There’s been a lot of talk on social media about taking magnesium and vitamin D supplements together for anxiety. Magnesium helps the body process vitamin D, so taking both supplements together can enhance each other’s benefits.
Magnesium and vitamin D are both essential to keeping your body healthy. Vitamin D and magnesium both support physical and mental health, keeping bones strong and even fighting symptoms of anxiety and depression.
This article touches on how to use magnesium and vitamin D for anxiety, neurological health, bone health, and more.
Although dietary supplements may seem harmless, it is important to consult your health care provider before taking them, especially if you have a health condition or are taking medications. Supplements can interact with medications and affect your health without you realizing it.
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Magnesium benefits
Magnesium is a mineral and an electrolyte that the body uses in chemical reactions. The benefits of magnesium are wide-ranging and include promoting nerve transmission, maintaining muscle health, and controlling blood sugar levels.
Supplementing with magnesium can help with a variety of health conditions, including:
Types of magnesium
Many types of magnesium are used in dietary supplements and have different medical uses, absorption, bioavailability, and side effects.
Vitamin D benefits
Vitamin D supports your immune system, helps build healthy bones, keeps neurons functioning well, and can help improve your mood. Additionally, getting enough vitamin D can help prevent serious illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and autoimmune diseases.
When to take vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. In other words, your body processes vitamin D the same way it processes fat. That’s why it’s best to take vitamin D with a meal that includes healthy fats.
How Magnesium and Vitamin D Work Together
Magnesium plays an important role in liver and kidney function and is essential for vitamin D absorption. All enzymes responsible for vitamin D metabolism appear to require magnesium. When magnesium levels are too low, the body cannot activate or process vitamin D.
Deficiencies in either nutrient are associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. You may get the most benefit from taking these supplements together, but you should talk to your health care provider about how much is right for you.
Dose
One viral TikTok video urged people to take 500 milligrams (mg) of magnesium and 125 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin D. The doses recommended in this video exceed accepted safe limits and may cause other health problems.
magnesium dosage
According to federal data, no one should take more than 350 mg of magnesium supplements daily. It can cause diarrhea and cramps. Very high doses of more than 5,000 mg can cause kidney failure and even death.
Unfortunately, there is little data on how much magnesium is effective for anxiety. In fact, research on magnesium supplementation and anxiety is overall poor.
The magnesium supplements that are best absorbed in the intestine are magnesium aspartate, magnesium citrate, magnesium lactate, and magnesium chloride.
vitamin D dosage
The upper limit for vitamin D intake from all sources (foods and supplements) for ages 9 and older is 100 mcg per day. Too much vitamin D can cause nausea, vomiting, confusion, and kidney stones. Very high levels can cause kidney failure, arrhythmias, and death.
Magnesium deficiency
Magnesium deficiency occurs when the body lacks the mineral. Although rare in otherwise healthy people, older adults and people with the following health conditions are at higher risk of developing magnesium deficiency:
- Gastrointestinal (GI) disease
- Diabetes
- alcohol use disorder
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include:
- decreased appetite
- nausea
- vomiting
- Malaise
- Weakness
As magnesium levels continue to drop, more serious symptoms occur, including:
- Numbness
- Prickling
- muscle contractions and spasms
- seizure
- change in personality
- abnormal heart rhythm
- coronary artery spasm
Prevention of magnesium deficiency
You can prevent magnesium deficiency by eating magnesium-rich foods such as nuts, seeds, spinach, dairy products, and salmon.
vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency can cause bone weakness and other symptoms. About 1 in 4 Americans doesn’t get enough vitamin D. People most at risk for vitamin D deficiency are:
- senior citizen
- breastfed infant
- people who don’t go out much
- dark skinned person
- People who have difficulty absorbing fat, such as those with gastrointestinal disorders
- People who are obese or have undergone gastric bypass surgery
Most people with vitamin D deficiency have no symptoms. However, if there is a severe deficiency, you may experience symptoms such as:
- bone pain
- fracture
- depression
- fall frequently
- Difficulty walking
Get enough vitamin D
Get enough vitamin D by eating vitamin D-rich foods such as fatty fish, eggs, fortified milk, cereals, and juices.
Risks to be aware of
Taking supplements can affect your overall health and may interact with other medications you are taking. Magnesium may interact with:
- Bisphosphonates used to treat osteoporosis
- Antibiotics
- diuretic
- Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)
Vitamin D interacts with:
- weight loss drugs
- Statin
- diuretic
- steroid
If you are taking any of these medications and are considering starting or changing your supplement-taking habits, talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
summary
Many people have had success with taking magnesium and vitamin D for anxiety. Vitamin D and magnesium both support mental and physical health, but research on these nutrients and their effects on anxiety when taken together is limited. Although it is scientifically proven that sufficient magnesium helps process vitamin D, taking these supplements in high doses can be dangerous, especially if you are taking other medications or have underlying health concerns. If so, you may run into problems.
If you’re interested in trying magnesium and vitamin D supplements, talk to your health care provider first.
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