by Jackie Hart, MD
Alternative HealthQ: What is the best time of day to take vitamins? Should I take them on a full or empty stomach? I am a 34-year-old woman and I run for one hour four to five mornings per week. I try to take a multivitamin every day and also want to know if I should take my vitamins before or after I run.
A: The best time of day to take vitamins is when youll remember to take them. Keeping them in a familiar place and making them part of your daily routine is a good idea. For example, take them with the same meal each day or right after brushing your teeth. In general, vitamins should be taken after eating because taking them on an empty stomach may cause nausea and heartburn; plus, taking vitamins with food improves absorption. Assuming that you dont eat before you run, I recommend taking the multivitamin after you run and after your largest meal of the day.
True vitamin deficiencies are rare. I am an advocate of taking specific vitamins for specific health or preventive reasons rather than taking a general multivitamin. However, if you are unable to eat a balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables, and/or are unable to take specific vitamins throughout the day, then a multivitamin is a reasonable alternative to ensure that you are meeting your basic dietary needs. When thinking about taking vitamins or supplements, you need to be realistic and honest with yourself regarding what you will or wont do.
The fact that you are a runner means that you are already doing some very healthful things for your body, such as helping to prevent heart disease and osteoporosis. To further this effort, you may want to consider making sure that your multivitamin contains certain antioxidant nutrients (or take the antioxidants listed below in lieu of the multivitamin) and taking extra calcium. The amount of calcium you need to prevent osteoporosis is between 1000 and 1500 milligrams per day an amount rarely found in most peoples diets and not usually contained in one multivitamin tablet. Calcium is best absorbed by the body when taken throughout the day in doses of 500 milligrams.
Antioxidants to consider are as follows:
Alternative HealthQ: What is the best time of day to take vitamins? Should I take them on a full or empty stomach? I am a 34-year-old woman and I run for one hour four to five mornings per week. I try to take a multivitamin every day and also want to know if I should take my vitamins before or after I run.
A: The best time of day to take vitamins is when youll remember to take them. Keeping them in a familiar place and making them part of your daily routine is a good idea. For example, take them with the same meal each day or right after brushing your teeth. In general, vitamins should be taken after eating because taking them on an empty stomach may cause nausea and heartburn; plus, taking vitamins with food improves absorption. Assuming that you dont eat before you run, I recommend taking the multivitamin after you run and after your largest meal of the day.
True vitamin deficiencies are rare. I am an advocate of taking specific vitamins for specific health or preventive reasons rather than taking a general multivitamin. However, if you are unable to eat a balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables, and/or are unable to take specific vitamins throughout the day, then a multivitamin is a reasonable alternative to ensure that you are meeting your basic dietary needs. When thinking about taking vitamins or supplements, you need to be realistic and honest with yourself regarding what you will or wont do.
The fact that you are a runner means that you are already doing some very healthful things for your body, such as helping to prevent heart disease and osteoporosis. To further this effort, you may want to consider making sure that your multivitamin contains certain antioxidant nutrients (or take the antioxidants listed below in lieu of the multivitamin) and taking extra calcium. The amount of calcium you need to prevent osteoporosis is between 1000 and 1500 milligrams per day an amount rarely found in most peoples diets and not usually contained in one multivitamin tablet. Calcium is best absorbed by the body when taken throughout the day in doses of 500 milligrams.
Antioxidants to consider are as follows:
- Vitamin C: 250 milligrams twice a day.
- Vitamin E: 400-800 International Units (IU) per day (not if you are pregnant and not if you are on certain medications, such as blood thinners).
- Selenium: 200 micrograms per day.
- CoEnzyme Q10: 100-150 milligrams per day, preferably in a chewable form.
- Beta-carotene: 25,000 IU per day (do not take if you smoke).