About
What it is and where it shows up.
Magnesium is an essential dietary mineral and cofactor for more than 300 enzymatic reactions involved in energy metabolism, protein synthesis, neuromuscular function, and cardiovascular regulation. It is added to foods, beverages, and dietary supplements in the form of various dissociable salts to fortify nutritional content, prevent deficiency, or serve as a processing aid.
Safety summary
The regulatory and scientific consensus.
Magnesium naturally present in food carries no established toxicity risk and no Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) has been set for dietary sources. High supplemental doses from readily dissociable salts (above approximately 360 mg/day) can cause osmotic diarrhea, nausea, and gastrointestinal discomfort; the EU UL for supplemental magnesium is 250 mg/day. Individuals with impaired kidney function face elevated risk of hypermagnesemia and should seek medical advice before supplementing.
Regulatory landscape
What food-safety regulators have decided.
| Jurisdiction | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union) | Approved | EFSA set Adequate Intakes (AI) of 350 mg/day for adult men and 300 mg/day for adult women (2015). A Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) of 250 mg/day applies to supplemental magnesium from readily dissociable salts (chloride, sulphate, aspartate, lactate) and MgO added to food supplements, water, or fortified foods; this UL does not cover magnesium naturally present in foods and beverages. Safe levels of intake also established for children ≥9 years of age.source |
| FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India) | Approved | Magnesium is a permitted mineral in health supplements and nutraceuticals under the FSS (Health Supplements, Nutraceuticals, Foods for Special Dietary Uses, Foods for Special Medical Purposes, Functional Foods and Novel Foods) Regulations, 2016 (amended 2021). Specific novel forms such as Magnesium Glycinate (72/Std/PA/FSSAI/2020) and Magnesium Threonate (17/Std/PA/FSSAI/2019) have received individual product approvals under FSS (NSF & FI) Regulations 2017. Purity criteria follow Indian Pharmacopoeia, USP, BP, or JECFA specifications.source |
| FDA (Food and Drug Administration) (United States) | Approved | Multiple magnesium salts affirmed GRAS under 21 CFR Part 184 (e.g., magnesium chloride under 21 CFR 184.1426). Adult RDA is 310–420 mg/day from all sources. The 350 mg/day UL (IOM 1997) applies to supplemental intake only; no UL is set for magnesium naturally present in foods. 21 CFR Part 182 and 184 cover various GRAS magnesium compounds.source |
Who should approach with care
Whose guidance would steer them away.
Kidney Disease — Impaired renal function reduces magnesium excretion capacity, creating significant risk of hypermagnesemia from supplemental or heavily fortified magnesium sources; medical supervision is required before supplementation.
Infants — EFSA and FSSAI both restrict novel supplemental magnesium forms (e.g., Mg l-threonate) from products intended for infants and young children; magnesium intake in this group should come only from age-appropriate, specifically formulated products.
Ibs — High supplemental doses of readily dissociable magnesium salts above approximately 360 mg/day act as osmotic laxatives and can precipitate diarrhea, bloating, and cramping, potentially worsening symptoms in individuals with IBS.
Ibd — The osmotic laxative effect of high-dose supplemental magnesium salts may aggravate diarrhea and electrolyte imbalance in individuals with active inflammatory bowel disease.
Research citations
The sources behind this verdict.
- 1EFSA. Safety of magnesium l-threonate as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 and bioavailability of magnesium from this source in the context of Directive 2002/46/EC, 2024. efsa.europa.eu
- 2PubMed. Magnesium: a scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023, 2023. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 3PubMed. Perspective: Call for Re-evaluation of the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for Magnesium Supplementation in Adults, 2023. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 4FSSAI. List of products/ingredients approved under FSS (Approval for Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients) Regulations, 2017, 2022. fssai.gov.in
- 5FDA. Agency Response Letter GRAS Notice No. GRN 000618 (Purified Seawater / Magnesium Chloride), 2016. fda.gov
- 6WHO. WHO Technical Report Series No. 995: Evaluation of Certain Food Additives — JECFA 79th Meeting Proceedings, 2016.
Independently researched7 citations