Vitamin D is an incredibly important vitamin . But it is found in very few foods and is difficult to obtain from diet alone.
Since most of the world's population is at risk of deficiency, vitamin D is one of the most common dietary supplements.
However, many factors can affect its absorption, including when and how you take your daily dose.
This article explores when to take vitamin D to maximize absorption and effectiveness. There are also options for quality vitamin D for adults and children.
Why Drink Vitamin D
Vitamin D stands out from other vitamins because it is inherently considered a hormone and is produced by the skin as a result of exposure to sunlight ().
Getting enough vitamin D is essential for health, as research shows it plays a role in immune function, bone health, cancer prevention, and more (,,). Vitamin D is essential.
However, vitamin D is found in very few food sources. This makes it difficult to meet the body's needs for it if you are not getting regular exposure to the sun.
For older adults and people with darker skin, who are overweight or live in areas where sunlight is limited, the risk of a deficiency is even higher ().
About 42% of US adults are deficient in this key vitamin (). In Russia, the statistics are even more depressing - more than half of the population is deficient in vitamin D.
Although vitamin D is produced by your skin in response to exposure to sunlight, it is found in very few foods. Vitamin D supplementation is an effective way to meet your needs and prevent deficiency.
Better absorbed in food
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it does not dissolve in water and is best absorbed into your bloodstream when combined with fatty foods. For this reason, it is recommended to take vitamin D supplements with food to improve absorption.
In 17 people, one study found that taking vitamin D with the most food per day increased blood vitamin D levels by about 50% after 2-3 months ().
In another study of 50 older adults, consuming vitamin D along with a fatty meal increased blood vitamin D levels by 32% after 12 hours, compared to those who ate a low-fat meal ().
Avocados, nuts, seeds, high fat dairy products, and eggs are nutritious sources of fat that help increase absorption of vitamin D.
Research shows that consuming vitamin D along with healthy fats can significantly increase its absorption by the body.
Eating vitamin D in the evening can affect sleep
Research has linked vitamin D levels to sleep quality. In fact, several studies have linked low blood vitamin D levels to a higher risk of sleep disturbances, worse sleep quality, and reduced sleep duration (,,). In contrast, one small experiment showed that higher blood levels of vitamin D may be associated with lower levels of the hormone responsible for regulating the sleep cycle in people with multiple sclerosis ().
Some scientific evidence suggests that taking vitamin D at night can negatively affect sleep quality by interfering with melatonin production.
However, large-scale scientific studies are currently lacking to determine how nighttime vitamin D supplementation can affect sleep.
Until research is done, it's best to just experiment and find what works best for you.
Vitamin D deficiency can adversely affect sleep quality. Some scientific reports suggest that taking vitamin D in the evening and at night can interfere with sleep, but scientific evidence is scarce.
Morning is a good time to take vitamin D
Many people choose to take a daily supplement such as vitamin D. Not only is it often more convenient, but it is also easier to remember that you are drinking vitamins in the morning than later in the day.
This is especially true if you are taking multiple supplements, as it can be difficult to distribute your other supplements or medications throughout the day.
For this reason, it is best to get in the habit of taking vitamin D with a healthy and healthy breakfast.
Using a pill box, setting an alarm, or keeping your supplements near the dinner table are a few simple strategies to remind you to take your vitamin D.
Taking vitamin D in the morning with breakfast is a convenient and effective way to make up for vitamin D deficiencies.
What is the ideal time to take vitamin D
As we have already found out, eating vitamin D with food can enhance its absorption and increase blood levels more efficiently. However, there is very little scientific research on when to take vitamin D in the morning or evening.
The most important step is, in principle, to start taking vitamin D and to consume it consistently, especially when there is no active sun in your area.
If vitamin D does not disturb your sleep, then try taking it in the evening, but preferably with fatty foods. If you feel that you have begun to sleep worse than usual, reschedule your vitamin D intake in the morning.
Have a blood test for vitamin D on a regular basis.This will help you understand if your dosage is enough, whether the time at which you take vitamin D is effective. Consider also,. Recall that the therapeutic dosage of vitamin D for adults is 5000 IU and more, the maintenance dosage is 1000 IU. For children, the recommended rate is still 400-500 IU per day. Also remember that do not take more than the recommended norms.
Consuming vitamin D with food may increase absorption, but research on specific timing of intake is limited. For best results, experiment with different times - try in the morning and evening to find what works for you.
Vitamin D supplementation options
Thorne Research, D-5,000, 60 Capsules (Adult)
California Gold Nutrition, Baby Vitamin D3 Drops, 10 mcg (400 IU), 0.34 fl oz. (10 ml) (for children)
To develop an individual program for naturopathic correction of deficient conditions of the body, such as a lack of vitamin D, we recommend contacting.
Final thoughts
Supplements can be an effective way to boost your blood levels of vitamin D, which is critical to your health.
Taking vitamin D with food may increase its effectiveness because it is fat-soluble.
Although the best time to take vitamin D has not been established, there is scientific evidence that taking it in the evening and at night can disrupt sleep.
Current research shows that you can drink vitamin D any time of the day, with meals.
When is the best time to take vitamins: morning, afternoon or evening
You have decided to take vitamins. Due to age or on the advice of a doctor. What time of day is it best to take vitamins? And is there such a gradation: these vitamins should be taken in the morning, those - in the evening, and others - at all at night?
When to take vitamins
The timing of taking vitamins depends on the nature of the nutrients and their function.- 1. The most indisputable is to follow the instructions on the package of vitamins. Both the time of admission and the dosage are indicated there.
- 2. It will also be useful to consult a doctor.
- 3. If you just follow the logic, then with rare exceptions (more on this below in point No. 4) vitamins should be taken in the morning. This will give a certain charge to the body, and for the whole day. And for the night you do not need vigor and charge. Unless, of course, you have a night rendezvous.
- 4. Mineral supplements, in particular calcium and magnesium, should be taken in the evening or at night. Such supplements help to calm and relax muscles and are acceptable for proper rest and healthy sleep.
- 5. Since vitamins and minerals are nothing more than food components, they should be taken with food, which will increase the absorption and full return of useful components.
If you missed your morning vitamin intake, think about them at lunch. Because it will be late for dinner ...
Vitamins add not only years to your life, but life to your years!
Patrick Holford, author of books on healthy eating
On the one hand, it is believed that a lack of trace elements can not only lead to vitamin deficiency, but also cause a number of diseases - from colds to cancer. On the other hand, studies are regularly published that show that vitamins are not a panacea. Even the popular belief that vitamin C is effective against colds is controversial.
At the same time, it is difficult to close our eyes to the fact that corporations benefit from the popularization of vitamin preparations. And what is left for an ordinary person when a specialist in a white coat writes something illegible on a ticket, assuring that this will help improve his well-being?
True, you can hear a lot of positive reviews about taking such drugs, even from your friends. The easiest way is to try. But it is worth considering something, so at least not to harm yourself.
1. Assess if you are at risk
If you are lucky enough to get enough sleep every day, eat a variety of only the freshest and highest quality products, it is enough to be in the fresh air and the sun, you shine with happiness and health, then chase everyone like me who recommends you to change something in your life. ...
But it is more likely that you are not one of those. Most people today are still not able to pay enough attention to their diet.
Perhaps you want to lose weight. No matter how much you tell you about a balanced diet, you will avoid fat and bread if you fit into smaller jeans. During the session, students or those who travel to work to the other end of the city for two hours in one direction are generally not up to the quality of the products: they intercepted something on the go - and order. But the load on the body with such a life is enormous.
2. Determine What You Are Really Missing
If you decide on your own to determine what vitamins and minerals you lack, you will have to study the issue in detail. The widespread opinion that vitamin A is needed for good vision, ascorbic acid will save from, and calcium will provide the strength of bones and teeth, very superficially.
You can sort out the question in one of two ways:
- To study the symptoms of a lack of vitamins and minerals in the body. This will give you a more accurate picture of your condition.
- To pass the analysis - this way is easier and faster.
3. Analyze your diet
You should not simultaneously lean on foods rich in essential substances and take medications. For example, 100 grams of hard cheese already contains half the daily requirement of calcium. Beef liver covers the recommended daily dosage of vitamin A with 30 grams. 200 grams of broccoli contains 2-3 times the daily requirement of vitamin C. But to get the daily requirement of vitamin B6, you will have to eat about 200 grams of walnuts (more than 1,300 kcal) or 400 g of millet (more than 1,500 kcal) or chicken (more than 800 kcal).
4. Understand a little biochemistry
It should be borne in mind that vitamins are fat-soluble and water-soluble. The former include A, D, E and K, the latter - the rest. It is also important to understand that micronutrients are absorbed from salts. As a rule, the method of administration indicated in the instructions for the drug (on an empty stomach, during or after meals, with water) ensures effective absorption. In the case of food, this works when you add sour cream to the carrots: without vitamin A, it will pass you by.
javiercorrea15 / Depositphotos.com To assimilate some trace elements, vitamins are needed: for calcium - D, for iron - C, for magnesium - B6, and so on. Therefore, if you eat a lot of cottage cheese, but calcium is still not enough for you, you may not have enough vitamin D.
However, it is important to take into account that, for example, vitamins A, D, E, B 12 can accumulate in the body. This means that you cannot overdo it with them. At the same time, high dosages of substances that do not accumulate in the body are not so dangerous. Therefore, do not be alarmed if the drug contains 200-300% of the recommended rate. Some manufacturers compensate for the poor absorption of substances in this way.
But you need to be careful with micronutrients. Excessive use of one of them can lead to a decrease in the absorption of the other. For example, calcium reduces the absorption of magnesium and iron, and zinc reduces the absorption of calcium.
5. Don't skimp on your health
There is a much deeper level in chemistry than the trade name of a substance. If the same word is indicated in the composition of the drug, this does not mean that the substances are identical. The method of production, raw materials, purity matters - these data are not on the package.
In the case of preparations containing the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals, price can play a decisive role. You've probably heard that some vitamins and minerals are not absorbed when taken at the same time. The manufacturers solved this problem by creating tablets in which the components are arranged in layers (try cutting the tablet). This naturally complicates the production process and increases the cost of the final product. It is not a fact that the price of a cheap analogue has not been reduced due to the simplification of production.
Output
You may well try adding a couple of drugs to your diet if you feel that you are missing something, and evaluate the effect yourself. However, you should not treat them like sweets, as was customary in the Soviet Union with yellow balls or ascorbic acid.
Some vitamins enter the body along with food, others have to be taken in pill form to fill the deficit, since not all of them can be produced by the human body. It is good if all the foods that a person eats are rich and saturated with vitamins and nourish the cells. But if this does not happen, it is necessary to make up for their deficiency. Otherwise, it will affect the health of internal organs, appearance and, of course, well-being.
Natural natural vitamins
However, there is still a time of the year when the body experiences the greatest lack of vitamins in the body - this is spring. Many people have noticed that it is in the spring that many chronic diseases exacerbate, colds and flu become more active, a person feels tired and lack of strength.
The explanation is very simple: summer and autumn are seasons that are rich in fruits and vegetables. These products are the sources of most groups of vitamins for the human body. Even if you do not focus on the use of vegetables and fruits, there is still the greatest amount of them in the summer-autumn diet.
Thus, the body accumulates useful substances and trace elements for 5-6 months, using to the maximum extent all their positive characteristics and a positive effect on the functioning of organs and systems. This vitamin "charge" is enough for part of the winter. But since in winter and spring food saturated with vitamins becomes less and less, the body's resources run out, and a state of immunodeficiency sets in.
The need for auxiliary vitamins
In the spring, or even starting in February, it is advisable to strengthen the immune system and maintain the health of the body with the help of industrial vitamins that can be purchased at the pharmacy. What kind of drugs it is better to take, the doctor will say after a superficial examination. For some, trace elements that support the work of the heart and circulatory system, ensuring stable pressure, will be more relevant.
For another person, it is much more important to drink vitamins with calcium content to strengthen bones, teeth, nails and hair. For the third, the most important during this period may be complexes that maintain the required level of immunity to resist viral diseases.
All people are different and have different needs. For the general strengthening of the body without being tied to any possible diseases, you can drink a complex of vitamins, which is to support overall health.