Ghost FitnessGhost Fitness/Magnesium/Can I take ZMA and magnesium glycinate together?
Can I take ZMA and magnesium glycinate together?
No, do not take ZMA and magnesium glycinate together: the magnesium doubles to 750mg, over the 400mg UK supplement ceiling, and ZMA's 30mg zinc already exceeds its own. Pick one. The glycinate plus a separate 10 to 15mg zinc wins.
- About 750mgthe combined supplemental magnesium: far over the ceiling
- 400mgthe UK supplement guidance level the stack breaks
- 30mgZMA's zinc, already over its own 25mg level before adding anything
- 1the number of magnesium products a day should contain
The one to keep: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate on Amazon UK, 300mg elemental per 2 capsules, £19.99 for 180. Label breakdown. The head-to-head that settles which to keep is ZMA vs glycinate; the doses page zinc and magnesium before bed.
The arithmetic that answers the question
Stack the two labels and the numbers refuse. ZMA's standard serving carries 450mg of magnesium as aspartate, oxide in some UK copies; the glycinate serving carries 300mg elemental; together that is around 750mg of supplemental magnesium a night, nearly double the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals' 400mg guidance level, and squarely in the territory where osmotic diarrhoea becomes likely, which would be an ironic outcome for a bedtime stack. The zinc column is broken before the stack begins: ZMA's 30mg already exceeds the 25mg level that protects copper status on long-term use. Two products, three exceeded or crowded ceilings, no mechanism gained: the together question is one of the few on this site with a flat no.
The variant question: what should you not take together with magnesium
The general rule hiding in this page is worth stating once: never run two magnesium products concurrently without doing the elemental addition, because the ceiling counts everything supplemental, ZMA, glycinate, citrate toppers, magnesium-containing pre-workouts, greens powders, antacids and laxatives included, and the last two are the classic accidental stack, since milk of magnesia and many indigestion remedies are magnesium salts in medicinal quantities. Beyond the mineral itself, the do-not-combine list is the site's standing one: interacting medicines get spaced by a pharmacist, tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics, bisphosphonates, levothyroxine, gabapentin; prescribed iron goes at a different hour; and kidney impairment removes supplements from the table entirely without a clinician. Vitamins, creatine, protein and food calcium remain unbothered companions.
| Line | ZMA alone | Glycinate alone | Both together |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplemental magnesium | 450mg (aspartate or oxide) | 300mg elemental (chelate) | About 750mg: far over the 400mg level |
| Zinc | 30mg: over the 25mg level | 0mg | Still 30mg: still over |
| Bowel outlook | Form-dependent | Quiet at 300mg | Osmotic territory |
| Ritual burden | Empty stomach, bedtime, no dairy | With dinner | Both rituals, contradicting each other |
| Evidence gained by combining | n/a | n/a | None: no trial, no mechanism |
| Verdict | The null formula | The honest serving | Do not combine; pick one |
Which one to keep, and the clean version of the goal
The stacking impulse usually means wanting the glycinate's magnesium quality and ZMA's zinc, and that want has a clean solution that respects every ceiling: keep the glycinate, retire the ZMA, and add the zinc separately at an honest dose. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate, 2 capsules with the evening meal, 300mg elemental at 80% NRV from bisglycinate at 20%, vegan, UK made under GMP and BRC, panels shown, £19.99 for 180 capsules, 22p a night, plus a plain 10mg to 15mg zinc with the same dinner when the diet runs short: total supplemental magnesium 300mg, zinc under 25mg, no empty-stomach ceremony, about 25p. Can I take ZMA and magnesium glycinate together: no, and the good news is that nothing about your goal required it.
What to check on the label
- No: the magnesium sums to about 750mg, nearly double the 400mg ceiling.
- ZMA's zinc is over its level before you add anything: 30mg versus 25mg.
- One magnesium product a day: count antacids, laxatives and pre-workouts too.
- The clean version: glycinate plus separate 10mg to 15mg zinc, every ceiling respected.
- Medicines spaced, iron separated, kidneys ask first: the standing list.
The worked example: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the one to keep: 300mg elemental per 2 capsules (80% NRV) from bisglycinate 20%, with dinner beside an optional honest zinc, 22p a night from a £19.99 bottle of 180. Vegan, UK made, panels shown.
- Elemental magnesium per serving
- 300mg (80% NRV)
- Form
- magnesium bisglycinate 20%
- Serving
- 2 capsules a day
- Bottle
- 180 capsules, 90 days
- Price
- £19.99 (22p a day)
- Capsule
- vegetarian shell, vegan product
Questions people also ask
Can you take magnesium glycinate and ZMA together?
No: their magnesium sums to about 750mg supplemental, far over the UK's 400mg guidance level, with ZMA's 30mg zinc already over its own. Pick one.
What happens if I take too much magnesium from two products?
Osmotic diarrhoea is the common result; in kidney impairment, genuine toxicity becomes possible. The 400mg level exists precisely for stacking accidents.
What should you not take together with magnesium?
A second magnesium product, including antacids and laxatives, without summing the elemental totals; and the medicine list, spaced by a pharmacist: certain antibiotics, bisphosphonates, levothyroxine, gabapentin.
Can I alternate ZMA one night and glycinate the next?
You can without breaking ceilings, but it keeps a null formula in rotation. Finishing the ZMA tub and settling on the glycinate is the cleaner end state.
How do I get ZMA's zinc without ZMA?
A plain zinc supplement at 10mg to 15mg with dinner: under the 25mg guidance level, no empty-stomach ritual, and pennies a day.
Sources
- Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate listing, Amazon UK, label and price checked 31 August 2026. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BT7Z5VQW
- Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals. Safe Upper Levels for Vitamins and Minerals. Food Standards Agency, 2003 (magnesium guidance level 400mg a day from supplements). https://cot.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/vitmin2003.pdf
- Wilborn CD, et al. Effects of zinc magnesium aspartate (ZMA) supplementation on training adaptations and markers of anabolism and catabolism. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2004;1(2):12-20. PubMed record
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to zinc, including maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood. EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1819. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1819
- Gröber U, Schmidt J, Kisters K. Magnesium in prevention and therapy. Nutrients 2015;7(9):8199-8226. PubMed record
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium. EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1807. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1807