Foods that promote/reduce supplement absorption (Does caffeine inhibit them?) - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

MachOneMustang · 09-11-2004, 10:26 PM

Hey Guys.

I’ve begun to take vitamin supplements within the past month. I take a multivitamin (GNC Ultra Mega Gold) in the morning and night and MSM (GNC MSM 1000) in the morning, with food. I know taking supplements with food promotes absorption (most, anyway), are there certain foods or drinks to steer clear of?

I heard ingesting caffeine could render some vitamins (Calcium mostly I think) useless. Is this true? If so, how long before or after are you allowed to have that cup of coffee, or tea.

Also, does milk promote absorption?

Any input would be greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance!

Gopherhead · 09-12-2004, 08:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MachOneMustang

I know taking supplements with food promotes absorption (most, anyway), are there certain foods or drinks to steer clear of?

I heard ingesting caffeine could render some vitamins (Calcium mostly I think) useless. Is this true? If so, how long before or after are you allowed to have that cup of coffee, or tea.

Caffeine does impact absorption of some minerals and vitamins, but it doesn't necessarily render them useless. In the case of calcium it can cause more to be excreted in the urine and feces (e.g. every cup of coffee, roughly 150 mg of caffeine, will result in approximately 5 mg of calcium to be excreted in the urine). Waiting half an hour after coffee to have your calcium should fix this.

Caffeine may reduce the absorption of some minerals, such as manganese, zinc, & copper, as well as vitamins such as vitamin A & B complex.

Certain minerals and vitamins should be taken with food (your bottle should stipulate this) and many work best when taken together - calcium and magnesium often come combined because they work in tandem; calcium and vitamin D are another combination. Depending on the type of calcium you can take it w/o food or with (carbonate is hard on the tummy and should be taken with food; the others, citrate, malate, etc, are not and can be taken alone).

Grapefruit juice can increase absorption of many supplements (and medicines) so you should not take them with this. You should also not take a fibre supplement when taking any kind of mineral / vitamin or medicine, as it will slow their absorption. You need a window of 2 hours on either side when taking fibre.

Never take iron w/ calcium or with grapefruit juice - this also increases absorption.

If you're taking a vitamin E supplement you want to ensure there is some fat in your meal; vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin and some fat is therefore necessary for it to be absorbed.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head this morning

Nat

MachOneMustang · 09-14-2004, 10:31 AM

Wow, thanks again Gopherhead for your timely and thorough response. You gave me a good chunk of useful information that I will use to my benefit. However, a few questions I thought of...

1) You said Grapefruit juice can increase the absorption of many supplements and medicines, and to avoid combining it with the intake of dietary supplements. But... isn't increased absorption better?

2) Is butter on say... buttered toast a decent enough source of fat for vitamin E to be absorbed into the body? I don't take in too much fat, and when I do take my multivitamin in the morning, most of the time I will have had toast or a bagel with butter for breakfast... good enough? Also, what are some other sources of fat that would aid in the absorption of vitamin E?

3) Does milk in fact help with the absorption of dietary supplements and/or medicines? Someone told me it did.

Thanks in advance!

Gopherhead · 09-14-2004, 11:09 AM

You're welcome

Quote:

Originally Posted by MachOneMustang

1) You said Grapefruit juice can increase the absorption of many supplements and medicines, and to avoid combining it with the intake of dietary supplements. But... isn't increased absorption better?

Not awlays, some supplements can be taken to excess, Iron and vitamin A come to mind. Also increasing the absorption of one can result in less of another. With medicine it's particularly an issue; a certain amount of your dose can be wasted and this is what you are used to, increasing absorption could have nasty results.

Quote:

2) Is butter on say... buttered toast a decent enough source of fat for vitamin E to be absorbed into the body? I don't take in too much fat, and when I do take my multivitamin in the morning, most of the time I will have had toast or a bagel with butter for breakfast... good enough? Also, what are some other sources of fat that would aid in the absorption of vitamin E?

One of my faves is Natural Peanut Butter. I also like to have an egg on my flax toast. Sometimes I'll just have a handful of walnuts

Quote:

3) Does milk in fact help with the absorption of dietary supplements and/or medicines? Someone told me it did.

I would suspect it would help with the absoption of those that calcium and vit D would also influence; magnesium, iron and each other.

johnx · 09-14-2004, 03:54 PM

This is a topic I've been thinking about lately. I take them with breakfast and dinner and wondered if taking them with water then waiting a half hour to eat would be better than taking them with food. I take a 'mega' multi, vit-e, fish oil, and vit-c supplements.

As far as the fat needed for the vit-e, a nutritionist told me that the fat in my body is enough to cause the vit-e absorption and that I didn't necessarily need to eat fat with it. (I do anyway - it's in my breakfast)