What’s the Best Time of Day to Take Vitamin D?

Vitamin D plays key roles in keeping you healthy. It helps the body absorb calcium, which is essential for bone health. Vitamin D also promotes a strong immune system and gut health. 

People who have low vitamin D levels (vitamin D deficiency) often have no symptoms at first. But, over time, they can experience bone and muscle pain and slowed wound healing. 

If a healthcare professional recommends taking a vitamin D supplement, you may wonder if there’s a best time of day to take vitamin D. Let’s look at the research behind how to take vitamin D correctly.

Is there a best time of day to take vitamin D?

No, there isn’t any evidence that you need to take vitamin D at a certain time of day. There’s also no evidence that taking a vitamin D supplement at a particular time of day improves how well vitamin D works or how well your body absorbs the supplement.

Some people take a vitamin D supplement every day, and other people only take it once per week. Either way, the time of day you take your vitamin D supplement doesn’t matter. 

But research does show that vitamin D gets absorbed a bit better if you take it with fatty foods. Vitamin D is fat soluble, which means it dissolves in fats and oils. So, you can try taking your vitamin D supplement with a meal that includes foods high in healthy fats, like avocado, seeds, nuts, or olive oil.

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Should everyone take a vitamin D supplement every day?

Whether or not you should take vitamin D depends on a few factors. With all the health benefits of vitamin D, it may seem like everyone should take a vitamin D supplement. But most healthy adults don’t need to. That’s because most people get enough vitamin D through the food they eat and from their skin when it’s exposed to sunlight. 

But experts do recommend a daily vitamin D supplement for:

• Children between the ages of 1 to 18 

• Pregnant people

• People over the age of 75

• People with prediabetes

People with certain medical conditions may also be at risk for vitamin D deficiency, including those with: 

• Liver or kidney disease

• Cystic fibrosis

• Celiac disease

• Inflammatory bowel disease

• A history of bariatric surgery

Some medications — like anti-seizure medications, steroids, or cancer treatments — can also lower vitamin D levels. 

If you’re at risk for having low vitamin D, your primary care provider may ask you to do a blood test to check your levels. If it’s low, they’ll likely recommend a vitamin D supplement.

How can you tell if you need to change when you take vitamin D?

If you regularly forget to take your vitamin D supplement, consider changing when you take it. That’s the only reason you may need to change when you take your supplement.

Vitamin D supplements are easily absorbed. Even if you take them without food, your body will absorb the vitamin, and your levels will go up.

So, pick the time of day that’s easiest for you to remember to take it. You can also remind yourself to take medication by leaving the pill bottle somewhere you can easily see it or setting a reminder on your phone. 

Can vitamin D cause side effects?

Overdosing on vitamin D supplements can cause side effects. The good news is that vitamin D overdoses are rare. Most people never take too much vitamin D. 

But taking too much vitamin D can lead to high calcium levels. That’s because vitamin D increases the amount of calcium your body absorbs. 

Side effects of excess calcium include: 

• Constipation

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea

• Muscle weakness 

• Muscle or bone pain

• Confusion

• Excessive thirst

It’s also possible to have an allergic reaction to vitamin D supplements. Allergic reactions can cause symptoms like hives or swelling of the face, lips, or tongue. Usually, people have an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the supplement (like a preservative), but not the vitamin D itself. Seek immediate medical care if you think you’re having an allergic reaction. 

After experiencing an allergic reaction, talk with your healthcare team before restarting vitamin D supplements. They’ll ask you to take a different brand or form of vitamin D, so you don’t have another allergic reaction.

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Written by:

Brian Clista, MD

Dr. Clista is a board-certified pediatrician who works in private practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He previously served as a National Health Service Corporation Scholar in the inner city of Pittsburgh for 11 years.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

Reviewed by:

Christine Giordano, MD

Christine Giordano, MD, is board-certified in general internal medicine. She received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University.

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