The Albion Process
If you aren't using REAL chelated minerals, you probably have a deficiency that can lead to low T and other problems. Here's what you need to know.
If you want your body to stay alive and function properly, you need to eat rocks and metals. One is a silvery earth metal used to build airplanes and car wheels. The rock form is called dolomite. Yes, it's a metal and a rock. It's also classified as a mineral and you'll die without it. You know this metal/rock/mineral as magnesium. Zinc checks those same boxes.
Luckily, we don't have to chew rocks and lick metals to get our minerals. We get them from plants that grow in the earth and from the animals that eat those plants.
But mineral deficiencies are rampant. For example, unless they live on Swiss chard and pumpkin seeds, most people are deficient (or at least low) in magnesium. This leads to low testosterone, poor sleep, mood swings, muscle cramps, fatigue, and headaches. And those are the minor issues. Severe issues include heart arrhythmias and insulin resistance.
That's why mineral supplements are industry best-sellers. Unfortunately, most mineral supps aren't well-absorbed by your body. Take 400 mg of standard magnesium oxide (the most common form found in supplements) and your body only absorbs 4-10% of it – 16 to 40 mg – not enough to fix a deficiency. So, just take more of it, right? Well, you can but expect severe gastrointestinal discomfort.
So, How Do We Fix This?
Answer: chelation. Chelation is a chemical process where minerals are bound to amino acids, making them more easily absorbed by the body.
Chelation forms a more stable complex, enhancing the bioavailability of the mineral and making it gut-friendly. Chelated minerals are absorbed in the small intestine through mechanisms normally used for amino acids, bypassing some of the usual barriers to mineral absorption. Free minerals can also bind to other compounds in the gut, such as phytates or oxalates found in some plant-based foods, which inhibits their absorption. Chelation protects the mineral from these interactions.
In short, if your minerals aren't chelated, your body isn't absorbing them well. Your body can't use what it can't absorb.
Albion Real Chelated Minerals
Albion® Minerals (Buy at Amazon) (from Balchem) has mastered chelation. "Albion Real Chelated Minerals" is a trademark for the company's proprietary process. This process and its results have been extensively studied and validated in over 200 studies and 70 human clinical trials. The process itself holds 150 patents.
In a nutshell, Albion has taken chelation to the next level. Their gold-standard minerals offer superior absorption, efficacy, and gentleness to the digestive system. In truth, these minerals aren't even "digested" – they're instantly absorbed and put to work.
Where Do I Get Albion Real Chelated Minerals?
These super-chelated minerals are found in Elitepro Vital Minerals (Buy at Amazon). The formula includes those minerals most often lacking in athletes and hard-training lifters:
- Magnesium (as Glycinate Chelate) – 400mg
- Zinc (as Arginate Chelate) – 30mg
- Selenium (as Glycinate Complex) – 200mcg
- Chromium (as Nicotinate-Glycinate) – 200mcg
- Vanadium (as Nicotinate-Glycinate) – 100mcg
The only drawback with chelated minerals? The tablets are either slightly larger than non-chelated minerals, or you have to take a couple of extra standard-sized tablets. But your body actually absorbs the minerals, so it's well worth it.
The Glycine Bonus
Because several of the minerals are chelated with glycine, you also get a nice hit of this amino acid known for improved muscle cell growth and collagen synthesis. More info here.