In an intriguing development, new research suggests that humans need not rely solely on food for nutrition, as they also absorb certain essential nutrients through the air they breathe.

The nutrients, termed “aeronutrients,” differ from the “gastronutrients” typically absorbed through the digestive system.

A perspective article published in Advances in Nutrition proposes that breathing supplements our diets with crucial nutrients such as iodine, zinc, manganese, and several vitamins. The concept is supported by existing scientific data, raising questions about why this idea hasn’t gained widespread attention until now.

Humans inhale approximately 9,000 liters of air daily and about 438 million liters over a lifetime, Study Finds reports. Unlike eating, breathing is a constant process, leading to prolonged exposure to airborne components, even in tiny concentrations.

To date, most research on air’s health effects has focused on pollution and filtering out harmful elements. The potential benefits of inhaling nutrients have largely been overlooked, partly because a single breath contains only minuscule amounts of these substances.

Aeronutrients enter the body via absorption through networks of tiny blood vessels in the nose, lungs, olfactory epithelium (the area where smell is detected), and the oropharynx (the back of the throat). The lungs can absorb molecules 260 times larger than those the gut can handle, allowing these substances to enter the bloodstream and brain more efficiently.