vitamins

[veritysims]

For years ive taken a multivitamin in the morning with a cup of tea. I read today that they should only be taken with cold drinks or food. Why is this and does it mean ive wasted my time and money?

[PurplePixie]

I've always thought that pills dissolved quicker if you swallow them with a hot drink. This might not be such a good thing with some that are designed to not break up until they reach your tum....causing indigestion if they dissolve higher up in your digestive system. I'm thinking particularly about those ones that are time release capsules, or are coated with something to hide a vile taste. I know this is true about some of the pills I take.

[Morrisonker]

That's what i would say too.  I take Seven Seas Multibionta thingys and if I have them with tea or coffee they start disolving in my mouth quite quickly which tastes horrible

[luckystrike]

I've got to agree.  It's probably best to take all tablets after food and with a cold drink - some of the most 'medical' tablets can cause stomach upsets, irritate ulsers, etc. and may cause damage to the throat if they dissolve too quickly.

I'd be very surprised if a multi-vitamin would have any nasty side effects like these, but I usually take mine with water or orange juice.

[birdy72]

You shouldn't take vitamins with hot drinks, especially tea or coffee, because they interfere with the absorption of nutrients - heat affects the vitamin and mineral content, and as caffeine is a diuretic it will also speed up how quickly they are excreted by your body.
Some vitamins advise you to take them with food while some don't, so I would do as the label suggests.

You will know yourself whether you feel better for having taken vitamins for all these years, so don't think you've wasted your money if you're feeling good, but maybe you haven't reached the full nutrient potential! Bring on the glass of OJ or water instead.

[veritysims]

thanks for the answers all. i have started taking my pills in the evening with a glass of water to be on the safe side.

[Gef]

Never read so much rubbish in my life. Simple answer is not to take pills - eat a balanced diet.

[birdy72]

Ha! If only the 'balanced diet' provided what it used to years before pollution became a problem, as did the loss of nutrients in soil and the increased use of pesticides...
There is no inconclusive proof as to how much we are benefitting from our food OR from vitamins, but I would never say no to any extra help.

[birdy72]

ok oops it's very late, that should read no conclusive proof, hmmm...

[Gef]

Sorry birdy but I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this. The vitamin content of a particular food has has nothing to do with pollution, soil nutrients or pesticides.