Magnesium is a cofactor in hundreds of enzyme reactions, including energy production, muscle and nerve function, and blood sugar regulation.
Check your value
Reference range used: 1.8–2.5 mg/dL. Runs in your browser — nothing is stored.
mg/dL
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Wellness information, not medical advice. Reference ranges vary between laboratories and depend on age, sex and context. This page cannot diagnose anything — always read your result with the range printed on your own report, and discuss concerns with a doctor.
There is one thing you should know before reading your result: less than 1% of your body's magnesium is in your blood. The rest sits in bone and inside cells. Serum magnesium is tightly defended, so a normal result does not rule out depletion — a well-recognised limitation of this test.
Why it matters
Because the blood test is insensitive, magnesium status is often better judged from intake and symptoms than from serum alone. A result at the low end of normal is worth paying attention to rather than dismissing.
What influences your magnesium
Dietary intake — leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes and whole grains are the main sources, and intake is below recommendations for a large share of the population.
Proton pump inhibitors, which with long-term use are a documented cause of magnesium depletion.
Diuretics, alcohol and poorly controlled blood sugar, all of which increase urinary losses.
Gastrointestinal conditions that reduce absorption.
What to do with the result
Treat a low-normal result as a prompt to look at intake rather than as proof that everything is fine.
Food first: a handful of nuts or seeds and a daily serving of leafy greens moves intake meaningfully.
If you take a PPI or diuretic long term, magnesium is worth discussing with your doctor.
Common questions
What is a normal magnesium level?
Typical laboratory ranges are about 1.6–2.6 mg/dL (0.7–1.1 mmol/L). Values in the lower part of that range are common and often reflect intake at the low end.
Can I be deficient with a normal blood test?
Yes — this is the key limitation. Serum magnesium is kept stable at the expense of bone and cellular stores, so it can stay normal while total body magnesium falls.
My result is in mmol/L — how do I convert?
Multiply mmol/L by 2.43 to get mg/dL. So 0.8 mmol/L is about 1.9 mg/dL.
Which supplement form is best absorbed?
Citrate, glycinate and malate are generally better absorbed than oxide, which is poorly absorbed and more likely to cause loose stools.
See this marker in context
A single value tells you little on its own. PhisBio Lab reads your whole blood panel and shows how five body systems — including Metabolism — are doing together.