If you are worried about when is best to take your daily vitamin supplement, consider your lifestyle. Vitamins are typically most effective when taken with meals, and the hours you keep determine which meal is the best to take them with. If you sleep at night and are awake during the day, dinnertime may be the best for you. If you work the third shift and stay awake all night, your metabolism may be better prepared to take them at breakfast instead. In any case, do not begin taking new regular vitamin supplements without consulting your doctor first.
When Your Metabolism Is at Its Best
You should take vitamins when your metabolism is most efficient. For most people, this is not in the morning. When you awaken from a long night's sleep, having gone without food since your previous night's dinner, your metabolism is relatively slow. The food you eat at breakfast gives you a metabolic boost, which prepares you for digestion later in the day but is not typically sufficient to reach your peak metabolic level. If you are typically awake all night, your metabolism is better prepared for a larger meal in the morning, and you may find this time ideal to take your vitamins.
Taking Vitamins With Food
The labels on many daily vitamin supplements suggest that you take them with meals. Although you could take them without food, your body is better able to process the vitamins and other nutrients in the supplement if you follow the instructions. Smaller meals, such as a typical breakfast, may not be enough for you to absorb the greatest possible amount of nutrients, so take your vitamin supplements with a larger meal. For many people, dinner is larger than breakfast or lunch, so plan to take your vitamins with food in the evening.
Daily May Be Too Often for Some Vitamins
Although many vitamin supplements are marketed for daily use, some nutritionists say this is too frequent a schedule. University of Minnesota nutritionist Lisa Buck notes that most people get nearly all the vitamins they need from meals, so the need for vitamin supplements is more rare than you might think. She also notes that taking daily supplements can make you feel more at ease with the idea of maintaining an unhealthy diet, so you should focus on eating balanced meals and taking supplements only once per week. Your body stores fat-soluble vitamins when they are not needed, and these can build up if you take in more than you need. Excesses of these vitamins can cause toxicity and lead to serious health concerns, so taking a daily supplement may actually diminish your health in the long term. One exception to this rule is vitamin D, which you may lack if you do not get much sunlight. In regions where seasonal changes limit sunlight, a daily vitamin D supplement can be beneficial when the nights are long.
Water-soluble Vitamins
Certain water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C, are not stored in the body. When you have an excess of dietary vitamin C, your body simply purges it through urination. Most healthy adults do not require daily vitamin C supplements any more than they need a daily multivitamin, but even if you do take in too much, it doesn't pose any serious harm. Certain lifestyle choices, such as smoking, can diminish your body's vitamin C levels, so if you smoke, you may find a vitamin C supplement necessary.
References
- "The New York Times"; Rethinking the Big Breakfast; Tara Parker-Pope; January 2011
- "Minnesota Daily"; Thinking About Taking Vitamins?; Erin Lengas; April 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)
- Colarodo State University Extension; Fat-Soluble Vitamins; J. Anderson, et al.; August 2008
- "The New York Times"; Are You Getting Enough Calcium and Vitamin D?; Toby Bilanow; January 2011
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