{"id":347,"date":"2023-01-16T16:55:36","date_gmt":"2023-01-16T16:55:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=347"},"modified":"2023-01-16T16:55:36","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T16:55:36","slug":"do-this-if-your-stomach-gets-upset-after-taking-vitamin-supplements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/?p=347","title":{"rendered":"Do this if your stomach gets upset after taking vitamin supplements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a perfect world, everyone would get all the nutrients they need from food and there would be no need to knock back anything in capsule form to meet the recommended daily values. Of course, for a variety of reasons, that isn\u2019t always the case.For one, it\u2019s not necessarily easy to ensure every meal is perfectly well-rounded; there are occasions when options and time are limited. If you follow a specific way of eating, like vegan, vegetarian, or dairy-free, that can create additional obstacles. We\u2019re all coming from different life stages that require their own nutritional needs<\/a>, too. Seasonality, your genetic makeup, physical activity, medical history, and so, so<\/em> much more\u2014every aspect of modern life can play a role in our unique nutrient requirements.Supplements can play an important role in ensuring your body is getting the nutrients it needs. A full 77 percent of Americans<\/a> take at least one vitamin or supplement. In fact, according to the Council for Responsible Nutrition<\/a>, supplement use is currently at an all-time high. But for some people, taking supplements can come with one very unwanted side effect: an upset stomach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forget the concern of\u00a0peeing out your vitamins<\/a>; being hit with the runs (or a case of nausea or indigestion) is a far worse fate. It certainly doesn\u2019t seem like an effective way to stay healthy either. While getting an upset stomach from vitamins or supplements isn\u2019t uncommon, it\u2019s not something anyone is destined to suffer. To help get to the bottom of supplement-induced stomach woes, gastroenterologist\u00a0Roshini Rajapaksa, MD<\/a>, offers five helpful tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, booking some face time with your own doctor is always an excellent\u2014and effective\u2014idea. Together, you can come up with a supplement regime that will hopefully be gentler on your stomach. But for some general guidelines, Dr. Rajapaksa has you covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch the video below to hear a registered dietitian\u2019s thoughts on supplements:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5 tips for managing an upset stomach from vitamins<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. If a vitamin C supplement is the culprit, trade it for low-acid vitamin C-rich foods.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re taking more than one supplement, the first step is playing detective to figure out which one (or ones) is the problem child, so to speak. Dr. Rajapaksa says there are some supplements that are known to be harsh on the stomach and one people often complain about is vitamin C. \u201cThe reason why vitamin C can [cause this] is because it is highly acidic, which can irritate the stomach lining,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If foods that are acidic\u2014like lemon, grapefruit, and tomato sauce\u2014don\u2019t always agree with you, there is a good chance a vitamin C supplement could also be making you feel less than great. If this is the case, swap out your vitamin C supplement for low-acid vitamin C-rich foods. Leafy greens, sweet potatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and papaya are all excellent options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. If it\u2019s not vitamin C, it could be one of these other main offenders.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Rajapaksa says there are other supplements besides vitamin C that can cause an upset stomach. \u201cFish oil, calcium, and iron are three others that can cause stomach distress or nausea,\u201d she says. If any of these supplements are part of your routine, you may want to take some extra precautions with your stomach in mind. For example, you probably won\u2019t want to down one of them and then hop on the treadmill or head to a HIIT class, which can make them harder to digest. Or you may want to consider buying them in a powder form, which is gentler on the stomach than a capsule with a hard casing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Don\u2019t take your vitamins or supplements all at once.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Something you definitely want to do, Dr. Rajapaksa says, is space your supplements out so that you aren\u2019t taking them all at the same time. While swallowing all your supplements in one go before you brush your teeth may be satisfying, Dr. Rajapaksa says you may be regretting it later. So if you\u2019re the type of person who loves to cross stuff off a to do list, we get it, but this simple change could work wonders for your stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is often worse to combine supplements than to space them out,\u201d she says, adding that this is especially true if you\u2019re taking any of the common culprits she highlighted above: vitamin C, fish oil, calcium, and iron. When in doubt, space them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Find out which ones should be paired with food.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost supplements will cause less stomach upset if they\u2019re paired with food or eaten right after a meal,\u201d Dr. Rajapaksa says. That means if you previously took your vitamins on an empty stomach and didn\u2019t feel great afterward, it is definitely worth it to try having them with food instead. It also bears repeating that spacing out your supplements helps too, so if you\u2019re taking several, ideally you can spread them out over the course of breakfast, lunch, and dinner instead of essentially treating them as a side dish to one of your meals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t know if your supplements are meant to be taken with food or not, it shouldn\u2019t be hard to figure it out. Dr. Rajapaksa says the label should tell you flat-out what\u2019s best. If it doesn\u2019t, you can always ask your doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Make sure you aren\u2019t overdoing it.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While most of the time the focus on nutrients surrounds not getting enough, getting too much of a good thing is very real\u2014and that can cause an upset stomach too (and unfortunately, sometimes more serious health problems). The National Institute of Health<\/a> is a great resource to look up different vitamins and nutrients, detailing how to get them from food and what to keep in mind if you\u2019re using a supplement. The fact sheets include the recommended daily requirements by age and gender, signs of getting too much or not enough, and medications they may interact negatively with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also important to know that supplement companies are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A report published in theJournal of the American Medical Association<\/em><\/a> states that nearly 800 supplement products contain active ingredients not listed on the label. This shows just how important it is to really trust the company you\u2019re buying from<\/a>. Look for supplements with labels indicating they have been tested by a third party<\/a> such as the non-profit Pharmacopoeial (USP) Convention Dietary Supplement Verification Program<\/a> or ConsumerLab<\/a>. Also, check the ingredients list so you\u2019re aware of any fillers or other ingredients that may not agree with you. For example, some gummy vitamins contain artificial sweeteners which some may find hard to digest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supplements shouldn\u2019t cause digestive distress. Plain and simple. If it is something you\u2019re experiencing, troubleshooting with the tips Dr. Rajapaksa gives above just might make all the difference. If not, just ask your MD for help. They can offer advice and may also hook you up with a registered dietitian who can give you tips on getting your nutrients through food so you can rely on supplements less. That is, after all, a far more delicious way to get your vitamins.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a perfect world, everyone would get all the nutrients they need from food and there would be no need to knock back anything in capsule form to meet the recommended daily values. Of course, for a variety of reasons, that isn\u2019t always the case.For one, it\u2019s not necessarily easy to ensure every meal is perfectly well-rounded; there are occasions when options and time are limited. If you follow a specific way of eating, like vegan, vegetarian, or dairy-free, that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-supplements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":348,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions\/348"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthnews.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}