In recent years, vitamins have almost become a panacea. Take them in addition to the standard diet can advise both familiar people and doctors. The pharmaceutical market is filled with many multivitamin complexes, claiming to be the most complete sets of nutrients. However, the question of which vitamins cannot be taken together comes surprisingly rarely. Whereas the issue is important and requires careful consideration.
How does the mutual influence of the elements
Each vitamin can be isolated into a chemical substance, which is subsequently mixed with other vitamins and pressed into multivitamin tablets. Being in the same pill, substances can interact with each other at both the physicochemical and pharmacological levels.
There are several types of interactions, each of which ultimately affects which vitamins cannot be taken together. The main division that interests most patients is the synergistic (positive) and antagonistic (negative) interaction of vitamins with each other. Both the choice of the optimal vitamin complex and the feasibility of using such complexes as a whole will depend on this.
Positive interaction
Choosing the right combination of vitamins among themselves is often a problem for the manufacturer. This entails additional costs and the addition of intermediate production operations designed to strengthen one interaction and weaken another. But if a pharmaceutical company knows how to combine vitamins, their products can be an order of magnitude superior in quality to other similar supplements.
A positive combination of vitamins is also called synergism. This is an interaction process in which the effect of one vitamin is enhanced by the influence of another. As a result, either an enhancement of the effect for each of the substances in total or a general enhancement of the effect for all the components involved can occur.
Negative interaction
But besides the positive effect of vitamins on each other, there is also a negative one. This phenomenon is called antagonism - the competition of substances among themselves. The interaction of the components has been studied many times in practice, after which lists have been compiled explaining which vitamins cannot be taken together.
In most cases, antagonism for vitamins means opposite effects from the intake: a vitamin that stimulates the nervous system and a component that reduces its activity will be antagonistic.
The use of antagonistic vitamins
Incompatible vitamins can not be taken at the same time, as manufacturers of such additives often forget to say. However, subject to certain admission rules, antagonists can also be used and successfully influence the body without interfering with each other.
- First of all, antagonists should be in different tablets. They must be taken strictly separately, completely excluding the possibility of interaction.
- Since it takes time to dissolve the tablet in the stomach and then assimilate the substances contained in it, this fact must be taken into account when taking it. You need to wait at least 4 hours between doses of antagonistic vitamins.
- Which vitamins cannot be taken together is also influenced by the form of their use. Drugs in ampoules enter the blood much faster and spread throughout the body. If it is absolutely necessary to use one or another vitamin, injections can be used.
But in the event of a lack of any vitamins and the need to use several incompatible additives at once, it is better to consult a doctor for a more accurate and individual selection of the regimen.
Fat Soluble Vitamin Compatibility
The compatibility of vitamins among themselves for fat-soluble elements is easy enough to remember, since there are not very many of them.
Positive interaction | Negative interaction |
Vitamin A (retinol) has a dose-dependent combination with vitamin E. This means that when retinol is taken in combination with a small amount of vitamin E, the absorption of the first improves. | With increasing doses of tocopherol, the absorption of vitamin A seriously slows down. Therefore, it is necessary to control not only the intake of vitamins together, but also the ratio of their doses |
Vitamin E (tocopherol) also reduces the intake of vitamin D, as it improves the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the body. Vitamin D is also responsible for the same process, therefore, with an increase in the concentration of one of the substances, the second requires less absorption of calcium and phosphorus. | Vitamin E is not compatible with iron. |
With a decrease in the amount of vitamin D, the absorption of tocopherol increases. | |
To stimulate the antioxidant properties of vitamin E, it should be taken in conjunction with the trace element selenium. Therefore, if this element is added to the multivitamin complex, its presence improves the effect of vitamin E. | |
Vitamins A, E and C are completely compatible with each other. E and C protect retinol from oxidation. | |
Water Soluble Vitamin Compatibility
Since there are much more water-soluble vitamins than fat-soluble vitamins, their combination is most conveniently presented in the form of a vitamin compatibility table. It will more clearly show both the positive and negative effects of these substances on each other.
Positive compatibility | Negative compatibility |
B 2 converts B 6 into an active form and increases the bioavailability of zinc. | Vitamins B 2 and B 3 destroy vitamin B 1 |
Vitamin B 6 reduces the excretion of certain minerals from the body: calcium and zinc. It also increases the bioavailability of magnesium, which in turn improves the penetration of B 6 into cells. | B 1 does not go into active form in combination with B 6 . |
B 12 - vitamin absorption depends on the presence of calcium in the body. | B 6 is destroyed by exposure to B 12 |
| B 12 is destroyed under the influence of trace elements, therefore, they can not be used together. |
It is also worth noting that, unlike fat-soluble vitamins with an accumulating effect, water-soluble vitamins are successfully excreted in excess. Therefore, taking them, although safer than fat-soluble (since it is almost impossible to get an overdose), but the vitamin itself may not be absorbed, having an antagonistic effect on other components.
Combination of minerals
The combination of minerals is much more diverse than the combination of vitamins. The level of iron absorption decreases when other minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc, chromium) are present in the incoming additive. Also, calcium and copper reduce the absorption of zinc, and calcium in combination with iron inhibits the absorption and absorption of magnesium.
As you can see, taking minerals with one tablet is extremely undesirable, since its composition will not be able to properly digest due to the antagonism of the minerals to each other. The best choice in this case is to purchase a vitamin supplement enriched in any one mineral. In this case, it is most fully absorbed, and there will be no fear that another component in the composition will interfere with this.
Multivitamin Complexes
Pharmaceutical manufacturers position their products as the most complete combinations of popular vitamins with verified doses for an adult's day. But it is extremely rare in the production process that technology allows you to observe the nuances of the compatibility of all vitamins.
At the moment, there are a small number of vitamin complexes, which include several tablets for taking several times a day. But this approach is largely inconvenient for the consumer, and therefore supplements consisting of one tablet for taking once a day continue to enter the market. When choosing multivitamin complexes, it is better to give preference to those that contain a small amount of compatible vitamins. In this case, it is more likely that the supplement will actually affect the body, and will not go unnoticed due to the antagonism of its constituent components.