Another successfully upgraded formula in our portfolio - Magnesium, Zinc + B6. It is a specially designed combination of the often deficient minerals magnesium and zinc, plus vitamin B6 for better absorption. Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions about taking this supplement.
Do you recommend taking this product fasting or after meals?
For most people, it will be most beneficial to take this product in the evening before bedtime and ideally at a distance from meals, i.e. fasting, about 2 hours after a meal. For more sensitive individuals, who know that zinc-containing products do not do them any good fasting, it may be preferable to take this dietary supplement after a meal, or within the first hour after a meal. Since these are fully chelated forms of minerals with high bioavailability, you don't have to worry about the magnesium and zinc contained not being absorbed at all. In general, however, unless you have difficulty taking magnesium and zinc fasting, without dietary specification of the meal (knowing the representation of dietary inhibitors such as phytate, calcium, phosphate, etc.), it will be more beneficial to take this product approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours after a meal.
Is it better to take the whole dose at once or spread out over the course of the day?
Take the daily recommended dose of 2 cps. at one time. Even at a slightly higher dosage, i.e. 3 cps. per day, when you take 240 mg of elemental magnesium, 4.5 mg of elemental zinc and 1.8 mg of the active form of vitamin B6, there is no need to split the dose. Only at higher doses, for example for athletes or at so-called therapeutic doses of 4-5 cps. or more, can you consider splitting the doses into several daily doses. In such cases, always consult a qualified professional who can help you place the higher dosage in the context of your dietary profile, health and lifestyle.
What time of day is best to take your Mg+Zn+B6?
For most people, it will be most beneficial to take this product in the evening, so called fasting, about 90 minutes to 2 hours after the last meal. The magnesium contained is in the form of magnesium bisglycinate, one of the most bioavailable forms of magnesium, which has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and thus has a relaxing effect on the nervous system. The cortisol-buffering and relaxing effects, combined with the biological action of zinc (important e.g. for the immune and hormonal systems), can of course also be used at other times of the day, e.g. after a hard morning training or work phase. In these cases, you can take your daily dose about an hour after your afternoon meal, but more factors come into play and everyone may react differently to this timing. We recommend that you factor in kidney load as well. That is, if you take your evening dose of capsules with a larger volume of water and just before you go to bed, there is a good chance that your sleep will be disturbed by having to go to the toilet. For this reason, we recommend that you take your evening dose well in advance of going to bed, if possible, and with a smaller volume of liquid (just a few sips are enough to swallow the capsules comfortably). You do not need to take the capsules with a glass of water, as has been recommended in the past. As long as you are not dehydrated during the day and your drinking regime is fine, there is no reason to overdrink in the evening, even in the context of evening supplementation.
How do you recommend dosing this product if I am regularly exercising at a performance level?
For professional athletes or athletes training at a performance level, the daily recommended doses (or RDA) for magnesium and zinc intake may not be sufficient. It is important to remember that performance-training athletes fall into the same group in terms of requirements for increased nutrient intake as, for example, people with non-specific intestinal inflammation. Hard training increases the demands on the intake of a range of nutrients, creating an increased demand in the body for magnesium, zinc and vitamin B6. It is not easy to meet this increased demand from a normal diet, and therefore we recommend a higher dosage as a precautionary measure for performance level athletes (3 cps. per day as a base, and it is not uncommon to need a higher dosage - in such cases we recommend taking into account the individual needs of each person).
How do you recommend dosing this product if I regularly play sports at a recreational level?
Recreational athletes are a similarly susceptible group to magnesium and zinc intake as professional and performance-training athletes. They generally have much better training conditions (especially better programmed training and adequate recovery facilities), and they are adapted to regular training for a long time, so their body is not stressed by training as much as the body of a suddenly overloaded "hobbyist". For recreational athletes, it is always worthwhile to address supplementation in a similarly rigorous manner as in the case of elite athletes, taking into account dietary habits, training regularity, volume, intensity and performance level achieved. It is not uncommon for a recreational athlete to overload himself or herself (even repeatedly several times a week) and put more stress on his or her body than a professionally trained athlete. His or her requirements for micronutrient intake, including magnesium and zinc, increase proportionally with the degree of stress damage. This, combined with a normal work schedule (as opposed to a professionally trained athlete), means even higher demands on magnesium and zinc intake than a professional athlete with managed eating habits and basic supplementation. For these reasons, we recommend even recreational athletes to stick to the full daily dose (2 cps.) on training days off and to increase this dose to 4 cps. after sports (on training days in the evening before going to bed).
How do you recommend dosing this product if I have a sedentary job and don't have much time for sports, but I am under constant work stress?
For people with sedentary jobs, there is no need to increase magnesium and zinc intake beyond the recommended 2 capsules per day, as long as they have a sufficiently varied and balanced diet. However, if you have a demanding, high-stress work schedule, with frequent skipping of meals or substituting fasfood and fast food for main courses, we recommend increasing the basic Mg+Zn+B6 dosage to 3 capsules per day in the evening before bed. Even then, this may still be too little, as the RDA for magnesium intake is around 380 mg/day for adults and the RDA for zinc intake is around 11 mg. Three capsules of our product contain 240 mg of elemental magnesium and 4.5 mg of zinc. However, even this may not be enough under high stress loads and unbalanced diets. In these cases, dietary habits and other external factors need to be taken into account, which may increase the magnesium and zinc intake requirements beyond the normal reference doses.
Is Mg+Zn+B6 a suitable dietary supplement to promote better quality sleep? Can I expect better quality sleep when taking your product?
There are many correlations between mineral intake and their benefits for healthy sleep. One of these important minerals is magnesium, which is very important for healthy sleep. It is magnesium in the form of bisglycinate that is often used to promote better quality sleep, as glycine (with which magnesium is chelated in this form) has a calming effect on the nervous system along with magnesium. Especially for people with chronically low magnesium intake, the effect of supplementing with this dietary supplement can be significant. However, it should be borne in mind that the effect of better sleep in people with chronically low magnesium levels may only occur after regular use! It may take several months for the depleted body to reach optimal physiological magnesium saturation, in which case an increase in dosage beyond the recommended label dosage may be considered. We recommend our Mg+Zn+B6 product in the basic dosage primarily as a prevention of magnesium and zinc deficiency. Because magnesium plays a vital role in the overall health of our bodies and proper nervous system function, ensuring optimal levels is an important part of managing healthy sleep hygiene. However, for individuals who already have difficulty sleeping, a basic dosage may be insufficient and higher dosages may need to be considered, for which other magnesium-free products may be better suited.
How big are the capsules?
These are size "0" capsules, which measure 21.2 mm x 7.3 mm.
Does the amount of magnesium in the capsule refer to the gross weight of magnesium bisglycinate or is it pure elemental magnesium?
We always state the content of pure, i.e. elemental magnesium. Don't be fooled by manufacturers who quote a much higher magnesium content per capsule. Magnesium bisglycinate contains about 11% elemental magnesium and if it is pure bisglycinate, it is not possible to get more than the aforementioned 11% of the total content into the capsule.