Magnesium is a mineral that can be found in many foods. The human body cannot create it internally, meaning we have to get it from our diet. Magnesium is needed for many of the body’s internal processes, including the conversion of nutrients to energy. Magnesium is present in green vegetables, wholemeal bread, fish, meat, dairy, brown rice, nuts and more. It is therefore possible to get enough magnesium from your diet alone – however, this does take a lot of care and requires eating the right quantities of the right foods every day. That’s why supplements can also help, and finding the best magnesium supplements can make a big difference to your health and wellbeing.
What is Magnesium?
Magnesium is an essential mineral used for hundreds of bodily processes and functions including energy production, Vitamin D absorption, protein synthesis etc.
This important nutrient is often found within a number of foods, such as nuts, legumes, seeds and green leafy vegetables. However, soil degradation and intensive farming have led to depleted magnesium levels in our food, often cited as the reason why up to 70% of adults in the UK don’t have the recommended levels of this essential mineral.
Consistently depleted levels can lead to a number of health conditions, hence why supplementation is a very popular method to ensure healthy magnesium levels are maintained.
We will talk more about the benefits of magnesium supplements and how best to take magnesium at the end of this post, but first, what are the best magnesium supplements in the UK?
In this buyer’s guide, the experts from Futuro explore the best magnesium supplements to buy online.
Best Magnesium Supplements
Let’s take a look:
Futuro is a relatively new brand in the magnesium space, but the purity of their ingredients and the feedback from customers speaks for itself.
While magnesium citrate is often considered the most bioavailable form of magnesium, this isn’t strictly true – magnesium glycinate is both absorbed more easily by the body, and has been found to offer more significant benefits when it comes to sleep and relaxation.
Futuro’s product offers a whopping 1500mg of magnesium per serving, translating into 300mg of elemental magnesium, the perfect dose for those looking to experience sleep benefits or recover from exercise.
With a 90 day supply, it’s great value too, and the independent testing is completed to the highest standard possible.
If you’re looking for the #1 rated magnesium supplement in the UK when it comes to bioavailability and quality of ingredients, then Futuro’s magnesium glycinate capsules are our best pick.
Evopure’s easy to use magnesium powder supplement contains 148mg of magnesium per 5g dose. Since the FNB (Food & Nutrition Board) recommends an upper limit of 350mg per day, this is the ideal dosage for most people – enough to overcome deficiencies but not enough to cause negative side effects.
The product also combines both magnesium citrate and magnesium l-threonate powder, both highly bioavailable, along with additional minerals and herbal ingredients to create and stimulate a comprehensive feeling of relaxation and sleepiness, even in those not necessarily suffering from a magnesium deficiency.
The company itself is a trustworthy brand, taking the industry on by focusing on radical transparency on ingredients, personalised recommendations to each customer and detailed guidance on how to use supplements as a tool for a healthier lifestyle.
Each magnesium supplement powder is made with high purity ingredients, all made in the UK with each stage verified by independent lab reports.
This is an easy and pleasant way to get your daily magnesium intake, and the combination of highly effective ingredients makes it both effective for most people, taken by dissolving in your glass of water or in a smoothie.
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- NutraVita Magnesium Citrate Capsules
NutraVita’s vegan capsules provide a large hit of 1480mg of magnesium citrate per two-capsule dose, which allows 440mg of elemental magnesium to be absorbed.
While the price may seem high at first glance, it includes 180 capsules – allowing for a 90-day supply at the recommended dose, or a whopping 180 days if you prefer to take a single capsule daily.
We actually recommend this, as 440mg is quite a large dose and 220mg is plenty for most people outside of endurance athletes.
The combination of a vegan capsule shell and zero artificial colours or flavours means you get nothing but magnesium, and at 9p per capsule, this is a great value, high quality capsule that will ensure you get all the magnesium you need.
- Good State Liquid Ionic Magnesium 240ml
Good State’s liquid ionic magnesium supplement is a professional grade product that provides a relatively small 100g of magnesium per 2.5ml dose. This makes it a little more versatile, as most people will be fine with that dose but others may choose to take more than a single dose in one day.
It is also a great option for those who don’t like taking tablets, as it can easily be added to water, juice, protein shakes or tea or coffee.
As a nice bonus, it also contains fulvic acid, which has been found to provide numerous benefits including for the immune system, for inflammation, brain function, and it has been suggested that it may even improve muscular strength. This combination of benefits makes it a great companion to magnesium to help support your training regime.
The only downside is a relatively low dose of magnesium compared to our 1) and 2) picks, and the fact liquid can easily be spilled – but if these issues don’t matter to you, it remains an excellent option.
- Organic Magnesium’s Magnesium Oil Spray
Organic Magnesium have won their spot on this list mostly through sustainable practices and environmental credentials. With a recyclable and reusable glass bottle, zero industrial processes, the magnesium used is sourced in it’s natural, unchanged state with zero pollution or additives.
Their magnesium oil spray is intended for external use and can easily be applied whenever and wherever it is needed.
Since magnesium is absorbed easily through the skin, this is just as viable a way to supplement your magnesium intake as ingesting it.
- Magasorb Magnesium Citrate Powder by Nature’s Best
MagAsorb magnesium citrate is an excellent way to get highly bioavailable magnesium directly via a drink, protein shake or juice. While one scoop gives you a huge dose of 375mg magnesium citrate, the amount absorbed is within safe limits and enters the bloodstream quickly. Even better, you are free to use fractions of a scoop, controlling the dose to suit your own requirements.Similar to our 3) pick, this is ideal for anybody who wants to avoid choking down tablets or capsules.
The powder contains sucralose, a sweetener that is gentle on the stomach – and genuinely tastes quite pleasant, which may help with remembering to take it regularly.
- 100mg Magnesium Tablets by Simply Supplements
These simple and effective tablets are registered with the vegan society. While most other products on our list are on the cutting edge, providing high doses of highly absorbable magnesium in creative and easy to ingest ways, this one wins it’s spot by sheer simplicity.
Providing 167mg of magnesium oxide to deliver 100mg of elemental magnesium, the dose may be low compared to a lot of competitors, but it’s still high enough to keep your magnesium stores healthy.
While it may not be as powerful as the NutraVita capsules in our number 2 spot, for example, it provides a massive 360 tablets for the same price or lower – covering you for an entire year for no more than 3p per tablet.
What are the Benefits of Magnesium Supplements?
Magnesium supports muscle and nerve function and energy production. Ensuring you get enough magnesium daily will help keep blood pressure normal, strengthen the bones, maintain a steady heart rhythm, reduce stress, promote healthy sleep and more.
It has also been suggested that adults with less than the recommended amount of magnesium are more likely to have elevated inflammation markers.
Inflammation has been found to contribute to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure and more, suggesting that regular magnesium intake can help to prevent these conditions. Injected magnesium is used to treat asthma and eclampsia.
Low magnesium levels are also thought to be a risk factor for osteoporosis.
What are the Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency?
Symptoms that you might be low on magnesium or experiencing a deficiency include:
- Loss of appetite
- Sleepiness
- Abnormal heart rhythms
- Hyperexcitability
- Muscle spasms
- Pins and needles
- Shaking
- Fatigue
- Vomiting and nausea
In the short term, magnesium deficiency can come and go without causing any serious health problems. However, in the long term, it can cause or contribute to:
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Osteoporosis
- Migraines and headaches
Does Magnesium Have Side Effects?
Since magnesium is a nutrient required by the body and a natural substance used for many functions by the human body, a safe amount of magnesium cannot cause any side effects.
What if I Take Too Much?
Doses of up to 350mg of magnesium per day are highly unlikely to cause any issues.
Doses of over 350mg can sometimes cause stomach upset, nausea and laxative effects, however in many cases the amount needed for this can be significantly higher.
The National Academy of Medicine recommends not taking more than 350mg of magnesium per day – when this is adhered to, magnesium intake is extremely safe.
The condition caused by too much magnesium in the body is known as hypermagnesemia.
This is very rare, even when the above dose is exceeded, since the kidneys are very effective at removing excess magnesium.
Hypermagnesemia is most commonly seen in people who both take magnesium supplements and suffer from poor kidney function. Most other people are unlikely to ever be at risk of magnesium overdose.
What is the Most Effective Form of Magnesium Supplement?
Magnesium citrate is the most easily absorbed form of magnesium. It is also one of the least expensive. As a result it is the most common type of magnesium used in supplements. Magnesium citrate contains citric acid which is a mild laxative.
As a result, magnesium citrate is recommended for those suffering with constipation along with those looking to more generally supplement with magnesium – but should be avoided by those with loose bowel movements.
The least easily absorbed form of magnesium is magnesium oxide, which is generally best avoided for supplement use.
