Reviewed by Noel Palmer, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Supergalactic Brands · November 2026
Every jar on the shelf seems to promise better absorption. Liposomal, chelated, nano, fast acting, with black pepper. When a shopper asks which one actually gets in, the honest answer depends on the form, the dose and whether they take it with a meal. Knowing how absorption works, and how to check a claim without overpromising, is what earns that shopper's trust.
Bioavailability 101 is a free bioavailability course for store staff. It covers how a supplement gets from the glass of water to the blood, which supplements go with a meal and which pairs to keep apart, why the form and the dose matter, why turmeric needs help, and how to check an absorption claim in thirty seconds. It takes about 30 minutes, self-paced, across seven short narrated lessons, and every lesson lists its sources.
A version for your industry
The course fits itself to where you work. Learners at cannabis companies get a cannabis edition: how THC and CBD are absorbed from the lungs, the gut and the mouth, how food and alcohol change an edible, why the serving matters more than the package, and what fast acting and nano labels can promise. Learners at beer, wine and spirits companies get a beverage alcohol edition: how alcohol is absorbed, how food and mixers change it, strength and pour size, and what hangover and infused drink claims can promise. Everyone else gets the supplements edition.
What you'll learn
Seven lessons that go from the science to the conversation on the floor.
Welcome (Lesson 1). What bioavailability means, why every label claims to absorb best, and where your job as store staff starts and stops.
How Absorption Works (Lesson 2). Follow a dose from the glass to the blood, and learn what changes how much gets through.
With Food or Without (Lesson 3). Which supplements absorb better with a meal, and which pairs to keep apart.
Form and Dose (Lesson 4). How the form on the label and the size of the dose change what the body takes in.
Hard to Absorb (Lesson 5). Why curcumin from turmeric barely reaches the blood, and what black pepper and delivery forms do about it.
Absorption Claims on the Floor (Lesson 6). Check any better absorbed claim with a few clear questions, and answer within the rules in thirty seconds.
Put It All Together (Lesson 7). One customer from start to finish in a practice conversation where your choices shape the visit.
How the course works
Each lesson is a short narrated walkthrough with photos, flip cards and quick checks. You sort what is and isn't your job on the floor, play a matching game that pairs each supplement with how to take it, and build a thirty-second answer in the right order. The last lesson is a practice conversation with a customer that scores each choice and shows what you did well and what to work on.
It closes with a 15-question final quiz. Twelve correct passes. It works on a phone, tablet, or desktop.
Who this is for
Staff and managers at supplement shops, nutrition and health food stores, grocery and pharmacy wellness aisles, dispensaries, and beer, wine and spirits stores and bars. Anyone who gets asked what absorbs best, or what hits faster, and wants to answer with facts.
What you walk away with
You'll know what bioavailability means, how food, form and dose change it, how to check an absorption claim, what you can and can't say about a product, and when to send a customer to a pharmacist or doctor.
Free to enroll. Self-paced. Certificate on completion.
Who built this course
Bioavailability 101 was created by the Learn Brands education team under the direction of Mathew Benoit, COO and Creative Director of Learn Brands. Learn Brands trains store teams at more than 3,500 retailers and works with more than 350 brands. It is the third course in the Learn Brands Supplement and Functional series, after Creatine: What Works and Why and Magnesium 101.
Science reviewed by Noel Palmer, Ph.D.
Noel Palmer, Ph.D., Founding Partner and Chief Science Officer of Supergalactic Brands, reviewed this course for scientific accuracy in November 2026. He is a laboratory chemist with more than 20 years in plant-based product testing and formulation, and has served as chief scientist at Mary's Medicinals and Evolab. Read Noel's full profile.
How we checked the facts
Claims were checked against published research and government health sources, including the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets, peer-reviewed studies of calcium, iron and curcumin absorption, and the NIH LiverTox database. What staff can say was checked against FDA rules for supplement claims. Every lesson lists its sources, and every photo was checked by eye to make sure it shows what the lesson says.
Training, not medical advice
This course is general education for store staff. It is not medical or nutrition advice, and it teaches staff to send health questions to a pharmacist or doctor. Research changes, so follow your store's procedures and the product's label.
Last reviewed November 2026.
Bioavailability course FAQ
Is this course free?
Yes. Bioavailability 101 is part of the free Core Education Suite, free to take and free to assign to your team.
Do I need a science background?
No. The course explains the science in plain words and focuses on what to say when a customer asks.
How does it know which version to show me?
It reads the industry of the company on your Learn Brands account. Cannabis and beverage alcohol companies get their own edition, and everyone else gets the supplements edition.
How long does it take?
About 30 minutes. You can stop and pick up where you left off.
Can I enroll my whole team?
Yes. Create a free company account, assign the course, and track who has started and finished from the Learn Brands dashboard.
Related courses
Creatine: What Works and Why and Magnesium 101 are the first two courses in the Supplement and Functional series. Browse the free Core Education Suite.
