Welcome to Expert Advice, a weekly series that features professional replies to your questions on natural health and wellness, and living a healthy life.

Our in-house team of naturopathic doctors, homeopaths, nutritionists and other licensed health care practitioners help you to make better informed decisions regarding your health, natural health supplements, natural medicine and meeting your wellness goals.

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Kicking Core up a notch 

Q. I started adding two scoops of CanPrev Core to my morning coffee. Can you tell me if the caffeine might have a negative effect on the nutrients?

A. This seems to be a common practice among athletes who are looking for a caffeine boost before a workout, in addition to their nutritional shake. However, taking caffeine with vitamins or minerals can potentially interfere with absorption and/or increase excretion.

For example, some sources claim that for every 150mg of caffeine ingested (about the amount in one cup of coffee), 5mg of calcium is lost – which isn’t much, but it can be problematic if you have osteoporosis and also drink a lot of coffee. It’s also thought that caffeine can inhibit the amount of calcium absorbed through the intestinal tract and deplete the amount retained by the bones.

Caffeine can interfere with iron absorption as well, though the effects are quite minimal at around 6 per cent or so. Because coffee is a diuretic, it also speeds up the workflow of the kidneys and causes you to excrete water soluble vitamins like B and C a little faster.

Regardless of whether you’re just drinking coffee or adding CanPrev Core to it, the risk of certain nutrient loss remains. If you’re deficient in a particular nutrient or have osteoporosis, it’s best to avoid the combination. If you’re really concerned about nutrient loss, you can simply top up with extra vitamins and minerals throughout the day (as recommended by your health practitioner), just in case!

Disclaimer: The experts’ responses are for general information purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. If you have any specific questions about any medical matter, you should always consult your naturopathic doctor or other health care practitioner. Don’t delay seeking medical advice, disregard medical advice or discontinue medical treatment because of the information presented here.

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