Should I take vitamin C on an empty stomach or after a meal?

The lack of any substance in the body will be harmful to the organs, so you should pay attention to whether you are getting enough nutrition in your daily diet, and vitamin C is especially indispensable. Many people are seriously deficient in vitamin C due to improper diet, so they can supplement it by taking vitamin C tablets orally, but is it better to take vitamin C on an empty stomach or after a meal? There are three time periods you can choose from, you might as well take a look at them.

When is the best time to take vitamin C? The following three time periods are better:

1. When eating

The most basic way to get vitamin C is from our diet. Therefore, drinking vitamin C while eating is a very good way to drink it from a physiological point of view. In fact, we can absorb a lot of vitamin C into our body through our three meals a day. Taking vitamin C with meals will increase the blood concentration in our body. When is the best time to take vitamin C? During meals is the best time, and it can also prevent you from forgetting to take it.

2. Half an hour after meal

The best time to take vitamin C is half an hour after a meal, because the food we eat has been roughly digested half an hour after a meal, so the body's consumption has been fully replenished. It is ideal to take vitamin C during this time period. The vitamin C consumed will stay in the small intestine for a long time, so the absorption can basically replenish the body's vitamin deficiency.

3. Before going to bed

If you take vitamin C once a day, it is recommended to take it before going to bed for the most effective effect. Because the absorption of vitamin C will not be affected during sleep. On the other hand, vitamin C excretion is increased during sleep, so blood flow to the kidneys decreases. Therefore, the blood concentration of vitamin C decreases more slowly during sleep, resulting in a high blood concentration.

After understanding when to take vitamin C, let's take a look at the precautions for taking vitamin C:

1. More is not necessarily better

Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is the vitamin that the human body requires in the largest amount every day. It is widely used in the prevention and treatment of diseases such as vitamin C deficiency, infectious diseases, cardiovascular disease and anemia.

However, it is precisely the well-known "immunity-enhancing" effect of vitamin C that, in most people's minds, taking vitamin C is highly safe and has no side effects, so the more vitamin C you consume every day, the better. "Some people don't even count the pills carefully when taking them, and just randomly grab a few and put them in their mouths."

Expert comment: Don’t take it as a nutritional supplement without restriction

Experts warn that vitamin C is not absolutely "safe and without side effects." In fact, if you take more than 1g of it every day, it can cause many harms. First, long-term and large-scale use will increase blood uric acid, which may induce gout; second, long-term and large-scale use will increase blood oxalate and cysteine ​​salts, thus forming urinary stones; third, long-term and large-scale use will also cause gastrointestinal dysfunction such as increased gastric acid, gastric reflux, abdominal distension, diarrhea, etc.; fourth, for those who take large doses for a long time, if the drug is stopped suddenly, it is easy to cause a sudden drop in the concentration of vitamin C in the body, which will induce clinical manifestations of scurvy, such as bleeding gums, skin purpura and impaired heart function; fifth, the latest US research shows that taking vitamin C may accelerate arteriosclerosis.

"So, more vitamin C is not necessarily better." Situ Bing said, don't treat vitamin C as a nutritional supplement or tonic and take it without restriction.

2. Over-reliance on vitamin C tablets

It is precisely because many people mistakenly believe that the more vitamin C, the better, that many people pay attention to supplementation. Some people always feel that there is not enough vitamin C in food, so they take large doses of artificially synthesized vitamin C every day; there are also some people who like to eat junk food and rarely eat vegetables and fruits, but on the other hand, they are particularly concerned about their vitamin C intake, so they rely heavily on vitamin C tablets.

Expert comment: Additional supplementation is only necessary in pathological conditions

Fresh vegetables and fruits are rich in natural vitamin C. If you have a healthy diet and have no special needs, there is no need to supplement. Under what circumstances does the human body need additional vitamin C supplementation? Experts explain that additional supplementation is needed when the body's intake and absorption of vitamin C is insufficient under certain pathological and physiological conditions, or when the consumption, excretion and demand for vitamin C increase. He said, for example, patients with scurvy, various acute and chronic infectious diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, patients undergoing hemodialysis, hyperthyroidism, fever, infection, trauma, surgery (especially gastrointestinal surgery), and patients with cardiovascular diseases such as Keshan disease and myocarditis.

3. Not everyone can take it when they have a cold

Since vitamin C can regulate body functions, enhance immunity and resist infection, many people believe that anyone with a cold can take it. However, experts think that this is not necessarily the case.

Expert comment: Use with caution in patients with gout, kidney stones, and other diseases

Vitamin C can help relieve symptoms of nasal congestion and runny nose. Especially when people have a cold and fever, they often have a poor appetite and do not get enough vitamin C from their diet. Vitamin C can be supplemented appropriately. Especially for pregnant women, vitamin C supplementation is a safer choice.

"However, vitamin C supplementation is not suitable for everyone." Experts say that people with the following diseases should use it with caution: cystinuria, gout, hyperoxaluria, urate kidney stones, history of gastric ulcers, hemochromatosis, sideroblastic anemia or thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, etc.

4. Dissolving vitamin C in boiling water may cause the drug to lose its properties

Special reminder: Vitamin C should be taken 1 to 2 hours after a meal, and never take it on an empty stomach or with tea. At the same time, because vitamin C is not resistant to high temperatures, when taking vitamin C effervescent tablets, do not use overheated water to dissolve it, but use warm boiled water or cold boiled water to dissolve it, otherwise the medicinal properties will be lost.

The above is an introduction to when to take vitamin C. I hope it will be helpful to you!