Micronutrient bioavailability: concepts, influencing factors, and strategies for improvement.

ABSTRACT: The human diet provides a range of macronutrients and micronutrients, which are metabolized for energy and used to support all aspects of life. The extent to which these nutrients are absorbed in a form that can be used by metabolic processes, or stored for later use, is termed bioavailability. Certain dietary factors increase the bioavailability of micronutrients: bioavailability can be enhanced by different vitamin forms (e.g., calcifediol is more bioavailable than cholecalciferol; methylfolate is more bioavailable than folic acid), and by the food matrix and nutrient interactions (e.g., fat increases absorption of fat-soluble vitamins; multiple vitamins support iron absorption and metabolism). Conversely, plant-based foods exhibit reduced micronutrient bioavailability, due to entrapment

SUBMITTER: Richards JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12673670 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature