How Do Different Vitamins Interact and Effect Your Body?

We talk a lot about balanced diet here at TEA+ and that’s because balance is key. It’s very important to keep the levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in your body at the right balance so they can do their job. Many of these vital nutrients work together to keep your body healthy, so missing out on just one of them can throw your whole system off balance.

Some nutrients can also interfere with others doing their job, so it’s important to keep an eye on your intake. Maintaining this delicate balance might sound difficult, but here’s a simple guide to the relationships between various vitamins and minerals to help you think more carefully about your diet and supplements.

Vitamin A

• Zinc is needed for Vitamin A to be transported in the body
• Vitamin A interferes with the absorption of vitamin K
• Vitamin E helps with the intestinal absorption of Vitamin A, making it more available to your body
• Iodine uptake can be decreased when you’re low in Vitamin A, which can, in turn, lead to more severe cases of hypothyroidism
• Iron absorption also increases with Vitamin A and pro-vitamin A carotenoids are more bioavailable when Iron levels are high too

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)

• Too much Vitamin B6 can hinder the biosynthesis of Vitamin B1
• Magnesium is needed for thiamin to convert to its active form in your body

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)

• Calcium might form a compound (known as a chelate) with Riboflavin, making it less bioavailable

Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)

• A copper deficiency increases the need for vitamin B5

Vitamin B6

• Folate (folic acid) requirements increase with too much Vitamin B6
• Too high levels of Vitamin B6 can increase your need for zinc
• Magnesium increase the uptake of Vitamin B6
• Too much Vitamin B6 can hinder the biosynthesis of Vitamin B1

Vitamin B9 (Folate)

• As above, Vitamin B6 increases folate requirements and vice versa
• Need for B12 might increase with B9
• Excess B9 might reduce the absorption of zinc through forming a chelate

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)

• Again, the need for B12 might increase with B9

Vitamin C

• Copper uptake can be stimulated by Vitamin C - and a deficiency in Vitamin C could lead to a deficiency in Copper
• Non-heme iron absorption is increased by Vitamin CVitamin E works with C for anti-oxidant defence

Vitamin D

• Serum Magnesium levels are improved with Vitamin D supplements - and vice versa.
• Vitamin K works with Vitamin D and helps bone health
• Calcium absorption is increased, also helping bone, heart, and muscle health
• High levels of VItamin A can drastically reduce Vitamin D uptake (by 30%!)
• Similarly, high levels of VItamin E reduce vitamin D uptake by 15%

Vitamin E

• As mentioned, Vitamin E enhances vitamin A intestinal absorption by up to 40%
• Vitamins C and E work together as an antioxidant defence
• Vitamin D reduces vitamin E intestinal uptake
• Iron interferes with the absorption of vitamin E - best to supplement at different times

Vitamin K

• Helps VItamin D with bone health
• Vitamin A, D and E limit intestinal absorption of vitamin K, so best to supplement separately

For the most part, you won’t be getting into concerningly high levels of vitamin and mineral intake - unless you’re taking a very high-concentration supplement. There are supplements available to purchase that contain well over the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of daily nutrients - some as much as 10x the RDA. Always check the amount before taking a supplement and check to make sure you’re getting enough (or not too much!) of the other vitamins mentioned.