There are more than 30 vitamins, minerals, and dietary compounds that your body cannot manufacture on its own in adequate amounts. They are considered essential and act in concert to perform hundreds of physiological functions in the body.
Two of those nutrients play critical roles in nervous system function, energy production, and bone health, among others: magnesium and vitamin B12. They're two nutrients that can easily be obtained through food yet are somehow deficient in a large percentage of the population.
So, why do we need them, and can we take them together? That's what this article is all about. We'll dive into the details on magnesium and vitamin B12 and why they're a must in your supplement stack.
The Basics Of Vitamin B12
The B vitamins are a group of eight water-soluble vitamins essential for various body processes ranging from energy metabolism and digestion to heart health and nervous system function. Although they're equally important, vitamin B12 plays some significant roles.
Also referred to as cobalamin, vitamin B12 is concentrated in animal foods, but bacteria produce small quantities in the colon 1.
However, the B12 produced endogenously doesn't offer the same benefit as that from food or supplements, as it just goes towards other members of your gut bacteria. The body can only absorb B12 in the small intestine, not the colon, so consuming B12-rich foods or supplements is necessary.
But regardless of where your B12 comes from, the body requires it for some critical functions:
- Hematopoesis (red blood cell production)
- Healthy nerve function
- DNA synthesis
- Fatty acid synthesis
- Myelin formation
That said, there's a caveat with B12. As we noted, B12 can only be absorbed in the small intestine, but for it to be absorbed, it needs a protein called intrinsic factor (IF).
IF is produced by the stomach's parietal cells and creates an IF-B12 complex that allows B12 to be absorbed into the lining of the intestine 2.
Why You Need Magnesium
The other essential guy we have to talk about is magnesium. Like vitamin D is to the vitamin kingdom, magnesium is to the mineral world. It's necessary for proper physiological function and serves as a cofactor for more than 300 enzymatic reactions, helping to stabilize enzymes 3.
Most of these enzymes are involved in ATP production—ATP is the body's primary energy source and is needed for virtually all biological processes. Because of this, magnesium becomes essential for most processes, some of which include:
- Glucose metabolism
- Fat, protein, and nucleic acid synthesis
- Coenzyme synthesis
- Muscle contraction
- Neurological function
- Neurotransmitter release
- Vascular tone
- Bone formation
- Mitochondrial biogenesis
That said, it's important to note that overdoing it on magnesium isn't necessarily the best idea. Magnesium competes with certain minerals for absorption, namely calcium, as they bind to the same binding sites of plasma protein membranes.
So, naturally, magnesium is considered to be a calcium antagonist. Regardless, meeting the RDI of magnesium is non-negotiable for optimal physiological function.
Benefits Of Combining Magnesium And Vitamin B12
Because the B vitamins and magnesium don't compete for absorption, supplementing vitamin B12 and magnesium doesn't come with any absorption risks. There are several benefits to combining them:
1. Promote normal function of the nervous system
Although magnesium and B12 both offer their mechanisms for nervous system function, they're both essential.
The role of magnesium in neurological health is still emerging, but a lot of research suggests it plays a vital role in nerve transmission and neuromuscular coordination and protects the brain against excessive excitation that can result in excitotoxicity (neuronal cell death) 4.
Magnesium's leading role in neurological function is its interaction with the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. Magnesium blocks the calcium channel in the NMDA receptor and prevents glutamatergic excitatory signaling.
When magnesium levels fall below average, it may potentiate glutamatergic neurotransmission, which creates an environment conducive to excitotoxicity, leading to elevated levels of oxidative stress and neuronal cell death 5.
Abnormal glutamatergic neurotransmission has been linked to several neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression, chronic pain, migraine, epilepsy, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and stroke. But treatment with magnesium can help prevent and treat various debilitating health conditions.
On the other hand, vitamin B12 serves as the comfort food for our nerves. It plays an essential role in maintaining the proper function of the brain and nervous system, and a deficiency has several neurological manifestations, including paraesthesias, skin numbness and tingling, poor coordination, and reduced nerve conduction velocity.
This is because it's required to maintain the sheaths that cover and protect nerves and ensure fast and effective nerve transmission—his sheath is known as myelin.
Additionally, the synthesis of SAM (S‐adenosylmethionine) depends on vitamin B12 and has many important functions in the nervous system, including myelin and neurotransmitter synthesis 6.
Lack of myelin interferes with nerve transmission and can lead to nerve damage, resulting in permanent neurological problems.
2. Contribute to energy production
Whether it's ATP production from magnesium or red blood cell formation from B12, these nutrients are critical for energy levels.
As we said before, magnesium is required as a cofactor for enzymes involved in ATP production. Without sufficient magnesium, the body can't convert the nutrients from food into energy, so one of the notable symptoms of magnesium deficiency is fatigue and muscle weakness.
A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that low magnesium levels interfere with the body's ability to use energy stores, which can severely impair exercise performance and daily function 7.
B12 works along similar lines. All B vitamins are required for glucose metabolism; it helps to convert the food you eat into usable energy.
The other aspect of B12's involvement in energy production is through the production of red blood cells, which are needed to carry oxygen to tissues; it works in conjunction with B9 (folate).
Low B12 levels can impair the activation of folate and lead to decreased production of red blood cells and impaired oxygen delivery 8. When your tissues aren't properly oxygenated, your body can't function optimally, resulting in low energy, poor exercise tolerance, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
3. Supports cardiovascular health
Although B12 and magnesium may not be top of your list for cardiovascular health, they're both essential. Vitamin B12 plays a critical role in converting the amino acid homocysteine to methionine. Homocysteine is produced from the breakdown of protein and, under normal circumstances, is remethylated to a less toxic amino acid, methionine.
However, insufficient levels of B12 or B6—both are involved in this pathway—can interfere with homocysteine metabolism and cause accumulation. Hyperhomocysteinaemia (high homocysteine) predicts cardiovascular disease and stroke 9.
Similarly, magnesium is equally important in maintaining cardiovascular health and reducing CVD risk. Magnesium is involved in regulating vascular tone, atherogenesis (plaque formation in arteries) and thrombosis (blood clot blocks vessel), vascular calcification (hardening of the arteries), and proliferation and migration of endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells 10.
As such, low magnesium levels interfere with optimal cardiovascular function and can affect the pathogenesis of CVD.
Other studies suggest that higher magnesium intake can benefit cardiovascular risk factors by improving glucose and insulin metabolism, improving endothelium-dependent vasodilation, enhancing lipid profile, and acting as a powerful antihypertensive and anti-inflammatory compound 11.
Where To Find Them
It should be apparent that getting enough magnesium and B12 is essential—but where can you get them?
Both nutrients are widely available in food sources, but if you're following a primarily plant-based diet, getting enough B12 can be difficult, as it tends to be concentrated in animal-based foods.
To avoid the hassle of nutrient-tracking, trade your food diary for something much more effective—Performance Lab NutriGenesis Multi.
It's an ultramodern multivitamin designed to keep up with active lifestyles. Providing 17+ essential vitamins and minerals, Multi is tailored to the specific needs of men and women with gender-specific doses for optimal health and hormonal balance.
NutriGenesis vitamins and minerals are complexed with cofactors to boost absorption and enhance bioactivity. That way, you can have peace of mind knowing what you're taking is doing its job.
References
- Rowley CA, Kendall MM. To B12 or not to B12: Five questions on the role of cobalamin in host-microbial interactions. PLoS Pathog. 2019;15(1):e1007479.
- Oh R, Brown DL. Vitamin B12 deficiency. Am Fam Physician. 2003;67(5):979-986.
- Jahnen-Dechent W, Ketteler M. Magnesium basics.Clin Kidney J. 2012;5(Suppl 1):i3-i14.
- Kirkland AE, Sarlo GL, Holton KF. The Role of Magnesium in Neurological Disorders. Nutrients. 2018;10(6):730.
- Castilho RF, Ward MW, Nicholls DG. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and acute glutamate excitotoxicity in cultured cerebellar granule cells. J Neurochem. 1999;72(4):1394-1401.
- Calderón-Ospina CA, Nava-Mesa MO. B Vitamins in the nervous system: Current knowledge of the biochemical modes of action and synergies of thiamine, pyridoxine, and cobalamin. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2020;26(1):5-13.
- Lukaski HC, Nielsen FH. Dietary magnesium depletion affects metabolic responses during submaximal exercise in postmenopausal women. J Nutr. 2002;132(5):930-935.
- Tardy AL, Pouteau E, Marquez D, Yilmaz C, Scholey A. Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence. Nutrients. 2020;12(1):228.
- Strain JJ, Dowey L, Ward M, Pentieva K, McNulty H. B-vitamins, homocysteine metabolism and CVD. Proc Nutr Soc. 2004;63(4):597-603.
- Tangvoraphonkchai K, Davenport A. Magnesium and Cardiovascular Disease. Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2018;25(3):251-260.
- Rosique-Esteban N, Guasch-Ferré M, Hernández-Alonso P, Salas-Salvadó J. Dietary Magnesium and Cardiovascular Disease: A Review with Emphasis in Epidemiological Studies. Nutrients. 2018;10(2):168.
