3 Reasons It's Worth Taking B12 and Magnesium Together

There are more than 30 vitamins, minerals, and dietary compounds that your body cannot manufacture on its own in adequate amounts. We must get them from our diet. They are considered essential and act in concert to perform hundreds of physiological functions in the body.

Two of those nutrients play critical roles in nervous system function, energy production, and bone health, among others.

They are magnesium, the fourth most abundant mineral in the body (1), and vitamin B12, an essential nutrient. They’re two nutrients that can easily be obtained through food yet are somehow deficient or insufficient in certain sectors of the population. (2, 3)

So, why do we need them, and can we take them together? That’s what this article is all about. We’ll dive into the details on magnesium and vitamin B12 and why they’re a must in your supplement stack.

Introduction to Vitamin B12 and Magnesium

Vitamin B12 and magnesium are two essential nutrients that play critical roles in various bodily functions, including energy production, nerve function, and bone health.

Vitamin B12, a water-soluble vitamin, is necessary for the production of red blood cells and the maintenance of the nervous system.

Magnesium, a mineral, is involved in hundreds of biochemical reactions in the body and is essential for muscle and nerve function, as well as bone health.

Both vitamin B12 and magnesium can be obtained through dietary sources, such as animal-based foods, green leafy vegetables, and nuts, or through dietary supplements, including magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide, and magnesium glycinate.

Why Do We Need Vitamin B12?

The vitamin B group of vitamins are a group of eight water-soluble vitamins essential for various body processes ranging from energy metabolism and digestion to heart health and nervous system function. Although they’re equally important, vitamin B12 plays some significant roles, including:

• Red blood cell production (4)
• Healthy nerve function (5)
• DNA synthesis - the act of replicating our DNA for cell growth and repair (6)
• Fatty acid synthesis, important for energy storage (7)
• Myelin formation. Myelin provides an insulating layer around nerves in the brain and spinal cord, allowing electrical impulses to travel quickly along nerve cells. (8)

Food Sources High in Vitamin B12

Food sources high in vitamin B12 include animal sources, such as meats, poultry, fish (salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel) and dairy products, such as milk, cheese and yogurt. Fortified cereals can be another source. (9)

The daily recommended amount of B12 for adults is 2.4mcg. (10).

Who Might Need to Supplement Vitamin B12?

Certain sectors of the population may want to supplement with a vitamin B complex or a multivitamin containing vitamin B12. They include:

• Anyone who doesn't eat enough B12-rich foods
• Vegans who don't consume animal products
• Anyone with a condition or who takes drugs that reduce stomach acid production, needed to absorb vitamin B12 (Crohn's disease, diabetes, heartburn medication, pancreatic disease, as examples)
• Older adults who produce less stomach acid as they age, inhibiting vitamin B12 absorption. The U.S. government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that people over 50 take a multivitamin supplement to address this problem. (11)

Higher doses of B12 than the recommended daily allowance have been found to be safe as the excess is secreted in the urine, but it's still best to play it safe and avoid super high amounts. (12)

Why Do We Need Magnesium?

The other essential guy we have to talk about is magnesium. Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is involved in more than 300 processes in the body. (13) As vitamin D is to the vitamin kingdom, magnesium is to the mineral world.

Magnesium acts as a crucial support in numerous biochemical reactions within the body, including energy production and muscle function.

Most of these enzymes are involved in ATP production—ATP is the body’s primary energy source and is needed for virtually all biological processes. Because of this, magnesium becomes essential for most processes, some of which include:

• Glucose metabolism, helping the body absorb, use and store glucose for energy (14)
• Fat, protein, and nucleic acid synthesis, helping to support the body and its genetic material, providing energy
• Coenzyme synthesis, helping cells to function properly(15)
• Muscle contraction
• Neurological function
• Neurotransmitter release
• Vascular tone, potentially influencing blood pressure and blood vessels (16)
• Bone formation (17)
• Mitochondrial biogenesis, helping to create new mitochondria (18)

How Much Magnesium Do You Need?

The recommended dietary allowance of magnesium from all sources is:

• Adults 19-30 years old: Men 400mg, women 310mg (rising to 350mg in pregnancy)
• Adults 31-50 years old: Men 420mg, women 320mg (rising to 360mg in pregnancy)
• Adults 50+: Men 420mg, women 320mg. (19)

Who Might Want to Supplement Magnesium?

Half of adults may lack the recommended daily intake of magnesium, and this may be especially true of older people. Western diets lack magnesium-rich foods and often use processed and refined grains, which are low in magnesium. At the same time, it's estimated that only 20-40% of the magnesium we eat becomes available for the body to use. (20)

How Much Magnesium Should You Take from Supplements?

Note that if you are taking supplemental magnesium from a dietary supplement, there is a recommended Upper Tolerable Limit of 350mg. In essence, you should make sure your magnesium supplement doesn't have a dose higher than this to avoid complications. (21)

Overdoing it on magnesium isn’t necessarily the best idea.

Taking too much can cause an upset stomach, nausea, cramps and diarrhea, vomiting, confusion, an irregular heartbeat, low blood pressure and more. (22)

Benefits Of Combining Magnesium And Vitamin B12

Because vitamin B12 and magnesium don’t compete for absorption, supplementing the two doesn’t come with any absorption risks. Maintaining healthy levels of both magnesium and vitamin B12 is crucial for good health.

There are several benefits to combining them as they both participate in various metabolic processes that sustain energy levels and overall health. Here are three of the most important...

1. Promote normal function of the nervous system

Both magnesium and vitamin B12 are essential for maintaining nerve health and preventing neurological disorders.

Magnesium helps to regulate neurotransmitters in the brain and nervous system. These neurotransmitters are the body's chemical messengers and send messages from one nerve to another.

You've probably heard of serotonin - this is one such neurotransmitter, known to influence mood, anxiety, pain and more.

These busy little transmitters help to keep the body functioning, the limbs moving, the heart beating, and allow you to react to sensations from within and from your environment. They're involved in everything from your breathing to your heart, mind, muscles and other organs. Without them, the body wouldn't function.

Keeping them performing optimally, therefore, is crucial. Which is where magnesium comes in.

Magnesium also plays an important role in helping nerves to regenerate and reducing inflammation across the nervous system. (23)

Meanwhile, vitamin B12 serves as the comfort food for our nerves. It helps to produce myelin, the sheath that protects and shields the nerves from damage, while also helping to make nerve to nerve transmission more effective. (24)

Lack of myelin interferes with nerve transmission and can lead to nerve damage, resulting in permanent neurological problems.

2. Contribute to energy production

Whether it’s ATP production from magnesium or red blood cell formation from B12, both of these nutrients are critical for energy levels.

As we said before, magnesium is required as a cofactor for enzymes involved in ATP production, the creation of the body's natural energy. Without sufficient magnesium, the body can’t convert the nutrients from food into energy, so one of the notable symptoms of magnesium deficiency is fatigue and muscle weakness.

A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that low magnesium levels interfere with the body’s ability to use energy stores, which can severely impair exercise performance and daily function (25).

B12 works along similar lines. All B vitamins are required for glucose metabolism; it helps to convert the food you eat into usable energy.

The other aspect of B12’s involvement in energy production is through the production of red blood cells, which are needed to carry oxygen to tissues; it works in conjunction with B9 (folate). Folic acid, another B vitamin, works in conjunction with B12 to support red blood cell formation and energy production.

Low B12 levels can impair the activation of folate and lead to decreased production of red blood cells and impaired oxygen delivery. (26) When your tissues aren’t properly oxygenated, your body can’t function optimally, resulting in low energy, poor exercise tolerance, fatigue, and shortness of breath.

3. May Help Mood and Stress Management

Magnesium may help to regulate the body's stress on several different levels. It has been shown to help relax muscles, promote sleep, level out cortisol (the 'stress hormone') and more. (27)

Studies have shown that stress depletes the body's magnesium levels and coincidentally, low magnesium levels may make you more susceptible to stress. A vicious circle that you don't want. Supplementation has been shown to help in several clinical studies, though more research is welcome. (28, 29)

B12 and other B vitamins play an important role in creating brain chemicals which affect brain function and mood. Low B12 levels, along with certain other B vitamins, may be linked to depression. (30)

Several studies have looked at whether vitamin B12 supplementation can help reduce stress and improve mood. One meta-analysis of vitamin and mineral supplementation on stress and mood, for instance, concluded that supplements with high amounts of B vitamins may be effective in improving mood. (31)

Another meta-analysis concluded that "B group vitamin supplementation (either alone or with a multivitamin) may also benefit mood in healthy and at-risk individuals". (32)

Further research is needed to establish the extent of any benefit from B12 supplements on mood and stress.

Where To Find Them

It should be apparent that getting enough magnesium and B12 is essential—but where can you get them?

Both nutrients are widely available in food sources, but if you’re following a primarily plant-based diet, getting enough B12 can be difficult as it tends to be concentrated in animal-based foods. You may want to supplement if this is the case.

Magnesium-rich foods such as beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and greens are excellent sources of this essential mineral.

Should You Take Dietary Supplements?

Given that certain groups of people may need to supplement their B12 and magnesium intake, dietary supplements could be the answer.

You could either take the two nutrients in standalone supplements or take advantage of a quality multivitamin that already combines them for you, taking the hassle out of nutrient-tracking.

Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi is an ultramodern multivitamin designed to keep up with active lifestyles.

Providing 17+ essential vitamins and minerals - including generous dosages of B12 and magnesium - Multi is tailored to the specific needs of men and women with gender-specific doses for optimal health and hormonal balance.

NutriGenesis vitamins and minerals come with cofactors that boost absorption and enhance bioactivity.

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Choosing the Right Magnesium Supplement

When choosing a magnesium supplement, it’s essential to consider the type of magnesium, as well as the dosage and potential interactions with other medications.

Magnesium citrate, magnesium chloride, and magnesium glycinate are popular forms of magnesium supplements, each with its own unique benefits and absorption rates.

For example, magnesium citrate is easily absorbed and can help with constipation, while magnesium glycinate is gentle on the stomach and can promote relaxation.

It’s also important to consult with a healthcare provider to determine the best dosage and type of magnesium supplement for individual needs, especially for those with certain medical conditions or taking medications like metformin or acid-reducing medications.

Potential Interactions and Side Effects

While vitamin B12 and magnesium are generally considered safe to take together, there are potential interactions and side effects to be aware of.

High doses of magnesium can cause stomach upset, diarrhea, and interact with certain medications, such as blood thinners and antibiotics. Vitamin B12 can interact with certain medications, such as metformin, and high doses can cause side effects like headache, fatigue, and weakness.

Additionally, individuals with certain medical conditions, such as kidney disease or pernicious anemia, should consult with their healthcare provider before taking vitamin B12 and magnesium supplements.

It’s also important to note that taking high doses of magnesium can lead to magnesium toxicity, which can cause symptoms like muscle weakness, difficulty breathing, and heart problems.

To minimize the risk of side effects and interactions, it’s recommended to follow the recommended dosages and consult with a healthcare provider before taking any supplements, especially if you have a history of severe deficiencies or are taking other supplements or medications.