The Study
The effect of combined magnesium and vitamin D supplementation on vitamin D status, systemic inflammation, and blood pressure: A randomized double-blinded controlled trial.
This study is a type of experiment called a randomized controlled trial. It's one of the best ways to test if something works. They split people into three groups randomly and gave them different pills. They found that the group getting both magnesium and vitamin D had more vitamin D in their blood after 12 weeks. They also saw a drop in blood pressure for some people with high blood pressure, but not for everyone. So we can say it probably helps, but we need more studies to be sure.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Researchers wanted to see if taking magnesium along with vitamin D helps raise vitamin D levels better than just vitamin D. They gave 95 overweight adults either both supplements, just vitamin D, or a placebo for 12 weeks.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 555 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The increase in vitamin D levels was statistically significant, but the blood pressure effect was only seen in a subgroup and may not apply to everyone.
- 2This suggests a potential benefit, but more research is needed.
- 3The group taking both had a bigger increase in vitamin D levels (6.3 ng/mL).
- 4In people with high blood pressure, taking both lowered blood pressure a bit (7.5 mmHg).
- 5But there was no change in inflammation.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Nutrition
Year
2022
Authors
May Cheung, Rosemary D. Dall, P. Shewokis, A. Altasan, S. Volpe, Renee E. Amori, H. Singh, D. Sukumar
Related Content
Claims (4)
Your body needs magnesium to make vitamin D work. Without it, the vitamin D you get from sunlight or food can't be turned into the active form that helps your body use calcium.
For overweight and obese adults, taking a daily combo of magnesium and vitamin D three times a day for 12 weeks raises their blood vitamin D levels more than taking vitamin D alone or a dummy pill. This shows that magnesium helps the body use vitamin D better.
Taking magnesium and vitamin D together for 12 weeks can lower the top number of blood pressure by about 7.5 points on average in overweight or obese adults whose blood pressure is above 132 mmHg.
Taking magnesium and vitamin D together for 12 weeks did not change blood levels of a calcium-controlling hormone or inflammation markers in overweight or obese adults, compared with taking vitamin D alone or a placebo.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.