Your guide to taking magnesium with other vitamins and minerals

“Magnesium is an essential mineral that helps your body stay healthy,” says Madalena Vieira Costa, our in-house nutritionist.

“It plays so many key roles in your body’s day to day function: balancing electrolytes, reducing fatigue, regulating blood pressure and supporting your muscles.”

Whether maintaining normal bone and muscle function or supporting a normal heart rhythm, magnesium is involved in a wide variety of bodily functions.² Most people should be able to get enough magnesium through a healthy and balanced diet,³ however, with almost 20% (and growing!) number of people following a meat-free diet in the UK and even more with other dietary restrictions, taking a magnesium supplement can help ensure you meet the daily recommended allowance of this essential micronutrient, especially if you struggle to get it through your diet alone.^4,5 

But when you’re also trying to keep your other supplement intake in check, are there any you need to avoid – or even better, make magnesium work harder? 

We’ll tell you everything you need to know about taking magnesium with other vitamins and minerals, including which combinations it pairs best with and which combination you might want to avoid.

To cover just a few, magnesium helps plays a role in:^2,6 

Magnesium is naturally found in many foods, such as spinach, nuts, seeds, wholemeal bread and fortified breakfast cereals.² However, despite the abundance of magnesium in food, many people are still not getting enough in their diet.²

The NHS recommended daily allowance of magnesium is 300mg for men (19‒64 years) and 270mg for women (19‒64 years),⁷ and then, according to the NIH, 320mg for women and 420mg for men at 65 and onwards.²

Read on to learn which vitamins and minerals go best with magnesium and the benefits of taking them together.

Unlike most other vitamins, our body produces most of the vitamin D it needs with direct exposure to sunlight. However, getting enough vitamin D through sunlight can be difficult, especially during autumn and winter.⁹

And on top of this, magnesium plays a vital role in helping our body activate and transport vitamin D, so pairing the two together in a single supplement for maximum benefit is a natural choice.¹⁵

“It's really, really important to have enough magnesium, calcium and vitamin D for bone health,” says Madalena.

As we’ve already learned, magnesium activates vitamin D. This, in turn, helps your body absorb calcium.^9,15 A correct balance of all three micronutrients is essential for strong, healthy bones.¹³ 

Adults need around 700mg of calcium a day.¹⁶ Most people can get enough calcium from a varied diet, but older individuals, women in menopause and vegans may want to consider a calcium supplement.¹⁷ 

But Madalena also says that too much can also be detrimental. “Calcium may compete with magnesium for intestinal absorption and transport, so it's important to not overdo it either.”

Calcium and magnesium supplements can work together to support bone health when taken in the correct dosage.¹³ It’s important to get the balance right, as too much of one mineral can cause deficiencies in the other.¹⁸ Additionally, taking too much magnesium can be harmful and cause symptoms like diarrhoea and there’s not enough evidence for what the effects might be long-term. Calcium and magnesium supplements are typically formulated with recommended daily values in mind.

One study suggests that taking magnesium and zinc together may help people with type 2 diabetes regulate their blood sugar and cholesterol levels.²⁰ However, much more research is needed to confirm the results.

Although you can take magnesium and zinc in a single supplement, it’s important to note that high zinc intake can interfere with magnesium absorption and balance.^2,21 Just check the label to ensure you are not exceeding the recommended daily intake of either one.

Early research suggests that taking vitamin B6 and magnesium may help support mental health. A study found that highly stressed but otherwise healthy adults who took magnesium and B6 together experienced less stress and anxiety and improved quality of life compared to those who took magnesium alone. One limitation of this study was that the factors were self-reported via a questionnaire, and more research is needed in follow-up studies to confirm these effects.²⁶ 

Other research has found that taking magnesium with vitamin B6 may improve PMS symptoms.²⁷ According to a 2010 study involving 170 women, those women who took a combined magnesium and B6 supplement had less anxiety, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, low back pain and acne than those who took either supplement alone or a placebo. However, similar to earlier, most of these factors were self-reported and the authors acknowledge further research is needed.²⁷

It’s important to note that vitamin B6 has an upper limit of 200mg. When taking a vitamin B6 supplement, you should be careful not to exceed this upper limit, as prolonged use at the upper limit can lead to loss of feeling in your limbs.²⁸

Taking magnesium with another essential micronutrient can be a convenient way of getting the benefits of both.¹ Magnesium pairs well with vitamin D, calcium, zinc and vitamin B6.

While it’s always best to focus on getting the nutrients you need from a healthy, balanced diet, supplementation can help you bridge any gaps to ensure you get all the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs. However, it’s always important to consult your doctor before taking any new supplements.