Nearly half of the world's population is at risk of vitamin D deficiency, according to the nonprofit Vitamin D Council. Failing to get enough vitamin D can weaken bones and muscles, cause muscle pain and raise your risk of developing rickets. Vitamin D depends on the presence of several other vitamins and minerals to work properly. If you think you may be vitamin D deficient, talk to your doctor about your diet and lifestyle to make sure you get enough.
Vitamin D Features
Although few foods naturally contain vitamin D, manufacturers routinely supplement breakfast cereals, orange juice and dairy products with the vitamin. Your body produces vitamin D when ultraviolet light from the sun contacts your skin. Adult men and women need 15 micrograms of vitamin D every day to stay healthy. The vitamin interacts with several other micronutrients to perform important functions.
Magnesium
Magnesium is involved in many physiological functions, including immune- and nervous-system activity, blood-pressure regulation and muscle function. Your body also requires the presence of magnesium to convert vitamin D into its usable form. Magnesium interacts with the enzymes that convert the vitamin. Magnesium may also affect vitamin D's ability to regulate immune system activity and improve bone health, although more research is needed to determine the specific mechanisms by which the mineral and the vitamin interact.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K promotes blood clotting activity and improves bone health. Vitamin D and vitamin K work together to keep your bones healthy. Specific proteins depend on the presence of vitamin K to keep calcium from being deposited in arteries, causing hardening. Vitamin D and vitamin K work together to facilitate calcium deposits in bone tissue instead of arteries.
Zinc
Your body needs very small amounts of the mineral zinc to stay healthy. When vitamin D binds to vitamin D receptors to promote gene expression, the receptors often require zinc, as well. The presence of vitamin D without zinc may alter gene expression and disrupt important physiological processes. Vitamin D and zinc work together to facilitate calcium absorption, immune-system T-cell activity and bone health.
Boron
Another trace mineral called boron interacts with vitamin D to affect your health. Without boron, enzymes that metabolize vitamin D do not function properly. The mineral is necessary for bone mineralization, osteoporosis prevention and metabolism of magnesium and calcium. More research is needed to determine the precise interactions of vitamin D and boron.
Medication Interactions
Proper vitamin D function depends on interactions with a variety of vitamins and minerals. Taking vitamin D supplements may also cause a negative interaction with certain medications. Those medications include diuretics, tuberculosis medications, calcium-channel blockers, antacids, mineral oil, anti-convulsant medications, cholesterol-lowering medications and weight loss supplements, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Talk to your doctor before you take a vitamin D supplement to make sure it is safe for you.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Vitamin D
- Harvard University School of Public Health: Vitamin D and Health
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Possible Interactions with Vitamin D
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin D
- Vitamin D Council: Vitamin D Deficiency -- A Global Epidemic
- Vitamin D Council: Vitamin D Cofactors
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