Vitamin D Cofactors in a nutshell

Cofactors need to be adjusted when taking a lot of vitamin D for more than a month

A lot is more than 4,000 IU Vitamin D daily or 50,000 IU every two weeks

There is virtually no agreement as how much of each cofactor is needed vs vitamin D level

The first three cofactors have, like vitamin D, greatly decreased in the human diet in the past 50 years

The goal is to restore Vitamin D, Magnesium, Omega-3, and Vitamin K back to where they had been

     in a nutshell = summed up = condensed


Magnesium
  • About 1 in 300 people have a poor reaction to increasing Vitamin D
    •     but the Vitamin D reaction (muscle pain) is almost always due to lack of Magnesium
  • Magnesium increases the benefits of vitamin D by about 30% (Mg and Vit. D are synergistic)

  • Magnesium provides a great many health benefits independent of Vitamin D

  • Magnesium is used in 8 stages of Vitamin D metabolism

  • 100 milligrams of Magnesium supplement (say from Magnesium Chloride) may be enough, even with high levels of Vitamin D

    • Some people (not a consensus) believe that only 100 mg of Mg can be taken up by the gut at a time
    • Some people get 300+ mg of Magnesium daily from greens
    • If possible, take your Magnesium several times during the day - not just once

      • Vitamin D appears to consume Magnesium

      • People with > 100 ng of Vitamin D (and do not consume Mg) are 2.5X more likely to have A-fib

      • Constipation due to low Magnesium after greatly increasing Vitamin D level (personal experience of the founder of VitaminDWiki)


Omega-3
  • Omega-3 increases active vitamin D - especially in people with poorly functioning livers or kidneys

  • Need >1 gram of Omega-3. Note: different brands have widely different bio-availability

  • Need to take with a fatty meal unless you use an emulsified form


Vitamin K2
  • K2 Keeps Calcium in bones and out of arteries

  • Calcification due to K2 deficiency may be a reason for increased mortality for some diseases for high vitamin D

  • Probably need 100 micrograms per 2,000 IU of vitamin D (i.e. 500 micrograms for 10,000 IU of Vit D)

    • Perhaps Vitamin D consumes Vitamin K, so need more of it
  • Vitamin D decreases the uptake of Vitamin K1 by 50%


Calcium
  • Too much Calcium is associated with cardiovascular problems years later, not stronger bones

  • Should have less than 750 milligrams of Calcium supplementation

  • Drinking a lot of water helps flush any excess Calcium from the Kidneys

  • VegiCalcium appears to be better than rock Calcium, and only costs 10 cents a capsule

  • Overview Calcium      


Boron - good, but not as essential
  • Boron increases Vitamin D and Magnesium in the body by ~ 20%

  • Most people Boron deficient now that commercial fertilizers are used

  • Should have an average of 3 -10 milligrams of Boron daily

  • Founder of VitaminDWiki takes a 30mg Boron capsule once every 4 days


Zinc - good, but not as essential
  • Extra Zinc does not appear to increase D in the blood. but may increase D in the tissue

  • Zinc is, however, essential to make Vitamin D Receptors and utilize Omega-3

  • Low zinc is associated with many autoimmune diseases,infections, colds, etc

  • Zinc, like Boron, is extremely low-cost and safe


Glutathione - the master antioxidant, synergistic with Vitamin D

Glutathione should improve response to Vitamin D - June 2025

Glutathione improves Vitamin D in 9 ways

    it improves activation of 7 Vitamin D genes - far more than anything else

Glutathione can be increased in many ways, perhaps the best is liposomal Glutathione


Supplements taken by the founder of VitaminDWiki

As of Dec 2024, my only daily supplement is Calcium. The rest are every 2 to 7 days


Perspective of the importance of Vit D and co-factors to health

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See also VitaminDWiki


See also - Excellent reviews of supplements at ConsumerLab

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