Vitamins may not be as glamorous as other supplements like creatine or even whey protein, but they’re vital to maintaining good health. What’s more, vitamins can help boost your bodybuilding training if you use them the right way.
In order to get the most out of your vitamin supplements, you just need to keep a few basic ideas in mind. Here are the principles that should guide your vitamin program.
Vitamin C and all of the B vitamins are water-soluble, meaning they dissolve in water. Because of this, these vitamins pass into your blood stream fairly quickly and are used for tissue repair, to fight free radicals, or for other processes in the body not long after you consume them.
Excess water-soluble vitamins are simply excreted, primarily through urine. Because these vitamins are not stored in your body, you need to take them in at regular intervals.
In addition, the water-soluble vitamins can help you get the most out of other nutrients. Vitamin C, for example, helps with the absorption of other nutrients, such as iron.
A good rule of thumb, then, is to take your water-soluble vitamin supplement at least once per day and prior to a meal (or with meals). This will ensure that you keep your blood levels topped off and may help you get more out of the food you eat.
Since these vitamins clear your system quickly, splitting up your daily dose across your meals would be an even better scenario. If you can handle the inconvenience, this technique could make your vitamins more effective.
Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble substances that require lipids (fat) for complete dissolution and digestion.
To aid absorption, then, you should strive to take your fat-soluble vitamins with or soon after a meal containing a decent amount of fat. For many Americans and for those employing a “carb cutoff” eating scheme, the best meal might be your evening meal.
One study, as reported by ConsumerLab.com, found that blood levels of vitamin D increased by 50% when taking the supplement with dinner as compared to taking it with breakfast!
Caution should be used when supplementing with fat-soluble vitamins because they tend to be stored in body tissues after digestion. Vitamin A and E exhibit this property most strongly.
Because they are stored in the body, your levels of these vitamins can build up over time, especially if you are not active enough to put those reserves to use. Too many fat-soluble vitamins in your tissue can be toxic, meaning you can effectively overdose on them and develop hypervitaminosis.
Pay close attention to the recommended daily allowances (RDAs) and take your fat-soluble vitamins with meals to avoid problems.
Although you need to take in all of the vitamins on a regular basis, some of them can interact with certain medications. The water-soluble vitamins, for example, can aid absorption of some compounds, which means MORE of your prescription drugs may get into your blood stream than intended by the listed dosage.
You can check for many interactions by using an online tool, such as WebMD’s Interaction Checker.
The best way to avoid problems is to visit your doctor and ask about potential interactions and then devise a plan based on what you find out. Often, vitamin-drug problems can be avoided just be manipulating your supplement intake timing.
Not everyone wants to take their vitamins in supplement form, and if you fall into that category, then you can adjust your diet to get in most of the nutrients you need from food. Just keep in mind that you will need to eat a wide variety of food, and likely a large quantity of food, to fulfill your RDAs across the board.
Another enticing option for some athletes is to take a multivitamin to get all of your nutrients in one sitting. Because these supplements contain both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, check the labels to make sure you’re not far exceeding the RDAs for the vitamins A and E.
You should take multivitamins with meals or at least near meals to avoid stomach upset and to aid absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins.
Whatever delivery methods you choose, these simple rules-of-thumb will help you get the most out of your vitamin supplements and keep you on the road to better health and training results.
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