Taking Vitamins? Timing is Everything

Ask your doctor and he or she will probably tell you that you should be able to get your RDA of vitamins and minerals from your diet alone.

Yeah, right.

Like we always have time to sit down to perfectly balanced meals. And that includes a newly recommended 6-9 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, starring a rainbow of different colored foods.

This, plus the fact that many nutritionists (especially the naturopathic kind) tell us that our soils are depleted, making it impossible to get our daily dose from diet alone, have led many of us to stray from the garden path and down to the local health food store for supplements.

And sometimes, we end up taking them without complete information.

For example, you may read in the news that, say, Vitamin D is good for a whole lot of newly discovered reasons. You are lactose intolerant, hate fish, and sunburn easily, so you think taking supplements is the way to go. And maybe you take lots of other vitamins as well. But did you know that certain vitamins work better together, others cancel each other out, and others work best when they're paired with certain types of foods?

To maximize your investment, and your health, see this list below and make sure you're getting the most out of your pills, capsules, and powders. As always, please consult with your physician before using any supplements.

1. Speaking of the devil, recent studies show that Vitamin D may play a role in reducing breast and colon cancers. If you do not get enough D in your daily diet (through the above-mentioned dairy products and fish), or through sun exposure, it's often recommended that you take supplements. But make sure that you're taking Vitamin D3, which is the form that's best absorbed by the body. Also, since Vitamin D and vitamin E are fat soluble, these supplements are absorbed more readily if taken along with a fatty meal. This doesn't mean that you have to pair your supplement with a hefty T-bone -- it can also mean a meal containing healthy fats such as olive oil or salmon or avocado.

2. Do you take chromium picolinate to help stabilize your blood sugar? If so, then don't take this supplement with a meal that contains dairy, as the calcium phosphate renders chromium less effective. Wait two hours before or after consuming any dairy products.

3. Many doctors recommend fiber supplements to people who are either on very low carbohydrate diets or those who suffer from chronic constipation due to medications or other health conditions. If you take fiber supplements, make sure you schedule taking your other medications and supplements at least 1-1/2 to 2 hours before or after your fiber. This will allow for maximum absorption of your medications and supplements, as the fiber tends to "sweep" through your digestive system and move the good stuff along with the bad.

4. If you're on a first name basis with your local barista, take calcium. The caffeine in coffee likes to bond with the calcium in your blood. And if your blood does not have enough calcium in it, your body will extract it from your bones. Ouch!

5. Speaking of calcium supplements, for most people, calcium citrate is the most absorbable form and it is the least likely to cause stomach upsets or constipation. It also works best when combined with magnesium and Vitamin D, and when taken with a meal.

6. A little-known fact: If you must give into that craving for bacon (and come on, who doesn't, once in a while?), take Vitamin C along with it. Studies have shown that this vitamin helps to neutralize the potentially carcinogenic effects of the sodium nitrates in cured meats.

7. Iron does not play well with many types of supplements and prescription medications. If you need iron supplementation, don't take them with calcium, as it will reduce the absorbency of both. Take these supplements at different meals. On the flip side, Vitamin C maximizes the absorbency of iron. Just be careful: iron supplements may cause stomach upset if not taken with food.

8. Vitamin C seems innocuous enough. But in large doses, it may interfere with the absorption of Vitamin B12 found in food. The body can only absorb 250-500 mg of C at a shot; so divide your doses if you need to take more than that per day.

9. While we're talking about C, make sure you take a little extra if you smoke, take birth control pills or estrogens, or some kinds of antibiotics.

10. Vitamin E works best taken along with Vitamin C. This makes for a stronger antioxidant effect. The type of Vitamin E you take matters as well. The natural form of Vitamin E is called "D-alpha-tocopherol" and the body more readily absorbs it. (The type of E made in the laboratory is called "Dl-alpha-tocopherol," with the "L" standing for, obviously enough, "laboratory.")

This is only a small sample of how some vitamins and minerals can interact in or interfere with your body. Add prescription medications and you've got a whole different kind of stew. For instance, if you take thyroid medication, absorption could be compromised if you take it along with your calcium supplements (or, bizarrely, with walnuts). And some combinations could be downright dangerous, like taking St. John's Wort if you're already on an antidepressant.

So even if your doctor might not be totally up to speed about the value of supplements, one bad experience might be a good enough reason to ask him or her if you should be taking them either together, or along with your meds. With the costs of health insurance going up, up, up, why risk an emergency room visit that could be avoided with a simple double-check ahead of time?

For more information, go to Living Naturally to check out how and if your vitamins, minerals, and prescription medications interact. And remember, with supplements as well as in life, timing can be everything.