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We can all agree that vitamins are meant to help our body improve its day-to-day functions. Different vitamins are meant to improve every separate organ system in our body from immunity to mental function, to energy, to blood count and the list goes on and on.

However, when it comes to pregnancy there is a strict guideline to follow regarding your vitamin supplements and that is solidified in the prenatal vitamins found at every store. However, are these guidelines enough since they assume that the consumer already is healthy and normal regarding their vitamin levels. But is that really the case in the population?

There is a new craze in the marketplace for time-release vitamins. But are they good for you, or can they be harmful? Is this a marketing hype or is there real science behind the new marketing push? 

Time-release vitamins get their origins from the pharmaceutical industry. The reason behind slow- or time-release medication is simple: a) reduce the rate of side effects associated with a rapid surge of the medication in your blood or b) reduce the need for multiple dosing of the same drug in a 24-hour interval.

To better understand how medications are better as a time-released tablet, one has to better understand their side effects.

The main issue with zinc absorption is that it can be blocked by supplements such as Calcium, Iron, or Magnesium and it can interact with other medications such as antibiotics. 

What is the best way to take my zinc supplements and are there certain supplements that should be avoided? Finally, how much zinc is too much?

Brittle bones and bone fractures are all too common amongst the geriatric community. Osteoporosis is a leading “silent disease” known to cause bone fractures and other linked medical conditions. Physicians and patients generally address these issues by supplementing with Vitamin D and Calcium.

Although vitamin D ensures that your blood calcium levels stay high enough to meet your body’s needs, it does not fully control where the calcium in your body ends up. That is where the partnership specifically between D3 and vitamin K2 becomes important as discussed below.

The most important point to remember is that most other vitamins that you encounter, be it  gummies, compressed hard tablets, pills, capsules, gelcaps or vitamin-drinks they all must be swallowed in order to be absorbed. Once they have been swallowed they must survive the stomach acids, pancreatic enzymes and finally after surviving must get absorbed into the intestinal system to undergo liver cleansing. Most vitamin producers add additives to create a strong protective shell around the vitamins. Many of the ingredients to protect the vitamin against your stomach acids are not necessarily good for you or protect you. Even if you are able to swallow the vitamins there is no guarantee that your body is able to absorb the vitamins attached to all the additives and preservatives. Once absorbed then your liver has to work hard to separate the vitamins from the unnecessary binders.  Therefore, the sublingual or under the tongue route bypasses the intestinal system all together and allows you to absorb your vitamin directly into the bloodstream. It also allows for the product to have no unnecessary additives or preservatives.

Melatonin is a hormone secreted by your pineal gland (located just above the center of your brain). During the day, the pineal gland is inactive. In the evening, melatonin levels rise sharply as your brain starts to recognize light reduction. The elevated levels continue for about 12 hours. The following morning, after a night of sleep, melatonin levels return to low daytime levels – barely detectable.

The body’s production of melatonin declines gradually with age. Many doctors believe that the loss in melatonin is associated with several age-related diseases, lowered sleep efficacy, and deterioration of the circadian rhythm.