Important: these vitamins work together (synergy)

Synergy (Greek: synergia, cooperation) is a term that describes a process in which the combination of parts produces more than the sum of those parts.

Which vitamins work together?

Vitamins work together in your body. Nutrient synergy between vitamins has the major advantage of a reinforcing effect. The right combinations can help reduce the need for large amounts of a single nutrient. It also helps the body carry out all its processes as efficiently as possible and with as little energy as possible. In fact, developing nutritional supplements isn’t all that different from cooking. What you need is a good recipe! And that takes into account all the benefits synergy can offer. That’s why the most effective supplements contain very specific combinations of nutrients.

In fact, developing nutritional supplements isn’t all that different from cooking. What you need is a good recipe!

A great example is a multivitamin. It always contains a vitamin B complex. The B vitamins each have their own functions, but together vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B8 and B12 have the important task of releasing energy from food.

A multivitamin contains even more synergies. The combination of vitamin B2, copper and iron, for example, illustrates a classic 1+1=3 effect. Here’s how it works: vitamin B2, or riboflavin, contributes to the maintenance of normal red blood cells. Copper contributes to normal iron transport in the body, and iron is important for the formation of haemoglobin (your red blood cells are filled with haemoglobin). Haemoglobin is needed for oxygen transport in your blood. Thanks to this collaboration, your whole body is optimally supplied with oxygen-rich blood.

Below are 5 examples of how vitamins and minerals work together in the body

Magnesium and vitamin B6: vitamin B6 helps transport magnesium into your body’s cells, improving the mineral’s effectiveness. Other synergists of magnesium include calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins C and D.

Ester-C: this non-acidic form of vitamin C contains, in addition to calcium-bound vitamin C, threonate. Threonate promotes the absorption and utilisation of vitamin C in your body.

Vitamin C and iron: vitamin C enhances the absorption of iron from food. So make sure you include some vitamin C when eating iron-rich foods—for example, steak with peppers. The amount of iron your body absorbs can then be two or even three times higher.

Herbal preparations: besides an extract of a well-known active compound, they usually also contain the herb in its raw form, ground into a powder. This powder contains various lesser-known substances that support and enhance the effect of the known compound.

Collagen and vitamin C: collagen occurs naturally in the skin, and vitamin C plays a role in collagen production.

Author: Sanne van Rijt