Magnesium Citrate vs. Magnesium Glycinate
Among 6,062 on-market magnesium products with an identifiable primary form, 25.3% use Magnesium Citrate (1,533 products) and 9.5% use Magnesium Glycinate (573).
| Magnesium Citrate | Magnesium Glycinate | |
|---|---|---|
| Quality tier | Tier 1 | Unrated |
| Magnesium by weight | 16.2% | 14.1% |
| Share of market | 25.3% | 9.5% |
| On-market products | 1,533 | 573 |
| Median declared dose | 75 elemental mg middle half: 24–150 | 100 elemental mg middle half: 28.2–185 |
| Most common brands | Pure Encapsulations, Ultima, Douglas Laboratories | Metagenics, Metabolic Maintenance, KAL |
Doses are declared per serving in elemental mg. “By weight” is the share of the ingredient that is the nutrient itself (e.g. elemental magnesium in a magnesium salt).
Why Magnesium Citrate is tier 1
Far more soluble than oxide across physiological pH, with a higher urinary Mg rise after a 25 mmol oral load (Lindberg 1990); produced the greatest serum and salivary Mg response of the three forms tested in a 60-day human RCT (Walker 2003).
Source: Lindberg 1990, PMID 2407766; Walker AF et al. 2003, Magnesium Research 16(3):183-191, PMID 14596323
Why Magnesium Glycinate is unrated
Marketed as a gentler, well-absorbed chelate; no glycinate-specific human bioavailability trial is cited (Walker 2003 tested a generic amino-acid chelate, not glycinate, and did not assess clinical symptoms), so no tier is assigned.
Source: none located for glycinate specifically; see Walker AF et al. 2003, Magnes Res 16(3):183-191, PMID 14596323 (generic amino-acid chelate)
Other magnesium comparisons
- Magnesium Oxide vs. Magnesium Citrate
- Magnesium Oxide vs. Magnesium Glycinate
- Magnesium Oxide vs. Magnesium Aspartate
- Magnesium Oxide vs. Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate
- Magnesium Citrate vs. Magnesium Aspartate
- Magnesium Citrate vs. Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate
- Magnesium Glycinate vs. Magnesium Aspartate
- Magnesium Glycinate vs. Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate
- Magnesium Aspartate vs. Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate