Wondering when to take your supplement line-up? With doctors encouraging everyone to at least take vitamin D every day until April and the brain health benefits of creatine hard to ignore, it's creating quite the queue in the medicine cabinet.
Dr Amir Khan, a GP and woman&home's own resident doctor, as well as being a frequent guest on This Morning and Lorraine, took to Instagram to share with his followers the exact order we should take our vitamins, minerals, and other supplements, as well as the foods to avoid having them with.
"When it comes to your supplements, timing is everything," says Dr Khan. "It can make a massive difference to how well your body absorbs and responds to it."
If you take an iron supplement, this is the first one you should take in the morning, before you have breakfast.
"You first wake up, and you might be taking an iron supplement, particularly women who are low in iron. With iron, you want to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and with vitamin C for better absorption," he says.
"Don't take that with tea or coffee or magnesium, because that can reduce the absorption. Just a splash of water, some vitamin C. That's how you take your iron."
Next up, and after breakfast, the doctor says to take fat-soluble supplements. "These are supplements that are absorbed in the fat that you eat. Vitamin D is fat-soluble, so you want to take it with food, so breakfast or lunch. Your omega-3 fatty acid - that is also fat soluble, so you want that with food," he says.
If you are taking an omega-3 fatty acid supplement or a multivitamin, these should also be taken with food. That includes vitamin A, D, E, and K.
Magnesium is a supplement you should take in the evening, says Dr Khan, thanks to its sleep-inducing benefits. "It's probably best taken in the evening as it can have a relaxing effect on you, so it can help you sleep. That one, an hour or two before bed."
Finally, one of the doctor's "favourites" - creatine. This is one of the most extensively researched supplements in the world, created originally to help gym-goers gain more muscle. It's since been recognised as one of the best for women over 50 to gain and maintain muscle mass and cognitive wellbeing. We naturally make creatine in the body, so supplementing it helps boost these stores.
"That's an easy one," the doctor says. "Take it whenever, wherever."
When to take supplements
- Morning, before breakfast: Iron + vitamin C, never with tea or coffee
- After breakfast: Vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and other fat-soluble supplements
- In the evening: Magnesium
- Any time: Creatine
Why shouldn't you drink coffee or tea with iron?
Drinking tea or coffee alongside your iron supplement could render it useless, research shows. The plant compounds (polyphenols and tannins) in these morning beverages make it harder for the body to absorb the iron supplement by binding to the iron in the stomach. In some cases, it can make it up to 90% ineffective.
If you have any concerns or questions about when to take your supplements or the foods/drinks to avoid taking them with, speak to your doctor.
