Take Vitamin D Supplements with Meals

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Taking vitamin D supplements with food may be a cost-effective strategy to achieve optimum levels.

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What do you do if you’re one of the 42% of Americans with vitamin D deficiency, are put on a vitamin D supplement regimen, and your levels still don’t budge?

That kept happening to this group of docs at the Cleveland Clinic. “In our practice,” they wrote, “it is common to see patients treated with vitamin D supplements who do not achieve an appreciable rise in their [vitamin D] level after therapy despite large prescribed doses.”

So, they did a few experiments, and concluded that “[t]aking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in higher [blood] levels of [vitamin D].” Just that one simple change in timing “results in about a 50% increase in [blood] levels of [vitamin D] achieved.” They conclude: “It therefore seems reasonable to ask patients to take vitamin D supplements with their largest meal because it may be a cost-effective strategy that could very well help patients to achieve optimal serum levels of [vitamin D].”

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Image thanks to plant nutrition via Flickr

What do you do if you’re one of the 42% of Americans with vitamin D deficiency, are put on a vitamin D supplement regimen, and your levels still don’t budge?

That kept happening to this group of docs at the Cleveland Clinic. “In our practice,” they wrote, “it is common to see patients treated with vitamin D supplements who do not achieve an appreciable rise in their [vitamin D] level after therapy despite large prescribed doses.”

So, they did a few experiments, and concluded that “[t]aking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in higher [blood] levels of [vitamin D].” Just that one simple change in timing “results in about a 50% increase in [blood] levels of [vitamin D] achieved.” They conclude: “It therefore seems reasonable to ask patients to take vitamin D supplements with their largest meal because it may be a cost-effective strategy that could very well help patients to achieve optimal serum levels of [vitamin D].”

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.

Image thanks to plant nutrition via Flickr

Doctor's Note

This is the final video in a nine-part series on vitamin D. Be sure to check out my previous video: Resolving the Vitamin D-bate, and today’s blog: Vitamin D: Shedding some light on the new recommendations

For more context, also check out my associated blog posts: How to Enhance Mineral AbsorptionVitamin D from Mushrooms, Sun, or Supplements? and How Should I Take Probiotics?.

If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here. Read our important information about translations here.

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