How long apart should iron and calcium be taken?

Iron and calcium are often found in many foods eaten daily but still do not provide enough. It is necessary to supplement calcium and iron orally to ensure the needs of your body.
Before knowing what time of day to take calcium and iron, you need to pay special attention to a few objects that need to give priority to calcium and iron supplements and that is pregnant women and young children.
1.1. Pregnant women With pregnant women, the role of calcium is very important in the process of forming and developing the baby's skeletal system as well as maintaining a strong skeleton for the mother. Providing enough calcium for the baby right from the first months of pregnancy will also help improve the immune system and ensure a healthy body when born. Iron plays a role in creating red blood cells, enzymes and improving the immune system of both mother and baby. During pregnancy, pregnant women also need more blood than usual, so iron supplementation is indispensable. Therefore, it is very important to find out how long apart from taking iron and calcium to get the best effect.
1.2. Young children For young children, calcium and iron are essential for the nourishment and development of bones and teeth. From there, it will promote height growth, ensuring a healthy development of the body according to the right age.

2.1. Calcium Calcium always needs to be provided to your body throughout all stages of life. Calcium requirements increase during childhood, pregnancy and lactation. According to the recommendation of the Vietnam National Institute of Nutrition, each day, adults as well as children will need about 500mg of calcium, especially pregnant and lactating women, the need will double (1,000 - 1,200mg/day/person). ).
Calcium needs of each age as recommended by the American Institute of Medicine and depending on the age, it is necessary to supplement the appropriate amount of Calcium:
0 - 6 months: 210mg. 7 - 12 months: 270mg. 1-3 years old: 500mg. 4 - 8 years old: 800mg. 9 - 18 years old: 1,300mg. 19 - 50 years old: 1,000mg. Over 51 years old: 1,200mg. 2.2. Iron Iron plays a very important role in the body, is together with proteins to form hemoglobin (hemoglobin), transports O2 and CO2, prevents anemia and participates in the composition of redox enzymes.
Daily iron needs as recommended as follows:
3 - 6 months: 6.6mg/day. 6 - 12 months: 8.8mg/day. 1 - 10 years old: 10mg/day. Men 10-18 years old: 12mg/day. Adult male: 10mg/day. Adult female: 15mg/day. Postmenopausal women: 10mg/day. Pregnant women: 45mg/day.

Iron and calcium taken apart how long, at what time of the day will determine the absorption of the body. Each substance has a different "golden" time for absorption, so mothers should pay attention to the right time for iron and calcium to take how long apart is appropriate.
3.1. The right time to take Iron Experts recommend that we take iron in the morning or at noon. Because after a long sleep, the body's iron content is at its lowest. This is also the time when the body is most easily absorbed. Mother and baby should take iron at the time 30 minutes to 1 hour before eating.

3.2. The right time to take calcium Morning or noon is the most suitable time to take calcium. Daytime activities and sunlight will make it easier for your body to absorb and metabolize calcium.
​You should take calcium about 1 to 2 hours after breakfast or lunch. Avoid drinking calcium at night or in the evening because this time will limit the absorption of calcium, causing calcium stagnation which is very dangerous.
Do not add calcium more than 2500 mg/day because too much will increase calcium in the blood, leading to symptoms of thirst, increased urination, nausea, irregular heartbeat. Excess intake over a long period of time increases the risk of hyperthyroidism, cardiovascular diseases, kidney stones and digestive disorders.
Calcium should be added in the morning after eating, because at the beginning of the day the human body easily absorbs vitamin D from sunlight and increases the absorption of calcium in the digestive system. At the same time, this is also the time to exercise the most, which will limit the possibility of kidney stones when using calcium.
When taking Calcium in combination with vitamin D, vitamin K will increase your body's ability to absorb and use Calcium, reducing unwanted effects caused by Calcium.

Doctors always recommend that mother and baby should not take calcium and iron at the same time. Because calcium and iron will compete with each other and reduce the absorption of each other. It is extremely important to equip the knowledge that iron and calcium should be taken apart from each other for the most appropriate time.
During pregnancy, the mother's blood volume increases, so the need for iron also increases. Iron also helps protect your body from infections because iron is also a component of an enzyme in the immune system, iron helps convert beta carotene into vitamin A and helps create collagen (this substance binds body tissues together). together).
When pregnant, the need for calcium will also increase to ensure the formation and development of the fetal skeleton while ensuring the integrity of the mother's skeleton. Therefore, for pregnant women, it is often necessary to supplement these two substances.
However, pregnant women need to pay attention to the time of taking the drug. Calcium and iron should not be taken together, because it will cause an adverse interaction.
Iron is best absorbed when your body is hungry because food will reduce the absorption of this important micronutrient. It is best to take iron 1-2 hours after eating or 30 minutes before eating. Eating more fruits rich in vitamin C such as oranges, tangerines, apples, grapefruits, guava, ... will help increase iron absorption.
For calcium, should also be taken away from meals and preferably 30 minutes before meals or 1-2 hours after eating. As some foods contain oxalates and grains contain phytates, both of which bind to calcium and iron, partially limiting their absorption.
Thus, when taking both calcium and iron, drinking calcium in the morning with a lot of water will be most effective, instead of drinking it in the afternoon or evening, it will cause calcium to be deposited, the risk of causing other diseases such as kidney stones, constipation, trouble sleeping... Iron should be taken about 2 hours after lunch. Or you can take iron after breakfast and then about 2 hours later you take calcium again.
To avoid poor absorption of iron, after taking iron pills, you should not drink tea, milk or coffee.