Magnesium is a critical mineral that is used in hundreds of bodily functions daily, yet almost half of Americans are deficient. Lifestyle choices like drinking, poor sleep, unhealthy diet, and excess levels of stress can also deplete the magnesium in your body. Some populations need even more magnesium, with studies showing that elderly and overweight people need to consume extra due to poor absorption.
Magnesium is used for processes like:
● Muscle and nerve function
● Breaking down food during digestion
● Inflammation reduction
● Calcium absorption
● Circadian rhythm regulation
If you’re feeling weak or fatigued, magnesium deficiency may be the culprit! To maximize your absorption of magnesium and reap additional benefits, you can try combining magnesium with other supplements to improve your results.
Here are four ingredients that may provide complementary benefits when taken with magnesium:
1. Vitamin D for Healthy Muscles and Bones, plus Reduced Inflammation
Vitamin D is a critical vitamin to promote bone health. Without it, the body can not absorb and utilize calcium to prevent bone density loss. Conversely, the body needs magnesium in order to convert Vitamin D into a form that our bodies can use. The relationship between these three nutrients means that taking Vitamin D, calcium, and magnesium together is one of the best ways to support bone health outside of physical activity.
For full spectrum bone support, try a supplement that combines these ingredients, like Calcium Magnesium with Vitamin D3 from Solgar.
Research also suggests that combining magnesium with vitamin D may provide greater anti-inflammatory benefits than either nutrient alone. Studies have found that co-supplementation can reduce inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein and TNF-α, allowing you to improve cardiovascular health, handle stress easier, and feel your best.
Additional studies have also linked co-supplementation of magnesium and Vitamin D with improvements in muscle performance and physical function compared to those receiving vitamin D alone.
2. Vitamin B6 for Mental Health and Energy
Vitamin B6 is well known for its energy boosting properties, rather than providing a stimulant-like energy boost, it supports the underlying processes the body uses to produce energy. But when combined with magnesium, clinical studies show significant mental health benefits. This is due in part to the role of B vitamins in producing key neurotransmitters that affect your mood, like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.
This means that this combination is particularly useful during periods of stress. In a study of adults experiencing stress, magnesium supplementation improved stress scores, while adding vitamin B6 produced an even greater improvement among participants with severe or extremely severe stress. Additional research has found improvements in measures of anxiety, depression, stress, and quality of life following magnesium and B6 supplementation.
So if you need energy, a mood boost, or more restful sleep, reach for a supplement like Solgar’s Magnesium with B6.
3. L-Theanine for Stress Reduction and Focus
Tea is a staple in many people’s diets for the focus and stress relief it provides, due to the phytochemicals that it contains. L-Theanine is one of the principal phytochemicals, and it has been shown to increase attention, while simultaneously decreasing stress and supporting a sense of calm, through modulation of alpha and theta brain waves. Combine it with caffeine, and you’re setting yourself up for a successful study session.
Conversely, it also helps with sleep. Since it helps to reduce stress and promotes calmness, it improves sleep quality. Early studies in mice showed that it can even prevent the sleep disturbances that are caused by drinking caffeine too close to bedtime. With magnesium, that pairing can be useful when you want to unwind without necessarily becoming drowsy.
Together, that gives magnesium and L-theanine an interesting dual purpose: supporting calm focus during the day and relaxation when it's time to wind down. Try the Magnesium and L-Theanine supplement by New Chapter (which also has glycine in it) and reap the benefits of calm focus that fits into any part of your day.
4. Glycine for Performance and Recovery
Glycine is an amino acid that your body can produce on its own, but under periods of stress, illness, or muscle growth, it is quickly depleted. It serves many purposes in the body: it helps to rebuild collagen, acts as a calming neurotransmitter, and is a powerful antioxidant.
As it relates to recovery, supplementing with glycine helps repair muscle and collagen that is broken down during exercise, powering muscle growth and promoting speedier recovery. Since it’s also an antioxidant, it naturally reduces the inflammation associated with muscle damage.
On the performance side, glycine acts as a critical part of contractile muscle cells. Supplementing with glycine and pairing it with resistance exercise can promote improved muscle strength and endurance, delaying muscular fatigue.
Pairing glycine with magnesium can also offer a practical advantage: it’s highly bioavailable and generally more well tolerated than magnesium alone. Pure Encapsulations makes a combined Magnesium Glycinate supplement that supports everything from food breakdown to energy and recovery.
Choosing the Right Supplement for You
With all of the positive benefits of magnesium co-supplementation, it can be hard to decide what to prioritize: sleep, nutrient utilization, focus, or recovery. If you’re not sure where to start, NHC’s Find Your Formula Quiz can help you identify the supplements that best match your health goals.
