Supplement Absorption Study

Are you aged 18 – 50 years? If you are a generally healthy adult with a BMI between 18.5-30.0 kg/m², you may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial investigating how well your body absorbs nutrients from different supplement formulations.

Please note: This page is a summary of the study outline and participant requirements. A full Participant Information Sheet with detailed information will be provided to you before you are asked to give your consent to participate.

Why is this study being conducted?

This study is being conducted by RDC Clinical to compare how well your body absorbs nutrients from a liposomal supplement formulation versus a standard comparator supplement.

We hypothesize that the liposomal formulation will demonstrate superior absorption compared to a standard comparator, meaning your body may absorb more of the nutrient from the liposomal product.

Many people take supplements, but not all supplement formulations are absorbed equally well by the body. Understanding which formulations are better absorbed can help people make more informed choices about their supplement intake and potentially get better health benefits from the products they choose to take.

Through this research, we hope to better understand which supplement formulations provide superior bioavailability, meaning your body can absorb more of the nutrients.

How long is the study, and when does it start?

Your participation in this study will be over approximately 3 weeks for each group.

Each study group comprises 2 full days where you will take 1 dose of each of the products, followed by mornings where a follow-up blood sample will be taken. There will then be a 1-week break before the process of a full day followed by morning will be repeated. The morning visits are anticipated to take approximately 20-30 minutes.

Currently recruiting:

Curcumin + Resveratrol Arm

Round 1
– Wednesday 14th October – approximately 9 hours (7:00am–4:00pm)
– Thursday 15th October – Follow-up visit (approximately 30 minutes)

Round 2
– Wednesday 21st October – approximately 9 hours (7:00am–4:00pm)
– Thursday 22nd October – Follow-up visit (approximately 30 minutes)

You will need to attend both study rounds for your chosen group.

CoQ10 Arm

Round 1
– Monday 26th October – approximately 11 hours (7:00am–6:00pm)
– Tuesday 27th October – Follow-up visit (approximately 30 minutes)

Round 2
– Monday 2nd November – approximately 11 hours (7:00am–6:00pm)
– Tuesday 3rd November – Follow-up visit (approximately 30 minutes)

You will need to attend both study rounds for your chosen group.

All requirements of the study will be completed during your clinic visits. There are no overnight stays required, and you will not be required to take any study product at home.

Please see below for more information. You can also register your interest using the form at the bottom of this page.

About the product you’ll help investigate…

We will be testing the absorption of three different supplements:

ARM 1: Vitamin C – liposomal formulation vs standard comparator

ARM 2: CoQ10 – liposomal formulation vs standard comparator

ARM 3: Curcumin + Resveratrol – liposomal formulation vs standard comparator

The supplements being tested contain nutrients that are important for various aspects of health:

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that is essential for repair of body tissues and immune system functioning
CoQ10 aids in cellular energy production and acts as a potent antioxidant
Curcumin + Resveratrol: provide powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits

The products will be supplied in liquid form, and participants will be required to take the allocated study product at the beginning of each full day study visit.

This study uses a double-blind, crossover design, meaning for each Arm you participate in, you will receive both the liposomal version and the standard version, but neither you nor the investigators will know which product you are receiving at each visit. However, this information will be available to you upon completion of the study or at any time if it is necessary for your care. This design helps ensure that the results are not influenced by expectations about which product might work better.

What is required of participants?

The study has three arms: Vitamin C, CoQ10 and Curcumin + Resveratrol. Each arm has 4 visits.

The details of the involvement for each Arm are listed below.

Phone screening prior to Day 1
Visit 1: A full-day clinic visit (approx. 9-11 hours)
Visit 2: A short follow-up visit the next morning (approx. 30 minutes)
You will take a single dose of study product on Visit 1

***Minimum of 7-day washout period***

Visit 3: A full-day clinic visit (approx. 9-11 hours)
Visit 4: A short follow-up visit the next morning (approx. 30 minutes)
You will take a single dose of study product on Visit 3

Total compensation for completion of each Arm is $500

There are no overnight stays required in this study, nor will you be required to take study product at home between visits.

During each arm of the study you enrol in, you will be asked to:

Attend our clinic 4 times: 2 full-day visits and 2 short follow-up visits
Fast for 10 hours before each clinic visit (water is ok)
Take the study product (as a liquid) once at the beginning of each full-day visit
Have blood draws taken throughout each full-day visit (via a cannula in your arm)
Have a single needle blood draw at the short follow-up visit

During each full-day visit, you will be provided with food and snacks, and you are welcome to bring your own device to pass the time. Please note that not all diets will be able to be catered to. If you do require a specific diet, please let us know at the time of screening. If you are planning to use your device, we do ask that participants to bring headphones so as not to disturb other participants.

Payment/Reimbursement

Upon completion of the study requirements, you will be eligible for payment for your time and travel expenses (the amount will depend on what study arms you have participated in).

The payment will be made by gift voucher or via direct deposit to your nominated bank account (your choice) once all study requirements have been met. Please note, that as payment needs to be processed after your completion and via our payment portal, please allow 5-7 business days after completion to receive payment.

Pro rata payments will be made in the case of early withdrawal as detailed in the participant information sheet that will be provided to you.

Study Location

Our clinic is centrally located on Level 3, 252 St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley.

Due to limited availability, there will not be on-site parking provided for this study. However, our clinic is a 10 minute walk from Fortitude Valley train station, and there are multiple bus stops within close proximity.

Check if you can register to take part…

Adults 18-50 years old
BMI between 18.5 and 30.0 kg/m² (you can check your BMI using the calculator below)
Generally healthy
Able to provide informed consent
Able to commit to completing the study requirements
Able to fast for 10 hours prior to study visits
No prior issues with providing blood samples

BMI Calculator

Ethics approval and privacy

This study has been approved by the Bellberry Human Research Ethics Committee under Approval Number: 2026-06-929. The study is also registered on the ISRCTN under Registration Number: ISRCTN12780992

Trained trial coordinators will supervise your progress throughout the study. Your results will be made available to you at the conclusion of the study. Any of your personal information collected during the study will be kept in the strictest confidence.

RHOABS PK Absorption Study