Our team at Better & Better led the first-ever systemic analysis to see how standard oral vitamins stack up to buccal and sublingual vitamins.
DID YOU KNOW?
The tissues inside your mouth are more absorbent than your digestive system—they absorb up to 90% of the nutrients they come in contact with.
Our Research Process
Our resident scientists conducted a global search of medical journals spanning four decades to examine the efficacy of buccal and sublingual administration of five micronutrients: Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, and Vitamin D.
EXPERT LED
By quantitative scientist Dr. Andrijana Radivojevic, Ph.D.
DEEPLY RESEARCHED
Comprehensive search of medical literature
THOROUGH ANALYSIS
26 total studies included in our analysis
WHAT WE FOUND
Research from the past four decades consistently shows that buccal and sublingual administration of nutrients is equally or more effective than pills, capsules, injections, and gummies. Even vitamin-fortified toothpaste was shown to be highly-effective at correcting nutrient deficiencies.
Our full report has factsand findings from 26 studies.Below are essential highlights.
Sublingual and Buccal Nutrients Can Be Absorbed More Efficiently Than Oral Nutrients
Sublingual and buccal vitamins bypass the digestive system and go straight into the bloodstream, where the body can use them quickly and efficiently.Adults taking buccal vitamin D supplements nearly doubled their serum vitamin D levels after 30 days compared to those given gelatin capsules.
SERUM D3 LEVELS AFTER 30 DAYS:
- Buccal spray: 18.91 to 26.91 ng/mL (42.3% increase)
- Gelatin capsules: 18.69 to 22.75 ng/mL (21.7% increase)
Source: Nutritional Journal
Similarly, all eleven of the studies in our meta-analysis involving vitamin B12 concluded that sublingual or buccal administration was equally or more effective than oral administration at raising serum levels.
Vitamin-Fortified Toothpaste Is Highly Effective at Correcting Nutrient Deficiencies
We reviewed three studies about the effectiveness of vitamin-fortified toothpaste to administer micronutrients—all of them concluded it was an effective mechanism, especially for vegans and elderly folks.
After brushing with a B12-fortified toothpaste for 12 weeks, vegans increased their serum B12 levels by 41%.
Sublingual Vitamins Can Work Better Than Intramuscular Injections
Vitamin injections have gained popularity in recent years, but our meta-analysis found that you might be better off taking your vitamins under your tongue rather than in your arm.
Adults who took sublingual B12 had 15.5% higher serum B12 levels compared to those who took an intramuscular injection.SERUM B12 LEVELS:
- Sublingual group: 252 ng/L
- Intramuscular injection group: 218 ng/L
Source: Drug Delivery and Translational Research
“Sublingual B12 should become the first line option for patients with vitamin B12 deficiency,” the researchers concluded.
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