Can I Take Vitamin D and Magnesium Together?

When you’re putting together a supplement routine, you might have a few questions about what you should take, what these vitamins and minerals do, and questions like “Can I take Vitamin D and Magnesium together?” We’ll break down what each of these supplements are, do, and how you should take them in this article!

The first step to providing your body with good sources of vitamins and minerals should always be your diet. Ensuring that you pick balanced meals with foods high in essential nutrients can help give your body the raw materials it needs to do what it's got to do. But sometimes, it's hard to cover every base every day; that's where supplements can help. Supplementing your diet with essential vitamins and minerals is a great way to help cover possible nutrient gaps. To help with this, Nature Made^® has an exciting line of Vitamin D and Magnesium supplements to support your body's intake of these essential nutrients, along with a new Advanced Multivitamins line, which includes nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin B12 too, that can help to form a broad base of nutrients for your daily supplement routine.^†

What is Vitamin D?

So, what is Vitamin D? Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that our body produces when our skin is exposed to sunlight, and it's an essential fat-soluble vitamin. Our body needs Vitamin D to create complex molecules that support our innate and adaptive immune system.[1] Despite Vitamin D's benefits, it's estimated that 95% of Americans don't receive enough Vitamin D from their diet alone, and nearly one-third are Vitamin D deficient.[2,3] Vitamin D is more than just an immune support supplement; it supports muscle health, helping our muscles contract [4], and helps our body improve Calcium absorption, which is important for our teeth and bones.^†

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is an essential mineral found in foods like whole grains, nuts, beans, and dark, leafy green vegetables. Supplying our body with adequate Magnesium is important because it's required to perform over 300 enzymatic reactions in our bodies. That includes supporting essential nerve function, supporting a healthy heart, and converting food into cellular energy.^†

Why Do You Need Vitamin D and Magnesium?

So why would you be interested in taking Vitamin D and Magnesium together? Both these essential nutrients are subject to dietary shortfalls in the United States. Over 95% of US adults don't receive enough Vitamin D from their diet alone, and over half don't consume enough Magnesium.[2] While the best source of these essential nutrients may be your diet, supplementing with Nature Made^® can help fill these common dietary shortfalls.

Benefits of Vitamin D

There's a reason you hear so much about Vitamin D: it can do so much! One of the many benefits of this essential vitamin is that it supports healthy bones. Our bones need a lot of Calcium, which we get through foods like milk, cheese, and leafy greens, but we need to absorb it for our body to use it! Vitamin D helps support cellular transport proteins in our intestines, allowing our gut to take in the Calcium we need.[5] Vitamin D is also essential to help support a healthy immune response.^†

Benefits of Magnesium

Magnesium supports our heart, bones, nerves, and muscles: it's a multifaceted mineral! Magnesium binds with specific receptors on muscle cells to help our muscles relax.[6] Contraction and relaxation are essential to everything our muscles do, including our heart beating. Our blog "Magnesium for Muscles: How It Supports Muscle Health" goes into more detail. In addition to its role in muscle health, Magnesium is also a key player for supporting bone health. In fact, our bones store up to 60% of the Magnesium in our body.[7] But wait, there's even more! In addition to that, Magnesium also helps support the conduction of impulses in our nervous system by facilitating the transfer of Calcium and Potassium ions across cell membranes.[8] And that's not even the complete list of benefits of Magnesium.^†

The Relationship Between Vitamin D and Magnesium

We know why you might want to take Vitamin D and Magnesium separately, but why are they grouped together so often? That's because our body needs to metabolize Vitamin D to use it, and Magnesium is an essential part of that process. Most Vitamin D metabolizing enzymes require Magnesium, so having enough Magnesium is vital to help your body make the best use of Vitamin D.[9]^†

Can I Take Vitamin D and Magnesium Together?

Yes! Taking Vitamin D and Magnesium together can help support a healthy immune system. Vitamin D aids Magnesium absorption, and Magnesium helps Vitamin D work better.* Nature Made^® offers Magnesium Complex Capsules with D3 and Zinc with a 4-in-1 Magnesium blend (including Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Glycinate and Magnesium Malate) to support muscle relaxation, nerve, heart, and bone health, alongside Vitamin D3, the body's preferred form of Vitamin D.^†

Recommended Dosage for Adults

How much Vitamin D do you need per day? The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for Vitamin D depends on age. From ages 1 to 70, the recommended daily intake of Vitamin D is 15 mcg. Above age 70, the RDA increases to 20 mcg.[10] This amount can be affected by certain factors like your location and daily sunlight exposure, as our body produces Vitamin D in response to sunlight.

Magnesium's RDA differs depending on age, sex, and life stage. For men, the RDA is 410 mg from age 14-18, 400 mg from 19-30, and 420 mg at age 31+. For women, the RDA is 360 mg from 14-18, 310 mg from 19-30, and 320 mg for ages 31 and up. For pregnant people aged 14-18, the RDA is 400 mg; for those aged 19-30, the RDA is 350 mg; and for those aged 31-50, the RDA is 360 mg.[11] Always consult a healthcare professional for personalized advice before starting or changing your supplement routine.

How to Incorporate Nature Made^® Supplements

One of the best ways to incorporate your Magnesium and Vitamin D supplements into your daily routine is by attaching them to a regular meal, like breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Keeping a consistent schedule helps you remember to take your supplements every day, and it ensures that you take them as recommended, with water and a meal, to help with proper absorption.

Empowering Your Health Journey with Nature Made^®

Not only can you take Vitamin D and Magnesium together, but these essential vitamins and minerals aid each other in the body, providing immune and bone support, among other benefits. Nature Made^®'s Magnesium Collection is a great place to start when incorporating a Magnesium supplement into your routine; we're the #1 Pharmacist Recommended Vitamin & Supplement Brand.**^†

* Magnesium supports Vitamin D action in the body.^†

** Based on a survey of pharmacists who recommend branded vitamins and supplements

† These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

References

1. Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011;59(6):881-886. doi:10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821b8755
2. Liu X, Baylin A, Levy PD. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency among US adults: prevalence, predictors and clinical implications. Br J Nutr. 2018;119(8):928-936.
3. Reider CA, Chung RY, Devarshi PP, Grant RW, Hazels Mitmesser S. Inadequacy of Immune Health Nutrients: Intakes in US Adults, the 2005-2016 NHANES. Nutrients. 2020;12(6):1735. Published 2020 Jun 10. doi:10.3390/nu120617354.
4. Rejnmark L. Effects of vitamin D on muscle function and performance: a review of evidence from randomized controlled trials. Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2011;2(1):25-37. doi:10.1177/2040622310381934
5. Khazai N, Judd SE, Tangpricha V. Calcium and vitamin D: skeletal and extraskeletal health. Curr Rheumatol Rep. 2008;10(2):110-117. doi:10.1007/s11926-008-0020-y
6. Potter JD, Robertson SP, Johnson JD. Magnesium and the regulation of muscle contraction. Fed Proc. 1981;40(12):2653-2656.
7. Harvard School of Public Health. Magnesium. The Nutrition Source. Published October 21, 2019. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/magnesium/
8. National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements - Magnesium. National Institutes of Health. Published 2016. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
9. Aranow C. Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011;59(6):881-886. doi:10.2310/JIM.0b013e31821b8755
10. National Institutes of Health. Vitamin D. National Institutes of Health. Published September 18, 2023. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
11. National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements - Magnesium. National Institutes of Health. Published 2016. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/