What's the deal with multivitamins, supplement combinations of lots of nutrients? The most obvious place to begin is multivitamins, especially given that you can find dozens of nutrients in them. After all, if some vitamins/minerals should not be taken together, you’d expect some of those combinations to be found in multivitamins. Fortunately, most manufacturers formulate their pills to minimize undesirable vitamin interactions.

1. Supplement Combinations to Avoid
By: Paul Claybrook, MS, MBA
Nutritionist @
https://SuperDuperNutrition.com

2. What's the deal with multivitamins, supplement combinations of lots of
nutrients?
The most obvious place to begin is multivitamins, especially given that you can
find dozens of nutrients in them. After all, if some vitamins/minerals should not be
taken together, you’d expect some of those combinations to be found in
multivitamins. Fortunately, most manufacturers formulate their pills to minimize
undesirable vitamin interactions.
For instance, we know that magnesium helps vitamin D absorb better.4 At the
same time, vitamin A decreases the amount of vitamin D our body absorbs. That’s
why you tend to find a higher vitamin D concentration relative to vitamin A in
most multivitamins.
The problem of course, is that you may end up with more of one nutrient than you
need and not enough of another. Let’s say you need more vitamin A. A
multivitamin probably won’t provide what you need. At the same time, fat soluble
vitamins can, at least theoretically, build up to toxic levels if you take too much. In
practice, this is usually only a problem for people taking megadoses of any of these
vitamins.
An additional downside to multivitamins is that they are often missing or rather
low in calcium and magnesium. Men are supposed to get about 1,000mg per day
and women, 1200 per day of calcium. Likewise, the amount of magnesium should
be about half this. Obviously, a multivitamin is not the answer to strengthening
your bones but there is a reason for this. First, large amounts of minerals often
compete for absorption, meaning if you take a lot of calcium and magnesium
together (which are both minerals), you might not get a lot of either. Thus, you
should take calcium and magnesium at least 2 hours apart for maximum

3. absorption. In addition, there just isn’t room in the pill for significant amounts of
these minerals.
Supplementation combinations of copper and zinc
Optimal immune health can only be obtained with proper amounts of both copper
and zinc. In addition, they are necessary for healing.5 However, zinc can prevent
copper from absorbing like it should and high enough doses can even cause copper
deficiency. This is not very common but can cause several nasty illnesses.
Don't do fish oil and ginkgo together
You are probably already aware of multitude of heart health benefits of fish oil.6
So, taking it is almost a no-brainer. Speaking of brains, its great for those too. In
fact, so is ginkgo biloba, although results have been somewhat spotty.7 But both
supplements have blood-thinning properties. Thus, if take both, it could lead to
clotting problems and even bleeding uncontrollably.
The problem with supplement combinations of iron and green tea
It turns out that iron is important in immune health. It helps your blood carry
oxygen, form important blood constituents and so on. But if it is mixed with
certain drinks, it just won’t absorb very well. You might already be aware that
vitamin C helps iron absorb better, but calcium does the opposite. Thus, drinking
some orange juice will help iron absorb better but milk will prevent it from
absorbing properly.
Green tea has a lot of positive health benefits but also prevents iron from absorbing
like it should.8 In fact, research has demonstrated that just consuming lots of green
tea can cause anemia.9 It doesn’t end there though. It turns out that iron also has a

4. negative effect on green tea by reducing its normally positive health benefits. One
study that had participants drink green tea after a meal high in iron found this to
the case.10
How melatonin and St. John’s Wort are a bad combo
People have been using St. John's Wort for centuries. It can reduce pain, promote
calmness, treat menopause symptoms, decrease anxiety, and also treat
depression.11 It has additionally been reported to enhance the effects of other
herbs, good or bad, when taken together. Melatonin is also a common supplement
to help people sleep, making it a sedative too. Thus, taking it with St. John’s Wort
could create an undesirable cumulative effect.
Supplement combinations in summary
The is little question that getting your nutrients from food is the best option.12
However, it is no stretch to suggest that most of us have less than optimal diets.
Even when you work at it, it is very difficult to get all the nutrients you need from
the food you eat without overeating. That’s where supplements come in. So, look
at your diet and determine what it is you need to supplement with. But also, avoid
negative supplement combinations like those we've discussed.
References
1. Are we getting enough vitamins and nutrients? | | blogs | cdc.
https://blogs.cdc.gov/yourhealthyourenvironment/2016/03/02/are-we-
getting-enough-vitamins-and-
nutrients/#:~:text=CDC’S%20Second%20Nutrition%20Report%20on,some
%20important%20vitamins%20and%20nutrients.

5. 2. 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines | health.gov. https://health.gov/our-
work/food-nutrition/previous-dietary-guidelines/2015
3. Poll finds 86% of Americans take vitamins or supplements yet only 21%
have a confirmed nutritional deficiency. American Osteopathic Association.
https://osteopathic.org/2019/01/16/poll-finds-86-of-americans-take-
vitamins-or-supplements-yet-only-21-have-a-confirmed-nutritional-
deficiency/#:~:text=CHICAGO%E2%80%94January%2016%2C%202019
%E2%80%94,of%20the%20American%20Osteopathic%20Association.
4. Deng, X., Song, Y., Manson, J.E. et al.Magnesium, vitamin D status and
mortality: results from US National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey (NHANES) 2001 to 2006 and NHANES III. BMC Med 11, 187
(2013). https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7015-11-187
5. 10 supplements that boost healing. MDLinx.
https://www.mdlinx.com/article/10-supplements-that-boost-
healing/5sk8P1a4aaKcHaHzrmiF86
6. Do you know all the health benefits of fish oil? MDLinx.
https://www.mdlinx.com/article/do-you-know-all-the-health-benefits-of-
fish-oil/lfc-3788
7. Laws KR, Sweetnam H, Kondel TK. Is Ginkgo bilobaa cognitive enhancer
in healthy individuals? A meta-analysis: GINKGO BILOBA AND
COGNITION: A META-ANALYSIS. Hum Psychopharmacol Clin Exp.
2012;27(6):527-533.
8. To tea or not to tea: That is the question. MDLinx.
https://www.mdlinx.com/article/to-tea-or-not-to-tea-that-is-the-question/lfc-
3354
9. Fan FS. Iron deficiency anemia due to excessive green tea drinking. Clin
Case Rep. 2016;4(11):1053-1056.

6. 10.Green tea and iron, bad combination | Penn State University.
https://news.psu.edu/story/396431/2016/03/08/research/green-tea-and-iron-
bad-combination
11.5 ‘foods’ that control common chronic conditions. MDLinx.
https://www.mdlinx.com/article/5-foods-that-control-common-chronic-
conditions/lfc-3513
12.These food-sourced nutrients beat supplements for longer, healthier life.
MDLinx. https://www.mdlinx.com/article/these-food-sourced-nutrients-
beat-supplements-for-longer-healthier-life/72YaSZt1aDptnhUqHOziY7