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Vitamin D supplements are most effective when taken with large meals

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

Vitamin D has been in the news a lot lately for its broad range of potential health benefits, but research has shown that just taking a vitamin supplement may not be enough for those whose vitamin D tests have shown them to be deficient of the nutrient.

This is because the body can have a difficult time absorbing the vitamin, and supplements may pass through the system without any benefit.

New research from the Cleveland Clinic suggests that vitamin D supplements have the greatest health impact when they are consumed with the largest meal of the day. Researchers asked a group of patients who had vitamin D deficiency but were not getting better to take their supplement with their largest meal.

Patients who began taking this advice saw a 56 percent improvement in the levels of vitamin D in their system.

Lead researcher, Angelo Licata, said that the findings would make it easier to treat patients with this problem, as by "doing something as simple as changing when you take your vitamin D supplement, you can improve the level in your blood by over 50 percent."