“Take water-soluble vitamins on an empty stomach with a glass of water,” recommends Dr. Perez-Gallardo. And since it can be energizing, Dr. Perez-Gallardo says that the best time to take vitamin B12 is in the morning, so it won't affect your sleep.
According to health experts at Click Pharmacy, as a general rule of thumb, take your B vitamins in the morning or with a meal. Vitamin B12, for example, should definitely be taken in the morning. This is because it is important for energy metabolism, which may interrupt your sleep if taken at night.
Vitamin B12 works on the pineal gland, which is responsible for the production of melatonin. The vitamin helps increase the production of melatonin during the nighttime hours, as well as release it earlier, making it easier to fall and stay asleep.
It's usually best to take the tablets on an empty stomach. This means at least 2 hours after a meal or snack and at least 30 minutes before you eat again.
It's best to take vitamin B12 in the morning away from food to maximize absorption, as certain nutrients can inhibit it. However, vitamin B12 can be taken with food. Just ensure you're not dealing with any nutrient interactions.
Can You Take Vitamin B12 on an Empty Stomach? Vitamin B12 is water-soluble, which means you can take it with or without food. (Water-soluble vitamins don't require fat content to aid absorption.) If you have a sensitive stomach, however, we do recommend taking supplements with food.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplements.
Taking vitamin B-12 with vitamin C might reduce the available amount of vitamin B-12 in your body. To avoid this interaction, take vitamin C two or more hours after taking a vitamin B-12 supplement.
Fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins
For example, although it's safe to take vitamin D with vitamin B12, it's not advisable, says Virgilio Sanchez, MD, a board certified family medicine physician at Conviva Care Center in Miami, Florida.
You can definitely opt for taking vitamin B12 supplements at night if that's what works best for you, although the natural energy-boosting abilities of vitamin B12 might be put to better use as you're starting the day.
Vitamin B-12 has a big role in stabilizing your energy levels. It actually helps give you more energy, rather than making you tired. If you do notice feeling a little fatigued, even though you're regularly taking a B-12 supplement, it's likely a sign of something else that is out of the norm in your body.
Due to its special role, vitamin B12 aids in the prevention of anemia, which mostly leads to fatigue. Even though the research available about the relationship between vitamin B12 and insomnia remains unclear, some studies² show that elevated levels of vitamin B12 do cause sleeplessness.
Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep your body's blood and nerve cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all of your cells. Vitamin B12 also helps prevent megaloblastic anemia, a blood condition that makes people tired and weak.
Some research indicates that higher amounts of vitamin B12 link to shorter sleep duration and a higher risk of insomnia. A 2007 study suggests it may also affect the 24-hour biological processes that help a person go from wakefulness through drowsiness to sleep.
Yep! Thanks to its role in energy metabolism, vitamin B12 might reduce your chance of fatigue. It helps your body metabolize carbs, proteins, and fats, which your body converts into energy.
Vitamin B12 deficiency can indeed lead to weight gain. But the weight gain is not a direct result of the deficiency. Instead, vitamin B12 deficiency causes lethargy or lack of energy, and in turn, inactivity causes weight gain.
Once you begin treating your vitamin B12 deficiency, it can take up to six to 12 months to fully recover. It is also common to not experience any improvement during the first few months of treatment.
Experts say the vitamin can boost mood, energy, memory and more in folks who are deficient. B12 is a nutrient needed to form red blood cells, DNA, and brain and nerve cells. In deficient people, the benefits of B12 injections include improved mood and increased energy levels.
Individuals with vitamin D and B12 deficiencies may experience many signs in the body and brain. Some symptoms of vitamin D and B12 deficiencies are tiredness, fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, low energy levels, body aches, low immunity, and brittle bones.
Can I take magnesium and vitamin B together? Yes, as B vitamins and magnesium don't compete for absorption inside your body. Indeed, many supplements combine them as a way of simplifying how you monitor your intake.
As summarized in the table provided, vitamin B12 (cobalamin) absorption and utilization by the body can be compromised with the chronic use of certain medications which include: colchicine, chloramphenicol, ethanol, histamine 2 receptor antagonists (H2RA), metformin, and proton pump inhibitors (PPI).
[1] People who regularly take medications that suppress stomach acid for conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or peptic ulcer disease—such as proton-pump inhibitors, H2 blockers, or other antacids—may have difficulty absorbing vitamin B12 from food.
Large doses of vitamin C may interfere with the absorption and metabolism of vitamin B12. Large doses of vitamin C may interact with herbs and supplements that have hormonal, antibacterial, and blood-thinning (anticoagulant) activity.