Heart-Healthy Vitamin and Mineral Combinations
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5 Best Nutrient Pairings for Your Heart

5 Best Nutrient Pairings for Your Heart
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Updated on February 25, 2026
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Peanut butter and jelly. Bacon and eggs. Burgers and fries. Some foods are just better together. As it turns out, the same rule applies to pairing vitamins and minerals, too. Many nutrients work better together than alone — a concept known as nutrient synergy — but that’s not always the case.

Here are five vitamin-and-mineral duos that may help you maintain a healthier heart. You don’t need to consume both nutrients in the same meal, but meeting the daily recommended intake of each is a wise choice for better health in general. Talk to your healthcare provider before taking any new supplements to make sure they won’t interact with medications you’re already taking.

1. Vitamin D and Magnesium Can Help Regulate Your Blood Pressure

Vitamin D can help control blood pressure and improve your heart health, but in order for it to work, it needs magnesium’s help.

“Without magnesium, you cannot turn vitamin D into its active form, called calcitriol,” says James DiNicolantonio, PharmD, a cardiovascular research scientist and chief nutrition officer at the health sciences company Prenetics.

Both men and women should aim to get 600 IU (international units) of vitamin D a day. Good sources of vitamin D include fish and fortified milk.

Women ages 19 to 30 should aim for 310 milligrams (mg) a day of magnesium, while those ages 31 and older should strive to get 320 mg. Men ages 19 to 30 should get 400 mg, and those ages 31 and older should try for 420 mg.

 Foods that are good sources of magnesium include green leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

You may have also heard of Vitamin D’s friendship with another nutrient: calcium. Your body needs adequate vitamin D to absorb calcium, so together they benefit bone health. However, research suggests that calcium supplements may be linked to a higher risk of heart trouble, heart patients should exercise caution when taking them and only taken if advised by your physician.

2. Pair Vitamin B6 With Magnesium to Boost Heart Health

The mineral magnesium, found in nuts and seeds, may help regulate your blood pressure, prevent your arteries from hardening, and keep your heart rhythm regular. And it turns out that this powerful mineral has a friend: vitamin B6, which helps your body absorb magnesium.

Both men and women ages 19 to 50 should try to get 1.3 mg a day of vitamin B6. Men ages 51 and older should get 1.7 mg, and women in the same age range should strive for 1.5 mg.

To boost your intake of magnesium, try eating foods like green leafy vegetables and nuts. To get more vitamin B6, opt for chickpeas, fish, and organ meats. If you have trouble increasing your vitamin B6 intake through diet, ask your doctor whether you may benefit from taking a supplement.

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3. Sodium and Potassium Can Help Regulate Blood Pressure

These essential minerals help your body maintain fluid and blood volume. They work together like yin and yang to regulate many bodily functions, including blood pressure.

 Nearly half of adults in the United States have hypertension, and eating too much sodium and too little potassium may play a role in increasing your risk for the condition.

The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults. The first step toward doing this is eating fewer processed foods, which account for more than 70 percent of the sodium Americans consume.

Beyond bananas, potassium is found in other fruits, vegetables, and legumes, including sweet potatoes, tomato sauce, and watermelon. Men and women should aim to consume 3,400 and 2,600 mg of potassium, respectively. Talk to your doctor about what levels make sense for your situation.

4. Eat Iron With Vitamin C if You Need Help Warding Off Iron-Deficiency Anemia

Anemia is a heart-related condition that occurs when your blood doesn’t have enough iron to produce healthy red blood cells.

Taking vitamin C along with iron significantly enhances the body’s absorption of this essential mineral.

Iron comes in two forms: heme (found in meat and seafood) and nonheme (found in plant foods as well as meat and seafood). All adult men and women over age 51 should consume 8 mg of iron a day, while women ages 19 to 50 need 18 mg.

 The recommended daily amount of vitamin C is 90 mg for men and 75 mg for women ages 19 and older.

That said, if you eat a lot of iron and are predisposed to storing too much iron, a condition known as hemochromatosis, then getting extra vitamin C might actually be detrimental, says Dr. DiNicolantonio. Be sure to talk to your doctor about your iron and vitamin C intake.

5. Taking a Mix of B Vitamins Can Lower Risk for Heart Disease

Folic acid, also known as folate and vitamin B9, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 work together to lower the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to heart disease when it builds up in excess, says DiNicolantonio.

 One study found that higher intake of these three B vitamins was associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease in a general population.

While folic acid is most frequently associated with pregnant women, it’s recommended that all adults over age 19 should get 400 mcg a day. Folate is naturally present in many foods, such as vegetables, beef, nuts, and beans, but folic acid is also added to enriched bread, flour, rice, and pasta.

 Vitamin B12 is found in a variety of animal foods, including meat, fish, poultry, milk, and other dairy products. Adults should be consuming 2.4 mcg a day.

The Takeaway

  • Some nutrients work better together than alone. This concept, known as nutrient synergy, means certain vitamins and minerals enhance each other’s absorption or effectiveness in the body.
  • Strategic nutrient combinations can support heart health. When key vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, iron, and vitamins B, C, and D, are present in foods in adequate amounts, they can help regulate blood pressure, support healthy circulation, and improve red blood cell function.
  • Meeting recommended daily intakes through food is generally best, and supplements should be taken thoughtfully — especially if you have other health conditions or are on medications.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Townsend JR et al. Nutrient Synergy: Definition, Evidence, and Future Directions. Frontiers in Nutrition. October 11, 2023.
  2. Cheung MM et al. The Effect of Combined Magnesium And Vitamin D Supplementation on Vitamin D Status, Systemic Inflammation, and Blood Pressure: A Randomized Double-Blinded Controlled Trial. Nutrition. July-August 2022.
  3. Vitamin D. National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. November 8, 2022.
  4. Magnesium. National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. January 6, 2026.
  5. Michos ED et al. Vitamin D, Calcium Supplements, and Implications for Cardiovascular Health. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. January 25, 2021.
  6. Pouteau E et al. Superiority of Magnesium and Vitamin B6 Over Magnesium Alone on Severe Stress in Healthy Adults With Low Magnesemia: A Randomized, Single-Blind Clinical Trial. PLoS One. December 18, 2018.
  7. Vitamin B6. National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. June 16, 2023.
  8. Effects of Sodium and Potassium. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 3, 2025.
  9. High Blood Pressure Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 28, 2025.
  10. How Much Sodium Should I Eat Per Day? American Heart Association. July 15, 2025.
  11. Potassium. National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. June 2, 2022.
  12. Anemia. Mayo Clinic. May 11, 2023.
  13. Iron and Vitamin C: The Perfect Pair. Michigan State University. February 3, 2025.
  14. Iron. National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. August 17, 2023.
  15. Vitamin C. National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. July 31, 2025.
  16. Karger AB et al. Association Between Elevated Total Homocysteine and Heart Failure Risk in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Cohort. Journal of the American Heart Association. February 19, 2025.
  17. Jayedi A et al. Intake of Vitamin B6, Folate, and Vitamin B12 and Risk Of Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review And Dose-Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2019.
  18. Folate. National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. November 1, 2022.
  19. Vitamin B12. National Institute of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. December 15, 2023.
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Jennifer Frediani

Jennifer Frediani, PhD, RD

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Jennifer K. Frediani, PhD, RD, ACSM-CES, is a nutrition scientist, exercise physiologist, and registered dietitian with over two decades of experience in clinical research, education, and lifestyle intervention. She's an assistant professor, research track, at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University, adjunct faculty in the nutrition and health sciences program at the Rollins School of Public Health, and a member of the Winship Cancer Institute.

Dr. Frediani earned her PhD in nutrition science from Emory University, and a master’s in exercise science and a bachelor’s in nutrition and dietetics from Georgia State University. Her doctoral research focused on body composition and dietary assessment among tuberculosis patients in the Republic of Georgia, and her postdoctoral work explored nutritional influences on pediatric liver disease.

She has published widely in journals such as Nature Scientific Reports, The New England Journal of Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, and Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases.

At Emory, she directs adult clinical studies for the NIH RADx initiative, overseeing trials on novel diagnostics for infectious diseases. She also leads the development of Emory’s fully online master of science in clinical nutrition program, designed to prepare future registered dietitian nutritionists through integrated coursework and supervised experiential learning.

Her research focuses on weight-neutral lifestyle interventions to improve cardiometabolic outcomes, with a special emphasis on dietary assessment, physical activity, and metabolomics.

Frediani’s teaching philosophy centers on creating inclusive, student-driven learning environments that foster critical thinking and professional growth. She is passionate about reducing weight stigma in clinical care and promoting sustainable, individualized approaches to food and movement.

Outside of work, Frediani is an avid runner and food enthusiast who travels the world to explore culinary traditions and cultural foodways. She believes that everyone deserves to enjoy food that nourishes both body and soul — without shame or restriction.

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Julie Stewart is an author and editor with more than a decade of experience in health, science, and lifestyle writing. Her articles have appeared online for Men’s Health, Women’s Health, EatingWell, Vice, AARP The Magazine, and Shape.

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