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Pablo Martínez-Juarez
WriterEnvironmental economist and science journalist. For a few years, I worked as a researcher on the economics of climate change adaptation. Now I write about that and much more.
Karen Alfaro
WriterCommunications professional with a decade of experience as a copywriter, proofreader, and editor. As a travel and science journalist, I've collaborated with several print and digital outlets around the world. I'm passionate about culture, music, food, history, and innovative technologies.
Today, various nutrients are available in pill or capsule form: vitamins, minerals, and other compounds the body typically gets from food are now in more “practical” formats. Some of these pills even contain a variety of nutrients.
This may lead you to wonder why all nutrients aren’t available in pill form. Can we concentrate all the micro- and macronutrients our bodies need into a simple format? And if so, are scientists close to achieving this?
If you were hoping for anything other than a resounding “no,” you’re out of luck. To understand why this is so difficult, you need to consider one key detail: Not all nutrients are the same, and some simply can’t fit into a single pill.
The main obstacle scientists face in creating a pill that could replace food lies in how nutrients are classified. They generally fall into two categories.
The first group is macronutrients, which includes fats (or lipids), carbohydrates, and proteins (or amino acids). The second group is micronutrients—vitamins and minerals the body needs to function. As the names imply, the main difference is quantity.
The body uses food to obtain two things. First, it extracts chemical elements and compounds necessary for basic function, such as amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. Second, it gets energy, mostly from two key macronutrients: carbohydrates and fats. While the body can recycle protein for energy in emergencies, it’s not ideal.
Energy is the real problem. Even the most energy-dense food—fat—requires relatively large quantities to meet daily needs, which range from 1,600 to 3,000 calories per day for adults, depending on body type and habits.
Lipid supplements aren’t new, but concentrating enough fat to replace a meal in a single pill isn’t feasible—especially if that pill must also include other compounds. In the best-case scenario, we would need to take several pills throughout the day.
“Human beings are never going to eat pills for meals… pills can never be made to contain sufficient caloric volume,” Columbia University professor Milton A. Bridges said in 1936, in a quote published by the Jefferson City Post-Tribune and later reported by the BBC. “It is perfectly plausible to supply all the vitamins and minerals needed for a meal in pill form. But you can't get calories except by eating food.”
While food isn’t available in pill form, some shake-based products aim to offer complete nutrition in a more voluminous, drinkable format. Brands like Soylent and Joylent began gaining popularity about a decade ago.
Is it possible to survive and stay healthy on these formulas? No one knows for sure—but there are two reasons to doubt it. First, human nutrition is complex. While scientists know a lot, it’s possible that our bodies need trace amounts of micronutrients that haven’t yet been identified.
That isn’t a certainty, but it is a possibility. To find out, scientists would need to test these formulas in long-term, rigorous studies—a task that is currently extremely difficult.
Second, everybody is different. People of different ages, genders and body masses need specific formulas to meet their nutritional needs. Even if we accounted for those factors, there’s still enormous variability due to health conditions, lifestyle habits, daily activity levels and more. All of that would complicate any attempt to personalize pills or shakes.
Reducing our diet to pills might have some advantages. But it would be hard to make people give up their love for food. For many, replacing meals with pills feels like a concept pulled from dystopian science fiction. These formulas can also remove a sense of agency and pleasure when used daily.
Still, they could find a niche. They might help support astronauts during space travel or provide nutrition in extreme environments where regular food access is limited.
Image | Natali Hordiiuk (Unsplash)
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