Taking Magnesium And Vitamin B12 Together May Help Provide An Energy Boost

Everyone's had one of those days when they feel like they've been sleepwalking from morning until night. But when you're constantly feeling tired, you might want to talk with your doctor about taking magnesium and vitamin B12 to address any underlying deficiencies.

Low energy is one of the hallmark warning signs of a magnesium deficiency, as well as a symptom of low levels of vitamin B12. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), magnesium deficiency happens infrequently, whereas vitamin B12 deficiency is more commonplace. Combining magnesium and B12 could address either or both conditions.

For example, if you're not getting enough magnesium, your body might not be able to efficiently retrieve the energy stores in your body. By replenishing your magnesium supplies, you could feel more energized, as noted in a 2017 review in Nutrients. Based on evidence from other studies, magnesium might enhance exercise performance by helping metabolize sources of energy.

In a 2014 study in PLOS One, rats that were given magnesium sulfate a half-hour before exercising were able to access greater levels of glucose than those that didn't receive magnesium sulfate. Consequently, they had more energy (glucose) available to them.

This doesn't mean that you'll get an automatic energy boost from magnesium if your magnesium is already adequate. If you have plenty of magnesium, supplementing may only address your fatigue in a roundabout way. For instance, magnesium can help you sleep better, which can make you feel more awake. But you can't expect a huge difference. As Mayo Clinic expert Dr. Denise M. Millstine explains, "If you're healthy and already getting enough magnesium through food, adding a supplement might not move the needle much."

Like magnesium, vitamin B12 supplementation improves energy more for those who are deficient than for those who aren't. However, that doesn't mean you can't benefit from adding a vitamin B12 pill to your everyday routine. Like magnesium, any energy enhancements you may experience as a result may be indirect.

A 2020 review in Cureus concluded that people without healthy levels of vitamin B12 were at higher risk of developing depression. Since feeling exhausted is a symptom of depression, replenishing vitamin B12 with supplements might address the depression and encourage motivation, although this connection hasn't been proven in scientific experiments.

Low levels of vitamin B12 are also associated with anemia, a condition that occurs when you have inadequately performing red blood cells. Anemia frequently leads to lack of energy and stamina. And if anemia stems from a vitamin B12 deficiency, a doctor will likely treat it by prescribing vitamin B12. Will taking magnesium and vitamin B12 together supply you with the energy you've been missing? Perhaps, especially if you're deficient.

Regardless, as long as you don't take more than the upper limit of 350 milligrams of magnesium, supplementing with magnesium and vitamin B12 shouldn't be a problem. (There is no tolerable upper limit for vitamin B12 due to its low toxicity level.) The two substances don't interact in unwanted ways in healthy people. Additionally, they can be absorbed simultaneously without issues.