How to Absorb More Magnesium When You Have Small Intestine Issues: What You Need to Know

Absorbing Magnesium When Your Small Intestine Is Not Working Well

Magnesium takes part in more than 300 reactions in your body, from making energy to moving muscle.

But if you have inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, short bowel syndrome or anything else that damages the small intestine, getting enough is genuinely hard.

A damaged gut absorbs less of everything, and magnesium is high on the list. Here is how to get more of it in anyway.

Why It Is Hard

Most magnesium is absorbed in the jejunum and ileum, the middle and last parts of the small intestine. When those are inflamed, damaged or surgically shortened, several things go wrong at once:

• There is less surface to absorb through
• Inflammation gets in the way of the transport that moves it across
• A changed pH makes the mineral less soluble
• Food moves through faster, so there is less time to absorb anything
• You also absorb less of the nutrients that help magnesium get in

Knowing which of those applies to you is what makes the rest of this useful.

Which Form to Buy

Form matters more than dose here.

The Ones That Absorb Well

• Magnesium glycinate. Bound to glycine. Gentle on your gut and absorbed well even when your gut is not. It is much less likely to have the laxative effect that causes trouble in IBD and IBS.
• Magnesium malate. Bound to malic acid. Absorbs well, and may help with energy.
• Magnesium taurate. Bound to taurine. Good absorption, and it supports your heart.

The Ones to Be Careful With

• Magnesium oxide. Cheap and everywhere, but as little as 4% of it gets in, and it upsets a lot of stomachs.
• Magnesium citrate. Better absorbed than oxide, but strongly laxative, which is the last thing you need with diarrhoea.
• Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt). Not for swallowing if your gut is already struggling. It moves things through fast.

Routes That Skip Your Gut

If absorption is badly compromised, go round it.

Through Your Skin

• Magnesium oil. Concentrated magnesium chloride you spray on. Start with 5 to 10 sprays a day, on thin skin like the inner arms or behind the knees.
• Magnesium lotion. More comfortable than the oil, which stings or itches for some people.
• Magnesium baths. One or two cups of magnesium flakes or Epsom salts in a warm bath, absorbed over a wide area.

It is not as efficient as a healthy gut. But research suggests it does raise your levels meaningfully, and that matters most for the people whose gut cannot do the job.

Liposomal Magnesium

Liposomal versions wrap the magnesium in tiny fat bubbles:

• The bubble protects it on the way through your digestive tract
• It may get more of it into your cells
• Sensitive guts usually handle it better

By Drip or Injection

For severe malabsorption or a serious deficiency, a doctor may use:

• IV magnesium, to refill quickly
• Injected magnesium, usually only in hospital

Both need medical supervision, and both are for severe cases.

When and How Much

Timing

• Between meals. For some people this absorbs better, because it is not competing with other minerals in the same meal.
• Before bed. It helps you sleep, and night is when your body does its repairs.
• During remission. If your condition comes and goes, like Crohn's, you will absorb more in the quiet periods. Use them.

Dose

• Start low. 50 to 100 mg, and build up as you tolerate it.
• Split it. Several small doses through the day beat one big one, by a lot.
• Pulse it. Some people do better on 5 or 6 days on and 1 or 2 days off, which stops the body adapting and absorbing less.

What Helps It Get In

Vitamin D

These two need each other:

• Vitamin D controls how much magnesium your intestine absorbs
• Magnesium is required to activate vitamin D in the first place
• Taking both usually beats taking either

Get your vitamin D checked. It is commonly low with gut problems, and being low makes your magnesium problem worse.

Vitamin B6

B6 helps magnesium get into your cells. In a study of people who were severely deficient, magnesium plus B6 worked better than magnesium alone.

Prebiotic Fibre

If your gut can take some fibre:

• Prebiotics feed the bacteria that improve your gut environment
• Those bacteria make short-chain fatty acids, which help mineral absorption
• Start small and build, because this one backfires if you rush it

What Gets in the Way

Things to Cut Back

• Phytates. In unsoaked nuts, seeds and grains. They bind minerals. Soaking or sprouting first reduces them.
• Too much calcium. High-dose calcium supplements compete with magnesium. Take them at least 2 hours apart.
• Phosphoric acid. In fizzy drinks and some packaged food. It binds magnesium and takes it with it.
• Oxalates. In spinach and rhubarb. Cooking cuts their effect.

Things That Help

• Enough protein. Protein helps you absorb minerals. How much depends on your condition.
• Bone broth. Usually tolerated even by sensitive guts, and the minerals in it are easy to absorb.
• MCT fats. They need almost no digesting, and they help with fat-soluble nutrients.

Foods That Usually Go Down Well

Tolerance varies enormously, but these are the magnesium-rich foods that most damaged guts cope with:

• Well-cooked, peeled courgette. Magnesium with almost no fibre.
• Ripe bananas. Decent magnesium, and usually fine even during a flare.
• Avocado. High in magnesium, and the fat is often easier than fibre.
• White fish. Magnesium without the parts of other proteins that tend to irritate.
• Slow-cooked meat on the bone. Long cooking pulls minerals out of the bone into a form you can use.

Add anything new slowly, and write down what happens.

By Condition

Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis

• Use a gentle form like glycinate
• Switch to skin application during a flare
• Expect to need more on steroids, which make you lose magnesium in your urine

Celiac Disease

• Strict gluten avoidance first, so your gut can heal
• Right after diagnosis you may need higher doses to refill your stores
• Check vitamin D too, since being low there worsens this

Short Bowel Syndrome

• Expect to need a more aggressive approach
• IV magnesium may be necessary
• Work with a specialist, not a general practice

SIBO

• Treat the SIBO first. It blocks absorption of everything.
• Glycinate or malate tend to be tolerated best
• A liquid on an empty stomach is worth trying

Checking Whether It Is Working

Tests

• Serum magnesium. The standard test, but it mostly reflects what you ate recently, not what is in your tissues.
• RBC magnesium. Red blood cell magnesium is a much better read on your actual stores.
• Magnesium loading test. The most thorough, and rarely available outside research.
• Your symptoms. Cramps, sleep and energy tell you a lot, faster than a lab will.

Signs It Is Improving

• Fewer cramps and twitches
• Better sleep
• Stress bothering you less
• Steadier energy
• Fewer headaches, if you were getting them

Working With Your Doctors

• Tell your gastroenterologist what you are taking, so nothing clashes with your treatment
• Ask for a dietitian who works with gut disorders
• Be honest about every supplement, not just the ones you think matter
• Ask for magnesium to be part of your regular bloods

The Short Version

Getting your magnesium up with a damaged gut takes more than a bottle of tablets.

Pick a gentle form, split the dose, use your skin when your gut is inflamed, and remove what is blocking absorption. Together those work where a bigger dose does not.

It takes time, and some trial and error. Work with people who know your condition, change one thing at a time, and track it.

Done steadily, it works, and magnesium touches enough of your body that you will notice.

Extra Tip: Timing Around Medication

If you take medication for your gut, when you take your magnesium matters. Some drugs bind to magnesium, which costs you both the drug and the mineral.

The general rule is to leave at least 2 hours between them. The specifics differ by drug, so build one schedule with your pharmacist that covers everything you take.

How This Article Was Made

Built from peer-reviewed research on magnesium absorption, intestinal physiology and how nutrients behave in a damaged gut. Sources included:

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH
• The American Gastroenterological Association: American Gastroenterological Association
• The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation: Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
• The Celiac Disease Foundation: Celiac Disease Foundation

We read the clinical studies on nutrient absorption across different gut disorders, and the research on delivering nutrients when absorption is impaired.