Vitamins You Shouldn't Be Taking Together

You probably know about the importance of getting your vitamins. Of the 13 essential vitamins, vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. The remaining vitamins — vitamin C and the B vitamins (B6, B12, biotin, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and thiamine) — are water-soluble (via Verywell Health). You might take vitamin supplements every day without giving much thought to it, but did you know there are some vitamins you shouldn't take together?

Let's begin by taking a look at fat-soluble vitamins, which the body stores longer than water-soluble vitamins. If you take vitamin K with vitamins D, E, and A, your body may not absorb as much of vitamin K as it would if you took them separately. Moreover, most people are deficient in vitamin K (via The Healthy). Another issue with vitamin K involves vitamin E. Vitamin K is critical because it helps your blood clot. If you are taking it specifically for thin blood, doses of 800 milligrams or more of vitamin E can thin your blood, negating any benefits of vitamin K.

Water-soluble vitamins C and B are not as likely to lead to problems. This is because the body does not store them in the same way that it stores fat-soluble ones, and it eliminates any surplus through urine (via Livestrong).

That being said, taking doses of folate and vitamin B12 together could become problematic, especially with the elderly, vegans and vegetarians, who are at risk for being deficient in B12. The problem arises when large doses of folate cover up a vitamin B12 deficiency. If a deficiency goes undetected for too long, it lead to nerve damage (via Association of American Family Physicians).

While taking vitamins may seem harmless, taking too many individual supplements can be harmful. More importantly, you can reach toxic levels of some fat-soluble vitamins. In addition, if you eat a healthy diet, you probably do not need to supplement with vitamins at all (via Colorado State University).