Is THE needed? Are both versions acceptable?

Question

1.
it improves assimilation of calcium OR
it improves the assimilation of calcium

2.
it prevents elimination of calcium from the body OR
it prevents the elimination of calcium from the body

Which version is better in each case?

Answer 1

It is a question of style

The use of the definite article "the" gives more emphasis on the prepositional phrases.

consider

"it prevents elimination"

and "it prevents the elimination" (of what?)

prepositional phrases function much the same was as an adjective, they modify a noun in this sentence. By emphasizing the noun with "the" you emphasize the prepositional phrases, relative clauses, and adjectives that go along with it.

use of "the" also emphasizes that the words assimilation and elimination are nouns and not verbs.

If you are descibing a process such as digestion, I would not use "the", because you have more emphasis on the process, a verb. If you are describing the effects of a drug or the results of an experiment, the emphasis is no longer on how something happend but on what happend. I would use "the" in this case.