of administering many vitamins and is much easier for your body to use. To find out more about the benefits of slow release delivery read our blog here.
Are there any nutrients more susceptible to the first pass effect?
First Pass Metabolism can have a significant impact on any supplement that you take orally, but some nutrients can be particularly effective when taken in patch form. If you're taking a high-dose oral tablet for a water-soluble vitamin, like B12, a great deal of the B12 will be lost to the first pass effect.
Considering B12 is one of the most common deficiencies (especially as you get older), this is one vitamin you should be taking in patch form, and you can shop our B12 patches here. Vitamin D is another essential that many people don't find effective when taken orally. A must for healthy bones, teeth, and muscles, and to keep your immune system function strong, get your vitamin D patch here.