Is It Safe to Take Iron and Magnesium Together?
Whether taking iron with magnesium is safe will depend on whether we mean safe in general and, conversely, safe for your particular situation. If we mean safe in the latter sense, it will depend on factors such as which form of iron and magnesium supplements you are taking and your general health.
For example, evidence shows that ingesting iron supplements and magnesium peroxide leads to the formation of extra ‘oxygen free radicals’, a class of molecules that promote oxidative damage to the body [1]. So, it appears that combinations of iron and magnesium can be harmful, in the extreme, when magnesium peroxide is also present.
However, separate studies have demonstrated that magnesium won’t compete with oral iron absorption. One is a small-scale study examining the combination of ferrous gluconate (a form of iron) and magnesium-L-aspartate hydrochloride. When administered together by mouth, this formula did not prevent iron absorption [2].
In fact, in another study, supratherapeutic doses of iron (i.e., more significant than the recommended therapeutic dose) did not reduce iron absorption in humans after magnesium hydroxide [3].
Risks of Taking Iron and Magnesium Together
...