Summary
Table of Contents
You eat a reasonably varied diet, but wonder whether it provides enough magnesium. Or you have a jar in your hands with a number you cannot quite place. This article is for men who want to find out without exaggerated promises. After reading it, you will know what magnesium does in your body and what your food already provides. You will be able to read a label correctly, and you will know where the limit on extra magnesium lies.
What magnesium is good for, from bones to energy production
Magnesium is a mineral your body needs for the formation of bones and muscles and for the transmission of nerve impulses. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre (Voedingscentrum) also mentions the functioning of muscles and enzymes and energy production in your body's cells. Magnesium is therefore not a substance for one organ, but a mineral with roles in multiple places in your body.
Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and to normal functioning of the nervous system. Magnesium also contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism. In addition, magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
For bones and teeth, magnesium contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and the maintenance of normal teeth. At the cellular level, magnesium contributes to normal protein synthesis and to electrolyte balance. Furthermore, magnesium has a role in the process of cell division.
Pay attention to the word "normal" in all those descriptions. They describe what magnesium as a nutrient does in a body that gets enough of it, not what an extra dose on top of that provides. They also apply to the mineral itself and not to any particular product.
How much magnesium do you need and which foods provide it?
For adult men, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre states an adequate intake of 350 mg of magnesium per day. That amount applies to everything you eat and drink combined. It is not advice to reach that figure as a matter of course with a supplement. With a varied diet, healthy people generally get sufficient magnesium.
Magnesium is found mainly in plant-based foods. The most important sources are:
- nuts, such as almonds, walnuts or cashews;
- seeds and kernels, for example pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds;
- wholegrain products such as wholegrain bread, oats and brown rice;
- legumes such as lentils, chickpeas and kidney beans;
- green vegetables, including spinach, kale and broccoli.
In practice, the difference lies in small choices you make every day. Choose the wholegrain version of bread, pasta and rice, eat a handful of nuts as a snack and give legumes a regular place in your evening meal. That way you build up your magnesium intake across several meals rather than from a single source.
The exact amount of magnesium varies per food and per portion. If you want to know precisely what a product provides, you can find those values in the Dutch Food Composition Database of the RIVM. There you will also see that magnesium-rich foods almost always provide other nutrients as well.
What a supplement does differently from magnesium-rich food
A supplement provides a concentrated amount of magnesium in one specific compound, whereas food delivers magnesium together with other nutrients. Food is therefore the foundation of your daily intake. A supplement is an addition to what you eat, not a replacement for it.
Why would you take magnesium if you already eat a varied diet? Often there is no need to. A supplement becomes relevant when your diet provides insufficient magnesium, for example if nuts, wholegrains and legumes rarely appear on your plate. Another reason is a medical indication, and that is not something you determine yourself.
Different calculation rules also apply to food and supplements. The adequate intake of 350 mg refers to your total intake from everything you eat and drink. The upper limit of 250 mg refers only to extra magnesium from supplements. Those two figures therefore measure different things and cannot simply be set off against each other.
That also changes the question you ask yourself. With food, the question is whether you have enough variety. With a supplement, the question is how much magnesium one daily dose actually provides, in what form, and whether you are using any other sources of extra magnesium alongside that product.
Comparing types of magnesium by elemental magnesium
With types of magnesium, what counts is not the name or the weight of the compound, but the amount of elemental magnesium per daily dose. In a supplement, magnesium is bound to another substance, such as citrate, bisglycinate, oxide, malate or taurate. The weight of such a compound is higher than the amount of magnesium it contains. 500 mg of magnesium citrate therefore does not mean you are getting 500 mg of magnesium.
Absorption and effects differ per compound, but no complete, mutually comparable table exists that ranks all types in the same way. A firm claim that one type is always the best therefore lacks a solid basis. The name tells you which form you are buying; the elemental figure tells you how much magnesium you are actually getting.
You read a label as follows:
- Find the amount of magnesium per recommended daily dose.
- Check whether that figure is elemental magnesium and not the weight of the compound.
- Add magnesium from any other supplements you use.
- Stick to the recommended daily dose of the product.
- Compare the total extra magnesium with the upper limit of 250 mg per day.
How large the difference between compound weight and elemental magnesium can be is illustrated by FORGE. We use 1159.4 mg of magnesium bisglycinate per tablet, of which 160 mg is magnesium. Citrate (150 mg), malate (76.6 mg) and taurate (75 mg) together provide the remaining 40 mg. Just over 1.4 grams of compounds thus delivers 200 mg of elemental magnesium.
Why FORGE contains four forms and 200 mg of magnesium
FORGE contains four forms of magnesium because we did not want to rely on a single compound, and 200 mg because that dose stays below the upper limit for supplements. Every choice in the tablet follows from what is known about magnesium, and from what is not yet fully known.
Because absorption and effects differ per compound and a complete comparison is lacking, we spread magnesium across four organically bound forms: bisglycinate, citrate, malate and taurate. Bisglycinate provides the largest share of the 200 mg. Magnesium citrate can have a mildly laxative effect when used in excess; in FORGE it makes up a small part of the total.
The dose of 200 mg per tablet is below the upper limit of 250 mg extra magnesium per day from supplements. Relative to the adequate intake of 350 mg, it is explicitly an addition. Your food remains the foundation; the tablet supplements it.
Alongside the four forms, the tablet contains only a glazing agent (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose) and an anti-caking agent (magnesium stearate). It contains no caffeine, no sugar and no additional vitamins or plant extracts. FORGE is one mineral in one tablet.
FORGE: 200 mg of magnesium per daily dose of 1 tablet, from magnesium bisglycinate, magnesium citrate, magnesium malate and magnesium taurate. Take 1 tablet per day with water at breakfast, lunch or dinner. Each pouch contains 30 tablets, enough for one month.
If you prefer to take magnesium at a fixed evening moment, choose DUSK instead of FORGE, not alongside it. DUSK provides 250 mg of magnesium per two tablets from bisglycinate and citrate, with taurine, vitamin B6 and vitamin D3, taken with the evening meal. Together they would deliver 450 mg of extra magnesium. That is why we believe in one magnesium product at one fixed moment, not two overlapping products.
What happens if you take too much magnesium?
Too much magnesium from supplements causes mainly digestive complaints, with diarrhoea as the most common side effect. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre sets the acceptable upper limit for adults at 250 mg of extra magnesium per day from supplements. That limit is on top of what you get through food. Above that amount, diarrhoea and other digestive complaints can occur.
In healthy men, the symptoms of too much magnesium are felt mainly in the gut: loose stools, diarrhoea or other abdominal complaints after taking it. Take such complaints after a high dose seriously. They are a sign that the amount does not suit you, not something to push through.
An excessive intake can arise in various ways. You use two supplements containing magnesium at the same time, you take a double daily dose because you missed a day, or you choose a product whose daily dose already exceeds 250 mg. In all those cases, it is worthwhile to add up the elemental magnesium from each product.
With reduced kidney function, the situation is different. Magnesium can then accumulate in the body more easily. For that group, the general upper limit for healthy adults is therefore not a reliable benchmark, and the same dose does not automatically count as safe.
Who does not need extra magnesium and when to consult first
If you eat a varied diet, with regular servings of nuts, wholegrains, legumes and green vegetables, you generally do not need a magnesium supplement. A supplement is then a personal choice, not a necessity. Someone whose diet is already in order is mainly adding an extra product to their day with a tablet.
A supplement is also not the answer to a suspected deficiency. A magnesium deficiency cannot be reliably inferred from general complaints. A food supplement does not treat an established deficiency or a medical condition either.
Magnesium can also reduce the absorption of certain medications. These include antibiotics of the tetracycline and quinolone type, bisphosphonates and iron preparations. The required interval between magnesium and such a medication varies per medication. A fixed rule of thumb for all medications therefore does not exist.
Consult your GP or pharmacist before use if you have reduced kidney function, are on dialysis, want to use magnesium long-term or are taking certain medications. They can determine for your situation how much time should be left between them. Also have a suspected deficiency or increased need assessed medically, as well as persistent or serious complaints, heart rhythm disorders or complaints after a high dose.
Giving magnesium a fixed place in your day
If you choose a supplement, the simplest approach is one product at one moment. That is why we have kept FORGE to one tablet with water at a meal you are already eating, whether that is breakfast, lunch or dinner. Link the tablet to the same meal every time and it will naturally become part of your daily routine.
Frequently asked questions about magnesium
Is magnesium good for you?
Magnesium is a nutrient your body needs every day, so in that sense yes. Whether extra magnesium is useful depends on what your diet already provides. The starting point is a total intake of around 350 mg per day, with at most 250 mg extra from supplements. Within that range a supplement can be an addition; beyond it, it cannot.
Is 400 mg of magnesium too much?
If it concerns 400 mg of elemental magnesium from a supplement, you are 150 mg above the upper limit of 250 mg extra per day. If the label states 400 mg of a compound, such as magnesium citrate, the amount of magnesium itself is lower. Look up the elemental figure first. If 400 mg is your total intake from food and supplement combined, only the supplement portion counts towards the limit.
Can you get too much magnesium through food?
The upper limit of 250 mg applies to extra magnesium from supplements, not to magnesium that occurs naturally in foods. No acceptable upper limit has been established for magnesium from food. A diet with plenty of nuts, wholegrains and legumes is therefore not something you need to watch. What you do add up is everything you get from tablets, powders or other supplements.
What does the percentage RI on a magnesium label mean?
RI stands for reference intake: a fixed value that a label uses to show what proportion of a daily reference amount a dose provides. If 200 mg of magnesium shows 53.4% RI, that reference is around 375 mg. That figure is close to the adequate intake of 350 mg from the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, but is not the same. The percentage says nothing about your personal needs and nothing about the upper limit for supplements.
At what time of day can you take magnesium?
The usage instructions of the product you choose determine the moment, not a general rule. Some formulas are intended to be taken with a meal during the day, others with the evening meal. Take the tablet with water and stick to the recommended daily dose, even after a missed day. Spreading two magnesium products across different moments does not resolve overlap: the amounts simply add up.
Sources
The Daily Ritual
Magnesium Complex (4-in-1) (FORGE)
Combine with
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Magnesium Complex (4-in-1) (FORGE)
The Daily Ritual
€14,95
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Magnesium Glycinate + Taurine (DUSK)
The Evening Ritual
€17,95
