In addition to being a metallic chemical element, iron is a dietary mineral that is essential for the functioning of several bodily processes. These include growth, metabolism, healing, DNA synthesis and reproduction. There are two types of iron that you can find in multiple vitamin supplements: heme, which comes from animals, and nonheme, which comes from plants. When you take a multiple vitamin with iron can affect its potency; however, the impact of poor timing is usually not severe.
Scheduling Strategies
As the Office of Dietary Supplements at the National Institutes of Health notes, the body can only absorb a finite amount of iron at a given time, which is usually around 50 to 60 mg. So if you are taking two vitamin supplements per day, each of which provides 50 to 60 mg of iron, it is best to spread the dosage times apart. For example, you could take one supplement in the morning and one at night. If the multiple vitamin you are taking contains nonheme iron, consuming certain foods during the time of dosage can help improve absorption. These include foods rich in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits and broccoli, as well as foods like meat, poultry, fish and tart fruit, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In general, taking a multiple vitamin during a meal will help the body absorb nutrients faster.
Calcium Concerns
Calcium supplements and multiple vitamins with nonheme iron can interfere with each other, resulting in lower absorption amounts of both calcium and iron. For this reason, MIT recommends allotting a space of two hours between when you take a multiple vitamin with iron and when you take a calcium supplement.
Fiber Difficulties
While taking a calcium supplement at the same time as a multiple vitamin can have a direct impact on iron-absorption, taking a fiber supplement can affect the absorption of all types of minerals that a multiple vitamin might contain. According to North Dakota State University, dietary fiber binds to minerals when a person consumes the two nutrients at the same time, making the minerals unavailable to the body. So for optimal absorption, leave a gap of several hours between taking a fiber supplement and taking a multiple vitamin with iron.
Mealtime Inhibitors
Food generally helps the body absorb iron as well as the other nutrients within multiple vitamins. However, as MIT points out, there are several foods that you should avoid when eating at the same time as taking a supplement with iron. These include wheat bran, legumes, grape juice, coffee and tea, all of which can inhibit iron-absorption. Nonheme iron is more susceptible to the effects of these food inhibitors in comparison to heme iron.
Expert Insight
Taking a multiple vitamin with iron at a time that is not ideal will not result in side effects or serious consequences. As North Dakota State University notes, absorption amounts will only drop by approximately 5 to 10 percent in these non-ideal consumption circumstances.
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