When should I take my supplements?

As a pharmacist, I spend a lot of time talking to patients about their medications and when to take them. There are important considerations when dealing with prescriptions.

The questions of when do I take my supplements also frequently arises in my role supporting integrative and functional nutrition.

Before breakfast? With food or on an empty stomach? Twice a day or once a week? Let’s explore a few of these questions with some of the most foundational and essential supplements.

I’ll start with digestive enzymes. These act as catalysts in speeding up specific chemical reactions in the body that breakdown food molecules into more easily absorbed particles, like amino acids, fatty acids, and simple sugars.

Supplementing with enzymes, such as pepsin and pancreatin, may be suportive if you have digestive issues. The list of possibilities is long and includes gas, bloating, leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, malabsorption, diarrhea, or constipation.

We will benefit most if we have the enzymes in our small intestine with our food. This is where the majority of digestion occurs. I aim to take them before I start eating so they are there when my food arrives. But during a meal, or even after, can still yield benefit.

I would include some other digestive supplements into this category – bile salts, like ox bile, along with betaine and glutamic acid hydrochloride. Lowered stomach acid production may facilitate overgrowth of pathogens, protein fermentation and malabsorption, which increases stomach pressure. That can lead to acid reflux, also called GERD.

Taking a bile and hydrocholoride supplement at the beginning of a meal has been shown to aid in healthy digestion and reduce many of the symptoms associated with acid reflux and other gut related disorders.

There are a lot of different opinions on the best time of day to take Vitamin D. I’ve read some things saying it can help improve sleep if taken at night.

Other studies are showing that taking D with the largest meal of the day, one that has some fat, is the most effective way for a fat soluble supplement to be absorbed. I could see taking vitamin D with your omega-3 fatty acids in this case. This would also apply to vitamins A, E, and K.

Most people will do fine taking vitamin D just once a week, so I don’t think timing is critical. The many studies that try to nail down a time for optimal absorption are conflicted.

Multivitamins, B-complex, vitamins E and C can be taken together. If you want optimal absorption for B12 then take it on an empty stomach. The B’s might keep you up if taken too late in the day.

There is no clear evidence on probiotics either, so anytime is a good time. Taking them with food might protect them a bit more, but this is unclear and depends upon the strains. Just space them as far away as possible from antibiotics.

One timing that I do consider important is to take your iron separately from most of your calcium and vitamin E. And if you spread calcium out it may support better absorption. I take most my magnesium at night to help relax.

I have some general guidelines. If you feel nauseous when taking vitamins, then try taking them with food or before you go to bed. If you are taking something that disrupts your sleep, then take it earlier in the day.

It’s fine to split things up, especially if you are like me and end up taking a half-dozen or more a day. My overall thought is build a routine for yourself. One that supports you to be consistent.

For the most part, take your supplements when they agree with you and when they fit into your normal life.

You’ll notice of lot of timing is not a hard line. More of a guide line. Set your intention and do the best you can. But avoid the stress and tension caused by thinking you have to get it right. Stop by and we’ll talk more.

Scott Porter, a functional medicine pharmacist, is the director of the Center for Functional Nutrition at Sandpoint Super Drug.