Five supplements that should be avoided with milk

Supplements can very well be termed as the new age vegetables. Every professional or self-proclaimed doctor you talk to is recommending you one or another product aimed at improving your health. According to data from the Council for Responsible Nutrition, 74% of American adults take supplements, with 55% being regular users. While supplements are generally taken with water, in order to quell the taste, some also prefer taking them with milk. But did you know that this can cause you great harm? Below, find 5 supplements that you should never take with milk.

Iron supplements such as ferrous sulfate, ferrous fumarate and ferrous gluconate may have reduced absorption when consumed with milk due to the presence of calcium in it, which inhibits iron absorption. Thus, it is better to keep a minimum difference of 1-2 hours between taking your iron supplements and drinking milk. Additionally, iron is better absorbed with Vitamin C and thus drinking citrus juice might be more beneficial.

Calcium present in milk can hinder the absorption of milk supplements by competing for similar binding mechanisms in the intestines. Thus, dairy milk or fortified almond, soy, and rice milks, should all be avoided when taking zinc supplements.

Milk is rich in lactose, which if hydrolysed can decrease magnesium absorption and urinary excretion. Additionally, both calcium and magnesium compete for the same absorption pathways in the intestines and thus a gap between them ensures the proper absorption of both.

The mineral composition of multivitamins may be disrupted when accompanied by high calcium in the form of milk. Additionally, with the supplements themselves having calcium and the extra amount obtained from the milk might exceed your daily intake of calcium.

Consuming calcium supplements along with milk or dairy can exceed the intake of the mineral and may compete internally. Additionally, it might hinder the presence of other minerals or reduce their bioavailability. Thus, it is important to take calcium supplements in a gap from milk and primarily with water.