{"id":14929,"date":"2022-03-21T16:06:32","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T16:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/?p=14929"},"modified":"2023-01-09T07:23:07","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T07:23:07","slug":"what-to-drink-with-supplements-for-better-absorption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/what-to-drink-with-supplements-for-better-absorption\/","title":{"rendered":"What to drink with your supplements for better absorption, according to a pharmacist"},"content":{"rendered":"Wake up, drink coffee, take my vitamins. Does your morning look like this? Mine too. And I felt great about it\u2014until I realized that coffee might be sabotaging my vitamin routine. It turns out that precious cup of Joe is one of a few drinks that can interfere with nutrient absorption, preventing supplements from working at full strength.\u00a0Does that mean we all have to quit coffee for the sake of our vitamins? (\u201cPlease say no\u2026 please say no\u2026\u201d). Well&#8230; maybe not. If you take timing and other factors into account, you can enjoy the benefits of both.\u00a0So before making any big life choices, I sat down with Brandi Cole, PharmD, a Persona pharmacist and leading expert on dietary supplement interactions. She explained how some of my fave morning drinks can affect nutrient absorption\u2014and what I can do to fix it.\u00a0But first, what is nutrient absorption?\u00a0Supplements don\u2019t start doing their good work the moment they pass your lips. Instead, they have to go through a series of steps. They pass down your throat, through your stomach and arrive in your small intestine, where specialized cells absorb them into your bloodstream. Your blood delivers nutrients throughout your body to their final destination: your cells. Once inside your cells, some nutrients (the bioavailable ones) can get right to work, while others, like certain forms of folate and B12, first have to be converted into their active, usable forms.\u00a0What gets in the way of nutrient absorption? \u00a0There are a few things that can interfere with this process: \u00a0Age: the older we get, the harder it is to absorb certain nutrients, especially vitamin B12.\u00a0\u00a0Gut health: Digestive issues can hinder your ability to fully absorb nutrients from foods and supplements.\u00a0\u00a0Genetics: Some people are born less able to convert nutrients like folate and vitamin B12 to their active forms.\u00a0Food Allergies: When people with allergies or certain autoimmune diseases\u2014like celiac disease\u2014eat foods they can\u2019t tolerate, the proteins in those foods can affect the lining of the gut, which can in turn affect absorption.\u00a0Anti-nutrients: Natural compounds in certain foods and drinks can interfere with your body\u2019s ability to absorb and use the nutrients from supplements like calcium, iron and zinc. These compounds, sometimes referred to as \u201canti-nutrients\u201d are mostly found in plant-based foods like grains, beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables and\u2014importantly\u2014certain drinks.\u00a0Drinks to avoid taking with your supplements\u00a0So what drinks contain anti-nutrients that make your supplements less effective? There are three big offenders:\u00a0Coffee: The antioxidant compounds found in coffee beans, mainly phytates and tannins, reduce your absorption of minerals, like iron and zinc. This is especially important to keep in mind if you suffer from iron deficiency anemia.\u00a0Green Tea: The oxalates in green tea\u00a0reduce calcium absorption. It can also decrease folate metabolism, an essential B vitamin that is important for healthy cells.\u00a0Alcohol: Alcohol irritates the lining of your digestive system, which impairs vitamin B12 absorption. It also changes how your body transports, stores, and metabolizes nutrients, preventing them from being fully utilized.\u00a0\u00a0So if you don\u2019t want to quit coffee, then what?\u00a0When it comes to supplements, timing is everything, says Cole: \u201cTake your supplements with food and water at least an hour before or after coffee, tea or alcohol.\u201d Even better, consider taking them with a drink that will enhance their effectiveness. \u00a0\u201cTake your supplements with food and water at least an hour before or after coffee, tea or alcohol,\u201d recommends Cole.\u00a0Drinks that can give your supplements a helping hand\u00a0Just as some drinks can sabotage your vitamins, there are others that can give them a leg up. Here are a few drinks that you may want to consider adding to your supplement routine:\u00a0Orange Juice (and its friends): The vitamin C in your morning glass of OJ makes iron easier to absorb. It may even help counteract some other types of compounds that reduce iron absorption, like phytates. Not a fan of OJ? Try tomato juice, pineapple, strawberries, or bell peppers for an alternate source of the vitamin.\u00a0Milk: Calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin D work together to support healthy bones. The vitamin D in fortified milk increases calcium and phosphorous absorption in your intestines. It does this by helping your body make a protein, called calbindin, which works to shuttle calcium across your cells. As a bonus, the fat in milk also helps you absorb more fat-soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, and K. Not a milk drinker? Most plant-based milks are fortified with vitamin D and calcium too, just check the label.\u00a0Bottom line: I get to keep my coffee and I\u2019ll get more out of my supplements too, which is exactly why Brandi Cole, PharmD is my favorite pharmacist.\u00a0Still worried about supplement interactions?\u202f\u202f \u00a0When it comes to supplements, there\u2019s a lot to consider. Persona\u2019s free nutrition assessment builds a plan for you step by step, looking at your diet, lifestyle, health goals\u2014even your medications\u2014and designs a daily vitamin pack that fits your needs. And it checks every pill against a huge database of supplements and medications, to make sure they won\u2019t interact. \u201cIt\u2019s a great place to start,\u201d says Cole. \u201cI truly believe having personalized vitamins that work well together and don\u2019t interact with each other is key.\u201d\u202f\u00a0\u00a0About Brandi\u00a0Brandi is a registered pharmacist with a bachelor\u2019s degree in biochemistry, cellular, and molecular biology, and a doctorate in pharmacy. With a background in community pharmacy, she is passionate about patient education when it comes to both medication and natural remedies.\u00a0About Emily\u00a0\u00a0Emily is a registered dietitian with a master\u2019s degree in health communications. She is a self-proclaimed nutrition nerd and has a knack for translating nutrition science into everyday tips and resources.\u00a0 Emily is\u202fjust one of Persona\u2019s team of qualified nutritionists.\u202fDo you have\u202fquestions about nutrition?\u202fReach out. Our experts\u202fwould love\u202fto help.\u202f\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information from this article for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Do not disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking professional advice because of something you have read in this article.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Wake up, drink coffee, take my vitamins. Does your morning look like this? Mine too. And I felt great about it\u2014until I realized that coffee might be sabotaging my vitamin routine. It turns out that precious cup of Joe is one of","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":14957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[683,1893,1921],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-womens-health","category-wellness-journey","category-wellness-journey-pro-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14929"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15615,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14929\/revisions\/15615"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.personanutrition.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}