Multivitamins - does timing matter?

Merkavar
Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
in Food and Nutrition
On bottles of multivitamins and other supplements they seem to instruct you to take it with breakfast.

Is that separating whites from colours when doing the laundry, has little to no purpose?

Or is there actually some reason to take a multivitamin in the morning?

Or is taking it as you wake up the exact same as taking it at lunch, dinner or before bed?

Replies

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,779 Member
    In my opinion, it makes no difference. Just preference for when works for you.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,981 Member
    Nope. There's actually no reason at all to take multivitamins if you eat a half varied diet. If you have an actual deficiency then you should not take a multivitamin because some of them can block the absorption of others. And just randomly popping a multivitamin might actually hide an actual deficiency in blood tests but would still be too low to heal you.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,580 Member
    IMU, some specific vitamins are better taken with food, either because they're metabolized better or because they can cause digestive irritation for some people when taken on an empty stomach.

    I've read that some vitamins in larger doses can impair sleep quality, so are better taken earlier in the day.

    Minor factors like that might add up to make taking at breakfast a good idea. Otherwise, it doesn't matter.

    BTW, I don't get your laundry analogy. If I wash whites with colors, the whites get dingy or even pink, because dark or bright colors can bleed into the wash water.
  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,781 Member
    Supposedly a multi has things in it that may keep you awake, so take it early. When I took multivitamins, I did better if I took them at bedtime.
    My blood pressure pill, a diuretic, suggests taking in morning. It has a 6-hour half-life, so you get more good in the daytime. I take it at lunch so I can do my running around in the morning and stay near my bathroom all afternoon. By evening, it's not so bad.
  • loulee997
    loulee997 Posts: 273 Member
    edited October 2023
    Depends.

    I used to do a multivitamin, but now I just supplement the things I have deficiencies in. I struggle with getting enough vitamin D3 absorption (bloodwork). I also have blood pressure issues. So I take Vitamin D3 with Magnesium. I only take those two supplements. I may add calcium in the future but fixing my D3 issue may negate my having to do that.

    Lack of Vitamin D3 will play hell with your mood regulation--which I found out the hard way. A deficiency in D3 and/or Magnesium and also spike your blood pressure.

    So, I switched to just taking what I needed instead of a general multi-vitamin. Doctor recommended.

    When to take them?


    TOGETHER OR NOT:


    TOGETHER
    If you take magnesium, you should take it with Vitamin D3 as they work together to build immunity and strong bones.

    NOT TOGETHER
    Magnesium supplements can interfere with the absorption of other minerals. EXAMPLE: You would take magnesium at a different time of the day than you would Zinc or Calcium. Magnesium and calcium supplements are rarely taken together.

    GENERAL VITAMINS
    A generic multi-vitamin can be taken whenever. I used to take them after breakfast because they upset my stomach.

    Does that help?

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