What is the term for the degree to which nutrients consumed can be absorbed and utilized by the body?

The term that refers to the degree to which nutrients consumed can be absorbed and utilized by the body is bioavailability. Bioavailability measures how readily the nutrients from food are absorbed into the bloodstream and made available for the body’s use after digestion. This concept is vital in nutrition because even if a food contains high levels of a nutrient theoretically, it doesn't mean that nutrient is accessible for the body unless it can be effectively absorbed.

Metabolism, while related to bioavailability, involves the biochemical processes that occur in the body to convert food into energy and is not specifically focused on the absorption of nutrients. Digestion is the process by which food is broken down into smaller components, but it does not measure how much of those nutrients can be made available for absorption. Bioaccessibility refers to the portion of a nutrient that is released from its food matrix during digestion, but it is not the same as bioavailability, which also incorporates the efficiency of absorption and subsequent utilization in the body. Therefore, bioavailability encapsulates the entire journey of nutrients from ingestion through absorption to their utilizations, which is why it is the correct term in this context.