There is a common trend to take multi-vitamins in the morning at breakfast time. I don’t know when or where this trend started but I suspect the intention was that this is a time of day where it is easy for people to remember to take them. Apart from that I have not read anything to suggest that this is an optimal time of day over any other time.
In fact, I have never read anything that suggest there is an optimal time of day to take micro nutrients. The closest I have seen is a report about the ZMA formula developed by Victor Conte. The test they did with athletes and the feedback they got back suggested that night time, before bed was when athletes got the optimal response from this zinc, magnesium, B6 formula. There is some contention about the validity of the study but putting that aside, it got me thinking about the timing of micro nutrients.
When Is The Right Time To Take Micro Nutrients?
I believe the best time of day to take them is at night, not necessarily before you go to bed, but at least at night time with your dinner. Vitamins and minerals have complex chemical structures and it take a long time for the body to break them down into a form that can be absorbed. That’s why it’s important to take them with food so that they mix in with the food and hang in the intestinal tract for the hours required for absorption.
The reason why I think it’s important to take these supplements at night is because when you are asleep your body goes into it’s repair and recovery mode. I can’t think of a better time for your blood system to be flooded with micro-nutrients and antioxidants. I believe that this is the best time for your body to take advantage of these nutrients and use them for all your systems needs. I’ve been practicing this for the majority of 2008 and my focus has been on antioxidants rather than general multi-vitamins.
I think it has helped my general health and wellbeing. This winter just finished I have breezed through free of coughs and colds and my recovery from training has been good. I train hard and experience very little DOMS, although a lot of that would come from a good supply of BCAA’s around and during training time.
Anyway, I would like to hear others opinions and experiences regarding micro nutrients and whether you experiment with the timing of these nutrients.
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