Factors that influence absorption.
Vitamins and particularly minerals come in different forms which affect their absorption and availability. Apart from the form of the nutrient, there are dietary and lifestyle factors that help or hinder their availability to the body. I concentrate on dietary factors in this article.
The general rule is all vitamins and minerals are best taken with food. This is primarily because the presence of stomach acid helps many minerals to be absorbed, and because fat-soluble vitamins (K, E, D, A) are carried by the fats or oils present in meals. Therefore, fat- soluble vitamins are best taken with foods containing fats or oils. For example, when you eat leek soup, and you take vitamin D supplements after the meal then add some olive oil to the soup.
There is, however, always an exception. If you want to take the alkaline forming ‘ascorbate’ type of vitamin C quite in large doses (3 grams or more a day), take it away from meals to avoid neutralizing the acidity in your stomach.
Some vitamins and minerals are best when taken separately. Zinc and copper compete with one another, as do iron and zinc when they are out of ratio. Calcium also inhibits iron, which means they should be separated; therefore, you should take iron in the a.m., and calcium in the p.m.
The below tables give a summary of factors that influence vitamins and minerals absorption.
Vitamins absorption
| Vitamins | When best absorption | What helps absorption | What hinders absorption |
| Vitamin A | Take with foods containing fats and oils | Dietary fat, zinc, vitamin C and E | Alcohol, coffee |
| Vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5 | Alone or with meals | All B vitamins, magnesium, manganese | Alcohol, coffee, tea, Sulphur dioxide (preservative) |
| B6 Pyridoxine | Alone or with meals | All B vitamins, magnesium, zinc | Alcohol, high protein intake, processed food |
| Biotin | Alone or with meals | B complex vitamins | Avidin in raw egg white, fried food |
| Folic acid | Alone or with meals | B complex vitamins and vitamin C | Alcohol |
| B12 Methylcobalamin | Alone or with meals | B complex vitamins and calcium | Alcohol, intestinal parasites |
| Vitamin C | Away from meals | Bioflavonoids, B complex vitamins and vitamin E | Alcohol, fried food |
| Vitamin D | Take with foods containing fats and oil | Vitamin A, C, E, calcium, phosphorus | Fried food |
| Vitamin E | Take with foods containing fats and oils | Vitamin C and selenium | Ferric forms of iron, oxidized fats |
Minerals absorption
| Minerals | When best absorption | What helps absorption | What hinders absorption |
| Calcium | With protein food | Vitamin D, boron, 3:2 ratio calcium : magnesium, 2:1 ration calcium : phosphorus | Alcohol, tea, coffee, excess fat and phosphorus, oxalates, phytates |
| Chromium | With protein food | Vitamin B3, amino acids glycine, glutamic acid and cystine | Tea, coffee, refined sugars and flours, processed foods, additives |
| Iron | With food | Vitamin C, E, folic acid and phosphorus | Coffee, tea, red wine, cocoa, oxalates, phytates, phosphates, additives, antacids, high zinc intake, calcium, soy proteins |
| Magnesium | With protein food | Vitamin B1, B6, C, D, zinc, calcium and phosphorus | Alcohol, tea, coffee, large amounts of calcium in milk products, fats, oxalates, phytates |
| Manganese | With protein food | Vitamin E, B1, C and K | Alcohol, tea, coffee, refined foods, calcium, phosphorus, high-dosage of zinc |
| Molybdenum | With food | Protein, carbs and fats | Copper, sulphates |
| Phosphorus | With food | Magnesium | Alcohol, sugar, excess sodium form salt |
| Selenium | On an empty stomach | Vitamin A, E and C | Tea, coffee, mercury, refined foods |
| Sodium | With food | Vitamin D | Potassium and chloride counteract with sodium |
| Zinc | On an empty stomach, p.m. | Vitamin A, E, B6, magnesium and phosphorus | Alcohol, tea, coffee, excess sugar intake, phytates, oxalates, high calcium intake, copper, lead, low protein intake |
Some examples how the absorption of nutrients works the best:
Avoid eating meat or taking iron supplements with meals which contain oxalates such as spinach. When you drink coffee or black tea in the morning, do not take supplements after breakfast but wait for 2 hours. Do not take a large amount of an individual B vitamin without also taking a B complex or multivitamin. Soak nuts and seeds for 12 hours to neutralize phytic acid that inhibits the absorption of calcium and some other minerals.
Final thoughts
While the golden rule of any supplement programme is to work out the right doses and take them regularly, there are many other factors to consider when taking supplements, such as good and bad combinations and absorption.
No one wants to end up taking each supplement separately. So unless you have a specific need or deficiency and want to maximise absorption by taking the nutrient on its own, spread your nutrients out throughout the day and take them with meals as nature intended.
For more support taking supplements or for more information on vitamins and minerals in general get in touch with me.
Thank you for reading.
