Ghost Fitness/Magnesium/Can you take ZMA with magnesium glycinate?
Can you take ZMA with magnesium glycinate?
The short answer
Not sensibly: ZMA's classic formula already carries 450mg of magnesium, so adding a 300mg glycinate makes 750mg, over the 400mg supplemental guidance, and ZMA's 30mg zinc already exceeds the 25mg zinc level. Sum across both tubs, then keep one.
- ZMA's classic formula30mg zinc, 450mg magnesium as aspartate, 10.5mg vitamin B6 per full dose
- The magnesium sum450mg plus 300mg is 750mg, over the 400mg supplemental guidance level
- The zinc sumZMA's 30mg already exceeds the 25mg guidance on its own
- The one-tub answerthe glycinate at 300mg plus a separate 10 to 15mg zinc if the audit says so
Our brand: the worked example on this page
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
- 22p a day
- 180 capsules, 2 capsules daily
- Lab tested
- Made in the UK
The one tub that covers the useful part: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate on Amazon UK, bisglycinate, 300mg elemental at 80% NRV, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p. Full label breakdown. The ZMA-versus-glycinate comparison is on the ZMA-versus page; the ZMA dose audit on the ZMA dosage page.
The double-counting problem, because ZMA is already a magnesium supplement and the sums say so
Taking ZMA with magnesium glycinate is a double-counting problem before it is a compatibility one, because ZMA is already a magnesium supplement, and the sums across the two tubs are the whole answer. ZMA's classic formula, the one the original trial used and most products copy, delivers per full dose 30mg of zinc, 450mg of magnesium as magnesium aspartate, stated as elemental magnesium on the labels that follow the formula, and 10.5mg of vitamin B6, so a lifter taking ZMA is already taking a full magnesium dose, above the 375mg nutrient reference value, and one that sits at or above the UK expert group's supplemental guidance level of about 400mg a day on its own. Add a magnesium glycinate at 300mg elemental and the magnesium sum is 750mg a day from supplements, nearly double the guidance level, a dose that does nothing more for status than 300mg does and that arrives with the laxative effect of the surplus, aspartate and bisglycinate both contributing, the osmotic ceiling the section names on every dose page. The zinc sum is worse in a different way: ZMA's 30mg already exceeds the UK guidance level of 25mg supplemental zinc a day, before any multivitamin, zinc lozenge or fortified food is counted, so the ZMA tub alone has passed a level that sustained intake should not, and the glycinate adds nothing to it while the problem remains. There is no interaction between the two tubs, aspartate and bisglycinate being two salts of the same mineral, and no reason to take both, the question being answered by arithmetic rather than by chemistry.
The one-tub answer, why the glycinate is the one to keep, and the pair filed
The one-tub answer is the one the ZMA pages reach from every direction: keep the magnesium glycinate and drop the ZMA, because the glycinate delivers the useful part of ZMA, a reference-value magnesium dose, in the better-tolerated salt, and the parts it does not deliver are the parts ZMA gets wrong. The zinc: ZMA's 30mg is over the guidance level, and a lifter whose diet audit finds zinc short takes a separate 10 to 15mg tablet at dinner, under the 25mg level summed across tubs, with zinc's lawful claims, testosterone maintenance, immune function, fertility, attached to adequacy and not to the size of the dose. The B6: 10.5mg sits at the UK guidance level of 10mg for long-term supplemental B6, lawful, at the edge, and a large dose of a vitamin most training diets supply, unnecessary, and a reader who wants B6 has it in any multivitamin at a fraction. The evidence: ZMA's own trial was industry-linked and its one independent replication found no effect on strength, body composition or hormones, the ZMA-worth page's verdict, so the formula's premium buys a magnesium salt that is not the best tolerated, a zinc dose over the level, a B6 nobody needed and a trial that did not replicate. The pair filed: do not take ZMA with magnesium glycinate, the magnesium sum landing at 750mg over the guidance and the zinc already over its own, and do not need to, the glycinate at 300mg elemental covering the useful part, a separate small zinc covering the rest by audit, and the worked example being the one tub, bisglycinate, 300mg elemental at 80% NRV, two capsules with the evening meal, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p, with a 10 to 15mg zinc beside it only if the audit says so.
| The item | ZMA alone | ZMA plus a 300mg glycinate |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium | 450mg, at or above the 400mg guidance level | 750mg, nearly double it |
| Zinc | 30mg, over the 25mg guidance level | 30mg, still over |
| Vitamin B6 | 10.5mg, lawful and unnecessary | The same |
| The interaction | None between the salts | None: the problem is arithmetic |
| The evidence | One industry-linked trial; the independent replication null | Unchanged |
| The one-tub answerOurs | Drop the ZMA | Glycinate at 300mg; a separate 10 to 15mg zinc by audit |
The verdict, sum the tubs and keep one
Can you take ZMA with magnesium glycinate: not sensibly, because ZMA's classic formula already carries 450mg of magnesium at or above the 400mg supplemental guidance level and a 300mg glycinate takes the sum to 750mg, while ZMA's 30mg zinc already exceeds the 25mg zinc level on its own, no interaction existing between the two salts and no reason to take both, the one-tub answer being the glycinate for the useful part and a separate small zinc by audit for the rest. The one tub: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate, bisglycinate, 300mg elemental at 80% NRV, two capsules with the evening meal, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p a day.
What to check on the label
- Read ZMA as a magnesium supplement: 450mg already.
- Sum the magnesium: 750mg is nearly double the guidance.
- Sum the zinc: 30mg is over the level before you add anything.
- Keep the glycinate: the useful part in the better salt.
- Add zinc separately by audit: 10 to 15mg, under 25mg across tubs.
Our brand
The worked example: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the worked example for magnesium reviews because its label states every number a review needs: 1500mg magnesium bisglycinate at 20%, 300mg elemental, 80% NRV, 2 capsules a day, 180 capsules for £19.99, 22p a day, UK made, vegan HPMC shell, batch tested for lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium, and only the register's own magnesium claims printed.
- 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
Is ZMA already a magnesium supplement?
Yes: the classic formula delivers 450mg of magnesium as aspartate per full dose, above the 375mg nutrient reference value and at or above the UK supplemental guidance level of about 400mg, before any other magnesium is added.
What happens if I take ZMA and magnesium glycinate together?
The magnesium sums to 750mg a day from supplements, nearly double the guidance level, with the laxative effect of the surplus and no gain in status over 300mg, while ZMA's 30mg zinc stays over its own 25mg level.
Is there a chemical interaction between ZMA and magnesium glycinate?
No: aspartate and bisglycinate are two salts of the same mineral, so the problem is arithmetic rather than chemistry, and there is simply no reason to take both.
Which should I keep, ZMA or magnesium glycinate?
The glycinate: it delivers ZMA's useful part, a reference-value magnesium dose, in the better-tolerated salt, and the parts it lacks, a zinc dose over the level and a B6 nobody needed, are the parts ZMA gets wrong.
How do I get zinc if I drop ZMA?
A separate 10 to 15mg zinc tablet at dinner where a diet audit finds intake short, under the 25mg guidance level summed across every tub, carrying zinc's lawful maintenance claims at adequacy.
Sources
- 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
- Brilla LR, Conte V. Effects of a novel zinc-magnesium formulation on hormones and strength. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online 2000;3(4):26-36.
- The GB claims register, zinc entries: zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood, to normal fertility and reproduction, to normal immune function and to the maintenance of normal skin, hair and nails, among others, at 15% NRV or more. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register