Dynamic Duos! Top Pairs to Amplify Your Wellness
We all have those amazing friends who help us be our best self—and we do the same for them! But did you know that certain nutrients make dynamic duos too?
Some supplements are complementary—they amplify the benefits of one another—and some are synergistic, meaning they work together to produce a benefit. Here are some top wellness pairings to try.
1. Turmeric + Black Pepper
Turmeric and black pepper have plenty of amazing benefits to offer beyond tantalizing your taste buds, and they work better when taken together.
Benefits of turmeric
Turmeric is a wellness powerhouse that supports digestion, cognitive health and healthy skin, organs and joints.1 That’s primarily due to a potent antioxidant within turmeric known as curcumin. Curcumin isn’t easily absorbed by your body, but that’s where black pepper can help.
Benefits of black pepper
Unassuming black pepper has a surprisingly varied nutritional profile, containing magnesium, vitamin K, phosphorus, iron, calcium, fiber and small amounts of several other nutrients.2 Black pepper may also have antioxidant and gastroprotective properties.3
While you aren’t likely to eat enough black pepper to meet your requirements of those nutrients every day, just knowing that you’re getting a little extra nutrition when you add black pepper to a dish certainly doesn’t hurt!
Why pair turmeric with black pepper?
A substance in black pepper known as piperine increases the bioavailability of turmeric.4 It does so by delaying the metabolic breakdown of turmeric compounds in the gut and liver to allow higher levels of those compounds to stay in the body for longer, thus increasing the amount of time available to absorb those compounds before they are eliminated.
Try turmeric and black pepper together in Swanson Turmeric & Black Pepper. For more information on this ancient spice and its benefits, read What is Turmeric?.
2. Prebiotics + Probiotics
You may associate probiotics with yogurt, and while it’s true that some yogurts do contain them (if the label says “live active cultures”), there are many other beneficial sources of probiotics. Plus, prebiotics help probiotics thrive. Here’s the scoop!
Benefits of probiotics
Your body is home to trillions of organisms, both beneficial and less so, and it’s important to maintain balance. Probiotics are the beneficial types of bacteria in your body that aid digestion, help keep your immune system functioning properly and promote general wellbeing.5
Taking a probiotic supplement is a great way to reinforce your gut with beneficial microorganisms for overall wellbeing.
Benefits of prebiotics
Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that feeds and nourishes the beneficial bacteria in your system.6 This special type of fiber isn’t digested by our bodies but is instead digested by the beneficial bacteria in the gut to help them proliferate and flourish.
Natural sources of prebiotics include chicory root, dandelion greens, garlic, leeks and barley,7 but taking a supplement that contains both prebiotics and probiotics can help you get the right ratio in a convenient way.
Why take prebiotics with probiotics?
Without prebiotics, beneficial gut microorganisms can’t flourish. Think of it as a garden—taking probiotics is like adding plants to your garden, and taking prebiotics is like adding fertilizer to your garden. Both are beneficial to the garden, just in different ways. And for the healthiest garden, you add both.
More specifically, as the probiotics break down the prebiotic plant fiber, certain metabolites are created, such as butyrate. It is these metabolites which have been considered a primary source of the health benefits offered by a combination of prebiotics and probiotics.
Get the combined benefits of prebiotics and probiotics in Swanson Probiotic + Prebiotic Fiber, and read Prebiotics vs. Probiotics vs. Postbiotics to learn more.
3. CoQ10 + Vitamin K2
These ingredients have been scientifically studied for their promotion of heart health, arterial tissue health and support in maintaining healthy levels of these nutrients in the body.
Benefits of CoQ10
CoQ10 is an antioxidant nutrient which offers numerous health benefits. It supports heart function, cellular-level energy production and defense against free radicals. Your body makes some CoQ10 on its own, but certain factors, including age and statin usage, can result in lower CoQ10 levels. Supplemental CoQ10 can help fill that gap. Clinical research has indicated that CoQ10 may provide important cardio-protective effects.8
Benefits of vitamin K2
While vitamin K is mostly known for its involvement in blood clotting, K2 also helps to activate the proteins that regulate where calcium ends up in the body. Vitamin K2 is vital for heart and cardiovascular health. It plays an important role in vascular health by supporting the movement of calcium out of the blood and into the bones. Daily vitamin K2 supplementation of 180 mcg has been associated with benefits to vascular elasticity.9
Why take CoQ10 and vitamin K2 together?
Combining these two simplifies wellness for those wishing to supplement for heart and cardiovascular system health. For excellent potency and value per serving, try Swanson CoQ10 + Vitamin K2. This formula has been expertly crafted with an olive-oil base in easy-to-swallow softgels to support absorption of these fat-soluble nutrients.
4. Calcium + Vitamin D
Your body is continuously remodeling your skeletal system through a combination of reabsorbing old bone and creating new. Every ten years, you basically have a completely different skeleton!10 To keep bones strong throughout those changes, you need a steady supply of bone-supporting nutrition, and calcium and vitamin D are at the top of that nutrient list for bone health.
Benefits of calcium
When you consume calcium, it’s stored in your bones and teeth and plays a crucial role in building new, strong bones. Calcium is also involved in muscle contraction, nerve signal transmission, hormone release and blood vessel function. 11 This mineral is crucial to keeping your body healthy.
Benefits of vitamin D
Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the gut to help us replenish our levels of this vital mineral needed for new growth and remodeling of bones. Vitamin D also plays a role in immune function, modulation of cellular growth, neuromuscular function and more.12
Why take calcium and vitamin D together?
These two nutrients are more powerful together because without adequate vitamin D levels our bodies won’t absorb enough of the calcium we consume. Taking calcium alone just isn’t enough. Vitamin D also helps us maintain adequate phosphate levels, which is another factor in bone growth and remodeling.
Although our bodies make some vitamin D after our skin is exposed to the sun’s rays, lack of sun exposure or wearing sunscreen limits our ability to do so. Also, as we age our skin becomes less efficient at synthesizing vitamin D. 13 Make sure you get enough of these vital nutrients by taking a combined calcium and vitamin D supplement.
5. Vitamin E + Omega-3
Vitamin E and omega-3 supplements are among the most popular nutritional supplements available. These two nutrients are often taken together because they provide complementary benefits to our health.
Benefits of vitamin E
Vitamin E is important for vision, reproduction and the health of our blood, brain and skin. It also has an antioxidant effect, helping to defend your cells against free radicals.14 Vitamin E was the very first supplement sold by Swanson more than 50 years ago!
Benefits of omega-3
Omega-3 fatty acids, including both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are most well-known for promoting heart and brain health, but omega-3s also support healthy eyes, joints, bones and skin.15
Why take vitamin E and omega-3 together?
Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E work in combination to promote and protect wellbeing. The protective qualities of vitamin E extend to protecting omega-3 fatty acids in the brain, making these two a winning combo for supporting cognitive health.16
EPA and DHA are both needed for healthy cognition, and low levels of vitamin E have been linked to memory concerns.14 Both nutrients also support skin health, including healthy collagen, and vitamin E offers additional skin health benefits, such as promoting tissue health and defending against free radicals.14 Finally, vitamin E is a fat-soluble nutrient, so taking it with a healthy fat source like omega-3 supports its absorption by the body.
Get the benefits of omega-3 and vitamin E in a convenient combo formula with Swanson Multi Omega 3-6-9.
6. Vitamin C + Zinc
If you keep your medicine cabinet stocked with vitamin C and zinc, you’re on the right track. These two nutrients are well known for supporting year-round immune health. Let’s explore the benefits of both and why they’re better together.
Benefits of vitamin C
Vitamin C offers benefits for immune health and heart health while promoting healthy eyes and skin. Vitamin C also boasts some healthy aging benefits for skin—your body’s first line of defense for immune health—due to its antioxidant effects and its role in collagen production.17 This role as an antioxidant is a part of how vitamin C benefits the immune system, but another aspect is the way in which vitamin C stimulates white blood cell activity for optimal immune function.18 An additional benefit of vitamin C is the way in which it has been linked to enhancing iron absorption within the body.19
Benefits of zinc
Zinc is a trace element that helps stimulate at least 100 enzymes in our bodies. It’s best known for supporting immune health, which it does by activating T cells and helping control and regulate immune response. Researchers also say that ensuring adequate levels of zinc may reduce our risk of some age-related health concerns. Zinc also plays roles in fertility, hair growth, brain health and more.20
Why take vitamin C and zinc together?
Taking vitamin C and zinc together gives your body multifaceted immune health support along with many additional benefits from both nutrients. This is a potent antioxidant combo that reinforces your body’s defenses and overall wellbeing. Try it in Swanson Zinc & C Lozenges.
You + Swanson: The Perfect Pairing for Better Health
Many of the nutrients above are healthy on their own, but when taken in the right pairings, they can complement and even enhance the effects of each other. And some of the most beneficial nutrients need a little boost for absorption to give you optimal support.
Just like those stellar nutrient pairings, Swanson strives to be your best wellness partner. They’re available with info on a range of health and wellness topics while also providing high-quality nutrition to help you on your wellness journey.
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About Lindsey Toth, MS, RD
Lindsey is a nationally-recognized registered dietitian and nutritionist with a soft spot for ice cream. She empowers people to take charge of their health by finding the balance between the pleasure and nourishment in food. Her philosophy is that you should take care of your body because it’s the only permanent home you have. It’s what inspired her to pursue a career in nutrition.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Sources:
- Turmeric. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Read source
- Black Pepper. USDA Food Data Central. Read source
- Black Pepper and Health Claims. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Read source
- Turmeric Benefits. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Read source.
- Probiotics. Cleveland Clinic. Read source
- What are Probiotics and Prebiotics? Mayo Clinic. Read source
- Prebiotic Foods. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Read source
- Coenzyme Q10. Mayo Clinic. Read source
- The Importance of Vitamin K2. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal. Read source
- Basics of Bone Health. National Library of Medicine. Read source
- Calcium and Calcium Supplements. Mayo Clinic. Read source
- Vitamin D. National Institutes of Health. Read source
- Vitamin D. UCLA Health. Read source
- The Role of Vitamin E in Human Health. Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal. Read source
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Cleveland Clinic. Read source
- Vitamin E Protects Omega-3 Fatty Acids and the Brain. Oregon State University. Read source
- Vitamin C. Mayo Clinic. Read source
- Vitamin C. Harvard School of Public Health. Read source
- Interactions of Vitamin C and Iron. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Read source
- Zinc. Mayo Clinic. Read source
