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Many of us take vitamins and minerals regularly or make careful food choices to try to ensure we are getting a balanced diet. But some pairings of nutrients, either in supplement or food form, work a kind of magic together, achieving better results than when taken alone.
For instance, we’re all aware calcium is good for bones, but did you know it needs vitamin D with it to work properly?
To help you make the best choices, we've asked the experts about which combinations of vitamins and minerals gain even more health superpowers when paired up with a partner.
“Many nutrients are team players,’ says Patrick Holford, nutritionist and director of Food for the Brain Foundation.
“Whether their biochemical reaction optimises each other’s bio-availability [absorption], or carries them to the part of the body where they are needed most, vitamins and minerals often have a synergistic relationship." As we age, this becomes even more pressing.
“Older people have less efficient digestive systems and don’t produce as much of the stomach acid needed to absorb certain vitamins,” says Dr Angela Rai, GP at The London General Practice.
“Knowing which food or supplement combinations will maximise absorption is an easy way to plug those gaps.”
Cod liver oil is the supplement older people in the UK are most likely to take, but how many know that alongside a vitamin B complex it has superpowers in the cognitive department?
An Oxford University study has shown that when omega-3 fatty acid is taken with vitamins B6, B12 and folic acid, brain shrinkage is reduced by 73% (shrinkage of the brain’s central area is a trademark of dementia and Alzheimer’s).
A new review of 14 studies backs this, concluding that omega-3 fatty acid might only improve cognition in older adults if they also have sufficient vitamin B levels.
“Omega-3 builds the brain, but it can only reach brain cells with the help of B vitamins, which share a cellular pathway,” says Holford.
“While you can find B vitamins in animal products and leafy greens, older people struggle to absorb vitamin B12, so I would suggest a B complex that contains at least 500mcg of B12.”
Guidelines advise two to three servings of fish a week, one of which is oily, for sufficient omega-3 intake.
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties mean it’s helpful for joint pain and digestive issues, but pairing it with black pepper turbo-boosts its potency.
“Black pepper contains a compound called piperine, which can increase the bio-availability of the curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) by as much as 2,000%,” says nutritionist Mays Al-Ali.
“The ratio needed is roughly a quarter teaspoon of black pepper to one teaspoon of turmeric. Because curcumin is fat-soluble, it’s absorbed even more easily when eaten with healthy fats, so try adding cashew nuts to your turmeric dahl.”
If you’re convinced turmeric is helping your inflammation-based problems, she suggests a supplement with extracts of curcumin much higher than those available in food sources. There is just 3% curcumin in dietary turmeric, compared to 95% in the extract used in tablets.
Calcium is the go-to for strengthening weak bones and preventing osteoporosis, but it relies on vitamin D to get it to the right places.
“Calcium is abundant in most diets, but if you are at risk of osteoporosis or thin bones, you will be prescribed calcium and vitamin D together,” says Dr Rai.
“Vitamin D stimulates calcium absorption and helps the mineral reach the bones rather than causing harmful plaque deposits in other parts of the body, which can result in kidney stones and heart disease.”
The NHS says we need 700mg of calcium a day, achievable through our diet (only supplement on the advice of your GP). Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is lacking in the UK, so guidelines advise taking 10mcg supplements from September to March.
Whether you add lime to your lentil curry, or have a glass of orange with your steak, citrus is the perfect companion to iron-rich foods.
“Vitamin C vastly improves the bio-availability of iron,” says Al-Ali.
“This is particularly useful when it comes to plant sources of iron, which the body finds more difficult to absorb than meat sources. Squeezing half a lemon over kale is an effective way to boost your iron uptake.”
While women over 60 are less likely to suffer from iron-deficient anaemia than those in their reproductive years, it can still be an issue, says Al-Ali.
“As older people produce less stomach acid, they find it difficult to digest proteins, so even their absorption of iron from meat sources will be reduced.”
She adds that timing is everything: absorption is greater when iron and vitamin C are eaten in the same meal rather than at different times.
Magnesium has long been known for its ability to promote sleep and aid muscle relaxation, but when paired with vitamin B6 it becomes a game- changer for mental health.
A study by French scientists in 2018 gave two groups of participants suffering from severe stress either magnesium alone or magnesium with B6.
After eight weeks, the group taking vitamin B6 had a 24% greater reduction in stress levels than the other group. Researchers found it helped increase the absorption and cellular uptake of the mineral.
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