Dear Monique,I have a question about nutrient uptakes. I have vitamin/mineral fortifiedcereals in the morning with breakfast. I also take supplements, usuallyafter dinner. Would it be better to take the supplement with my breakfast?I suppose the high concentration of nutrients would allow them to takenup faster. Or maybe spreading them out over multiple meals allow the bodyto extract them more efficiently or selectively.
Thanks.
RSDear RS;
Thanks for your question. Many of us consume fortified foods in ourdiet or choose to take a multivitamin mineral supplement for extra nutrientinsurance that goes beyond our food choices. In fact, in June of 2002,the American Medical Association advised that taking a multivitamin thatprovides 100 to 150 percent of the Daily Values can be helpful in diseaseprevention.Research also shows that adults taking multivitamins have stronger immunefunction. However, what you don’t want to do is take the equivalent oftwo multivitamin mineral supplements. If your fortified cereal contains100 ppercent of the Daily Values, you could obtain too high levels of vitaminA, and perhaps too much iron. For some vitamins, extra amounts may notpresent a problem. You can also obtain a high level of some nutrients ifyou frequently consume fortified sports nutrition products- so make sureto check labels carefully.Consider taking your multivitamin mineral supplement on days you donot consume a high number of foods fortified with up to 100 percent ofthe Daily Values. Take your multivitamin separately from any fortifiedfoods (if you do take both) and try to take your multivitamin mineral supplementwith a meal or snack, since the nutrients in real foods may enhance absorptionof the supplement. Take the multi with plenty of water.However, the most important thing is that you do take the multi consistentlyand don’t overdue your supplementation with other fortified foods. Purchasea supplement with USP on the label to ensure that it dissolved properlyin your body. Avoid supplements that contain excess of any one mineral,as minerals compete with each other for absorption. Choose a supplementwhere the majority of vitamin A is actually beta-carotene- which can beconverted to vitamin A as needed by your body.
Monique

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Monique Ryan, MS, RD, is the author of the "Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition,” and “Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes” from VeloPress. She is a regular columnist for Inside Triathlon and VeloNews magazines and is founder of Personal Nutrition Designs, a nutrition consulting company based in the Chicago area. Ryan regularly counsels athletes on performance and health-related nutrition concerns and offers services through her website at "www.moniqueryan.com.” She has consulted with the Saturn Cycling Team since 1994, and has also worked with Volvo-Cannondale, Trek-Volkswagen, and USA Cycling. Ryan offers answers to reader’s questions each Wednesday in this weekly column. Readers are welcome to send questions directly to Ryan. The information in The feed zone does not constitute prescriptive nutritional advice. The information provided on this web site is solely for general interest of the visitors to that site and is intended for educational purposes only.