Dealing with gut disorders, medications, surgeries, or just plain age? Learn how these factors can cause malabsorption and which nutrients are affected.
If you’re not absorbing nutrients, you’re not getting nutrition from food.
Any conditions that affect gut health can diminish nutrient absorption and potentially lead to deficiency.
Digestive disorders cause malabsorption
Anything that affects the intestines can determine whether or not nutrients absorb. Micronutrients take different paths from the stomach to the cells, and efficient absorption can be a challenge even in ideal circumstances.1
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Condition |
Mechanism |
Nutrients Depleted |
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Celiac |
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Pancreatic insufficiency |
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Diabetes |
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SIBO |
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Crohn’s |
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Ulcerative colitis |
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IBS |
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Medications interfere with absorption
Drugs can alter your digestive system and compete with nutrients for absorption.
Some of the most common are listed below.2
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Drug class |
Mechanism |
Nutrients Depleted |
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Antacids |
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Anticonvulsants |
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Antidepressants |
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Blood pressure drugs |
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Cardiac glycosides |
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Cholesterol drugs |
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Corticosteroids |
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Diabetes medications |
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OTC painkillers/NSAIDS |
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Age can cause malabsorption
These changes that affect absorption can lead to nutrient deficiency in elderly people:3
- Altered intestinal absorption
- Low stomach acid
- Chewing and swallowing challenges
- Interactions with medications
- Lower-functioning cells
- Reduced food consumption
Older adults are prone to low levels of these vital nutrients:
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
- Folate (B9)
- Iron
- Magnesium
-
Zinc
Alcohol causes malabsorption
Alcohol disrupts the GI tract, changing how food digests and nutrients absorb. These nutrients become harder to absorb when alcohol is involved.
- Calcium
- Folate (Vitamin B9)
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B2
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin C
- Selenium
- Zinc
Intestinal surgeries can cause malabsorption
Procedures that alter the intestines — like all variations of bariatric surgeries — change how nutrients absorb. Bariatric patients are often deficient in several micronutrients years after surgery:5
- Copper
- Folate (Vitamin B9)
- Iron
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D
- Zinc
How to prevent nutrient deficiency from malabsorption
When normal absorption pathways are challenged, it may be smart to find ways around them. That means supplements that deliver to the cells.
Liposomal supplements wrap nutrients in a cell-like material to transport them through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream for delivery to the cells. Because of their cell-like composition, they can join the cells and drop off the nutrients intact and ready to work.
That means less dependence on damaged digestive processes, aging cells, and pathways also used by prescription drugs.
What We Learned
Anything that interferes with digestion can cause nutrient malabsorption, including:
- Gut disorders
- Aging
- Medications
- Alcohol
- Surgery
Liposomal supplements take a different route to deliver nutrients for absorption in the cells.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the root cause of malabsorption?
Aside from some genetic disorders, malabsorption can be caused by digestive dysfunction, medication use, aging, intestinal surgeries, or alcohol use.
How do you know if you’re not absorbing nutrients?
Understand the symptoms of nutrient deficiency. If you are not absorbing nutrients, you do not have sufficient levels for normal function.
How do you fix poor nutrient absorption?
Fixing nutrient malabsorption requires addressing the root causes. Taking liposomal supplements that bypass the malfunctioning absorption pathways may help to avoid deficiency.
Scientific References
1 Montoro-Huguet, M. A., Belloc, B., & Domínguez-Cajal, M. (2021). Small and Large Intestine (I): Malabsorption of Nutrients. Nutrients, 13(4), 1254. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13041254
2 Cohen, Suzy, RPh. Drug Muggers: Which Medications Are Robbing Your Body of Essential Nutrients—and Natural Ways to Restore Them. Rodale, 2011.
3 Norman, K., Haß, U., & Pirlich, M. (2021). Malnutrition in Older Adults-Recent Advances and Remaining Challenges. Nutrients, 13(8), 2764. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082764
4 Butts, M., Sundaram, V. L., Murughiyan, U., Borthakur, A., & Singh, S. (2023). The Influence of Alcohol Consumption on Intestinal Nutrient Absorption: A Comprehensive Review. Nutrients, 15(7), 1571. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15071571
5 Ganipisetti VM, Naha S. Bariatric Surgery Malnutrition Complications. [Updated 2023 May 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2026 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK592383/
