Why you should take magnesium with Vitamin D supplements? - NL-080
Are you taking high dose vitamin D supplements to improve your bone and overall health? Vitamin D is an incredibly important nutrient that influences almost every aspect of your health whether it is bone density, immunity, thyroid function, pregnancy, heart health and mental well-being. Chronic deficiency of vitamin D may result in muscle pain, extreme fatigue, bone pain, joint stiffness and even depression.
But did you know magnesium is an indispensable part of vitamin D metabolism? Your body can’t make or process vitamin D without healthy levels of magnesium.
With their versatile functions in the body, both vitamin D and magnesium play an important role in maintaining your physical, mental and emotional well-being. But magnesium holds the key to unlocking health benefits offered by vitamin D, which is not surprising because this is how most vitamins and minerals work. Another popular example is the role of vitamin C in iron absorption.
Whether you are getting your vitamin D from sun exposure or through supplements, you need magnesium to convert this vitamin D into its active form – calcitriol – that is used and absorbed by the cells. In other words, magnesium makes vitamin D bio-available. Additionally, almost all the enzymes that are required for vitamin D metabolism in the liver and kidneys, need magnesium. Your body can't unlock the potential of vitamin D in maintaining healthy and strong bones, regulating your immunity, reducing the risk of upper respiratory infections and providing other important health benefits without magnesium. Interestingly, taking large doses of Vitamin D tends to deplete magnesium from the body. Magnesium is typically stored in your muscles and bones. And if you are taking mega doses of vitamin D as often prescribed by doctors, your body will invariably extract the magnesium stored in your bones and muscles, thereby worsening your magnesium deficiency and triggering symptoms such as muscle cramps, twitching, headaches, constipation, numbness, fast heartbeat and muscle fatigue. It can also increase symptoms of stress and anxiety. In addition, emerging research suggests that both vitamin D and magnesium together can improve insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control in patients with diabetes.
Magnesium, on its own, is a very important mineral with diverse roles and functions in the body. It facilitates hundreds of biochemical reactions that are required for survival and maintenance. It is required for energy production, regulating calcium levels, DNA and protein synthesis, healthy contraction of muscles and detoxification.
This multi-purpose mineral is also known as nature's original chill pill given its role in calming the nervous system and improving the body's stress response. In fact, people often take magnesium supplements to improve their sleep; and studies also show that magnesium supplements are very useful in managing symptoms of insomnia and depression. It also reduces pain and helps improve symptoms in migraine, pre-menstrual syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome. In addition, magnesium is a heart-healthy mineral that works on many levels to support cardiovascular and metabolic health.
If you are struggling with chronic stress, persistent fatigue and never ending muscle and joint pains, despite taking vitamin D supplement on a regular basis, chances are that an underlying magnesium deficiency could be the root cause. In that case, adding a high quality magnesium supplement to your daily routine will be immensely helpful in correcting your deficiency and reducing the risk of symptoms and health conditions that often accompany chronic vitamin D deficiency.
- Cheung et al. The effect of combined magnesium and vitamin D supplementation on vitamin D status, systemic inflammation, and blood pressure: A randomized double-blinded controlled trial. Nutrition. 2022.
- Nik et al. Association of vitamin D and magnesium with insulin sensitivity and their influence on glycemic control. World J Diabetes. 2023.