The New Power Couples

By David Blyweiss, M.D.

Over the years, there have been a lot of “power couples”. Hepburn and Tracy, John and Yoko, Bill and Hillary. But pairing two powerhouse entities isn’t limited to film, music, or politics. There are also some nutrient duos that can help keep you healthy.

Some you probably already know about, like calcium and vitamin D or glucosamine and chondroitin. But there are others I’ll bet you’ve never heard of. Here are some of the lesser known—but still important—nutrients that can, when taken together, keep you going strong:

Rooibos Tea and Acai Extract: Rooibos is packed with antioxidants. It also has a reputation for its ability to calm nervous tension, allergies, and digestive problems. Acai is a Brazilian berry. It neutralizes free radicals because of its high antioxidant content. Take them together and you’ll increase acai’s antioxidant punch by 46%. This is according to a Texas A&M University report in the journal Food Chemistry.¹

Grapefruit Juice and CoQ10: It’s no secret that grapefruit juice interferes with many drugs… including statins. But drinking it at the same time you take your CoQ10 can improve intestinal absorption of the healthful heart supplement by almost 50%.²

CoQ10 is a potent antioxidant and energy booster within your cells, particularly in the heart and brain. But as you age, CoQ10 levels decline in your cells.  And that can make you more susceptible to congestive heart failure, heart attacks, chest pain, chronic inflammation, and high blood pressure.

You can remedy this deficiency by taking 60 mg of CoQ10 with a glass of grapefruit juice daily. If you’re taking a statin drug or a beta blocker, boost the amount of CoQ10 to 100 mg.

Curcumin and Vitamin D: Curcumin is the source of the curry spice turmeric.  It’s a powerful anti-inflammatory. Plus, it’s been linked to a lower risk of cancer and kidney damage. Curcumin also helps regulate blood sugar and reduces muscle soreness after an intense workout.

But when curcumin was combined with vitamin D, UCLA researchers found that this dynamic duo protected the brain from the harmful amyloid plaques. The plaques have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease.³

I recommend you take 400 mg of curcumin with 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily. Plus, you should have your vitamin D blood levels checked yearly to make sure you’re getting enough.

Omega-3s and Glucosamine: Because omega-3 fatty acids are such effective inflammation fighters, they’re a natural for people with osteoarthritis. And adding glucosamine to the equation makes them even better.

According to a clinical trial of 177 people with moderate-to-severe arthritis of the hip or knee, omega-3s help boost glucosamine’s joint health benefits.⁴ Taking 3,000 to 4,000 IU of a purified marine omega-3 supplement with 1,500 mg of glucosamine on a daily basis in divided doses may help tame joint pain and inflammation.

Calcium and Vitamin K: All the calcium in the world won’t do your skeleton any good unless it’s absorbed into your bones. Vitamin K makes sure that happens. Numerous studies have found that K activates proteins that direct calcium to our bones to be absorbed.⁵

One word of warning, though: check with your doctor before taking vitamin K. If you’re on Coumadin, Plavix or aspirin therapy, high doses of this nutrient can increase bleeding. I recommend taking 1,200 mg of calcium each day in divided doses and then add 1,000 mcg of vitamin K (which you can take in one dose).

While each of these nutrients can encourage good health on its own, combining them with other synergistic foods and supplements can bring their benefits to a whole new level. Give them a try and see for yourself!

1. Pacheco-Palencia LA.Chemical stability of açai fruit (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) anthocyanins as influenced by naturally occurring and externally added polyphenolic cofactors in model systems. Food Science. 2010;118: 17-25.
2. Itagaki S. Grapefruit juice enhance the uptake of coenzyme Q10 in the human intestinal cell-line Caco-2. Food Science. 2010;120:552-555.
3. Masoumi A. 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 Interacts with Curcuminoids to Stimulate Amyloid-β Clearance by Macrophages of Alzheimer’s Disease Patients. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2009;17:703-717.
4. Gruenwald J.Effect of glucosamine sulfate with or without omega-3 fatty acids in patients with osteoarthritis. Advances in Therapy. 2009 Sep;26(9):858-71.
5. Kidd PM. Vitamins D and K as pleiotropic nutrients: clinical importance to the skeletal and cardiovascular systems and preliminary evidence for synergy. Alternative Medicine Review. 2010;15:199-222.