How Long Does it Take a Supplement to Work?
So, How Long Should You Give a Supplement to Work?
I hate when an article starts out with something like “How long it takes for a supplement to work isn’t as simple an answer as you think”. And then goes onto to make me read the whole article…. Ugh,
So, my goal for this one, is to give a guideline that covers how long you should take most supplements, and then caveat it from there.
In general, it can take from 2 weeks to 8 weeks for you to know if a supplement truly “worked” for you. And up to three months before you feel its true effect.
Ok, that said, lets get to the important stuff….
Why does it take so long for a supplement to work?
The simple answer is it takes a while to build up in your system, and if you are really deficient, or your body doesn’t absorb nutrients particularly well, it takes a bit longer.
Think of taking a supplement daily like taking red food coloring and dripping one drop at a time into a pool of water. While the food coloring in your hand is red, it is going to take a while for the pool to turn red as well.
Plus, if you started out with a really low level of red food coloring in your pool, it will take longer for the red to really show. And… if part of your red food coloring “drip” splashes out of the pool every time use it, it will take longer still. Note: taking a lot of the same supplement at once though is not safe, so with most supplements unfortunately you don’t get a quick fix.
But remember, usually it’s just a pill, drink or squirt a day. Compared to COVID, politics, making money, and trying to survive… it’s a pretty small price to pay if it truly, eventually, helps or even cures your particular ailment.
What can prevent a supplement from working?
Did you know that combining the piperine in black pepper with the curcumin increases its absorption by 2000%? And that isn’t the only supplement that needs another agent to allow the body to actually absorb it. Vitamin D is needed to absorb Calcium, Vitamin D is better absorbed with fats, and Vitamin C increases your absorption of Iron.
Did you also know that Iron from plants is much less absorbable than it is from beef? This is another factor to keep in mind. When taking a supplement always do a google search on, “how to best absorb my supplement”, but insert your particular supplement of course.
Also, don’t forget we are all created differently, and often times our systems are more out of whack than just one specific deficiency. So remember, what may work for one person, unfortunately may not for another.
Does it matter what brand of supplement you use?
YES! This is huge. In 2015, the New York State attorney general’s office filed a report citing the following:
- GNC supplements contained ingredients not on the label and dangerous to nut allergies.
- A ginseng supplement from Walgreens turned out to be only rice and garlic.
- Six supplements from Target tested negative for the main ingredient they claimed – they actually contained beans, rice, peas, and carrots.
Wow right?! Yes, not all supplement brands are equal. It is critical to talk with an expert in Integrative medicine or the supplement field to know which brands truly can be trusted to be what they, and do what they are supposed to.
Luckily, we have some pretty good resources. And the best supplements brands our experts recommend include:
While they of course (eye roll) cost more, you know you can trust them. Plus, they know their stuff. So any supplement or vitamin that needs to be taken with another to absorb, they typically include them together in a single supplement.
Supplements are often not a fast fix. But they are usually a pretty easy one, with minimal risk. While everything is not for everyone, we encourage anyone who suffers from pain, chronic illness, or ongoing discomfort to give whatever you can a try.
Just remember, you need to be patient to truly see results.
