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Magnesium to Vitamin D ratio/type

SwanRonson

Senior Member
Messages
300
Location
Alabama
I have a love/hate relationship with Vitamin D. It keeps my immune system in pretty good order. When taking it (5000 IU every third day) I never seem to get sick. But, it also seems to worsen my constipation. After laying off of it for a while recently I decided to start back. After taking for 4 days solid I got horribly constipated.

Now I've heard in the past that D3 needs magnesium as a cofactor, but I don't recall seeing a ratio or a suggestion of which type of mag is the best. I'm just wondering if D3 along is depleting my mag stores, thus causing constipation.
 

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
Ah... those are my two archenemies. Vit D3 messes up my digestion and Magnesium kills it for good :(
Not very helpful as a comment, I know :lol:. Seeing them both mentioned in the same title made sick already :ill:

You could try a lower dose, such 2500 IU? Maybe it will be as effective, without the side effect. I wish I could take that much. For me the standard 400 IU is already a challenge.
 
Last edited:

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
Yes, I wish there was a sublingual or transdermal d3 like there is with magnesium.
Oh actually there is. There is transdermal D3 cream.
For me it's an issue as well ... which I know it sounds "paranormal" but heck, it does almost the same as the oral form. No doubt. Although the cream dosage is higher, 1000 IU.

I think it's due to the conversion in the liver. Take it by mouth, or rub it on the skin D3 must be converted in the liver, and in my case it doesn't work too well. Even though my liver enzymes show up fine in blood tests :(

Anyways I have tried this product, it's a pretty good cream, no strong smells, no bad chemical additives.
I've noticed Amazon also have a stronger product, that has 10,000 IU

cheers
 

SwanRonson

Senior Member
Messages
300
Location
Alabama
If I understand it right, the way D3 works is that it's produced on the skin and then absorbed as needed. I wonder if applying it topically in cream form somehow bypasses this self regulation of the skin absorbing what's needed or if that policing process is still in tact.
 

PeterPositive

Senior Member
Messages
1,426
If I understand it right, the way D3 works is that it's produced on the skin and then absorbed as needed. I wonder if applying it topically in cream form somehow bypasses this self regulation of the skin absorbing what's needed or if that policing process is still in tact.
I have no idea, but for a few thousands units it should be no problem. It doesn't take much time to produce 10K IU when you expose yourself to the summer sun, for instance.
 

Changexpert

Senior Member
Messages
112
I've consumed up to 15,000 vit D a day and it caused massive constipation to a severe point, which I do not want to elaborate :p There is micelized vitamin D, which is better for absorption, but this comes at higher cost. When I tried micelized vit D, my teeth sensitivity returned, and the teeth ached for no apparent reason.

Magnesium on the other hand is good at relieving constipation as you've mentioned. I find magnesium citrate to be not so efficient, even at 600 mg. On the other hand, chelated magnesium, magnesium bisglycinate in particular, works wonders, even at 100 mg. I know that citrate is usually absorbed well by the body and serves as mild lexative, so I am not sure why only chelated mag works for me. Also, I read somewhere that chelated magnesium is not good for health, but forgot why that was so. It was a blog post, not a medical research paper.

Usually, I do not have problem with combining 1,000 vit D with 100 mg of chelated mag. So, in that case, the ratio would be 10 to 1.
 

L'engle

moogle
Messages
3,197
Location
Canada
Epsom salts are a way to get magnesium without further hurting your digestion. Use a small amount though as you can absorb a lot of magnesium this way.
 

nandixon

Senior Member
Messages
1,092
latest news is too high of vitamin D levels can be hazardous to one's health.

https://www.yahoo.com/health/too-much-vitamin-d-could-be-as-bad-for-you-as-too-113339394967.html
Interesting - the study mentioned in the Yahoo article is saying that the (statistically) optimum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level, with respect to avoiding death from cardiovascular disease, is 70 nmol/L (= 28 ng/mL).

That's actually slightly below the reference range of 30.0-100.0 ng/mL that my lab uses.
 

SwanRonson

Senior Member
Messages
300
Location
Alabama
Interesting - the study mentioned in the Yahoo article is saying that the (statistically) optimum 25-hydroxy vitamin D level, with respect to avoiding death from cardiovascular disease, is 70 nmol/L (= 28 ng/mL).

This study only looked at cardiac death risk, so I wouldn't consider it as a rule for anyone not in that risk group. Even then, it's iffy. The study itself says that they don't know if it's a causal link. I suspect it's not. They gave no indication of the supplement status of the "high" group either.

The Endocrine Society guidelines say: "Vitamin D deficiency is defined as a 25(OH)D below 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/liter) and vitamin D insufficiency as a 25(OH) D of 21–29 ng/ml (52.5–72.5) nmol/liter." [source]

And, those are considered very tame levels. I think a level in the 20's (ng/ml) isn't going to be great for long term overall health. Somewhere in the 40's is probably a good average to aim for.