Bioavailable Form of Supplemental Magnesium with an Optimal Dose
Buffered, chelated magnesium glycinate that’s easy to take
Magnesium deficiency is crazy common in America; most people don’t realize that they aren’t getting enough magnesium through their diets. Occasional muscle cramps (charley horse, anyone?) and headaches can tip people off, but because magnesium plays a role in so many biochemical processes, magnesium deficiency can be difficult to recognize.1
Even if you listen to Mom and eat your greens on par with Popeye (magnesium occurs naturally in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and swiss chard as well as avocados and a variety of nuts and seeds), it’s likely that you aren’t getting enough magnesium. This is because most produce today is grown in mineral-depleted soil.2 Plants can only absorb magnesium; they don’t actually produce it. Mineral-depleted soil means magnesium-deficient greens.3
Magnesium can be a tricky mineral to absorb depending upon what it binds to. When magnesium is absorbed from the soil by vegetables, it binds to amino acids in the plant. The amino acids help our body absorb the magnesium efficiently when we eat foods rich in this mineral. Magnesium Glycinate is a form of magnesium that is “chelated” or attached to the amino acid glycine. Magnesium glycinate has been shown to have superior bioavailability in the gut, meaning you absorb the majority of what you consume. Because what’s the point of taking magnesium if your body isn’t able to absorb and use it?
That being said, glycine is a large compound and limits the amount of magnesium you can put in a capsule. Buffered Magnesium Glycinate includes 82% magnesium glycinate and 18% magnesium oxide to increase the dosage of magnesium per capsule. Additionally, incorporating magnesium oxide with magnesium glycinate increases the bioavailability of magnesium oxide by optimizing pH in the gut.4,5 This form of magnesium eliminates the “inconvenient” laxative effect that is so typical with other magnesium supplements.6