Can You Take Zinc With Magnesium?

Quick answer

Zinc and magnesium are often sold together, and NIH names one clash: very high zinc, 142 mg a day in one study, cut magnesium absorption. That is over three times the 40 mg adult limit for zinc. A typical ZMA serving gives 30 mg of zinc and 450 mg of magnesium, above the 350 mg magnesium limit.^1,2,3

Key facts

The adult upper limit for zinc is 40 mg a day from all sources, food included, while the 350 mg limit for magnesium counts only supplements and medicines.^2,4
In the study NIH cites, men given 142 mg of zinc a day as zinc sulfate absorbed less magnesium and kept less of it.^1,5
Small trials of ZMA in young men who already ate enough of both minerals found no change in sleep, testosterone or training results.^3,6,7
Both minerals are taken up less from meals rich in phytate, and both bind quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics in the gut.^1,2,8

The one clash NIH describes

Very high doses of zinc from supplements, 142 mg a day in one study, can interfere with magnesium absorption.^1,4

That figure comes from a study of men living on a metabolic research ward, who took 142 mg of zinc a day as zinc sulfate. Across the three groups tested, they absorbed less magnesium and held on to less of it. NIH's fact sheets name no smaller amount of zinc that does this, and neither sheet says that magnesium gets in the way of zinc.^1,2,5

For scale, 142 mg is more than three times the adult upper limit for zinc. The ZMA capsules tested in recent trials gave 30 mg.^2,3

What the ZMA trials found

ZMA pairs zinc and magnesium aspartate, usually with vitamin B6, and is meant to be taken before bed. In a 2024 trial each day's capsules held 30 mg of zinc, 450 mg of magnesium and 10.5 mg of vitamin B6.^3,9

Sleep: two crossover trials in trained men found no change in measured sleep after two nights of ZMA, one of them during nights cut to 4 hours.^3,9
Training: in 42 resistance-trained men, 8 weeks of a ZMA product that also held plant extracts did not change strength, muscular endurance, body composition or hormone levels.⁷
Testosterone: in 14 men who already ate enough zinc, ZMA raised zinc in blood and urine but left testosterone where it was.⁶
Next morning: lifting power, sprints and a Stroop test did not change. Jump height was higher than after placebo but no higher than after taking no pill at all.^3,9

These were short trials in young men whose diets already met their needs. They say nothing about people who fall short of either mineral, who are the ones a supplement is for.^6,9

Why people take each one

Many people fall short of one or both. Close to half of Americans get less magnesium from food and drink than the average requirement, and about one adult in seven takes in too little zinc. The grades below say how much research stands behind each claim, not how large the effect is.^1,2

Helps you reach the recommended daily magnesium intake*¹

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

Helps you reach the recommended daily zinc intake when food falls short*^2,10,11

Moderate evidence

Most people in the United States get enough zinc from food, but national survey data from 2005 to 2016 show that 15% of adults take in less than the estimated average requirement. Teenage girls (20.9% below it), older adults, people who are pregnant and people who eat no meat are more likely to fall short. NIH says people who follow vegetarian or vegan diets might benefit from zinc supplements.

Amount studied: Recommended intake: 11 mg a day for men and 8 mg for women, from food and supplements

How the body takes them up

As zinc intake rises, the total amount absorbed goes up, but the share absorbed from each dose falls.²

In a study of magnesium taken with a standard meal, the share absorbed fell from 65% at the lowest amount to 11% at the highest, although the total absorbed still rose.¹²

Meals matter for both. Phytate, found in beans, whole grains and seeds, binds zinc in the gut and also lowers magnesium uptake, while protein and some carbohydrates raise magnesium uptake.^2,8

The chemical form makes a difference too. In separate studies, about 4% of the magnesium in magnesium oxide was absorbed, and about 50% of the zinc in zinc oxide, against about 61% from zinc citrate or gluconate.^13,14

An ounce of roasted pumpkin seeds has 2.2 mg of zinc and 156 mg of magnesium, about 20% and 37% of their Daily Values.^2,15

How the amounts add up

Adult upper limits, and what common products give per day^2,3,4
	Zinc	Magnesium
Adult upper limit	40 mg a day	350 mg a day
What the limit counts	Food, drinks, supplements and medicines	Supplements and medicines only
Average intake from food	About 13 mg for men and 9.2 mg for women	Not counted toward the limit
ZMA capsules in a 2024 trial	30 mg	450 mg
Our Men's Multi	15 mg, as zinc oxide	50 mg, as magnesium oxide

Add an average man's 13 mg of zinc from food to a 30 mg ZMA serving and the day comes to about 43 mg, just over the zinc limit. The 450 mg of magnesium in the same serving sits 100 mg above the limit for magnesium from supplements.^2,3,4

What's in ours

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

What’s in ours

Men's Multi: Zinc, 15 mg per serving, from the label
Immune Support: Zinc, 11 mg per serving, from the label

Our Magnesium Glycinate with our Men's Multi

Magnesium Glycinate and Men's Multi 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.

Men's Multi is the one product of ours with both minerals, each as an oxide. Taken with Magnesium Glycinate, the magnesium from the two comes to 325 mg a day, close to the 350 mg limit, so the check above says not to add a third magnesium product.⁴

Side effects, medicines and who should ask first

High intakes of magnesium from supplements and medicines can cause diarrhea, nausea and abdominal cramping.⁴

Too much zinc can cause nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, diarrhea and headaches. Dizziness has also been reported.^2,10,11

Taking 50 mg of zinc a day or more for weeks can block copper absorption and lower copper status, reduce immune function and lower HDL cholesterol.^2,10

Ask your pharmacist how far apart to take them

Quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, and tetracycline antibiotics such as tetracycline, can bind zinc in the gut, so less of both may be absorbed when they are taken close together. NIH advises taking them apart, and the ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and tetracycline labels list zinc among the products that reduce absorption.^{2,10,16,17,18,19}

On the medicine's label

Ask your pharmacist how far apart to take them

Magnesium can bind quinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin in the gut, so less of the antibiotic is absorbed. The ciprofloxacin label lists magnesium and aluminum antacids, multivitamins and other products with minerals such as calcium, iron or zinc among those that lower its absorption.^1,20

On the medicine's label

Ask your pharmacist or doctor first

Long-term use of loop diuretics such as furosemide, and of thiazide diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide, can increase the magnesium lost in urine, while potassium-sparing diuretics such as spironolactone reduce it. The furosemide label says it may lower blood magnesium and that levels should be checked periodically.^1,4,21

On the medicine's label

Two kinds of medicine touch both minerals. Quinolone and tetracycline antibiotics bind each of them in the gut, and diuretics change how much of each the kidneys pass. If you take either kind, ask your pharmacist how to fit a zinc and magnesium product around it.^1,10

Ask your doctor first if you have kidney disease or reduced kidney function, because the kidneys clear excess magnesium¹
Ask first if you take an antibiotic, a diuretic, a bisphosphonate, penicillamine, gabapentin or levothyroxine^4,10
Ask first if you are pregnant or nursing
Ask first before going above 40 mg of zinc a day from all sources²

Questions people ask

Does ZMA help you sleep?

Not in the trials so far. Two small crossover trials in trained men found no change in measured sleep after two nights of ZMA, including nights cut to 4 hours. Neither tested longer use or people who sleep poorly.^3,9

What is the best time to take zinc and magnesium?

No source we read sets a best time for the pair, and NIH's zinc fact sheets give no time-of-day advice. A larger share of magnesium is absorbed from several small amounts than from one big one. In the one sleep trial of magnesium bisglycinate, people took it 30 to 60 minutes before bed.^8,10,22

Can you take zinc with magnesium glycinate?

No source names a problem with the glycinate form in particular. The clash NIH describes is zinc at 142 mg a day lowering magnesium absorption, far above what a zinc supplement normally gives. In a four-week trial, 250 mg of magnesium a day as bisglycinate caused no more side effects than placebo.^1,22

See what we make

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

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.