Magnesium

An essential mineral involved in hundreds of enzyme reactions in the human body, including energy metabolism, muscle and nerve function, and bone health support pathways.

Quick Facts

NameMagnesium
ClassMinerals · mineral
Slugmagnesium

What Is It?

An essential mineral involved in hundreds of enzyme reactions in the human body, including energy metabolism, muscle and nerve function, and bone health support pathways.

Why Does It Matter?

Intake adequacy matters because modern diets can fall short relative to reference intakes for some groups. Food sources come first; supplements are optional tools when food is insufficient or a clinician advises otherwise.

How Much?

Do not invent a personal dose from this site. Use food labels, DRI tables, and clinician guidance. Upper limits apply to supplemental magnesium for many healthy adults — verify current official references.

Food Sources

Pumpkin

seeds — see also pumpkin seeds

Spinach

and other leafy greens

Almonds

and other nuts

Sunflower

seeds

Lentils

and other legumes

Oats

and other whole grains

Dark chocolate (higher cacao) — not a plant page

no matching page on this site

Can I Grow It?

Pumpkins (seeds)

plant

Leafy greens in home gardens

food

Can I Make/Process It?

  • Eat seed and nut foods lightly prepared to preserve nutrient density
  • Pair magnesium-containing foods in ordinary meals rather than isolating one item

Supplement Options

  • Consider only after food inventory and, when relevant, clinical advice
  • Forms differ (glycinate, citrate, oxide, etc.) — not interchangeable for tolerance or cost

Different Forms

  • Food
  • Powder
  • Capsule
  • Tablet

Forms are not equivalent in dose, absorption, cost, or necessity.

Do I Actually Need It?

Required mineral — check current DRI/RDA references for age and sex; this page does not prescribe doses.

What Does It Cost?

Food sources (seeds, greens, legumes) are often cost-effective. Supplement cost varies widely by form and brand — compare elemental magnesium and third-party testing claims carefully.

How Do I Evaluate a Product?

Prefer clear elemental magnesium per serving, form named, and credible third-party testing claims you can verify. Ignore hype language.

Safety/Interactions

  • High-dose supplements can interact with some medications (e.g., certain antibiotics or bisphosphonates timing) — check a pharmacist or clinician
  • Excess supplemental magnesium may cause GI upset; kidney impairment changes risk

Evidence

  • evidence-magnesium-framework
  • evidence-supplements-regulatory

Linked IDs map to data/evidence.json framework slots or regulatory facts — not invented study results.

Suppliers

  • supplier-evergreen-nutrients
  • supplier-plain-label-labs

Stubs distinguish claims vs verification. Not endorsements.

Sources

  • NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — Magnesium fact sheet (verify current page)
  • dietaryguidelines.gov — dietary pattern context (2025–2030 framework)