Many take their daily Vitamin D supplement promptly, but the level in the blood barely shifts. Even worse, some begin experiencing unexplained leg cramps, anxiety, or heart palpitations shortly after beginning a regimen. The problem is rarely a defective Vitamin D pill; more often, it is a missing metabolic partner: Magnesium.
Biologically, the Vitamin D swallowed in a capsule is inactive. To become useful to the immune system and bones, it must undergo two complicated conversion processes: first in the liver, then in the kidneys, to become calcitriol, the active hormone. The enzymes responsible for this activation are strongly magnesium dependent.
Think of Vitamin D as a car and magnesium as the fuel. Without fuel, the engine won’t start no matter how many cars you park in the driveway.
The danger arises when one consumes high doses of Vitamin D, without adequate magnesium. The body desperately tries to metabolize the influx of Vitamin D by draining already existing stores of magnesium from muscles and bone tissue. This hidden biochemical depletion of magnesium, leads to confusing symptoms such as insomnia and involuntary muscle twitches.
Medicines often work better together, and the same is usually true for nutrients. Prior to advancing a dose of Vitamin D to correct a deficiency, it’s critical to evaluate magnesium intake. When choosing a source, Magnesium Glycinate or Citrate generally provides better absorption compared to the less expensive Magnesium Oxide. In order to correct the Vitamin D levels, one needs to correct the fuel supply first.
Author: Ali Farooq (Pharmacist at Hameed Latif Hospital Pharmacy)
