If you are, like me, signed up to various health newsletters, you will get lots of wellness content dropping into your inbox on a daily basis. It’s very easy to be pulled in by confident marketing messages making all kinds of claims that will transform your health. One that stuck with me recently was that spray supplements are better, faster, and more effective than tablets or capsules. These claims often focus on absorption in the mouth – and while that can be relevant in certain situations, it’s not a fair or useful comparison when we’re talking about digestive and gut health.
Watch the video to hear Linda break this down clearly.
Sprays vs capsules – they are not trying to do the same job
Spray supplements are designed to be absorbed through the tissues in the mouth. This can be helpful for specific nutrients or specific needs, where rapid absorption into the bloodstream is the goal.
However, gut health is different.
If you are trying to support conditions such as:
- Acid reflux
- IBS
- Diverticular issues
- Bloating, gas, or irregular bowel habits
then your supplements must actually travel through the digestive system.
Why gut health supplements need to go through the gut
The gut is not just a passive tube – it is an active, complex system. To support it properly, supplements need to:
- Pass through the stomach
- Reach the small and large intestine
- Interact directly with the gut lining
- Influence digestive enzymes, stomach acid, bile flow, and gut bacteria
Sprays simply don’t do this. Once absorbed in the mouth, they bypass the digestive tract altogether.
So while a spray may deliver a nutrient into the bloodstream, it cannot support the gut environment itself, because it never reaches it.
Encapsulated or tablet-form supplements are specifically designed to:
- Survive stomach acid (when appropriate)
- Release ingredients at the right point in digestion
- Work locally within the gut, not just systemically
This is essential for gut-focused ingredients such as probiotics, digestive enzymes, activated charcoal, and fibre-based or prebiotic compounds. Without direct contact with the digestive tract, these supplements simply cannot do their intended job.
A balanced view
I do use and respect supplements from other companies, and spray supplements absolutely have a place. They are not ‘bad’– they’re just not interchangeable with capsules when it comes to gut health.
Understanding how a supplement works is just as important as what is in it. If you would like to know more about our range of digestive, gut, and women’s health products, please get in touch. We are here to help.
