How much of a multivitamin does the body absorb?

Multivitamins are dietary supplements that contain a variety of vitamins. There is no accepted standard multivitamin, so different manufacturers may include different ingredients.

Most people can get all the nutrients they need by eating a healthy, balanced diet, but if this isn’t the case for you, a multivitamin can help boost your nutrient intake.

Your body doesn’t absorb all of a multivitamin, but the amount that you get from it will vary depending on different factors, including the specific formulation of the multivitamin and how much you take.

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Understanding multivitamin absorption

Vitamin absorption is the term for how your body takes the vitamins from food or supplements and transports them to be used by your tissues.

There are two different categories of vitamins based on how they are absorbed: water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins.

• Water-soluble vitamins: Water-soluble vitamins are vitamins that can be dissolved in water. Your body can’t easily store these, so regular intake is recommended. Examples include vitamin C and the B vitamins.
• Fat-soluble vitamins: Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed alongside fats in your diet. These can be stored in the fat in your body. Examples include vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Multivitamins can contain both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, so the different parts of the multivitamin may be absorbed differently. This may affect how much of the multivitamin your body absorbs.

For example, experts recommend taking fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E alongside dietary fats to improve absorption, whereas you can take water-soluble vitamins on an empty stomach with a glass of water. If you take a multivitamin with food, this may improve overall absorption if it contains fat soluble vitamins.

The actual amount your body absorbs is difficult to measure and varies depending on the specific vitamin.

For example, the absorption of preformed vitamin A from dietary supplements can be as high as 90%. On the other hand, up to 90% of vitamin C may be absorbed at moderate intakes, while at higher doses, absorption is less than 50%.

Factors that affect multivitamin absorption

You may hear vitamin absorption discussed in terms of bioavailability. Bioavailability refers to how much of the vitamin is absorbed by the body and used by your cells. A multivitamin might even have several different bioavailabilities depending on its ingredients.

Research suggests that several factors might affect the bioavailability of a given substance, such as vitamin supplements:

• Individual factors: These are factors affecting you, including whether you’ve eaten, your general health, whether you’re pregnant, and whether you have a chronic illness.
• Food factors: These are factors related to other things you ingest alongside multivitamins, such as alcohol, medications, or foods.
• Supplement factors: These are factors that relate to the particular multivitamin you’re taking, such as the dose and the ingredients.

Improving multivitamin absorption

You can take some steps to increase how much of a multivitamin your body absorbs. For example:

• Improve gut health: Some research suggests your gut microbiome plays a role in the absorption of nutrients from your food and supplements. Eating a balanced diet and including probiotics, such as fermented yogurts, can improve your gut microbiome and increase the bioavailability of multivitamins.
• Reduce alcohol consumption: One 2023 review suggests alcohol consumption can reduce nutrient absorption, especially for water-soluble vitamins. Reducing alcohol consumption can lower this risk.
• Manage underlying conditions: Some health conditions can reduce how well your gut absorbs nutrients, including Crohn’s disease and celiac disease. Managing these conditions well may improve nutrient absorption.
• Avoiding interactions: You should always speak with a healthcare professional before taking a new multivitamin, and they will be able to inform you of specific interactions. Avoiding these interactions will improve the absorption of the vitamins.

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Summary

Because there is no set definition for what ingredients are in a multivitamin, there’s no way to know exactly how much of it the body absorbs. Some factors that might affect absorption include the dose and the form of the multivitamin, alongside individual factors like your overall health.

You may be able to improve multivitamin absorption by taking the vitamin with food, reducing alcohol consumption, and eating a generally balanced diet.

Remember, you should always speak with a healthcare professional before including a new multivitamin in your diet.

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