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To best increase nutrient absorption from vitamins and minerals, you must take supplements wisely.

5) USE SUPPLEMENTS WISELY
I’m a firm believer in supplements, but I also believe that if you use them intelligently you don’t have to take everything under the sun (the shotgun approach) or spend a fortune. When and how do you take them? With meals? On an empty stomach? It depends! Let’s sort through things one step at a time.

Generally multivitamins, multiminerals, single vitamins like A, B1, B2, B3, B6, C or E and single minerals like calcium, magnesium or zinc are all best taken with meals for a few reasons. First, there is less risk of getting an upset stomach that way (ever burp up a B-complex?). More important, these supplements are digested and absorbed better with food. Eating a meal stimulates a cascade of chemical and enzymatic reactions that help these supplements get broken down, digested and carried into the bloodstream. Taking vitamins and minerals with a glass of water just isn’t the same.

Supplements are best absorbed, as are meals, when taken in small quantities. Large amounts of any nutrient taken at one time are likely to overwhelm digestive and transport pathways and largely be excreted through the stool or urine. That’s not best for your body or your pocketbook! This seems to be especially true with the water-soluble B vitamins and C. Thus, if you are in the habit of taking, say, 1,000 mg of Vitamin C per day, taking four 250-mg amounts is better than taking the full 1,000 mg at one time. Small multiple servings are best.

Amino acids, whether free form or peptide bound, seem to be digested and absorbed well with or without food, but they may be of more benefit in your total nutritional regimen if they are taken with protein meals. Too many bodybuilders take an excess amount of aminos when instead they would probably be better off taking a few grams of aminos along with protein foods. This helps to round out the amino acid balance in the food to form a more complete protein that can be absorbed more completely. Typical sources of protein like chicken, tuna, turkey, etc. are less than optimal in one or more of the essential amino acids. Amino supplements thus complement the amino acids in foods and have an optimizing, synergistic effect on the body’s use of the protein food for muscle growth, repair and recuperation.

For some aminos, such as the branched-chain amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine, a case can be made to take them shortly before a workout, without a meal, to provide a back-up energy supply during workouts and help limit catabolism. These aminos are usually absorbed quite well.

When you take supplements will make a great deal of difference in how or if you benefit from them. Be sure to take notes from these articles. Because there are so many ways to increase nutrient absorption, you will want to remember the reasons for when to take supplements.

Author: Rex Grogan
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