What is Bioavailability?
According to the National Library of Medicine, bioavailability is defined as, “the extent a substance or drug becomes completely available to its intended biological destination(s). More accurately, bioavailability is a measure of the rate and fraction of the initial dose of a drug that successfully reaches either; the site of action or the bodily fluid domain from which the drug's intended targets have unimpeded access.” (1)
Consumer questions about the bioavailability of supplements are common, and understandably so. We want to insure that what we are investing in and ingesting is actually compatible with our bodies.
A crucial component of evaluating bioavailability is asking the question, “does it have the molecule in the bottle?” In the case of BrocElite, you can confidently know that the resounding answer is yes. We answer this question frequently. You’ll be encouraged to know that we measure every batch that we make to insure bioavailability.
What is Functionality?
Functionality is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as “the quality of being useful, practical, and right for the purpose for which something was made.” In terms of functionality in regards to supplements, perhaps we can describe it as the supplement’s ability to achieve the desired/pre-determined goal of ingesting it.
Functionality considers the later aspect of the timeline involved when taking a supplement. Asking the question, “does this supplement affect the cell and affect the pathways that we are looking to target?” can be helpful.
Essentially, when any given supplement makes it to the cell (assuming its bioavailable enough to do that), the functionality of it comes into consideration. Yes, you have ingested the supplement, but is it going to affect change within your physiology?
We have demonstrated many times that the amount of sulforaphane in our capsules is functioning at a higher level than just straight sulforaphane. One of the reasons why this is the case is because there are numerous molecules in each capsule that work together, synergistically, to affect function.
These studies we’ve done have been done directly on a human cell, and has shown us that the amount of isothiocyanate in BrocElite is equivalent to 2 to 5 times as much of pure sulforaphane. This is synergy! This demonstrates to us that the function of the cell have been affected and change is resulting.
Sulforaphane Bioavailability & Functionality
The sulforaphane present in BrocElite happens to be very bioavailable, and most of it gets into the bloodstream. Additionally, we also know that sulforaphane leaves the bloodstream really well. It might sound counterintuitive, but this is actually what you want. Ideally, sulforaphane is highly bioavailable and serves its function by leaving the bloodstream and going into the cell to elicit change. With BrocElite, this is achieved.
A Brief Look at the Downstream Benefits
Now that we know sulforaphane checks both the bioavailability and functionality boxes, let’s look at a few of the downstream effects. There is robust epidemiological evidence for the beneficial effects of broccoli consumption on health, many of them clearly mediated by isothiocyanate sulforaphane. (2)
Too, sulforaphane has been shown to downregulate two genes that have been previously implicated in specific illnesses. Amongst many other health implications, sulforaphane has positive affects on cardiovascular, bone, metabolic, and neurological health. It’s also been demonstrated to positively impact antioxidant status and blood sugar levels. (4, 5, 6)
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