Guide
Magnesium glycinate and vitamin C
Magnesium glycinate and vitamin C can be taken together. The most detailed review of what actually changes magnesium absorption doesn't list vitamin C among the enhancing or inhibiting factors — those are other minerals, certain fibers, and specific compounds like phytate and oxalate.
Yes, you can take magnesium glycinate and vitamin C together. The most detailed review of what actually changes how much magnesium your body absorbs doesn't name vitamin C as a factor at all — not as something that helps, and not as something that gets in the way.
What the absorption research actually lists
A 2017 review of intestinal absorption and bioavailability factors for magnesium lays out, specifically, what's been shown to change how much magnesium is absorbed: high doses of other minerals, certain fibers (both fermentable and non-fermentable), phytate and oxalate impair uptake, while dietary protein, medium-chain triglycerides, and resistant or low-digestibility carbohydrates enhance it. Vitamin C doesn't appear on either list. That's a reasonably thorough review of the mechanism — magnesium is absorbed through a paracellular passive route and an active transport pathway involving TRPM6/7 channel proteins — and vitamin C's chemistry doesn't interact with either route the way, say, phytate binds minerals in the gut.
Where vitamin C's real mineral interaction lies
Vitamin C's best-documented effect on mineral absorption is with iron, specifically non-heme iron from plant foods, where ascorbic acid measurably improves uptake. That's a different mineral with a different absorption mechanism than magnesium, and it's the interaction vitamin C is actually known for — not one with magnesium.
Why they're often sold together anyway
Magnesium and vitamin C both carry their own EU-authorised nutrient-function claims for reducing tiredness and fatigue and for supporting normal energy-yielding metabolism (magnesium: Regulation (EU) 432/2012, EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1807 and 2009;7(9):1216; vitamin C: EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1815, IDs 139/2622 for tiredness and fatigue and 2334/3196 for energy-yielding metabolism). That overlap in authorised nutrient roles, more than any documented interaction, is the likely reason the two show up together in general-wellness formulas.
Our product
Electric Tiger Magnesium Glycinate is a single-ingredient product: 275 mg of elemental magnesium from 2,500 mg of magnesium glycinate per three-capsule serving, no added vitamin C. If you take both, you're combining two separate products — there's no dosing adjustment needed for either based on the other.
Questions people ask
Can you take vitamin C with magnesium glycinate?
Yes. No absorption interaction between the two is documented in the magnesium bioavailability literature we reviewed.
Can I take magnesium glycinate with vitamin C?
Yes, at ordinary supplement doses of either. They're commonly combined in multivitamins without a reported problem.
Does vitamin C help magnesium absorption the way it helps iron?
No documented effect like that exists for magnesium. Vitamin C's absorption-boosting role is specific to non-heme iron; the 2017 review of magnesium absorption factors doesn't list vitamin C as an enhancer.
Related reading
- Magnesium glycinate and zinc
- Magnesium glycinate and B6
- Magnesium glycinate, vitamin D and K2
- How much magnesium glycinate should you take a day?
Sources
- Schuchardt JP, Hahn A. "Intestinal Absorption and Factors Influencing Bioavailability of Magnesium – An Update." Curr Nutr Food Sci. 2017;13(4):260-278. PMID 29123461.
- EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1807 and 2009;7(9):1216 (magnesium claims); EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1815 (vitamin C, IDs 139, 2622, 2334, 3196), Regulation (EU) 432/2012.
- Electric Tiger Magnesium Glycinate Supplement Facts: product page.
Sources
- Intestinal Absorption and Factors Influencing Bioavailability of Magnesium-An Update A 2017 review of magnesium absorption research concluded the type of magnesium salt matters less than is often claimed — the evidence for one form being reliably better absorbed than another is inconsistent.
*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.
