Are Magnesium and Milk Safe to Take Together?
Diet & NutritionNutrients & Supplements

Can You Take Magnesium With Milk?

Can You Take Magnesium With Milk?
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Updated on October 31, 2025
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Magnesium and calcium work together to keep you healthy. However, they can cause negative health effects when they are too far out of balance.

Because milk contains calcium, people may wonder whether it's safe to take magnesium with it.

About Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral responsible for a variety of processes in the body, including muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. It naturally occurs in many foods and is also available in dietary supplements.

Many people in the United States get less than the recommended amount of magnesium. Although uncommon, magnesium deficiency can lead to symptoms like loss of appetite, nausea, and fatigue. People with certain conditions, including type 2 diabetes, alcohol dependence, and gastrointestinal disease, have a higher risk of a magnesium deficiency.

Magnesium and Milk

Taking magnesium with milk may be safe for most healthy people.

Magnesium and calcium have a complex relationship in the body: When they are out of balance, the function of calcium and the absorption of one or both of the minerals may be disrupted. A high intake of calcium relative to magnesium may increase the risk of several health conditions, including cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

Although milk contains some magnesium, it is also high in calcium. This may raise concerns about whether you should take them together.

However, since many people already get less than the recommended amount of magnesium, taking magnesium together with milk may actually improve your ratio of magnesium to calcium.

Daily Requirements and Food Sources

Many widely available foods are good sources of magnesium. It is also added to some fortified foods, like breakfast cereals.

The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements recommends the following daily magnesium intake for adults:

AgeMenWomen
19–30 years400 mg310 mg
31–50 years420 mg320 mg
51 years and older420 mg320 mg

For people who are pregnant, the recommended magnesium intake is 350 to 360 milligrams (mg) per day.

The following foods are rich in magnesium:

  • Leafy green vegetables like spinach
  • Legumes like peanuts and beans
  • Nuts and seeds like pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and almonds
  • Whole grains like rice and oats
  • Milk

When Should You Consume Magnesium?

Magnesium has a variety of health benefits, including aiding with sleep and improving muscle recovery and performance with exercise.

The best time to take magnesium depends on how you use it. Taking magnesium before exercise may reduce muscle soreness.

 Taking it before bed may help improve your sleep.

Although you can get all the magnesium you need from the food you eat, a magnesium supplement may help if your level is low.

The Takeaway

  • Magnesium is an essential mineral that's necessary for a variety of functions in the body.
  • Taking magnesium with milk may be safe for most healthy people.
  • You can get all the magnesium you need from the food you eat. Foods high in magnesium include leafy vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
  • Although uncommon, a high ratio of calcium to magnesium increases your risk of several health conditions, like cardiovascular disease and cancer.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Magnesium. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. June 2, 2022.
  2. Costello RB et al. Perspective: Characterization of Dietary Supplements Containing Calcium and Magnesium and Their Respective Ratio—Is a Rising Ratio a Cause for Concern? Advances in Nutrition. March 2021.
  3. Milk, whole, 3.25% milkfat, with added vitamin D. U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central. December 16, 2019.
  4. What Can Magnesium Do for Your Body? Cleveland Clinic. March 27, 2025.
  5. Grazia Tarsitano M et al. Effects of magnesium supplementation on muscle soreness in different type of physical activities: a systematic review. Journal of Translational Medicine. July 5, 2024.
  6. Zhang Y. Association of magnesium intake with sleep duration and sleep quality: findings from the CARDIA study. Sleep. November 20, 2021.
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Justin Laube, MD

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Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, and trauma healing.

He graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Wisconsin and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. During medical school, he completed a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices through the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. He completed his three-year residency training in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles on the primary care track and a two-year fellowship in integrative East-West primary care at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine.

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