Dr. Rajeshwari Panda, Head of Nutrition at Medicover Hospital, Kharghar Navi Mumbai (India), explains that magnesium helps enzymes in the liver and kidneys complete vitamin D activation effectively.
If magnesium is deficient, vitamin D cannot be activated properly, leading to low calcium absorption, negatively affecting bone health.
Vitamin D goes through two steps of hydroxylation to become active. First, in the liver, vitamin D is converted into 25-hydroxyvitamin D (calcidiol).
Then in the kidneys, it continues to be converted into 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the active form of vitamin D.
These steps require enzymes to depend on magnesium to perform their correct function. Without magnesium, these enzymes cannot function effectively, disrupting vitamin D metabolism.
"People can supplement enough magnesium through a balanced daily diet, including green vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains," Dr. Panda guides and adds that vitamin D from sunlight, food or supplementation will go to the liver, where it is converted into a reserve form. The kidneys then convert it into an active form for the body to use.
Sharing the same view, Dr. Manjusha Agarwal, senior consultant in internal medicine at Gleneagles Hospital Parel Mumbai (India), emphasized that magnesium also helps regulate the thyroid hormone (PTH), which can affect vitamin D metabolism. However, it rarely occurs in healthy people.
Experts recommend that although magnesium is important, it is just a factor in the activation of vitamin D.
Other important nutrients such as calcium and vitamin K also play an essential role in the body's effective use of vitamin D.
If you have low vitamin D levels, vitamin D supplementation and checking your magnesium levels may be helpful, but you should consult your doctor first.
