Oil soluble supplements - question

[Why Syzygy]

I'm taking lecithin, which is an emulsifier, liquefies fat/oil. I'm also taking fish oil and D3. Is it best to take those together with the lecithin or space them out and take separately? Or does it matter?

btw, from my experience, lecithin is a good cellular cleansing agent.

[northernlights]

1. I honestly don't think it will matter

other than taking a lot of fats in at once can give you a really full feeling. Your body will use what it needs and either discard or store the rest. Btw, lecithin is found in a lot of foods so depending on what you eat supplementation may be unnecessary. (I used to supplement with it...)

[Why Syzygy]

3. I wanted to hear from you

on this. Your chemical background and current lab work gives you insight into the soluble aspect.

Thanks :hi: I've never noticed any full feeling from my oily vits. I don't really eat enough to count on food intake for much of anything. I had an impressive lab test once that sold me on lecithin in a real big way.

(I wanted to hear from you and Shalah in particular! Love it when things work out 'my' way :D )

[northernlights]

5. what was the lab test? the results?

I took lecithin for a couple years, but never noticed any difference in anything in me. Then learned that it's in a lot of food anyway, so gave it up.

I wondered if the vites were enough to give that full feeling, but thought I'd mention it. It may vary, also, with the type of fat (saturated, mono-unsaturated vs polyunsaturated)?

This really gets more into physiology and biochemistry, then simple mix-things-together in a test tube chemistry.

If you take the vites with meals, your stomach contractions will mix everything together and enzymes and acid turn it into chyme, so solubility of fats (and their insolubility with water) seems irrelevent at that point. I suspect it's not until the excess is passed along in feces that they separate back out(hence, when I gave Jake a spoonful of canola oil to help pass the shriveled up carrott that he gulped down, his poops came out greasy/shiny looking :))

Or do you take them between meals? Whatever fats are absorbed end up broken down into their base lipids anyway (I thought in the liver, but also possibly in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum within cells? Or maybe within the smooth ER in liver cells? I can't remember at the moment. Gotta pull out my Holes...)

I still don't think it will make a difference whether you take them together or not. Everything ends up broken down to their base components for re-use. Proteins to base amino acids, fats to lipid molecules, complex carbs to glucose, etc.

[Why Syzygy]

6. I'll tell you

via PM. (personal) I'll never forget the demonstration I saw when lecithin was added to a small jar of water and bacon grease. Dissolved completely. I'll probably do some reading, because now I'm curious.

[northernlights]

7. I don't doubt that the lecithin dissolves the bacon grease

in vitro. I'm not convinced that it can work as effectively when everything is already mixed up, digested and in various parts of the system in vivo. Once you get to the cellular level, the bacon grease and other fats have already been broken down into basic components.

If you want the lecithin to break down the oils that you are taking as supplements, the only way to be sure of that effect is to mix them before taking. The next best thing would be taking it right after eating the bacon. If I remember correctly, food stays in the stomach for about 2 hours before being pushed out as chyme.

[Shallah Kali]

2. I tend to take them together figuring they will enhance the absorbtion of each other

If you are taking more than minimal doses you might find it more helpful to spread them out to keep the levels up in your body. Example my Grandmother takes 3 fish oil caps a day on advice of her kidney doctor so she takes one with each meal. When I use lecithin I like to take it at the beginning of the meal to assist absorption of fat soluble nutrients throughout the meal. I also tend to take my fat soluble supplements like Vitamin D with the meal of the day likeliest to have the most fat just in case it helps. This doesn't mean you need a slab of margarine on toast like my Mom thought when I tried suggesting this to her. Just because it is trans-fat free doesn't mean she should eat it by the slab. BTW if you ever use milk thistle the medicinal bits in it are fat soluble so it might maximize effect to take w/the other supplements. I don't see it as something to worry about though as taking them at all is sooo much better than not because I forgot waiting to take them with the highest fat meal of the day. again. :crazy:

[Why Syzygy]

4. That's what I started thinking.

Several months ago, my mind concluded that lecithin would "dissolve" (ie, destroy) the other oils. But, oddly (?) as my concentration has improved, I thought, wait a minute... It should HELP absorption.

No worries. I don't eat margarine. I'm not sure hydrogenated oil would be much of an oil carrier? I've only used butter since my nutrition enlightenment, 1980.

Good point on; at least take them! The combination of them seems to make a perceivable difference in my skin softness and clarity.

(I wanted to hear from you and NL on this! Hehehe. Worked out just right!)

Thanks :hi: