7 replies to this topic

[lucid]

I was wondering what time of day, and on what sort of stomach (empty or full) it is best to take various supplements? Are there general rules?

Some specific supplements:
-Resveratrol
-Fish Oil
-Vitamins
-Niacin

Feel free to comment on what time/stomach any supplement should be taken on.
Cheers.

[macanizer]

I'm glad you asked this question, am also searching for answers of when to take my supplements. This is what I've been able to find so far:

- Herb supplements are better absorbed on an empty stomach
- Fat-soluble supplements should be taken with meals

Some examples of supplements that are recommended to be taken on an empty stomach:

- Fish oil (exception to the rule?)
- ALCAR
- Lipoic Acid
- Benfotiamine
- Green Tea Extract
- Aged Garlic Extract

From what I've read multivitamins should be taken with food. No idea on the niacin though.

[luv2increase]

Fat-soluble substances should be taken with a meal.

Water-soluble substances should be taken on an empty stomach, preferably with water.


Many vitamins are water-soluble, thus should be taken on an empty stomach. Multi-vitamins are made up of various water and fat soluble substances. The vitamins won't be absorbed as well when taken with food, and the other non vitamin ingredients would be better absorbed with food.

Concluding from the above, it is an opportunity cost situation when taken a multi. I hope you understand where I am going with this.

My first two lines, I believe, adequately answer the given question. Now question should really be this, what is water-soluble and which is fat-soluble?

Good luck chaps!

[macanizer]

From http://www.solgar-vi...cts.asp?id=3839

Minerals
Minerals are generally most effective when taken with food However, Iron is an exception to this rule - research has demonstrated that taking it away from food may enhance its absorption.

Multivitamins
Food considerably enhances the transportation of food supplements around the body and their absorption. For this reason, your daily multivitamin should be taken at mealtime.

Vitamins A, D, E and K
For optimum absorption vitamins A, D, E and K are best taken with meals, as dietary fat helps to carry these fat soluble nutrients around the body.

Vitamin B
B vitamins help convert food into energy and therefore especially need food in the system to be most effective as an energy enhancer.

[luv2increase]

Well macanizer, thank you for posting an excerpt from a supplement companies website. Does it happen to have the sources listed as to why they came to the conclusions claimed? I don't think so.

Instead of posting non-scientific study propaganda, post something relevant and can be backed up, proving to be trustworthy.

Searching Pubmed should be fair enough to get you started. Good luck macanizer.


edit: The point I am trying to make is that you need to post credible, checkable material.

[krillin]

Fish oil: Why on an empty stomach? Wouldn't you want to have lipase to break it down?

Benfotiamine: What's the rationale for the empty stomach?

Resveratrol: In another thread maxwatt said

Quercetin increases serum levels of resveratrol for a given dose, by competive inhibition of glucoridation in the intestines. However, it also inhibits SIRT1, and may cancel resveratrol's effects at the cellular level to some degree. I prefer using larger doses of resveratrol instead, or simply taking resveratrol with meals (matching the conditions in Sinclair's and Auwerx' rodent studies) -- most meals should competitively inhibit glucoridation.

People are also trying mixing resveratrol powder with Miralax.

Kyolic's website says to take with a meal in bold. Perhaps it's because garlic can only protect you against heavy metals if it's consumed with them.

J Korean Med Sci. 1987 Dec;2(4):213-24.
A study on the effect of garlic to the heavy metal poisoning of rat.
Cha CW.
Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul.

When garlic (Allium sativum) was administered to rat per os simultaneously with cadmium, methylmercury and phenylmercury to detect the protective effect against the heavy metal poisoning, accumulation of heavy metals in liver, kidneys, bone and testes were decreased, and histopathological damages and the inhibition of serum alkaline phosphatase activities by heavy metals were reduced. Such effect of garlic was not shown in the 1.7% garlic treated group and most remarkable in the 6.7% garlic treated group. The protective effect of garlic was superior to those of 2,3 dimercapto-1-propanol (BAL) and D-penicillamine (PEN), and nearly similar to those of 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (APEN), the current remedies, while garlic was not effective as a curative agent for heavy metal poisoning. The excretion of cadmium was enhanced, more through feces than urine by garlic but the effect to the urinary excretion of cadmium was not significant comparing with DMSA or APEN when cadmium was ip injected in the first 3 days during the 12 days of oral administration of DMSA, APEN or garlic.

PMID: 3268178

[kenj]

Lucid, to "KISS", I take most of my sups after my fasting cardio workout in the morning with food (unsweetened oat milk wth egg protein powder, raw fruits and vegetables, odds and ends, and a glass of water w/full spectrum trace minerals, plus a negatively charged hydrogen ion sup to enhance an alkaline environment for intestinal/digestive health, and maximum absorption of the sups, - I'm thinking of skipping an entire meal midday, to encourage greater detox during the day, thus having only two meals/day, although this is hard for me.
Currently I need a fruit during work, but this is OK for now. ;-)

FWIW, your mentioned sups: resveratrol, vitamins and fish oil I take w/food (except vitamin C (1ooomg X3), which I take seperately with a glass of juice concentrate, and sublingual B12, B6, I take w/o food also).

[lucid]

Thanks for the advice all