Can You Take Folate With Magnesium?

Quick answer

No source we read says folate and magnesium change each other's absorption. Adults need 400 mcg DFE of folate and 310 to 420 mg of magnesium a day. Both upper limits count supplements only, not food: 1,000 mcg for folic acid and 350 mg for magnesium.^1,2,3,4

Key facts

Neither NIH fact sheet describes folate and magnesium changing how the other is absorbed.^1,3
Adults need 400 mcg DFE of folate a day and 310 to 420 mg of magnesium, depending on age and sex.^2,4
Both upper limits leave out food: 1,000 mcg of folic acid from supplements and fortified foods, and 350 mg of magnesium from supplements and medicines.^2,4
About 48% of Americans take in less magnesium from food and drink than the average requirement, while most people in the US get enough folate.^1,3
Medicines for seizures are one place where the cautions for both nutrients meet.^2,5

What the sources say about taking them together

We looked for any statement that folate and magnesium compete for absorption, raise or lower each other's levels, or need to be taken apart. The NIH fact sheets for the two nutrients contain none, and we found no trial that tested the pair against either one alone. That is an absence of evidence, not a finding that nothing happens.^1,3

The documented cautions for each point somewhere else. For magnesium they are mainly other minerals at very high doses and a list of medicines. For folic acid they are a B12 caution and another list of medicines. The two lists barely touch, which is why the questions below are about food, limits and labels rather than about the pair.^1,3

What each is graded for

Magnesium and folate each carry a short list of structure and function statements in our ingredient files, with different grades and different caveats. The two below are the closest in kind: a body process that depends on having enough.^1,3

Has a role in making DNA and in normal cell division*^1,2,6

Moderate evidence

A long-established role of the vitamin. NIH describes folate as needed to make DNA and other genetic material and for cells to divide, and the EU, after review by its food safety authority, permits the statement that folate has a role in the process of cell division. It describes what folate does at recommended intakes, not an added effect from larger amounts.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 400 mcg DFE a day for adults, from all sources

Helps you reach the recommended daily magnesium intake*³

Moderate evidence

National survey data from 2013 to 2016 show that 48% of Americans take in less magnesium from food and drink than the estimated average requirement. One serving supplies 275 mg, 65% of the Daily Value. In an earlier national survey, adults who used magnesium supplements had average total intakes well above requirement levels.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 400 to 420 mg a day for men, 310 to 320 mg for women, from all sources

Where food gives you both

Dark green leafy vegetables, beans, peas and nuts supply both nutrients, and a plate built around them covers a lot of ground. Boiled spinach, black-eyed peas and kidney beans appear on NIH's folate list, while legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains and spinach appear on its magnesium list.^2,4

Refined grains show where the two part company. Refining removes the germ and bran and substantially lowers magnesium, yet enriched flour has folic acid added, so a diet heavy in refined, enriched grains can supply folic acid without much magnesium.^2,3

Magnesium that is naturally present in food and drinks is not harmful and does not need to be limited; the upper limit applies to supplements and medicines only.⁴

Folate that is naturally present in food and drinks is not harmful, and the upper limit does not apply to it.^1,2

Adding up the amounts

Folate and magnesium for adults, per day^1,2,3,4
	Folate	Magnesium
Recommended amount	400 mcg DFE	310 to 320 mg for women, 400 to 420 mg for men
Upper limit	1,000 mcg of folic acid from supplements and fortified foods	350 mg from supplements and medicines
Does the limit count food?	No, food folate has no limit	No, magnesium in food and drinks is not limited
How the label prints it	mcg DFE, with folic acid in brackets	The magnesium itself, not the weight of the compound
Share absorbed	At least 85% of folic acid taken with food	30% to 40% of the magnesium in food and drinks

The label rows differ in a way that trips people up. Folate is printed in DFE, so a folic acid amount looks larger than it is, while magnesium is printed as elemental magnesium, so you can compare forms by the number on the panel.^1,3

What’s in ours

Men's Multi: Folate, 680 mcg DFE (400 mcg Folic Acid) per serving, from the label

What’s in ours

Magnesium Glycinate: Magnesium, 275 mg per serving, from the label
Men's Multi: Magnesium, 50 mg per serving, from the label
Creatine + Electrolytes: Magnesium, 60 mg per serving, from the label

Our Men's Multi contains both nutrients, and Magnesium Glycinate is our dedicated magnesium product. Because magnesium limits count every product you take, the check below adds the two together at their label amounts.

Our Men's Multi with our Magnesium Glycinate

Men's Multi and Magnesium Glycinate together provide 325 mg of magnesium a day, close to the 350 mg upper limit for magnesium from supplements. Do not add another magnesium product.

How each is usually taken

Folic acid is absorbed well with or without food: about 85% of a dose taken with food and nearly all of it without.¹

Magnesium is a different story. The share absorbed is higher when it is taken in several small amounts than in one large amount, and in a one-week pilot study of eight adults, urine magnesium rose more when magnesium was taken with meals than when fasting. Neither nutrient has a time of day that a source recommends, and we found no source that tells people to separate them.^7,8

Medicines and who should ask first

Seizure medicines are the clearest place where the two nutrients meet. Phenytoin, carbamazepine and valproate can lower blood folate, and folate supplements might lower blood levels of those medicines. Separately, magnesium can reduce how much of gabapentin, which is also used for seizures, is absorbed. Both are matters for a pharmacist.^2,5

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Phenytoin, carbamazepine and valproate can lower blood folate, and folate supplements might lower blood levels of these medicines. The phenytoin and folic acid labels both say folic acid can lower phenytoin levels or weaken its effect.^1,2,9,10

On the medicine's label

Ask your pharmacist how far apart to take them

The gabapentin label says an antacid containing magnesium and aluminum hydroxides lowered the amount of gabapentin the body absorbed by about 20%. In a small study, 1 g of magnesium oxide taken with gabapentin lowered its absorption by about a third.^5,11,12

On the medicine's label

Ask first if you have kidney disease or reduced kidney function, since the kidneys remove extra magnesium.³
Ask first if you take an antibiotic, a bisphosphonate, a diuretic, a medicine for acid reflux or levothyroxine, each of which magnesium can affect.⁴
Ask first if you take methotrexate or sulfasalazine, which interact with folate.²
Ask first if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding.²

Questions people ask

Can you take folate with magnesium?

The NIH sheets for the two nutrients do not describe any effect of one on the other, and they are routinely sold together in multivitamins. Watch the totals against each upper limit, and ask a pharmacist if you take any of the medicines listed above.^1,3

Can you take folic acid with magnesium?

Folic acid is the form used in most supplements and fortified foods, and the same answer applies: our sources describe no effect of magnesium on folic acid absorption, and the folic acid limit of 1,000 mcg a day is separate from the magnesium limit of 350 mg.^2,4

Which of the two do people fall short of more often?

Magnesium. Survey data show 48% of Americans get less from food and drink than the average requirement. For folate, most people get enough, although 19% of girls aged 14 to 18 and 17% of women aged 19 to 30 do not, even with supplements.^1,3

Should the two be taken at different times of day?

No source we read says so. Each is simply absorbed best in its own way: folic acid with or without food, magnesium in smaller amounts through the day and with meals.^1,7

See what we make

Every product shows its whole label and what its lab report covers. The store opens soon.

See the Full Measure line Men's Multi Creatine + Electrolytes Magnesium Glycinate

Sources

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.