One of us has a ten-year-old who trains football several times a week and comes home with aching legs. Magnesium is what she reaches for. One of us also takes magnesium bisglycinate for her own sleep, and wrote the paragraph further down saying the evidence there is thin. Both are true at once, and we would rather show you that than pick whichever one sells better.
The short answer
- EFSA sets adequate intakes by age: 230 mg from 3 to 10, 250 to 300 mg from 10 to 18, and 300 to 350 mg for adults.
- The figure used on labels, the NRV, is 375 mg. That is higher than any of those recommendations, which is why the percentage on a label always looks modest.
- Form matters more with magnesium than with most nutrients, particularly for the gut.
- Our product covers roughly half a day's adequate intake. That is deliberate.
- If you want a full magnesium dose, a standalone product makes more sense than ours.
How much is recommended
For magnesium, EFSA does not set a required minimum in the way it does for some nutrients. It sets adequate intakes, based on what healthy populations across the EU actually consume. That is the 2015 opinion.
| Age | Adequate intake (EFSA) |
|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 170 mg |
| 3 to 10 | 230 mg |
| 10 to 18 | 300 mg (boys) · 250 mg (girls) |
| Adults | 350 mg (men) · 300 mg (women) |
Note that this is the first time in this series the figures genuinely change with age. With vitamin D the number is identical from age one onwards. With magnesium it is not, because the requirement tracks body mass.
Why the label percentage misleads
The reference value used in EU labelling is 375 mg, from Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. It is a single figure for every age, fixed in law, and it is higher than the adequate intake for any age group.
So a product supplying 100 mg of magnesium, a real and useful amount for a child, appears on the label as 26.7%. Sitting next to a vitamin at 500%, it looks trivial. It is not. It is being measured against a different ruler.
Rule of thumb: with magnesium, read the milligrams and ignore the percentage. How to do that on any pack is here.
The forms, and why they matter here
Magnesium never appears alone in a supplement. It is always bound to something else, and that something else varies a great deal.
Magnesium oxide is the cheapest and most common. It carries a lot of magnesium by weight, which looks good on a label, and it is well known for loosening the bowels.
Magnesium citrate is often chosen when the gut is the point, and it also has a recognised laxative effect at higher doses.
Magnesium bisglycinate is magnesium bound to the amino acid glycine. It is the most expensive of the three, it is well tolerated, and it is what we use. That is a formulation descriptor, not a claim that it outperforms the others.
This is not a marketing distinction. If you have ever taken magnesium and spent the following morning regretting it, the form is the most likely explanation.
What magnesium actually does in the body
Magnesium is not a single-purpose mineral, which is why it turns up in so many different conversations at once. Reviews of its physiology describe it as involved in several hundred enzymatic reactions. de Baaij and colleagues, 2015 is the review people usually mean.
Three threads run through it, in the authorised wording on the EU Register:
Magnesium contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
It contributes to the normal function of the nervous system and contributes to normal muscle function.
It contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.
On sleep and calm. These are the associations magnesium carries most often in conversation, and they are the ones where the research is weakest. The trials that exist tend to be small, short, and run in older adults who started with low magnesium status, and the results do not point the same way. Know that before choosing a product on that basis, from us or from anyone. There is no authorised sleep claim.
Where it is in food
Pulses, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, and dark green leafy vegetables. Magnesium sits at the centre of the chlorophyll molecule, which is why green leaves contain it.
A diet with pulses and nuts in it regularly gets close to the adequate intake with no supplement at all. Which is worth a thought before buying anything.
Our next release is on its way.
Our first small release is complete, and we're getting the next one ready. Join early access and you'll get 10% off your first order. We'll email your code as soon as ordering opens.
Where My Daily Pocket fits
Pocket Kids contains 100 mg of magnesium per daily dose. Teens 150 mg, Adults 200 mg.
| Formula | Magnesium in one scoop | Against EFSA adequate intake | Who it is not for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket Kids (4–11) | 100 mg | About 43% of 230 mg at 3 to 10 | Anyone wanting a full standalone dose. Sleep. |
| Pocket Teens (12–17) | 150 mg | A slice of 250 to 300 mg | A full evening magnesium product. |
| Pocket Adults (18+) | 200 mg | A little over half of 300 to 350 mg | A clinic protocol. Pregnancy as prenatal care. |
Against the adequate intake, that is about 43% of the day for a child aged 3 to 10, and a little over half for an adult. It does not cover the day.
That is deliberate rather than modest. Magnesium is bulky: a full 300 mg dose as bisglycinate takes up considerable room, and a daily powder the whole household drinks has a practical limit on size and on taste. We chose an amount that complements food rather than trying to replace it.
If what you want is a full magnesium dose, a standalone magnesium product makes more sense than ours, and we say that knowing exactly what it means.
The SCF ceiling of 250 mg applies to supplemental magnesium of the readily dissolving kind, not to magnesium in food. High supplemental doses are a gut story more than a long-term toxicity story. Stacking a second magnesium on top of a multinutrient is the pattern to add up. That page is here.
We still have no iron and no omega-3. A scoop is not a meal.
FAQ
How much magnesium does a child of eight need?
EFSA's adequate intake at 3 to 10 is 230 mg a day. Pocket Kids has 100 mg. Food still does the rest.
Why does the label say 26.7%?
Because the adult NRV is 375 mg, which is higher than anyone's adequate intake. Read the milligrams.
Will magnesium help my child sleep?
There is no authorised sleep claim. The trials are small, mixed, and often in older adults. We will not print one.
Why bisglycinate?
It is the form we use, and it is well tolerated. That is a formulation choice, not a ranking of every salt on the shelf.
Should I add a second magnesium tablet?
Add the milligrams first. The supplemental ceiling is 250 mg of the dissolving kind. A pouch plus a tablet is a sum.
Sources
- EFSA, dietary reference values for magnesium, 2015
- EU Register of nutrition and health claims
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII
- de Baaij JH et al. Magnesium in man. Physiol Rev, 2015
- EFSA UL summary
- How to read a supplement label
- How much is too much?
About the authors
Lina is a co-founder of My Daily Pocket and is certified in nutrition. Stanislava is a co-founder. They write the Knowledge Hub together.
Last reviewed: 14 October 2026.
Food supplements should not replace a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. No supplement is a substitute for a varied, balanced diet. Stay within the dose on the pack. This page does not replace a GP. If you are pregnant, on medicines, or a child has a medical condition, speak to a professional.
Our first small release is complete and ordering is paused. Join early access for 10% off the first order from the next release. We will email the code when ordering opens.
