You may be wondering when to take your vitamins to do well: in the evening, in the morning, or during meals? Lanutrition answers you.
Our body needs 13 vitamins to work well (1). Four of them, vitamins A, D, E and K, are fat -soluble, while the other nine, vitamins B and C, are soluble in water. It is possible to take them alone, individualmet, or in mixtures, for example with minerals in multivitamine-multimimineral (MVM) supplements. Let’s see how to take these supplements.
Liposoluble vitamins
Generally, these vitamins are considered to be better absorbed when they are ingested with fats. For optimal absorption, it would therefore be better to take a vitamin supplement in the middle or at the end of a meal including fats. However, studies are not always so clear -cut on this subject.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is important for the quality of vision, prevention of infections and immunity. Its deficiency is rare in France, as shown by the results of the ESTEBAN 2014-2016 study carried out by the Public Health Agency France France (2). Vitamin A is easily found in diet, in the form of retinol in animal foods (butter, egg, milk, cheeses, abats) or in the form of provitamin A such as beta-carotene, in plants: carrot, vegetables with green leaves, cruciferous, peas …
Vitamin D
Vitamin D participates in bone health and immunity. The vitamin D deficit is particularly widespread. In the Esteban study, only a quarter of adults had a correct blood level of vitamin D. This is explained by the fact that a large part of vitamin D is made by the skin when exposed to the sun, the food intake not being sufficient to cover our needs. Adults need 1000 to 3000 IU per day.
Read: 7 common foods sources of vitamin D
The absorption of vitamin D supplements is better if you have meals rich in fat (30 % of calories in the form of fat), rather than without fats, as a small study showed on 50 adults (3). However, in this study, the participants took the complement 12 hours after the rich or low -fat meal. We cannot therefore know if it is better to take the complement during the meal or at another time, the important thing being to have fat intake to facilitate the absorption of vitamin.
Vitamin D needs magnesium to be active (4). So don’t miss it. In addition, for bone health, it may be interesting to combine vitamin D and vitamin K, which are two fat -soluble vitamins (5).
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant molecule present in virgin oils of olive and rapeseed, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, spinach, avocado. Its deficit is rare in France. When it exists, it can be due to problems of absorption of vitamin in the intestine, due to a pathology, for example Crohn’s disease (6). The needs are 15 mg per day for adults, so it is not necessary to take more than 40 to 50 mg per day. Although vitamin E is liposoluble, a study has found that the presence or absence of food fat has no effect on the absorption of vitamin (7). This suggests that it is therefore not essential to take vitamin during a meal rich in fats.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K intervenes in coagulation, bone mineralization, cell growth. It has anti-inflammatory properties and would play a role in cardiovascular health. Supplements can be considered in people with intestinal malabsorption, the elderly, those at risk of osteoporosis. There are two families of vitamins K: phylloquinone (K1) and menaquinons (K2). For Brigitte Karleskind, author of Practical guide to food supplements,, “Menaquinone-7 is the most active fraction of vitamin K2. It is also the one that has the highest bioavailability. »» Dose suggested against osteoporosis: 45 µg of MK-7 per day.
Water -soluble vitamins
As they are water -soluble, these vitamins can be taken with a glass of water. They include vitamin C and eight vitamins B: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. The opinions diverge a little regarding the best time to take them, especially for vitamin C. Dr Perez-Gallardo of the Cleveland clinic advises to take vitamins B12 and C on an empty stomach, and vitamin B12 preferably in the morning. But Mount Sinai Hospital in New York recommends taking vitamin C during meals, in 2 or 3 times during the day.
Vitamin C and sleep
There is no evidence that it is better to take vitamin C in the morning rather than in the evening, on the pretext that it would prevent sleeping. On the other hand, it is established that good vitamin C intakes limit sleep disorders (8). This can be explained by the fact that vitamin has a favorable effect on mood. By fighting oxidizing stress, vitamin C could improve brain operation and therefore sleep.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that strengthens the skin, tissues and bones by stimulating collagen synthesis. In the Guide to antioxidant supplementsthe authors explain: “Vitamin C supplementation between 200 and 500 mg per day is a good basis for preventing many diseases and keeping in shape and healthy in particular after 40 years. »»
Multivitamins-multiminals
In these supplements, you will find both water -soluble and liposoluble vitamins. It is generally advisable to take them during a meal (with fats and a large glass of water!).
If you take a supplement also containing minerals, you should know that foods rich in fiber (wholemeal bread …) can inhibit the absorption of zinc. The tea tannins block the assimilation of iron while vitamin C favors it (however note the iron supplementations should only concern people whose deficiency has been proven by analyzes).
