Dietary supplements or nutraceuticals can be more effective if you take them at the right time. Multivitamins and omega-3s should be taken right after breakfast or in between meals, magnesium and calcium after dinner... Dietary supplements should be taken according to their action.
Dietary supplements, commonly referred to as nutraceuticals, have become a part of our daily lives. Most people take them in the morning, but the best time to take them varies depending on the type of supplement. Dr. Sung Gon Oh, an adjunct professor at Sungkyunkwan University College of Pharmacy, explains the best time to take nutritional supplements.
Table Of Contents
1 Multivitamin
Because there are so many different types of vitamins, many people choose to take a multivitamin that contains all the vitamins they need for the day. These are usually recommended to be taken right after a meal or with a meal. Vitamins help the body utilize the nutrients in food, so taking them with meals is more effective in converting food into energy. It"s more beneficial to take them during the day, preferably in the morning, when you need energy, rather than in the evening.
Some people may not take a multivitamin, but instead take separate vitamins with high levels of the vitamins they need. In this case, it's helpful to space them out. This is because different types of vitamins may or may not need to be taken at different times, but taking them together can interfere with each other's absorption. Two hours is usually a good rule of thumb.
2. magnesium and calcium
Calcium and magnesium are important nutrients for building bones and are often recommended for middle-aged women and older adults who are at high risk for osteoporosis. The most favorable time to take these nutrients is after dinner. This is the time when cells in the body, including bones, are renewed and reorganized. Therefore, taking calcium and magnesium, which are bone-building nutrients, in the evening can help them be better absorbed into the bones overnight. Magnesium also stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which relaxes the nerves and induces sleep, so taking it in the evening is beneficial in many ways.
3 Omega-3s
Omega-3s, which are found in blue fish, reduce the amount of fat in the blood and prevent blood clots from forming. As fats, omega-3s are high in calories compared to other nutrients, so if you take them late in the evening, they can interfere with your diet. It"s recommended to take them during the day when you"re more active. Also, in some cases, taking omega-3s on an empty stomach can cause nausea due to their characteristic odor. In this case, it"s best to take them right after a meal or in the middle of a meal so that they mix with other foods in the stomach and the nauseating odor is less noticeable.
4. Lactic Acid Bacteria(lactobacilli, Probiotics)
It's generally accepted that it's beneficial to take probiotics on an empty stomach before meals. This is because lactobacilli are unstable to stomach acid, so an empty stomach allows them to pass through the stomach and into the intestines faster. The problem with eating with a meal is that it increases stomach acid secretion for digestion and increases the amount of time the probiotics are exposed to stomach acid, which can be detrimental.
However, most newer probiotics are "enteric-coated" so that they only dissolve in the intestines, so exposure to stomach acid shouldn't be a problem. On the contrary, if you have a sensitive stomach or gastritis, the acidity of the probiotics can irritate your stomach and cause heartburn, so it's best to take them after or with a meal.
5. diet supplements
Depending on the nature of the supplement, there are different times to take it. In the case of garcinia cambogia, which has recently become popular, it works by preventing the synthesis of carbohydrates into fat, so it's best to take it before or right after dinner, when it's most likely to be converted into fat. If you take it later in the day, it won't help as much because the conversion of carbohydrates to fat has already taken place.
In the case of appetite suppressants, it's best to take them 30 minutes to an hour before a meal. This is because they need time to be absorbed and work. There"s no point in taking them right before or after a meal.
Conjugated linoleic acid, for example, is a fatty acid that can cause the same nausea as omega-3s. This can be avoided by taking them between meals.
However, experts point out that the most important thing is to take nutritional supplements regularly and consistently. Unlike medications, which have a short-term effect, nutraceuticals, which are classified as dietary supplements, can only be effective over a long period of time. Therefore, it's recommended that you choose a time when you can remember to take them regularly, rather than when it's convenient for you.
"The reason why we recommend taking nutritional supplements after breakfast is that it is the most likely time to take them without forgetting," said Oh. "For office workers who skip breakfast, it is also a good idea to keep nutritional supplements in the office for the rest of the week and get into the habit of taking them after lunch."
