Liposomal or capsules? Why it isn’t an either-or choice

Where does the idea of ‘liposomal versus capsules’ come from?

In online shops and search results, ‘liposomal’ and ‘capsules’ often appear side by side, as if you had to pick one or the other. Many people picture a liposomal product as a liquid in a small bottle, and a capsule as an ordinary powder in a shell. Both assumptions fall short, because the two terms describe different things.

Two terms, two levels

The dosage form is the way you take a product. For food supplements, EU law names capsules, tablets, sachets of powder and bottles with a dropper, among others¹.

‘Liposomal’, on the other hand, describes how the ingredient is packaged: in tiny vesicles made of phospholipids, whose outer layer resembles the membranes of our own cells. Water-soluble substances sit inside the vesicles, fat-soluble ones in their outer layer². So a liposomal ingredient can come in a liquid or in a capsule, just like a conventional one. You can find out more about what liposomes are made of in our article on phospholipids.

How do liposomes get into a capsule?

For a capsule with a powder filling, the liposomes are dried first, for example by freeze-drying. Researchers regard freeze-drying as a promising way to keep liposomes stable over a long period³. To keep the vesicles stable while they dry, protective substances are added, and the formulation and the process are carefully matched to each other³.

Whether liquid or dried, liposomes have to withstand stomach acid, bile salts and digestive enzymes on their way through the stomach and intestines². That’s why careful formulation and good manufacturing matter for both forms.

What studies with liposomal capsules have measured

Several studies have measured directly whether a liposomal capsule gets more of an ingredient into the blood than a conventional one. In a study of 27 healthy adults, each participant took 500 mg of vitamin C, once in a conventional capsule and once in a liposomal capsule. With the liposomal capsule, the peak level in blood plasma was 27% higher, and 21% higher when calculated over 24 hours⁴.

A study of 18 adults followed the same design, comparing 100 mg of coenzyme Q10 in a conventional and a liposomal capsule. With the liposomal capsule, the peak level in the blood was 31% higher, and 23% higher when calculated over 24 hours⁵. Both studies, on vitamin C and on coenzyme Q10, were funded by the manufacturer of the formulation being tested^4,5.

A review of liposomal vitamin C also describes a study of 14 adults in which the same liposomal formulation was tested as a tablet and as a capsule. There was no difference between the tablet and the capsule, and both gave markedly higher blood levels than the conventional form⁶.

Capsules or liquid: which suits you?

As both forms can be liposomal, other factors come into play day to day:

• Capsules have no taste, come in precise amounts and are easy to carry.
• Liquids let you adjust the amount in small steps and suit people who don’t like swallowing capsules.
• What matters most is that you’re happy to take your chosen form, and that you take it regularly.

Our article on drops, capsules or powder and which form suits you looks at further differences between the forms. The studies above were carried out with formulations from other manufacturers, not with Melinava products.

Liposomal or capsules? Our verdict: a false choice

‘Liposomal or capsules’ sounds like a choice, but it isn’t one. ‘Liposomal’ describes how the ingredient is packaged, the capsule describes how you take it, and the two can be combined. Indeed, the studies that found higher blood levels of vitamin C and coenzyme Q10 used liposomal capsules^4,5. For our liposomal products, we use phospholipids from European sunflowers.

Frequently asked questions about liposomes and capsules