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Magnesium for Blood Pressure: What the Trials Show and Who Should Check First (UK)

Magnesium for blood pressure is a small effect at best. In pooled trials, around 365mg of magnesium a day lowered blood pressure by about 2 to 3mmHg, a little more in people already on blood pressure tablets.

A doctor checking an older man's blood pressure with a cuff at a clinic desk

Last updated: 11 November 2026

Magnesium for blood pressure is a small effect at best. In pooled trials, around 365mg of magnesium a day lowered blood pressure by about 2 to 3mmHg, a little more in people already on blood pressure tablets. It isn’t a treatment: NICE tells doctors not to offer magnesium to lower blood pressure, so speak to your GP first.

Below: what the trials found, who might notice a difference, magnesium with blood pressure medicines and kidney disease, how much is safe and when to get help. This is general information, not medical advice.

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Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex

Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex isn’t a blood pressure product and doesn’t replace any medicine. It is a berry drink powder with 290mg of magnesium (77% NRV) per 4.75g serving, from magnesium bisglycinate and citrate. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue and to normal muscle function.

Add Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex to bag See ingredients and reviews

Taking blood pressure tablets or have kidney disease? Check with your GP or pharmacist first. Vegan and made in the UK. Free UK delivery over £40.

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Does magnesium lower blood pressure?

Magnesium supplements lower blood pressure slightly in trials. A 2025 review of 38 trials with 2,709 people found systolic pressure fell by about 2.8mmHg and diastolic by about 2mmHg compared with a placebo, after a median of 12 weeks on 365mg a day. In people with normal blood pressure, the change wasn’t significant.

Review Trials and people Magnesium used Average change
Kass 2012, UK 22 trials, 1,173 people 120 to 973mg a day (mean 410mg) for 3 to 24 weeks Systolic 3 to 4mmHg lower, diastolic 2 to 3mmHg lower
Zhang 2016 34 trials, 2,028 people Median 368mg a day for about 3 months Systolic 2.0mmHg lower, diastolic 1.8mmHg lower
Argeros 2025 38 trials, 2,709 people 82 to 637mg a day (median 365mg) for a median of 12 weeks Systolic 2.8mmHg lower, diastolic 2.1mmHg lower

All three reviews say the trials were mostly small and varied a lot in who took part, which form was used and for how long. Zhang’s team found many had high dropout rates. The 2025 review found no clear link between a bigger dose and a bigger drop.

For scale, the NHS says high blood pressure is 140/90mmHg or higher in a clinic, so a 2 to 3mmHg change won’t move most people from high to normal. See normal blood pressure by age for the UK ranges.

Magnesium and high blood pressure: who might it help?

Magnesium seems to make the most difference to people who already have high blood pressure or low magnesium. In the 2025 review, people with high blood pressure who were also on blood pressure tablets saw systolic pressure fall by about 7.7mmHg, and people with low blood magnesium by about 6mmHg. These subgroups were small, so treat the figures with caution.

Low magnesium is more likely if you:

  • take a proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole or lansoprazole long term (the MHRA has warned about low magnesium with these)
  • take a loop or thiazide diuretic, such as furosemide, bendroflumethiazide or indapamide, which make the kidneys pass more magnesium
  • have type 2 diabetes, drink a lot of alcohol or have a gut condition such as Crohn’s disease
  • are older: you tend to eat and absorb less, as our guide to magnesium for older adults explains

If any of these apply, ask your GP whether a magnesium blood test makes sense, rather than guessing. Our page on the signs of magnesium deficiency lists the symptoms.

Is magnesium a treatment for high blood pressure?

No. Magnesium isn’t a treatment for high blood pressure in the UK. NICE’s hypertension guideline (NG136) tells doctors not to offer calcium, magnesium or potassium supplements to reduce blood pressure, and there is no authorised GB health claim linking magnesium to blood pressure. Medicines, and lifestyle changes such as less salt, do far more.

The NHS lifestyle steps for lowering blood pressure are:

  • eat less salt: under 6g a day, about a teaspoonful
  • be active for at least 150 minutes a week
  • keep alcohol to 14 units a week or less, spread over 3 or more days
  • lose weight if you need to, and stop smoking
  • cut down on caffeine

Other supplements are promoted for blood pressure too. Read the evidence on beetroot juice, garlic, L-arginine and CoQ10 before spending money. Thinking about CBD? Read CBD and blood pressure medication first.

Magnesium with blood pressure medication

Most people on blood pressure tablets can take an ordinary magnesium supplement, but check with your GP or pharmacist first. Some diuretics lower magnesium and others raise it, kidney disease changes how magnesium is cleared, and magnesium can stop some other medicines being absorbed if you take them at the same time.

Medicine or condition Examples What to know
Loop and thiazide diuretics Furosemide, bendroflumethiazide, indapamide Can lower magnesium over time. Your GP may check your levels
Potassium-sparing diuretics Spironolactone, amiloride, eplerenone Reduce magnesium loss, so levels could build up. Ask before adding magnesium
Kidney disease Chronic kidney disease, reduced kidney function The kidneys clear extra magnesium. Don’t take a supplement unless your doctor advises it
Other medicines Some antibiotics, bisphosphonates, levothyroxine Magnesium can block absorption. A pharmacist can tell you how many hours to leave between them

Feeling dizzy on standing is common with some blood pressure tablets. If it starts or gets worse after you add any supplement, tell your GP. Our guides to low blood pressure and do beta blockers make you tired? explain more.

Never stop or change a blood pressure medicine to try magnesium instead. Uncontrolled high blood pressure raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. If tiredness is the problem, see does high blood pressure make you tired?

How much magnesium for blood pressure?

There is no recommended magnesium dose for blood pressure, because magnesium isn’t advised as a blood pressure treatment. The trials used a median of about 365mg of elemental magnesium a day. The NHS says adults need 300mg (men) or 270mg (women) a day, and that 400mg or less a day from supplements is unlikely to cause harm.

Fact Amount Source
Daily need, men 300mg NHS
Daily need, women 270mg NHS
From supplements, unlikely to cause harm 400mg a day or less NHS
Upper level from supplements (to avoid loose stools) 250mg a day EFSA
Label reference (NRV) 375mg GB nutrition labelling
Median dose in blood pressure trials 365 to 368mg a day Zhang 2016, Argeros 2025

Always look at the elemental magnesium on the label, not the weight of the compound. The most common side effect of too much is diarrhoea. More in how much magnesium per day and magnesium side effects.

Which magnesium is best for blood pressure?

No form of magnesium has been shown to be best for blood pressure. The trials used many forms, including oxide, citrate, chloride, lactate and aspartate, and the reviews couldn’t pick a winner. Choose a form you tolerate: glycinate is usually gentle on the stomach, while citrate and oxide are more likely to loosen stools.

Magnesium taurate is often sold as the “heart” form, but there are no good human trials of it for blood pressure. See magnesium taurate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide for how each compares.

Magnesium from food

The NHS says most people should get all the magnesium they need from a varied diet. Good sources include spinach and other leafy greens, nuts, seeds, beans, wholemeal bread and brown rice. A diet built around these foods, with plenty of fruit and vegetables and less salt, is also the kind of eating pattern linked to healthier blood pressure.

Our list of foods high in magnesium gives amounts per portion, and magnesium for men covers needs by age.

When to see a GP

See your GP or practice nurse if your home readings are often 135/85mmHg or higher, if you want to try any supplement alongside blood pressure tablets, or if you have kidney disease.

Call NHS 111 if you have a reading of 180/120mmHg or higher that stays high after resting, or headaches, blurred vision or chest pain that comes and goes.

Call 999 for chest pain that spreads to your arm, neck, jaw or back, or signs of a stroke: a face drooping on one side, arm weakness or slurred speech.

Many pharmacies offer free blood pressure checks for adults over 40. See where to get a free blood pressure check.

Where Evopure fits

None of our products lowers blood pressure or replaces a medicine, and we don’t claim they do. If you want a magnesium supplement for its authorised benefits and your GP or pharmacist is happy, the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex is a berry drink powder with 290mg of magnesium per 4.75g serving (from 1,000mg magnesium bisglycinate and 900mg magnesium citrate), plus 500mg glycine, 100mg L-theanine, oat straw, hops, chamomile and passionflower. It contains no melatonin and is vegan and made in the UK.

Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to normal psychological function and to the normal functioning of the nervous system. The herbs are listed as ingredients only.

The Reishi Mushroom Adaptogenic Complex is a reishi hot chocolate with 0.5g reishi, 0.5g maca and 0.3g cinnamon per 8g. It contains a little natural caffeine from the cocoa, and the pack says it isn’t for people taking medication, so skip it if you take blood pressure tablets unless your GP or pharmacist says it’s fine.

Next step

Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex

If your GP or pharmacist is happy for you to add magnesium, the Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex gives 290mg of magnesium per serving as a drink, not another tablet.

Add Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex to bag See ingredients and reviews

Subscribe and save 25% on your first order, then 20%. New to Evopure? Join our emails for 20% off a one-off first order. Free UK delivery over £40. Adults only. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

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Sources 9

  1. NICE. Hypertension in adults: diagnosis and management (NG136), recommendations.
  2. NHS. High blood pressure (hypertension).
  3. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: others (magnesium).
  4. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium fact sheet for health professionals.
  5. Argeros Z et al. Magnesium supplementation and blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Hypertension, 2025.
  6. Zhang X et al. Effects of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure: a meta-analysis of randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials. Hypertension, 2016.
  7. Kass L et al. Effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure: a meta-analysis. Eur J Clin Nutr, 2012.
  8. MHRA. Proton pump inhibitors in long-term use: reports of hypomagnesaemia. Drug Safety Update.
  9. EFSA. Scientific opinion on magnesium-related health claims, 2010.

Written by

Co-founder, Evopure

Martin co-founded Evopure and writes about sleep, stress and recovery. Our articles are general information, not medical advice.

Questions, answered

Only slightly. Reviews of 22 to 38 trials found magnesium supplements lowered blood pressure by about 2 to 3mmHg on average, more in people with high blood pressure or low magnesium. It isn't a treatment, and NICE advises doctors not to offer it to lower blood pressure.

Often yes, but check with your GP or pharmacist first. Some diuretics lower magnesium and others, such as spironolactone, can let it build up. Kidney disease also matters. Never stop or change your tablets to try magnesium instead.

No form has been shown to be best. Trials used oxide, citrate, chloride and other forms. Pick one you tolerate: glycinate is usually gentle on the stomach, while citrate and oxide are more likely to loosen stools.

There is no recommended dose for blood pressure. Trials used a median of about 365mg a day. The NHS says 400mg or less a day from supplements is unlikely to cause harm, and adults need 270mg (women) to 300mg (men) a day in total.

The trials ran for a median of about 12 weeks before measuring the small changes they found. One review found that 200mg a day, or a month of taking it, was enough to raise blood magnesium levels. Keep taking any prescribed medicine throughout.

Not at normal supplement amounts in healthy people. Very large amounts, usually from laxatives or antacids, can cause magnesium toxicity, with low blood pressure, weakness and an irregular heartbeat, especially in people with kidney disease. Get medical help if this happens.

Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function and electrolyte balance. There is no authorised GB claim for heart health or blood pressure. If you have palpitations or a heart condition, speak to your GP before taking any supplement.

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