GradedHealth

Take your vitamins with yogurt? Fermented milk helped the body absorb vitamins A, D, E and K in a small trial

In 20 healthy men, vitamins A, D, E and K were absorbed better with non-fat fermented milk than with water. One dose, small trial: early evidence.

Published October 2026

Short answer

Early but promising: non-fat fermented milk helped 20 men absorb more vitamins A, D, E and K than water did. One dose, blood levels only, and water is a weak comparison. Evidence grade C (Limited). One small single-dose crossover trial (20 healthy men) measuring blood absorption; downgraded for small sample and surrogate outcome, and food-and-vitamin D studies disagree.

Key takeaways

  • In 20 healthy men, vitamins A, D, E and K taken with 75 g of non-fat fermented milk were absorbed better than when taken with water: blood measures of vitamin A (retinyl palmitate), vitamin D3, vitamin K2 (MK-7) and two forms of vitamin E were all significantly higher [1].
  • The trial measured one dose over 8 hours of blood tests, not vitamin deficiency or health outcomes [1].
  • Water is a weak comparison: other studies suggest a meal can help too. A fat-containing meal gave a 32% higher peak blood level of vitamin D3 than a fat-free meal in 50 older adults [2].
  • But food studies disagree: a low-fat meal beat a high-fat meal for vitamin D3 absorption, with no later difference in blood vitamin D [3], and in 88 people taking an oily solution, taking it with or without a meal made no difference [4].
  • In a small uncontrolled group of 17 patients who were not reaching their target, vitamin D blood levels rose 56.7% on average after they took their usual supplement with their largest meal [5].

What the study did

Vitamins A, D, E and K dissolve in fat rather than water, so how well the body absorbs them can depend on what they are taken with. The same research group had earlier found that non-fat fermented milk helped the body absorb carotenoids from vegetables, so they tested whether it would do the same for fat-soluble vitamins [1]. Twenty healthy men took a vitamin mix with either 75 g of water or 75 g of non-fat fermented milk, then switched after a two-week break. The mix held vitamin A (as retinol), vitamin D3, vitamin E and vitamin K as menaquinone-7 (MK-7, a form of vitamin K2). Blood was drawn before and 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours afterwards [1].

What it found

Over the 8 hours, blood levels of retinyl palmitate (a form of vitamin A), vitamin D3 and MK-7 were significantly higher after the fermented milk than after water. Two forms of vitamin E, alpha- and gamma-tocopherol, were also higher in the fat-carrying part of the blood [1]. The authors suggest the approach could help with nutritional deficiencies [1].

How it fits

Studies of taking vitamin D with food give mixed answers. Taking a 50,000 IU dose with a fat-containing meal raised peak blood vitamin D3 by 32% compared with a fat-free meal in 50 older adults [2]. In 62 older adults, a low-fat meal gave higher vitamin D3 absorption than a high-fat meal or no meal, yet blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D at 30 and 90 days did not differ between groups [3]. A 32-person trial found higher 25-hydroxyvitamin D two weeks after a high-fat meal than after a low-fat one [6], while in 88 people taking an oily solution, a high-fat breakfast made no difference [4]. In 17 patients who were not reaching their target levels, blood vitamin D rose after they took their supplement with the largest meal, but the study had no control group [5]. The Vitamin D page has the full picture of what vitamin D does and does not do.

Limits

The trial had 20 healthy men and one dose, so it cannot show lasting benefit, effects in women or older people, or anything about deficiency [1]. The comparison was water, so it does not show fermented milk beats a regular meal or any other food [1]. The doses were far larger than usual supplement doses, for example 230 µg of vitamin D3, roughly 9,200 IU [1]. The trial used non-fat fermented milk, not a named yogurt, so we cannot say whether regular yogurt works the same way. This is not medical advice: vitamin K can interact with blood thinners such as warfarin, so check with a doctor before changing how or when you take supplements. The Vitamin K2 page covers safety, and Vitamin A and Vitamin E have their own pages.

Go deeper

  • Vitamin D — In people with prediabetes, vitamin D supplements lower the chance of developing type 2 diabetes.
  • Vitamin K2 — Vitamin K2 may help keep spine bone density up in postmenopausal women, but fracture results are mixed and the artery studies are small and do not agree.
  • Vitamin A — Vitamin A supplements prevent night blindness and other eye problems in people who are vitamin A deficient, and in low-income countries they cut child deaths b…
  • Vitamin E — Vitamin E supplements have one place where the evidence clearly supports them: in fatty liver disease (NASH/MASH), 800 IU a day improved liver histology in the…

References

  1. Non-Fat Fermented Milk Enhanced the Bioavailability of Fat-Soluble Vitamins in Humans: A Crossover Study.. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo), 2026.
  2. Dietary fat increases vitamin D-3 absorption.. J Acad Nutr Diet, 2015.
  3. Meal conditions affect the absorption of supplemental vitamin D3 but not the plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D response to supplementation.. J Bone Miner Res, 2013.
  4. A Randomised, Cross-Over Study to Estimate the Influence of Food on the 25-Hydroxyvitamin D₃ Serum Level after Vitamin D₃ Supplementation.. Nutrients, 2016.
  5. Taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in higher serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.. J Bone Miner Res, 2010.
  6. Effect of High- versus Low-Fat Meal on Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels after a Single Oral Dose of Vitamin D: A Single-Blind, Parallel, Randomized Trial.. Int J Endocrinol, 2011.