Vitamins C, E, and iron tend to cause more stomach irritation, says Dr. If your multivitamin is high in one of these three and you have stomach problems, you may want to consider changing your formula. While iron is actually better absorbed on an empty stomach, taking it with nothing in the tank bothers a lot of stomachs, Cooney points out. Supplementing with the mineral is also known to contribute to constipation.
If iron supplementation makes it difficult for you to go to the bathroom, make sure you drink plenty of water and eat plenty of fiber, Cooney adds. Here are 10 high-fiber foods you'll like to eat, plus some creative ways to increase your H2O intake. If you use magnesium specifically to keep your digestive system moving, try magnesium citrate (such as Calm Zone magnesium powder from The Vitamin Shoppe brand) instead of magnesium oxide, as it may not have such an intense effect. Still, stick to the recommended amount to help avoid an upset stomach.
Do you still feel sick afterwards? Control your dose. Sticking with doses of that amount or less at a time can help you avoid problems. Otherwise, try taking zinc supplements with food and check with your health care provider to find out if the zinc might be interacting with another medication you're taking, which can cause stomach upset, Cooney says. When taken in excess, calcium supplements can contribute to problems such as stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea, according to Cooney.
Calcium supplements also often come in carbonate form, which could cause stomach problems. It's also important to determine with your doctor if calcium supplements can interact with other medications you're taking. Finally, take your calcium supplements at a different time than your multivitamin or any other iron supplement. Because your body doesn't produce vitamin C, you must consume it through food or supplements.
And while it's common practice, “taking more than 2000 milligrams of vitamin C a day could cause abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” Cooney says. Fortunately, since you can take vitamin C any time of the day, with or without food, it's easy to space out doses throughout the day, Cooney says. The minerals in multivitamins tend to cause any side effects you might experience after taking them on an empty stomach, especially if your particular multivitamin contains large amounts, Cooney points out. Even if you're worried about eating a balanced diet, some important vitamins and minerals may be going unnoticed, and since not all vitamin deficiencies cause symptoms, you might not even know it.
Omega-3s can help reduce inflammation and keep your heart and blood vessels healthy, Kleinschrodt says. What can make it difficult to get enough omega-3s is that there are three different types of ALA, EPA and DHA, and experts have only established the recommended amounts of ALA, according to the NIH. Chances are, unless you eat fatty fish and pasture-raised eggs every day, you probably won't consume enough fatty acids to have a therapeutic effect, Kleinschrodt says. Vitamin K is very important for blood clotting and bone health, and it also plays a role in a variety of physiological functions, according to the NIH.
While total vitamin K deficiencies are rare, you may not be getting enough for good health, and you may not know it, your intake may be low, but not low enough to be considered a deficiency, Dixon says. It's found in large quantities in only a few foods, mostly green leafy vegetables and spices, and many people don't eat enough of these foods regularly, Dixon says. To top it all off, many multivitamins contain very little vitamin K, and most foods aren't fortified with vitamin K either. Vitamin B12 keeps our nerves and blood cells healthy, but because stomach acid is needed to absorb the vitamin and our stomach acid production decreases as we age, getting enough vitamin B12 can be a challenge.
You may also fall short if you regularly take medications to treat chronic heartburn, such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). The retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid forms of vitamin A come mainly from animal foods, such as dairy products, fish, and liver. Although illnesses caused by a lack of fat-soluble vitamins are rare in the United States, symptoms of mild deficiency can occur without adequate amounts of vitamins in the diet. Vitamin K deficiency can occur in infants or in people taking blood thinners, such as Coumadin (warfarin) or antibiotics.
If you take a multivitamin, check the label to make sure that most of the vitamin A supplied is in the form of beta-carotene, which seems to be safe. B vitamins are very important in breaking down and using nutrients, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Institute of Medicine Committee (EE). (USA) to review dietary reference intakes for vitamin D and calcium; Ross A.
However, the most recent findings indicate that people who take antioxidant and vitamin E supplements are no better protected against heart disease and cancer than people who don't take supplements. Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K are stored in the body for long periods of time and generally pose a greater risk of toxicity than water-soluble vitamins when consumed in excess. They are often sold separately to treat different conditions specifically, but for general digestion and health, it is best to take them as a complex, since the B vitamins work together. Vitamin D benefits the body by playing a role in immunity and controlling cell growth, and may protect against osteoporosis, high blood pressure, cancer, and other diseases.
While seaweed is technically a supplement, it's also worth mentioning here, as they contain calcium and magnesium, along with many other beneficial vitamins and minerals in a form that is easily absorbed by the body. Approximately 60 percent of vitamin E in the diet comes from vegetable oil (soybeans, corn, cottonseeds, and safflower). Some of the main food sources of vitamin D are cod liver oil (1,360 IU per 1 tablespoon), swordfish (566 IU per 3 ounces), cooked red salmon (477 IU), tuna canned in water (154 IU), and fortified orange juice (137 IU per 1 cup, though each brand is different). .
