Vitamin D: If You Take Vitamin D, You Need This, Too
Vitamin D is one of the important vitamin the body needs.
Making sure you have sufficient vitamin D is one of the most important things you can do to improve your health.
Studies show that
vitamin D can boost immunity and may even help protect against coronavirus. And
that’s just the beginning.
It has also been shown to prevent heart disease,
depression, obesity, and osteoporosis.
READ ALSO: Sunlight Makes Coronavirus Tests Turn Negative
But a study found that to use vitamin D efficiently,
you need one crucial mineral.
Vanderbilt University scientists noted that when
some people take vitamin D supplements, their blood levels of the vitamin won’t
rise, even if they take high doses.
They thought it might have something to do with
magnesium. A previous study by the same researchers had found that people with
low vitamin D levels also have low magnesium.
So the researchers put their theory to the test.
They divided 250 subjects into two groups. One group took magnesium
supplements. The other took a placebo.
Dr. Qi Dai was the study’s lead author. He said the
study found that magnesium “optimizes” vitamin D. In other words, the mineral
increases vitamin D in people who don’t have enough. And it lowers vitamin D in
people who have too much.
Dr. Martha Shrubsole was a coauthor of the study. “A
lot of people have received recommendations from their health care providers to
take vitamin D,” Dr. Shrubsole said.
But she notes that up to 80% of Americans are
magnesium deficient. So even if they take large doses of vitamin D they won’t
be able to raise their levels.
“Magnesium deficiency shuts down vitamin D
synthesis,” Dr. Dai said.
Vitamin
D Needs Magnesium
The next time you have a checkup, get your vitamin D
level checked. It can be done with the same blood draw used for your other tests.
If your reading is less than 20 ng/mL, your levels
are too low. Try to get 15 minutes of sun a day with your arms and legs
exposed.
If you still test low, take a quality vitamin D3
supplement. We recommend 5,000 IUs a day.
And make sure you get enough magnesium. You need at least 320 mg a day.
SOURCES OF VITAMIN D
These foods are good sources:
Nuts and seeds. A quarter cup of pumpkin seeds has 317 mg of magnesium. Brazil nuts offer 133. Almonds have about 100 mg. (Benefits Of Tigger Nuts: Its A Superfood)
Fruits
and vegetables. Almost all fruits and vegetables have
significant amounts of magnesium. Half a cup of cooked spinach provides 83 mg. (Eating Fruits On Empty Stomach: Good or bad?)
Researchers say the magnesium content of plant foods
has decreased in the past few decades. They blame industrialized agriculture,
which has depleted the magnesium from the soil. That’s why the most reliable
way to get the mineral may be through a supplement.
They are widely available at health food and drug
stores, and online.
Take at least 350 mg a day.
Besides optimizing your vitamin D, magnesium helps you in other ways. It is linked to reduced stress, and lower risk of diabetes and cancer.
Vitamin D and magnesium make a great team. You need them both on your side.
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