When is the best time to take vitamin D?

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for your health. It can help your body absorb calcium, which is essential for your bone health. It can also help support your nerves, muscles, and immune system. Your body produces vitamin D from sunlight.

If your body isn’t getting enough vitamin D from natural sources, you may need to take vitamin D supplements. The best time of day to take them will depend on your individual situation, but it may be best to take them with food.

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When to take vitamin D

The time of day, whether it’s morning or night, doesn’t matter when you’re taking vitamin D. Its effectiveness will not be affected by what time you take it.

It’s advisable to take most vitamin D supplements on a daily basis. This means you may consider taking it at the same time every day so that you remember to stay consistent. If a specific time, such as the morning, works best for you, this can help you determine the best time for your own routine.

What’s more, experts do recommend that you take vitamin D with food — specifically, foods that contain fat, if possible. This is because vitamin D is what’s known as a fat-soluble vitamin, which means it’s absorbed and stored alongside fat in your diet.

So, taking vitamin D after eating a meal or snack that contains some healthy fats, like nuts or avocados, can help it be absorbed better, which means it will be used more effectively in your body.

This could mean that the best time to take vitamin D for you could be with breakfast in the morning, with lunch in the afternoon, or with dinner in the evening. As the time of day doesn’t affect how well vitamin D works, you can decide which time fits best with your routine.

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Who should take vitamin D?

Vitamin D is essential for your health. Around 1 billion people worldwide have a vitamin D deficiency — meaning they don’t get enough of it from natural sources — while around half of the population have an insufficiency, which is less severe than a deficiency. This is especially common in areas that don’t get a lot of sunlight.

Being deficient in vitamin D may not cause any symptoms. But prolonged deficiency may have some long-term effects. Because vitamin D is essential for bone health, deficiency can lead to bone pain, increased falls and fractures, and a bone disease called osteoporosis.

Prolonged vitamin D deficiency may also have some effects on your immune system. In fact, one 2020 review suggests that it may be linked with a higher risk of infections and autoimmune diseases like inflammatory bowel disease.

If you suspect you aren’t getting enough vitamin D from sunlight, taking a daily supplement that you can buy over the counter (OTC) can help prevent a deficiency. If you’ve received a diagnosis of a deficiency, doctors might recommend and prescribe higher-strength supplements.

What is the recommended dose?

Experts recommend 20 minutes of sun exposure per day, where more than 40% of your skin is exposed, to prevent vitamin D deficiency. If this isn’t possible, vitamin D supplements may be right for you. There are two main forms of vitamin D found in supplements: D2 and D3. It can also be found in many multivitamins.

Most adults under the age of 70 should get 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day. Adults older than 70 should aim for 800 IU. Supplements can come in different strengths depending on your individual needs.

Vitamin D toxicity — where you get too much vitamin D — is very rare. Vitamin D supplementation is generally considered to be safe and effective without complications. But it’s important to consider your individual needs and consult with a healthcare professional before starting new supplements.

Summary

The best time to take vitamin D will depend on your individual circumstances. Whether you take it in the morning or at night will have no influence on its effectiveness. So it’s more important to take it at a time that works for your routine. This can help you remember to take it consistently.

As vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, it’s best absorbed alongside fats in your diet, like avocado or olive oil. This means experts recommend taking it alongside a meal or snack containing these healthy dietary fats to improve its effectiveness.

Many people worldwide don’t get enough vitamin D from natural sources. This is especially true during the winter or in regions that don’t get a lot of sunlight. If this is the case, consider adding a vitamin D supplement to your regimen — after speaking with a healthcare professional.