Can Probiotics Be Taken With Vitamins? (B, C, D, B12)

Probiotics and multivitamins usage is constantly increasing as almost 30.9% of the US population have gut issues, and up to 95% face different micro-nutrient deficiencies.

But is it safe to take both these supplements together? How do probiotics interfere with vitamins? Will they decrease their efficacy or increase it?

To find out the answers, I sifted through nutritional studies about the combined effects of these supplements.

And here are my conclusions based on results from different clinical trials:

Key Highlights

You can use probiotics and vitamins together without safety concerns.
Probiotics increase the absorption of vitamins from the gut.
Vitamins support the growth of probiotics by improving gut conditions.
Combined supplementation is often more beneficial than taking these dietary supplements alone.

However, these results came from specific strains, vitamins, and minerals. So, you cannot generalize them to all micronutrients and probiotics.

For complete information on which strains work best with which vitamins or minerals, continue reading.

Table of Contents show

Should Vitamins And Probiotics Be Taken Together?

Yes, it’s absolutely a great idea to take them together, as probiotics complement vitamin functionality.

This combination is beneficial in the following ways:

1. Probiotics Increase Vitamins Absorption

Probiotics increase the absorption of micronutrients from the diet.

A pharmacological trial from the University of Bari, Italy, reports that taking probiotics increased serum levels of Vitamin A, D, Calcium, Iron, and Zinc. And increased serum levels mean higher absorption of micronutrients from the gut.

This way, probiotics make you utilize maximum nutrients from your supplements.

2. Probiotics Prevent Multivitamin Side Effects

Vitamins, especially iron and folate, can upset your gut, causing constipation, nausea, and abdominal cramps.

However, taking probiotics alongside can mitigate their irritating effects on gut walls and protect the gut lining from inflammation due to concentrated mineral intake, reducing the chances of these adversities.

3. Vitamins Support Healthy Gut Microbiome

Co-usage of probiotics and vitamins is also supported by scientific evidence that reports positive effects of vitamin supplementation on gut microbiome.

For example, a study from Switzerland shows that multivitamin preparations improve gut microbiome in the following ways:

Vitamins	Effects on Gut microbiome/probiotics
Vitamin A, B2, D, E, and beta-carotene	Increase the number of friendly microbes in the large intestine
Vitamin A, B2, B3, C, D, and K	Increase microbial diversity of the gut microbiome
Vitamin B2, C, and E	Make probiotics secrete more health-promoting secretions (like fatty acids)
Vitamin A and D	Indirectly affect gut microbiota by strengthening the intestinal barrier and increasing immunity against gut diseases.

Similar results are reported for A, B2, C, D, and E in another Randomized controlled trial published in the Journal Gut Microbes, 2021 edition.

Mainly, these effects result from metabolic improvement and an increase in the anti-inflammatory capacity of the gut lining due to an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals.

Co-supplementation Yields Better Clinical Results

Many diseases are associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies. So, multivitamin supplements are used in the treatment.

However, the surprising fact is the efficacy of these therapeutical micronutrients increases when they are consumed with probiotics, as suggested by many clinical studies.

Find out which vitamins have a higher efficacy with probiotics in the next section:

What Vitamins Can You Take With Probiotics?

All vitamins can be used with Probiotics.

However, you will benefit more from some vitamins when they are co-supplemented with probiotics. This synergistic effect especially becomes significant in certain health conditions.

For example,

1. Vitamin D Works Better With Probiotics For Chronic Diseases

Vitamin D and probiotics combination has proven advantages over their separate consumption.

A 2021 meta-analysis of 6 clinical studies show that blends of vitamin D3 and Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus probiotics are useful for treating the following chronic conditions,

Schizophrenia
Gestational diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
Coronary heart disease
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
Osteopenia
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Infantile colic

To take advantage of this higher combined efficacy, some probiotics like Biotics 8 also contain vitamin D, so you don’t need to take two supplements.

2. Vitamin C For Respiratory Problems

The combined intake of vitamin C and probiotics helps prevent and cure respiratory infections.

A European study infers these results after 6-months’ usage of Vitamin C and 12.5 CFUs of:

L. acidophilus CUL2,
L. acidophilus CUL60,
B. bifidum CUL20
and B. animalis subsp. lactis CUL34

3. Magnesium Minerals For Mental Health

Magnesium salts and probiotics act synergistically to improve your mental health.

A French observational study on the effects of co-supplementation of probiotics, vitamins, and magnesium minerals reports a 22.7% reduction in psychological stress and a 45% reduction in fatigue.

Plus, these stress-reducing effects were found to be long-term because the stress levels were still low when analyzed one month after the supplementation was discontinued.

What Vitamins Cannot Be Taken With Probiotics?

Generally speaking, there are no vitamin-probiotic contradictions for healthy persons.

Still, many are suspicious if certain vitamins, like those coming from citrus sources (e.g., vitamin C, pantothenic acid, etc.), would harm probiotic bacteria.

Tolerance and interaction of mineral micronutrients like Iron and Magnesium salts is also a concern for some.

So, I looked into research chronicles to get answers to these queries, and here is what I found:

Does Vitamin C Kill Probiotics?

No, this is not true.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and does not negatively affect Probiotics.

A study shows that probiotics have beneficial effects when combined with Vitamin C. These benefits include a reduction in respiratory problems and improved immune status.

Read more on how vitamin C affects probiotics.

Can Magnesium And Probiotics Be Taken Together?

Yes, these supplements can be used together, and their combined use provides better results than taking only one of them.

Can You Take Probiotics And Iron At The Same Time?

Yes, it’s a safe and, in fact, recommended practice to take iron and probiotics together.

That’s because probiotics can save you from the gastrointestinal side effects of iron supplementation.

Can I Take Vitamin B₁₂ And Probiotics Together?

Vitamin B₁₂ and many others (like B₁, B₂, B₃, B₅, B₆, B₇, and K) are naturally produced by probiotics.

So, there’s nothing wrong with taking these vitamins with probiotics.

Can I Take A Probiotic And Vitamin D At The Same Time?

Probiotics and vitamin D go well with each other.

No side effects are reported for their co-supplementation. Plus, user feedback supports this practice.

Babygorilla90 asked on Reddit if taking vitamin D with probiotics is safe, and the answer from other users was Yes.

However, commentators also recommended tracking vitamin D levels as its absorption increases when it is taken alongside probiotics. And overdosing on vitamin D can be toxic.

Scientropic, a Reddit member, suggested taking vitamin D once or twice a week only instead of taking it daily to avoid such a condition.

Can You Take Probiotics With Magnesium Glycinate?

Yes, like other magnesium salts, you can also take magnesium glycinate with probiotics without fearing harmful interactions.

What Medications Should Not Be Taken With Probiotics?

Owing to the significance of drug interactions, it’s natural to think about what you should not take with probiotics.

But as friendly bacteria are a natural component of your body, the list of “ what not to take with probiotics” is very short.

Usually, it’s recommended that you don’t use antacids and antibiotics with your probiotic supplement.

However, you can still take them with a few hours gap and get complete benefits from the drug and the probiotic.

If you are curious, check out my detailed posts on using probiotics with antacids and antibiotics.

Best Multivitamins With Probiotics

1. Garden Of Life Vitamin Code Raw – Best For Women

Vitamin code is a blend of 19 organically derived micronutrients, including:

Vitamins (A, B6, B12, C, D, E, K, biotin, pantothenic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin)
And minerals (Iron, folate, zinc, chromium, selenium, molybdenum, and manganese)

Plus, it has 500 million CFUs of Lactobacillus probiotics to boost feminine health alongside gut health improvement.

2. Gobiotix Probiotic Multivitamin – Best for Both Men & Women

Gobiotix’s blend contains 18 micronutrients and a multistrain probiotic blend containing the following components:

Probiotics (L. acidophilus, B. longum, B. bifidium, and S. thermophilus)
Vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C, D3, E, and biotin)
Minerals (Iodide, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, and selenium)

Together, the goodness of multivitamins combined with the efficacy of probiotics can help make you both mentally and physically stronger and healthier.

3. Culturelle Kids Probiotic + Multivitamin Chewables – Best For Kids (My personal favorite)

Culturelle Kids Probiotic + Multivitamin is hands down my favorite supplement for Kids. It saves me all the hassle of trying to make my kids have one supplement after the other.

With this one, they get all they need to keep their immune system strong and gut health sound.

It supplies:

11 key micronutrients (Vitamin A, B6, B12, C, D, E, biotin, pantothenic acid, folate, iodine and zinc)

And 5 billion CFUs of L. rhamnosus GG

FAQs

What benefits do Probiotics provide with Multivitamins?

Since Probiotics are essentially bacteria, they synergize with and benefit other bacteria in the body.

Also, they increase the absorption of vitamins by improving gut health. In turn, better absorption of vitamins leads to improved metabolic functions and the breakdown of fatty acids.

Can Probiotics Affect the absorption of Multivitamins?

Studies have not linked probiotics to poor absorption of vitamins. Rather, these friendly microbes are known to improve the absorption and function of vitamins.

Besides probiotics, various other factors affect the absorption of vitamins, including some diseases of the intestines, like inflammatory bowel diseases and celiac disease, following surgery.

Can I take Vitamins and Probiotics together simultaneously?

Yes, you can. Probiotics are safe to be taken with Vitamins.

Gut microbes do not affect the action of vitamins. Their working mechanisms and location of function are different from most vitamins. So, no direct interactions occur.

Can probiotics be taken with prenatal vitamins?

Yes, expecting mothers can use pregnancy probiotics and prenatal vitamins together.

This combination prevents developmental disorders and nutritional deficiencies in the baby and also helps the mom with pregnancy troubles like nausea, vomiting, and headaches.

Conclusion

You can take probiotics with multivitamins as these dietary supplements go hand in hand, supporting each other’s functionality.

Probiotics improve digestive functions and increase the absorption of vitamins. That means you can increase the efficacy of your vitamin supplement by taking probiotics with it.

In turn, vitamins also support the growth and colonization of probiotics by improving your metabolic health and immune system.