Emma Miller
Some substances “contradict” each other. Most nutrients don’t work alone. They interact – sometimes they join forces, and sometimes they neutralize each other. You’ve probably heard before that eating vitamin-rich foods is better for you than taking vitamin supplements.
According to Harvard Medical School, one of the reasons why this is true is that food contains a mixture of nutrients that interact with each other all the time.
Below is a list of nutrients that work in pairs. This is just a sampler and not a complete catalog. But hopefully, it will help you when you are choosing what to eat.
Vitamin D and calcium
Like most nutrients, calcium is absorbed mainly in the small intestine. Calcium is important because it strengthens bones, but the body often needs the help of vitamin D to absorb the nutrient. Vitamin D also has many other benefits for the whole body.
These days, there is a debate about whether we should increase our daily intake of vitamin D. Currently, official nutritional guidelines recommend that adults get 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium and 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily. For older adults, the recommended daily dose is slightly higher: 1200 mg of calcium starting at age 50 and 600 IU of vitamin D starting at age 70.
To give you an idea of how much this amounts to, a glass of milk contains 300 mg of calcium and 100 IU of vitamin D.
Sodium and potassium
Sodium is one of the most important nutrients that most people consume more than they need on a daily basis (mostly in the form of salt).
Excess sodium interferes with the natural ability of blood vessels to relax and dilate, raising blood pressure and increasing the likelihood of stroke or heart attack.
But potassium encourages the kidneys to excrete sodium. Many studies have shown a link between high potassium intake and lower, healthier blood pressure. According to current guidelines, adults should get 4,700 mg of potassium and 1,200 to 1,500 mg of sodium per day.
To meet these criteria, you need to follow general guidelines for a healthy diet. To increase your potassium intake, eat fruits and vegetables. To reduce your sodium intake, cut down on cookies, salty snacks, fast food, and ready-to-eat lunches and dinners.
Vitamin B12 and folic acid
Vitamin B12 and folic acid (also one of the eight B vitamins) make one of the best food pairings. B12 helps the body absorb folic acid, and they work together to support cell division and replication, which allows the body to replace dying cells. This process is important during childhood growth, as well as throughout the adult body. For example, the cells lining the stomach and hair follicle cells often divide and multiply.
Good food sources of vitamin B12 include:
- beef
- eggs
- milk
Natural sources of folic acid include:
- leafy green vegetables
- beans
- other legumes
Nutrition guides recommend 2.4 mcg of B12 and 400 mcg of folic acid daily. This is usually easy to achieve by following a reasonably well-balanced diet.
However, vegans-people who do not eat meat or another animal products-may be deficient in B12. And people who eat poorly or drink too much alcohol may be deficient in folic acid.
Folic acid deficiency can be corrected with multivitamins or folic acid tablets. For B12 deficiency, you can have injections every few months or take pills daily.
A deficiency of one or both vitamins can cause a form of anemia called macrocytic anemia. A lack of B12 can also cause mild tingling and memory loss.
Zinc and copper
Copper and zinc do not work together – they actually compete for absorption sites in the small intestine. If there is a lot of zinc around, copper will be lost, and a copper deficiency can develop.
One way that knowledge about the interaction of copper and zinc is being put into practice is in the treatment of people with an eye disease called macular degeneration. Some people with this disease are prescribed a special vitamin and mineral combination called AREDS. The combination has been shown to slow the progression of the disease, which can cause blindness. AREDS tablets contain 80 mg of zinc, which is enough to cause copper deficiency, so 2 mg of copper was added to the tablets.
Niacin and tryptophan
Niacin is one of the B vitamins, although it is rarely called vitamin B3. The daily requirement for niacin is 16 mg for men and 14 mg for women. Niacin deficiency causes pellagra, a disease that causes severe rash, diarrhea, and dementia. Tryptophan, an amino acid, is a source of niacin. Thus, one way to avoid niacin deficiency is to eat foods high in tryptophan, including chicken and turkey.
