I am currently experimenting with different types of silica and bioavailability. Silica is something 99.9% lacks when I test for it, and this is a crucial mineral for everything beauty and bone related. And let’s not forget it is placed next to that heavy metal aluminium in the periodic table and these two guys have a tendency to exchange places. Meaning, when our body is lacking silica, we become more vulnerable to store aluminium.
Silica (or silicon) minimizes wrinkles, improves hair strand strength and nails, it increases collagen production and thereby also the appearance of cellulite.
I am completely convinced silica is THE MOST OVERLOOKED beauty and bone nutrient of today. Better than Botox, may I add.
We often think of calcium when it comes to bones, but truth is very few of us lack calcium - there are several other minerals involved in binding calcium and bone formation, and silica (along with zink) is by far the most common deficiency when it comes to osteoporosis.
I am leaning towards thinking that silica is far mor important than the current trend of taking collagen.
Collagen is - in my opinion - overhyped. If we want to focus on how to optimize our own production of collagen, it makes more sense to investigate the specific nutrients our body is most deficient in and supplement with those, rather than just taking collagen across the board.
Let’s use some common sense: Eating collagen to get better collagen, is comparable to eating hair to get great hair.
Now admittedly yes: hair may contain some zink and silica, which is linked to stronger hair, but it would be a much better idea to test for the minerals, we are actually lacking to develop those gorgeous lustrous locks.
Yes, I have looked at the studies done on collagen, and I am not saying, it is a total waste of money, but logical reasoning and lessons learnt from bench to bedside, makes it seem clear that taking THE BUILDING BLOCKS for collagen makes far more sense, than taking the end product itself. There is no guarantee that the collagen you are eating goes to skin, hair or nails - the body digests it, separates the nutrients, expels what cannot be digested properly, and thus uses the remaining for whatever makes sense from its perspective. And if it is severely lacking in silica and zink, the amount it is left with from ingesting collagen is simply not that much to matter.
The type of silica seems to make all the difference and ionic silica has a far higher bioavailability than anything else. I am tempted to say non-ionic silica is almost a waste of money, as I am not seeing great results with follow-up lab testing. So just because a supplement advertises it contains silica wont matter much if it is a type that has poor bioavailability.
“The analysis of the scientific literature on the use of supplements containing silicon shows great therapeutic potential of this element, as it operates in different conditions of human health and presents aesthetic properties. Among the various chemical forms available, the analysis of studies shows that the orthosilicic acid is the form that presents greater bioavailability; other forms have absorption inversely proportional to the degree of polymerization.”
Read more about bioavailability of silica here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4938278/
Orthosilicic acid is a water-soluble form of silica. Orthosilicic acid is a natural substance found in seafood, seawater, vegetables, whole grains, and certain beverages, including beer. Not an excuse to drink beer though, just saying.