Vitamin/Mineral Tips

1. Take a multivitamin with food or shortly afterward. Any fat in the meal will help you absorb the fat-soluble vitamins.

2. If you take chewable vitamin C, brush your teeth afterwards -- or at least rinse out your mouth -- since it is acidic enough to start dissolving tooth enamel.

3. Take "natural" vitamin E, which is better utilized by the body than synthetic. Preferably it should contain "mixed tocopherols."

4. If you take the B vitamin folic acid, also take a B12 supplement, since folic acid can mask a B12 deficiency. (It's easiest to get both of these B's from a multi.)

5. If your doctor has advised an iron supplement, take it with orange juice or other juice/food rich in vitamin C to enhance its absorption. But don't take it within two hours of consuming a calcium supplement or calcium-rich food or beverage.

6. Take no more than 500 milligrams of calcium at a time, and take it with food (see Wellness Letter, May 2001). Vitamin D boosts calcium absorption.

7. Don't bother with time-release multivitamins or chelated minerals -- they offer no advantages and cost much more.

8. Buy by price; vitamin E is an exception, since natural is more expensive. And look for "USP" (U.S. Pharmacopeia) on the label.

-- UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, Sept. 2001