The best time to take a supplement is when you can remember to do it! Take this example, for instance: Some doctors recommend taking cholesterol-lowering pills at night because that’s when the liver makes the most cholesterol. However, in clinical trials where the pills actually saved lives, people downed them at all hours of the day.
If you take a pill regularly, you will eventually reach what is called a steady state, which is a stable concentration of the supplement or drug in your body. Half-life is the time it takes for a supplement or drug to reach half its concentration in the blood; the longer the half-life, the longer it stays in your body. When you take your pills consistently (daily) and the drug has a decent half-life, it usually won’t make a difference if you happen to miss a dose.
Finally, always try to take your supplement with or right after a meal, unless the directions or your doctor tells you to take it on an empty stomach. Taking it with a meal maximizes your stomach acid, which aids absorption, and minimizes the chances of getting gastrointestinal upset— research lingo for an upset stomach, a common side effect of supplements.
The Supplement Handbook - Mark Moyad
