Iron and Magnesium Supplementation: A Comprehensive Guide

QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT | Viking Beast Media earns a commission if you purchase through a link. My opinions and research are honest, I love (testing) supplements, and commissions fund doing what I love. May you have an amazing day!

Our bodies are fascinating things. We see a couple of arms, legs, etc. from our perspective, but on the inside, a lot of things are going on.

All kinds of biochemical reactions are happening constantly to allow us to keep living our best lives.

Two very important minerals that are used nearly everywhere are Iron and Magnesium.

The question arises, do we need to supplement these minerals to be as healthy as possible?

This article is written based on my own experience and the currently known research around both supplements.

In this article, I’m going to give you everything you need to know about Iron and Magnesium.

In the practical information, I’ll discuss what the compound is, how it works, if it’s safe (who should avoid it), the (possible) benefits, and (possible) side effects.

Practical information about Iron

What is Iron?

Iron is an essential mineral that our bodies need for growth and development.

Our bodies can’t produce it themselves, but it’s found in all kinds of different foods. Besides this, Iron is available as a dietary supplement.

How does Iron work?

Iron is used to make hemoglobin, which is a type of protein that can be found in red blood cells.

Hemoglobin is crucially important because it’s used to transport oxygen from the lungs to all other parts of the body.

Without enough iron, there wouldn’t be enough red blood cells to transport oxygen, and this would lead to fatigue.

Iron is also important for myoglobin, which can be found in our muscles. Besides this, it’s also used during the production of certain types of hormones.

Is Iron safe and who should avoid it?

Iron is generally recognized as safe up to around 40-45 mg daily (depending on age and sex).

Higher dosages should only be taken after consulting your medical advisor.

Adult men need around 8 mg of Iron daily, while women need 18 mg ( 27mg during pregnancy) between the age of 19-50 and 8 mg after age 50.

People that work out a lot may need more Iron, because of the Iron lost through sweat.

What are the benefits of Iron?

Mainly people with iron deficiency will benefit from supplementing Iron.

Iron can help with:

• More hemoglobin in the blood.
• More energy
• Boosting athletic performance (athletes have higher iron needs)
• Less bruising
• Cognitive function
• Healthy pregnancies (higher iron needs)
• Sleep Quality
• Healthy immune system
• Overall health

What are the side effects of Iron?

The possible side effects of Iron from taking (very) high dosages are:

• An upset stomach/ abdominal pain
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Nausea

Practical information about Magnesium

What is Magnesium?

Magnesium is a mineral that plays a function in over 300 biochemical reactions and is crucial for the proper functioning of your body.

It can be widely found in food and as a dietary supplement.

How does Magnesium work?

Magnesium supports your muscles and nerve function, plays a role in regulating sleep, supports the immune system, keeps your heart rhythm at a steady pace, makes your bones strong, supports normal blood pressure, etc.

Is Magnesium safe and who should avoid it?

Magnesium is generally considered safe for healthy adults in dosages of up to 350 mg daily. Higher dosages are possibly unsafe but this isn’t certain.

People that should avoid, or consult with a doctor before supplementing magnesium, are people with:

• Internal disease
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Kidney disease
• Certain antibiotics/ medication

What are the benefits of Magnesium?

Magnesium can help with:

• All kinds of biochemical reactions like creating energy from food, creating proteins, helping muscles to contract and relax, creating and repairing DNA and RNA, etc.
• Improving performance while exercising
• Improving sleep quality
• Keeping blood sugar levels healthy
• Anxiety and feelings of depression
• A healthy heart
• Bone health
• Inflammation

Results will be most noticeable for people that have very low levels of magnesium, to begin with.

What are the side effects of Magnesium?

The possible side effects of Magnesium in (very) high dosages are:

• Nausea
• Stomach upset/ abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea

Is it safe to take Iron and Magnesium together?

Yes, if you follow the recommended dosages then taking Iron and Magnesium together is safe.

Iron is considered safe for healthy adults in dosages up to around 40-45 mg daily (depending on age and sex).

Dosages higher than this should only be taken if recommended by a medical advisor.

Magnesium is considered safe for healthy adults in dosages up to 350 mg daily, but higher dosages are POSSIBLY safe as well.

What dosage of Iron and Magnesium should you take?

Iron

The ideal dosage of iron is different depending on sex and age. I’ll be discussing healthy adults only in this article.

For men the recommended daily dosage of iron is 8 mg.

Women need a higher dosage of iron of about 18 mg daily, but this increases during pregnancy to 27 mg daily.

Athletes or people that work out often tend to need more iron as well because they lose iron while sweating.

A high-quality Iron supplement, that is easily digestible, is the Ferrous Fumarate from Bulk Supplements. The recommended dosage is 18 mg daily.

Magnesium

The ideal dosage of Magnesium is for most people between 200-400 mg daily.

Most magnesium supplements have very low bioavailability, which means our body won’t be able to use them properly.

One exception is the MicroMag from Nootropics Depot, which is an optimized magnesium supplement, that’s very high-quality and lab-tested. It has very high bioavailability and an increased absorption rate.

Who should avoid taking Iron and Magnesium?

The people that fit into the following categories should certainly avoid taking Iron and Magnesium together:

• People with Internal disease/ heart disease/ kidney disease
• People with diabetes
• People that take certain antibiotics/ medication (consult with your doctor first)

Possible benefits of taking Iron and Magnesium together?

By taking Iron and Magnesium together, you could get the following benefits:

• Improvement in all kinds of biochemical reactions like creating energy from food, creating proteins, helping muscles to contract and relax, creating and repairing DNA and RNA, etc.
• Improvements in exercise performance
• Better sleep quality
• Healthy blood sugar levels
• Less anxiety and feelings of depression
• Improved heart/ bone health
• Reduced Inflammation/ less bruising
• More hemoglobin in the blood.
• More energy
• Better cognitive function
• Healthy pregnancies (higher iron needs)
• Healthy immune system

Possible side effects of taking Iron and Magnesium together?

Based on current knowledge about Iron and Magnesium, the following side effects might occur:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Stomach upset/ abdominal cramping
• Diarrhea

When is the best time to take Iron and Magnesium?

You can take Iron and Magnesium at any time of the day.

By taking them with or right after a meal you reduce the possibility of experiencing stomach upset.

Do I recommend taking Iron and Magnesium together?

These Minerals are both extremely important for our bodies to function well.

I get my blood work done regularly because I simply enjoy learning about what happens in my body.

I’ve had an iron deficiency once in my life, and it does negatively impact everything you do tremendously.

I’m currently not taking an Iron supplement, but this could change depending on what happens inside my body.

I do supplement Magnesium daily because I like the sleep quality, and workout-related benefits a lot.

If you’re interested in the benefits and don’t fall into a category that should avoid these supplements, then I can recommend giving Magnesium a try on itself, or with Iron if it’ll benefit you.

I take the Magnesium from Nootropics Depot because it’s high-quality and lab-tested. I take one capsule of 200 mg MicroMag daily together with food. You can check out the MicroMag by clicking here.

I can recommend Ferrous Fumarate from Bulk Supplements if you believe it’ll be beneficial for you. This is an easily digestible form of Iron.