When Should a Multivitamin Supplement Be Taken?
The basic guidelines in medicine are always for the patient to follow the prescribed dose and schedule of the tablet, vitamins, or supplements indicated by their professional healthcare provider or physician. Supplements are usually suggested only on the personalized advice of a professional healthcare provider.
Most people who are health conscious tend to supplement their daily diets with either vitamin or mineral supplements, especially for meeting the daily nutritional requirements and to improve the metabolic rate, advocated with increasing age by a registered healthcare professional. Ever wondered why some supplements may be prescribed only for specific times, with meals and/or with particular dietary fats?
While some vitamin supplements are usually best consumed alongside a meal, such as most vitamins that contain some soluble fat, other supplements are prescribed by nutritionists at bedtime or shortly before one goes to sleep to help them sleep better.
What Is Physician or Nutritionist Guided Important Advice?
-
Instead of self-medicating or opting for supplements, it is always wiser to know the risks, side effects, and safety concerns that are associated with multivitamin supplementation. Certain nutrients present in multivitamin supplements often interact with medications taken by an individual for some other medical condition, such as Levothyroxine prescribed for hypothyroidism, which needs to be taken with a gap of four hours for complete absorption. Additionally, calcium supplements may also interact with blood pressure and antibiotic drugs, and vitamin K compromises the effectiveness of medications, such as blood thinners. Therefore, one must always consult a professional healthcare provider before including a multivitamin or antioxidant tablet in the daily schedule or diet.
-
Also, the importance of personalized professional advice is more important because some specific vitamins need to be combined most of the time, either with or before a meal that contains some fat-based calories. This is because these supplements are usually ‘fat-soluble’ vitamins that are prescribed for one’s immunity or metabolism and they are likely to dissolve or be adequately absorbed by the body by getting utilized in circulation only when one takes them with certain fats.
-
Nutrition experts, hence, commonly recommend that fat-soluble vitamins be consumed only alongside some healthy fat containing foods, such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner, that contain monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, to avail systemic health benefits of the supplement. For example, consuming only a fat-free cereal topped with skim milk for breakfast could defeat the prescribed vitamin's purpose if it is fat-soluble.
Does the Timing of the Vitamin or Supplement Intake Matter?
According to nutrition and health experts across the globe, some of the commonly prescribed vitamins can enhance immunity and metabolism, protecting one from the risk of developing certain systemic diseases. Based on the individual's medical history and systemic status, which vary from individual to individual, the healthcare provider may prescribe a specific dose of vitamin or supplement to meet the nutritional and metabolic needs. The common examples of vitamins that are prescribed at specific times of the day for most individuals, that demonstrate the importance of timing for better absorption and utilization of the nutrient or vitamin are as follows:
-
Usually, for vitamin A, there is no timeline as such for consumption. Vitamin A supplement can be taken at a time convenient to the individual usually in the morning or evening.
-
Vitamin B complex is a more often prescribed supplement for improving one’s health status, boosting stamina or endurance, and preventing fatigue, confusion, and cognitive decline. While vitamin B12 is commonly prescribed by physicians for daytime use, some B vitamins, like vitamin B3 or niacin, are preferably taken before bedtime and after dinner, to improve sleep patterns.
-
Calcium citrate and calcium carbonate are the most common calcium supplements prescribed by physicians for individuals who are calcium deficient or at higher risk of developing bone diseases and bone metabolism disorders like arthritis (inflammation of the joints) and osteoporosis (brittle or weak bones). Usually irrespective of the time of the day, calcium is indicated for consumption alongside one’s meals. For individuals who do not meet the daily dietary requirements of 0.04 to 0.05 ounces per calcium in a day, calcium supplements are recommended with varying doses.
-
Magnesium supplements also do not have a specific time associated with their use and are recommended for individuals with issues with nerve functions, fatigue, weakness, and loss of appetite. It is important to note that magnesium supplements cannot be prescribed above the usual dose of 0.004 ounces.
-
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid, supplements are usually indicated for many individuals to enhance immune and systemic health and are usually best taken in the morning. Some research reports show that consumption of vitamin C at night would possibly interfere with sleeping patterns.
-
Vitamin D, also commonly known as the sunshine vitamin, is usually prescribed either for a morning dose or an afternoon dose with breakfast or lunch. However, research shows that even when it is taken at night, it does not interfere with sleep as such, like vitamin C. Also, some medical research studies show that the supplementation of vitamin D in post-menopausal women can improve the quality of sleep and alleviate stress.
-
Vitamin E, as well as vitamin K, are fat-soluble vitamins that are recommended for boosting blood and immune metabolism. They are usually taken with dietary fats as these are fat-soluble vitamins, and one should not have to worry about taking the fat-soluble vitamins at any particular time of the day.
Conclusion
Any multivitamin supplement recommended by the healthcare provider should be taken as per the personalized advice (including time and dosage) given based on the individual’s systemic and nutritional needs. Though there are no adverse effects as such recorded in the medical literature about the timing when one should take a multivitamin supplement, it is important to note that some vitamins can interfere with one’s daily metabolism when taken at different times of the day. Hence, the registered physician or nutritionist can give the best advice suited to the person.
