Vitamin and Mineral Agonists and Antagonists

Know how to get the most from your vitamins and minerals!

Do you know what an agonist is? No. It’s not a person who loves pain or suffering (in agony).

When applied to nutrients (like vitamins and minerals), an agonist is actually something that enhances either nutrient absorption or metabolic function inside your body.

On the other hand, antagonist means that something either decreases or blocks the absorption or metabolic function of the nutrient.

In other words, certain vitamins and minerals can either inhibit or enhance the absorption or function of other vitamins and minerals.

Below is a table showing vitamin and mineral agonists and antagonists. But before you start protesting that some nutrients are under both the agonist and antagonist columns, let us explain. Some nutrients are great buddies when the right amounts of each are taken, but they can fall out with each other when one massively out numbers the other. An example of this is calcium and magnesium. They are best taken in a ratio of 2:1 (calcium to magnesium), but if the ratio is 8:1 then the calcium inhibits the absorption of the magnesium and you may become deficient.

Note: If you don’t remember the periodic abbreviations from chemistry class in school, you can refer to our infographic key below this table.

Nutrient	Agonist/Synergist	Antagonist
Vitamin A	Vitamins: B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, E Minerals: Ca, K, Mg, Mn, P, Se, Zn	Vitamins: D, E Minerals: Ca, Cu, Na, Se
Vitamin B1	Vitamins: A, B2, B3, B5, B6, B10, B12, C, E Minerals: Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Mg, Na, P Se, Zn	Vitamins: B2, B6, B12 Minerals: Cu, K, Zn
Vitamin B2	Vitamins: A, B1, B3, B5, B6, B9, B10, B12 Minerals: Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, P, Zn	Vitamins: B1 Minerals: Ca, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Se
Vitamin B3	Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, B10, B12, C, E Minerals: Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, Na, Se, Zn	Vitamins: A Minerals: Ca, Cu, Na
Vitamin B5	Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B10, B12, C, E Minerals: Cr, K, Na, P Zn	Minerals: Cu
Vitamin B6	Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, B10, B12, C, E Minerals: Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Se, Zn	Vitamins: B1 Minerals: Ca, Cu, Fe
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid/Folate)	Vitamins: B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, C Minerals: Cu, Fe, Mg, Zn	Minerals: Cu Metals: Al
Vitamin B10 (PABA)	Vitamins: B5, B9	Minerals: K, Mg, Zn
Vitamin B12	Vitamins: B1, B3, B5, B6, B9, B10, C, D, E Minerals: Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, Na, Se	Vitamins: B1, C Minerals: K, Mg, Zn
Vitamin C	Vitamins: A, B3, B5, B6, B9, B12, E Minerals: Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Se, Zn	Minerals: Cu Metals: Al
Vitamin D	Vitamins: B2, B3, B12, E, K Minerals: Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Se	Vitamins: A Minerals: Ca, K, Mg, P, Zn
Vitamin E	Vitamins: A, B1, B2, B3, B5 B6, B9, B10, B12, C, D, K Minerals: Ca, Fe, K, Mn, Na, P, Se, Zn	Minerals: Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn
Vitamin K	Vitamins: A, B3, B6, C, E Minerals: Mn	Vitamins: A, E Minerals: Ca
Calcium	Vitamins: A, C, D, K Minerals: Mg	Vitamins: A, C, B1, B3, B6, E Minerals: Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, Zn Metals: Pb
Chromium	Vitamins: B3, B5, B6, C Minerals: K, Mg, Zn	Minerals: Ca, Fe, Mn, P Metals: Pb
Copper	Vitamins: B2, B6, B9, B12 Minerals: Ca, Co, Fe, Mn, Na, Se, Zn	Vitamins: A, B3, B5, B6, C Minerals: Fe, K, Zn Metals: Cd, Hg, Pb
Iron	Vitamins: B2, B9, B12, C Minerals: Cr, Cu, K, Mn, Na, P, Se	Vitamins: E Minerals: Ca, Cu, Mn, P, Zn Metals: Al, Hg, Pb
Magnesium	Vitamins: B1, B6, C, D Minerals: Ca, Fe, K, Mg, P, Zn	Vitamins: B9, B10, B12, D, E Minerals: Ca, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, P Metals: Cd, Pb
Manganese	Vitamins: B1, C, K Minerals: Cu, Fe, Zn	Vitamins: B12, E Minerals: Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, P Metals: Cd, Pb
Phosphorus	Vitamins: B's, D Minerals: Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Zn	Vitamins: D Minerals: Ca, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn
Potassium	Vitamins: B6, B10, D Minerals: Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, P, Zn	Vitamins: B1, B10, B12, D Minerals: Ca, Cu, Na
Selenium	Vitamins: B3, C, E Minerals: Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Zn	Vitamins: A, B2 Metals: Al, Cd, Hg
Sodium	Vitamins: B6, D Minerals: Ca, Co, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, P, Se	Vitamins: A, B2, B3, Minerals: Ca, K, Mg, Zn
Zinc	Vitamins: A, B6, D, E Minerals: Cr, K, Mg, Mn, P	Vitamins: B1, B10, B12, D, E Minerals: Ca, Cu, Fe, P Metals: Al, Cd, Hg, Ni, Pb
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Don’t worry if it all looks very confusing as you don’t need to be the expert, let your healthcare practitioner do that. Just ask them if you are unsure about which of your supplements you can take together.