What number of instances have you ever been advised in regards to the significance of particular person nutritional vitamins and minerals for stopping illnesses and your total well-being? However do you know that there’s a potent vitamin-mineral mixture that may handle the whole lot, from bone energy to immune perform? That’s vitamin D and magnesium. In actual fact, they work higher collectively than individually.
These two vitamins are deeply interconnected, with magnesium taking part in an important function in activating vitamin D. Whereas every nutrient is highly effective by itself, taking them collectively can unlock a number of further well being advantages. Nevertheless, this mixture additionally raises questions, resulting in a number of myths and misconceptions. Let’s discover the info and debunk the myths.
Delusion 1: Vitamin D works completely effectively by itself
Truth: Vitamin D is essential for a lot of features within the physique, particularly for calcium absorption and bone well being. Nevertheless, with out magnesium, your physique could wrestle to transform vitamin D into its energetic kind, which limits its effectiveness.
Vitamin D is absorbed in an inactive kind from daylight or dietary supplements. The liver and kidneys have to convert it into an energetic kind that the physique can use, and magnesium is crucial for each steps of this conversion course of. If you happen to’re low on magnesium, your vitamin D ranges won’t be optimized, even for those who’re getting sufficient daylight or taking dietary supplements.
Delusion 2: You get sufficient magnesium from weight-reduction plan alone
Truth: Whereas it’s true that magnesium might be present in varied meals — resembling leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and complete grains — trendy agricultural practices and customary dietary habits can result in magnesium deficiencies. Processed meals, which many individuals eat frequently, are sometimes stripped of their magnesium content material.
Even people with a comparatively balanced weight-reduction plan is probably not getting sufficient magnesium, particularly if they’ve sure well being situations, take drugs that have an effect on magnesium ranges, or reside in areas the place soil is depleted of vitamins.
Delusion 3: Taking Vitamin D and magnesium collectively causes overdose
Truth: It’s extremely unlikely that taking vitamin D and magnesium collectively will result in an overdose for those who persist with the beneficial day by day allowances (RDAs) or the recommendation of your healthcare supplier.
Magnesium helps regulate calcium and vitamin D ranges within the physique, ensuring that calcium is correctly absorbed and used the place it’s wanted—primarily within the bones. With out sufficient magnesium, there’s a threat of calcium increase within the fallacious locations, such because the arteries, which might be dangerous. This stability means that magnesium not solely helps vitamin D but in addition helps defend the physique from potential vitamin D-related points, like hypercalcemia (an excessive amount of calcium within the blood).
That stated, it’s all the time necessary to seek the advice of a healthcare skilled earlier than beginning any new complement routine, particularly if you’re already taking different drugs or dietary supplements.
Delusion 4: You may take any type of magnesium with Vitamin D
Truth: Whereas there are a number of types of magnesium out there, not all are absorbed equally by the physique. As an illustration, magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate are thought of extra bioavailable and could also be higher choices when paired with vitamin D dietary supplements. Magnesium oxide, however, is much less simply absorbed and won’t supply the identical advantages.
When contemplating supplementation, it’s necessary to decide on the correct type of magnesium to make sure you’re getting the total advantage of each vitamins. Communicate to a healthcare supplier for steerage on the most effective types and doses on your particular person wants.
(Dr Gupta is Senior Advisor, Inside Drugs, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi)
