Coeliac Safe Vitamins & Minerals
Absorption of vital vitamins and minerals is a common problem for those living with gut related illnesses. Deficiency can lead to serious symptoms, but finding effective solutions can be difficult. So I’m pleased to be able to share my conversation with an expert in supplementation. Daniel Green is Founder of the supplements brand Coeliac Safe.
“My aim is to help people in a similar position, to give support, help and provide people with a coeliac safe solution that is proven to work”
Coeliac Safe Vitamins and Minerals
Dan what is the story of Coeliac Safe the brand and what motivated you to develop these products?
“When I was looking to purchase supplements, I was reading the ingredients, I was concerned by the quality of the products and questioned the efficacy.”
Coeliac Safe was founded to support and provide people with coeliac disease pure, highly absorbable, high quality, vitamin and mineral supplements.
Having coeliac disease myself and personally struggling to find gluten free supplements (without having to check the ingredients on every bottle and having to shop in multiple stores to buy the desired supplements in the right amounts), I thought I could come up with an improved, more convenient solution. I was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2019.
At the time of diagnosis, I was deficient in B12. I had symptoms such as: fatigue, extreme tiredness, pale skin, low mood and an irregular heartbeat. It was only when I did my own research, I started understanding and finding better solutions.
From speaking to dieticians, healthcare professionals and through thorough research I have found that when regular vitamin and mineral supplements are taken orally, a high percentage don’t reach the bloodstream because they aren’t fully absorbed by the digestive system. This is even more likely if you have coeliac disease where there is damage to the lining of the gut.
There is limited help and advice when it comes to vitamins and mineral supplementation. What do I need? Why do I need it? How much and how long for?
There’s a lot of debate about whether and when people should take supplements these days, what’s your view?
In an ideal world we would get all of our nutrients from food and natural sources (vitamin D from sunlight). However, in this day and age it is very challenging for a number of reasons, and even more challenging for people with restricted diets such as coeliac disease. Micronutrient deficiencies can be caused by insufficient intake or impaired absorption.
Diet/ low nutrient foods: There are many contributing factors, such as: diet choices, highly processed foods, types of cooking, fertilisers, pesticides, chemicals, irrigation, early harvesting, artificial ripening, imported foods (transportation and storage), climate change and mineral depletion in UK soils. The majority of the UK population do not have a nutrient rich diet.
“People on a gluten free diet likely lack B vitamins and magnesium”
Restricted diets: People who have restricted diets are likely lacking insufficient nutrient intake. For example; people with lactose intolerance likely lack calcium and vitamin D in their diet, amongst others. People on a vegan/ vegetarian diet likely lack B12, iron, calcium, Omega 3, amongst others.
Gut illnesses/ medications: Damage to the lining of the gut and certain medications can reduce the absorption of nutrients. This can cause nutrient deficiencies and lead to health complications. This can cause nutrient deficiencies and lead to health complications. High quality vitamin and mineral supplements can help restore vitamin and mineral levels.
I read recently that Vitamin D is not actually a vitamin and we should not try to get it through supplementation. Do you agree?
It can be particularly difficult to synthesise enough vitamin D through winter and autumn months in the UK due to the lack of sunlight. This is why the government advises that everyone over the age of 4 in the UK considers taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D from the end of September until April. Vitamin D, according to some, is classed as a hormone.
Additional factors like not spending much time outdoors or wearing clothes that cover up most of the skin when outdoors can further increase the risk of having low vitamin D.
This is because vitamin D is made in our body when it is exposed to sunlight. Whereas, the human body cannot make vitamins (except 'vitamin D'). However, that does not change the fact that if you do not get enough vitamin D through sunlight and diet, you should optimise your levels through supplementation.
Can we absorb supplements? Are they a waste of money or are some better than others?
Don't waste your money on supplements that your body will not absorb. The vitamin and mineral supplement market is unregulated. There are a range of supplements on the market from low quality to high quality. Coeliac Safe provide: high quality, highly absorbable and pure supplements.
Coeliac Safe Iron Formula
“People with coeliac disease may have damage to the lining of the gut. This can affect the absorption of micronutrients from supplements as well as from food.”
Many factors affect absorption including:
- The delivery method: for instance: capsules are likely to be more effective than tablets. Tablets are more likely to break down inconsistently. The uneven disintegration can decrease the effectiveness and absorption of the supplement.
- The supplement formation: many regular vitamin supplements contain poor quality ingredients, excipients, binders, fillers, and flow agents that can contribute to poor absorption.
- Digestive components: stomach acid, bile and digestive enzymes can break down regular vitamin and mineral supplements, impacting the percentage of the supplement being absorbed into the bloodstream.
- Damage to your gut: people with coeliac disease may have damage to the lining of the gut. This can affect the absorption of micronutrients from supplements as well as from food.
- How and when you take the supplement: whether the supplement is taken with food or water and the time of day taken, can all affect absorption.
- Interactions with other supplements in your system: for instance: taking calcium and iron at the same time can impair their absorption.
What makes coeliac safe supplements more absorbable than standard supplements?
Most regular, lower quality, vitamin and mineral supplements do not reach the bloodstream because they are unable to be fully absorbed by the digestive system. This can be even more of an issue if you have coeliac disease and have ongoing damage to the lining of the gut.
Coeliac Safe use the proven liposomal delivery system. Liposomes deliver the micronutrients (the vitamins or minerals) into the body effectively. Liposomes deliver the micronutrients (the vitamins or minerals) into the body effectively by protecting them in a biocompatible bubble of phospholipids (which are fat molecules that make up the main part of the human cell wall).
This prevents the breakdown from stomach acid and therefore, the liposomes successfully reach the small intestine where they can be fully absorbed into the circulatory system and distributed around the body.
What do you mean when you say that Coeliac Safe supplements only contain pure ingredients?
Coeliac Safe supplements are made with the highest possible quality and produced with the most advanced production method of liposomal products in powder form.
The production facility is GMP-certified, and strict quality procedures are followed. That’s why each step of the manufacturing process is carefully documented and tested.
“Coeliac Safe supplements contain only pure ingredients, no fillers, preservatives, or other inactive substances. ”
How do you manufacture your supplements and how do you make sure they are safe for those with serious allergies or intolerances?
Coeliac supplements are manufactured in The Netherlands. During the manufacture process, heavily researched and natural raw materials are selected and tested for purity (contaminants), composition and concentration. The ingredients are then weighed and carefully mixed to create the right composition.
If they meet high standards of quality assurance, the products are then packaged. The production facility is GMP-certified, and strict quality procedures are followed. That’s why each step of the manufacturing process is carefully documented and tested. The supplements are also 3rd party tested to ensure they contain what is documented.
“Our liposomal supplements are produced using only natural production methods, using no heat or chemicals. The finished products are then re-tested in the lab for purity, composition, and concentration.”
How would you know which supplements to take and for how long? Do we need to be careful?
The recommended vitamin intake depends on many factors, such as: age, health, diet and risk of deficiency. Your medical professional will advise accordingly. Too much of a vitamin can also be dangerous. You can use the NRV (nutrient reference value) shown on the label of supplements as a benchmark.
The NRV is the minimum amount of a nutrient that's needed to prevent deficiency. This is not specific to an individual and is not necessarily enough to achieve optimum health and if you are deficient it won't be enough to restore levels.
If you have coeliac disease then you should have blood tests done annually to check vitamin levels as outlined in the NICE guidelines. To find out more read https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice, please speak to your medical professional.
To find out more about Coeliac Safe and order products visit https://www.coeliacsafe.co.uk/