You're standing in front of two supplement bottles in the morning, magnesium in one hand, zinc in the other, and you wonder: Can I just swallow them together, or do they block each other? The short answer: Yes, you can take magnesium and zinc together; at the usual supplement amounts this is unproblematic. More important than the perfect timing is that you stick with it at all.
The fact is that the two minerals perform different tasks in the body. Magnesium is involved in muscles and nerves, whereas zinc keeps your immune system going. Only for a few other combinations is it worth spacing them out over time, and those are exactly the ones we take a closer look at in this blog post.
Table of Contents:
- What is magnesium good for?
- What is zinc good for?
- Do magnesium and zinc go together?
- Your intake plan for magnesium and zinc
- These combinations you should space apart
- And what about vitamin D and vitamin C?
- What you can realistically expect
- My personal assessment
- Conclusion: Take them together, but combine smartly
- Common questions
- Sources
Important: This article does not replace medical advice. With dietary supplements, follow the dosage on the product and do not exceed the stated daily dose. If you have kidney disease or regularly take medication, you should check with a doctor or pharmacy before taking magnesium or zinc. Special recommendations and dosages apply to children and to pregnant and breastfeeding women.
What is magnesium good for?
Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and normal functioning of the nervous system, which is why you often notice a deficiency first as cramps or a slight twitching of the eyelid. The mineral is involved in more than 600 enzymatic reactions in the body, including energy metabolism and protein synthesis (1), as a review in Physiological Reviews summarizes. Just as important, though, is its role in nerve transmission between cells, in cardiac excitability and normal heart rhythm, in neuromuscular conduction, meaning the communication between nerve and muscle, and in vascular tone, meaning the tension of your blood vessel walls. (1)
If you do a lot of sport or are very busy in everyday life, you should still pay attention to a balanced, magnesium-rich diet. Good sources include nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grain products. And finally, the mineral also contributes to normal psychological function, one reason why it comes up so often in guides in connection with everyday stress.
What is zinc good for?
Zinc above all keeps your immune system, your skin and your cells in shape and contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
Did you know that a zinc deficiency can impair immune function? Among others, T cells are affected, a group of white blood cells that take on important tasks in coordinating the immune response. (2) As an essential trace element, zinc helps regulate both the innate and the acquired immune response, as a review in the journal Nutrients shows (2). Zinc also contributes to normal acid-base metabolism and to normal cognitive function. A zinc deficiency often results from insufficient intake; the review names malnutrition as the most important cause. (2)
One point is particularly relevant in practice: the body can only store zinc to a very limited extent. That's why a regular intake through diet or supplements is more important than the exact time you take it.
Do magnesium and zinc go together?
Magnesium and zinc partly use similar transport routes in the gut, which is why many people wonder whether they slow each other down. You can picture it like a door that several people want to go through at the same time. In principle that's not a problem; it only gets tight when there's a really big crowd.
A controlled study examined whether a higher zinc intake affects magnesium status. At the higher zinc amounts, a less favorable magnesium balance was observed. (3) Other data also show that very high amounts of zinc, for example 142 mg of zinc per day, can impair magnesium absorption. Such amounts are well above the usual dosage of zinc supplements. By contrast, there is no good evidence of a relevant impairment of magnesium absorption at usual supplement amounts.
Your intake plan for magnesium and zinc
So far there is no clear evidence that either of the two minerals works better at a particular time of day. Still, personal experience can help you find a routine that fits well into your everyday life. Here are a few examples from us:
| Timing | Mineral | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| In the evening | Magnesium | Some people like to take magnesium in the evening. Whether taking it in the evening has particular benefits is not sufficiently proven. |
| With a meal | Zinc | May be better tolerated if you have a sensitive stomach. However, phytate-rich foods can reduce zinc absorption. |
| Together, e.g. in the morning | Magnesium and zinc | Generally possible at usual supplement amounts and practical for a simple routine. |
These combinations you should space apart
If only you could take all supplements together, that would of course be too good to be true. But not every mineral combination is as uncomplicated as magnesium and zinc. For some other combinations, you should leave a gap between taking them.
The following dietary supplements don't go together so well:
Zinc and iron compete in the gut for partly shared absorption routes, especially if you take them together as isolated supplements rather than as part of a meal. It's more practical to take them a few hours apart or with different meals. For zinc and calcium, a study in postmenopausal women showed that a high calcium intake demonstrably lowered zinc absorption and zinc balance, as a human study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows. (4)
However, this does not mean that normal calcium-containing foods always have to be separated from zinc. What matters is mainly a high calcium intake, or taking higher-dose calcium supplements at the same time.
Coffee and black tea can also inhibit the absorption of minerals; leaving a gap between them and taking your supplement is a common rule of thumb. However, a fixed time span for this is not backed by studies. Phytate-rich foods also play a role: phytate from grains, legumes and whole grain products noticeably inhibits zinc absorption from a meal, which is why a zinc-rich meal without a lot of whole grains or legumes is better suited if absorption matters to you.
If you take medication such as certain antibiotics, thyroid hormones or osteoporosis drugs, it's best to discuss intake intervals directly with your doctor or pharmacy. These active substances are sensitive to minerals. An individual assessment is therefore more reliable than a blanket rule.
And what about vitamin D and vitamin C?
Vitamin D combines well with magnesium and zinc; there are no known restrictions. One research connection is interesting, though: magnesium is involved as a cofactor in the enzymes that activate vitamin D in the body, as a review in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association describes. (5)
The paper thus shows that magnesium plays an important role in vitamin D metabolism. However, it cannot automatically be concluded from this that additional magnesium intake improves the effect of a vitamin D supplement.
Vitamin C can also be combined without any problem. Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system, which means the nutrients complement each other well in terms of content.
What you can realistically expect
Supplements complement a balanced diet; they don't replace it. Good food sources of magnesium include nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grain products, while you find zinc mainly in pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, lentils and cashews.
If you eat a vegan diet, you should keep an eye on both nutrients, because zinc and magnesium from plant sources are absorbed less well than from animal sources due to phytate. That's also why many people on a vegan diet deliberately look into supplements.
Zinc bisglycinate from CLAV: A natural option
If you want to add zinc to your routine, our zinc bisglycinate can be an option. We rely on elemental zinc bisglycinate, a zinc chelate complex, meaning a compound that binds zinc to an amino acid, which in practice is often described as well tolerated. The supplement is vegan and free from artificial additives, like all our CLAV products.
My personal assessment
I used to have a complicated plan with three different times of day for magnesium and zinc, which I threw out the window by day three at the latest. Since then I know that a supplement you don't even take because the plan is too complicated does nothing for you at the end of the day.
Today I mostly just take both together with breakfast, because I know it's unproblematic and that way I forget it less often. If you notice that zinc doesn't agree with you on an empty stomach, simply try it with a light meal; your body shows you quite clearly what it likes.
Conclusion: Take them together, but combine smartly
Magnesium and zinc can be taken together without any problem. Both perform important but different tasks in the body, from muscle and nerve function to supporting the immune system. At the everyday amounts found in dietary supplements, there's no reason to artificially spread them apart.
Combining smartly mainly means keeping some distance for a few other combinations: zinc and iron, zinc and calcium, zinc and coffee or black tea, and zinc and very phytate-rich meals. With medication, if in doubt, it's best to have a quick word with your treating doctor or pharmacy. Everything else is ultimately a matter of habit, and that can be kept simple.
Common questions: Q&A
Can zinc block magnesium absorption in the body?
No, at the zinc amounts usual in dietary supplements, no relevant effect on magnesium absorption is known. Only at very high, atypical zinc amounts did a controlled study show an inhibited magnesium balance, but that doesn't apply to normal use of products from the drugstore shelf.
Do I have to take magnesium and zinc at the same time of day?
No, you don't have to. You can take both together or spread them over two times of day; both are unproblematic. What matters more is finding a routine that you'll still stick to after a few weeks.
What happens if I take zinc and iron at the same time?
Both minerals compete in the gut for similar absorption routes if you swallow them at the same time as isolated supplements. It's more practical to take zinc and iron a few hours apart or with different meals.
Can I take magnesium and zinc together long term?
Yes, long-term, regular intake is common for both minerals, as long as you don't exceed the recommended daily intake. If you have existing conditions or take medication, talk to your doctor or pharmacy first.
Why is regular intake so often emphasized for zinc rather than a specific time?
Because the body can only store zinc to a very limited extent. Irregular intake therefore has a bigger impact than with nutrients the body keeps in reserve for longer; the exact time of intake plays a minor role.
Sources
- de Baaij JH, Hoenderop JG, Bindels RJ. Magnesium in man: implications for health and disease. Physiol Rev. 2015;95(1):1-46. PMID: 25540137.
- Gammoh NZ, Rink L. Zinc in Infection and Inflammation. Nutrients. 2017;9(6):624. PMID: 28629136.
- Nielsen FH, Milne DB. A moderately high intake compared to a low intake of zinc depresses magnesium balance and alters indices of bone turnover in postmenopausal women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2004;58:703-710. PMID: 15116072.
- Wood RJ, Zheng JJ. High dietary calcium intakes reduce zinc absorption and balance in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;65(6):1803-1809. PMID: 9174476.
- Uwitonze AM, Razzaque MS. Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2018;118(3):181-189. PMID: 29480918.
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