When you are on intermittent fasting training, the question that may arise is “Do supplements break a fast?” It is a valid question, as supplements do have ingredients that the body has to process. The good news is that the many common supplements are certainly “fasting friendly” and therefore won’t take you out of a fasting condition. However, awareness is necessary, especially for those choices including calories, protein, or other nutrition that could induce insulin response and disrupt fat-burning processes that fasting is trying to accomplish.
So now we will examine the subject of supplements and fasting in depth. Moving forward, we’ll focus on which of the most frequently used supplements you can continue using while fasting during your time-restricted feeding windows, and those that are better saved for your eating time.
Supplements Less Prone to Affect a Fast
Here are some supplements that should be okay to take while fasting, as they typically contain minimal or no calories and digestible nutrients:
- Simple vitamins (sugar-free formulas are preferable).
- Fish oil/omega-3 supplements
- Particular vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin D, Zinc, Magnesium, etc.
- Creatine
- Collagen peptides
- Probiotics
These supplements are not complicated in their makeup, they provide micronutrients, healthy fats, or compounds that don’t seem to interfere with insulin levels or ketosis and autophagy which is key to fasting.
In contrast, even the said “safest” supplements may be better digested when taken with food containing some amount of fat or protein. Thus if you do a shorter fasting window, like 16 hours, you can probably take them during the eating period.
Supplements to Avoid or Minimize While Fasting
On the other hand, certain supplements should likely be avoided entirely during a fasting period, or only taken in very small amounts, due to their higher potential to break a fast:
- Protein powders or BCAAs
- Meal replacement or weight gain supplements
- Gummy vitamins (usually enriched with sugar amounts)
- Supplements with fillers like maltodextrin
The problem with these supplements is that they are high in protein, branched-chain amino acids, or carbohydrates/sugars. These hike insulin, and trigger the digestive processes that influence in the foil the fasted state. Some researchers mention you could be in ketosis if you keep protein/carb intake to less than 50 grams when fasting. However, for the majority of people who are intermittent fasting for health purposes, it is better to refrain from taking these supplements until their next meal.
Helpful Supplements for Intermittent Fasting
While we’ve covered what may or may not break a fast, some supplements can be particularly beneficial and complementary when practising intermittent fasting:
- Exogenous ketones can help to get one into ketosis faster
- MCT oil can provide quick energy from fats
- Electrolyte blends will provide the sodium, potassium, and other lost minerals through fluid control
- Green tea extract or caffeine is good for reducing appetite
Always check the ingredients list of fat-burning supplements as some of them may contain added sugars and fillers you’d need to steer clear of when fasting.
Maximising Autophagy And Fat Burning
For people, who desire to boost autophagy ( the destruction of scarred components) and fat burning, a more strict approach to supplementation may be advisable. Any supplements even to the slightest extent contributing to protein, carbs or calorie intake may be doing so at the expense of these processes.
In such case, the best alternative would be the consumption of zero-calorie foods such as plain water, unsweetened tea or black coffee. You can then add your favourite vitamins, minerals, protein powders, or other supplements to your first meal after you have broken the fast.
This strict diet approach does need proper planning to meet your nutritional requirements in the allotted eating windows. But, for some of us, it is a favourable deal to gain the maximum metabolic benefits of fasting.
Supporting Proper Nutrition and Hydration
In contrast, the advocates of fasting still contend that having a minimal intake of calorie or calorie-free supplements from supplements to take while fasting will not override many of these benefits.
Likewise, fasting itself is a big calorie deficit and a hormonal change. Having bone broth, taking a multivitamin, or using a flavoured electrolyte supplement may allow you to deal with the fast easier, and still reap most of the benefits.
The central point is that portion control and selecting the right kind of ingredients is what to be focused on. However, try to avoid them being excessive, especially when it comes to proteins, sugars and processed compounds which, if present too much, could cause excessive insulin spikes. And be sure, you are also maintaining proper hydration and nutrition during the food intake periods to support overall health.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, consuming supplements during fasting is an individual choice that depends on your fasting plans, the duration of your fasting, and your overall diet and lifestyle. Some may even restrict their diet to plain water or black coffee to maximize this process. On the other hand, for some, continuing to use some vitamin/mineral supplements or approved fasting aids, such as exogenous ketones, shouldn’t involve major disruption.
Be vigilant about the ingredients and choose a clean, calorie-free formulation when you need supplements for intermittent fasting to take during your fasting period. Along with this diet plan, regularly check your water consumption and nutrition levels as well when eating your normal meal times to support your overall health. With some planning, you can absolutely incorporate evidence-based supplements into your intermittent fasting routine.