What Is the Difference Between Magnesium Oxide and Glycinate?

Magnesium is the seventh most abundant element on the planet and is found all throughout nature in many different forms. We use magnesium in everything from fire starters and fireworks to coatings on steel structures, and down at the microscopic level, it's present in many different foods we eat and all throughout our bodies. It's an essential element and is a critical nutrient for over 300 enzymatic processes throughout the body, including for the regulation of muscle function, nerve function, blood sugar levels, blood pressure levels, and the synthesis of protein, bone, and even DNA.

Needless to say, it's incredibly important that you get enough magnesium in your diet. But are there benefits to magnesium beyond these basic uses? And do the different forms of magnesium, like magnesium oxide, magnesium glycinate, and magnesium taurate, have different effects on the body? Let's discuss.

How Much Magnesium Do You Need Each Day?

Magnesium is a nutrient you need throughout your life, and if anything, the amount you need as you age grows over time. The recommended daily intake starts at 30 mg per day for infants and goes up to 420 mg per day for adults over 31 years of age. As with most essential nutrients, requirements increase in women who are pregnant.

So, where can you get this amount of magnesium?

Magnesium is naturally present in many foods, primarily whole grains and leafy greens. Fortified breakfast cereals and cereal grains include magnesium, but some forms of processing food actually remove magnesium content. Additionally, magnesium can even be found in drinking water, though the amount varies heavily by water source.

• One ounce of pumpkin seeds contains 156 mg of magnesium.
• One ounce of chia seeds contains 111 mg of magnesium.
• One ounce of almonds contains 80 mg of magnesium.
• Half a cup of spinach contains 78 mg of magnesium.
• Two tablespoons of peanut butter contains 49 mg of magnesium.
• One banana contains 32 mg of magnesium.
• One apple contains 9 mg of magnesium.

Due to processing removing magnesium from many foods, and the imbalanced diet many people in America and around the world eat, it's estimated that as much as half of all Americans are chronically, sub-clinically deficient in magnesium.

I have a whole video on magnesium deficiency, which you can view here:

What Are the Benefits of Taking a Magnesium Supplement?

What happens when you ensure that you're getting enough magnesium or even supplementing additional magnesium? This is where things get interesting.

Numerous studies performed on various forms and doses of magnesium have shown a lot of promising results. But, there are several caveats.

• It's unclear how much of the impact of magnesium comes from addressing deficiency, as opposed to benefits of increasing intake.
• Many magnesium studies have been very small and have not been replicated.
• Many magnesium studies show correlations but not necessarily causations.

Let's look at a few studies in closer detail.

In 2010, an observational study of over 14,000 people showed that higher magnesium intakes were associated with almost a 40% reduction in sudden heart death after adjusting for confounding variables. A similar study from 2013 with over 300,000 people showed an association with a 30% lower risk of heart disease.

Another study involving 240,000+ people showed an association between higher magnesium intake and lower risks of stroke. More and more of these studies exist, showing similar correlations between magnesium intake and risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and more.

The primary problem with these studies, despite having massive cohorts, is that correlation does not equal causation. These are all observational studies taking data from other studies and seeking correlations; they are not direct, randomly controlled human trials, which are the gold standard necessary to prove a causative effect.

The Roadblocks to Diagnosing Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium needs to be maintained at healthy levels in the body. A magnesium deficiency needs to be addressed. There's just one problem: how do you diagnose a magnesium deficiency? You can't simply look for symptoms because of the way the body handles magnesium. If dietary magnesium intake is lacking, the body will retain as much magnesium as it can, limiting excretion as much as possible.

Symptomatic magnesium deficiency is very uncommon. Moreover, the symptoms are quite generic, including loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, and eventually numbness and tingling, muscle cramps, and even seizures, personality changes, or arrhythmias.

The most common way to analyze magnesium levels in the body is with a blood serum test to see how much magnesium is in the blood. Unfortunately, this method also isn't very good. Your body naturally tightly controls the amount of magnesium in the blood, and the majority of the magnesium in the body is stored in the bones or soft tissues.

Unfortunately, there's no single gold standard test for magnesium levels. There are 24-hour urine collection magnesium tolerance tests that can be used, and more invasive tests exist (but aren't generally recommended outside of extreme circumstances.) Some promising research into developing an effective questionnaire has been ongoing, as well.

The other roadblock, and the biggest reason we don't have better data, is that there is simply no money to be made in magnesium, so the funding for large-scale, randomized controlled trials is nonexistent. Some small studies have been performed, but they often end up contradictory. For example, one study of 198 people showed benefits of magnesium for diabetes; another did not.

Where does this leave us?

It's undeniable that adequate levels of magnesium intake are required for good health. Many correlations indicate that it's a universally good idea to ensure adequate intake from dietary and supplement sources. Any therapeutic benefit beyond adequate intake requires further study. However, since it's very likely that over half of the population is at least slightly deficient in magnesium intake, adjusting your diet and/or taking a small supplement may be advisable. As always, however, it's important to consider your own circumstances and determine whether or not you need magnesium supplementation.

What Are the Different Forms of Magnesium?

One thing we haven't yet addressed is that magnesium comes in many forms. What are those forms, and do they have different impacts on the body?

Let's go through each one:

Magnesium Oxide

Magnesium oxide is a magnesium salt combining magnesium and oxygen. It used to be commonly found as a supplement and used to treat digestive issues such as heartburn, indigestion, and constipation, as well as treating migraine episodes, though more research is necessary to show any benefit for migraines.

The biggest issue with magnesium oxide is that studies have reported that it's poorly absorbed. While it's still available, it's less commonly used now because of this reporting, though again, more study is necessary to fully determine the truth of the matter.

Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium Glycinate is a combination of magnesium and the amino acid glycine. It's readily absorbed by the body and has fewer digestive impacts than many other forms of magnesium. Some small studies have indicated that magnesium glycinate may be helpful for sleep, inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, migraines, and more. It is, again, unclear whether this is due to treating an underlying disorder, an actual therapeutic benefit, or a correlation that doesn't have a causative relation.

Magnesium Taurate

Similar to magnesium glycinate, magnesium taurate is magnesium mixed with another amino acid, in this case, taurine. Taurine is a very beneficial and promising nutrient, and there's a wealth of evidence suggesting the potential for taurine supplementation to improve overall health. I have a video covering taurine, the shortcomings of these studies, and my recommendations, which you can watch here.

As far as magnesium taurate is concerned, there's some research suggesting that magnesium taurate might help with blood sugar regulation and blood pressure regulation. Again, it's unclear if this is due to treating a deficiency or a benefit beyond that, and more study is required before conclusions can be drawn.

Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium citrate is magnesium bound with citric acid. It's readily available and commonly recommended because it has a moderately strong laxative effect; as such, it's frequently used as a treatment for constipation. However, due to that same laxative effect, it can lead to side effects, including digestive upset, diarrhea, dehydration, and more.

One small study showed that magnesium citrate may be the most readily bioavailable form of magnesium. The stronger side effects may make the trade-off less worthwhile, depending on your needs.

Magnesium L-Threonate

Magnesium L-threonate is another magnesium salt formed from the combination of magnesium and threonic acid, a byproduct of the breakdown of vitamin C. It has been shown to be well absorbed and may be the most effective at passing the blood-brain barrier in certain animal studies. However human studies are lacking, and Magnesium L-Threonate is an expensive form of Magnesium.

I have a full breakdown of Magnesium L-Threonate, which you can read here. The short version is, as with other forms of magnesium, there may be some promise there, but there hasn't been enough in the way of clinical trials to prove one way or the other.

There are many other forms of magnesium available as well, but these are the most commonly seen and most studied.

Should You be Taking a Magnesium Supplement?

Now we come to the crux of the issue: is it beneficial to take a magnesium supplement?

Unfortunately, this is a difficult situation to evaluate. If you're one of the 52% of individuals who have a magnesium deficiency, then taking supplemental magnesium may be beneficial to your overall health. If you're not deficient, then taking additional magnesium may not have much of an impact and can leave you with digestive side effects that make life unpleasant and can lead to other problems down the road.

Without a reliable and non-invasive test to check magnesium levels, it's very difficult to determine for yourself or with your health professional whether or not you're deficient.

The best option is, generally, to evaluate your diet. Review what you eat in a given day, week, or month, and estimate how much magnesium you're getting on average. If that number falls short of the recommended intake levels, the first and best option is to adjust your diet to improve that intake. Supplements, in my opinion, should always be exactly that: supplemental. You want to use them only to cover gaps in an otherwise healthy diet, not as a replacement for eating right. That's what I do with MicroVitamin, which I've put together to make sure that I reach the recommended daily intakes of micronutrients without megadosing. Just because I take it doesn't mean it's right for you, however. Your best option is to talk to your doctor about your magnesium intake and potential health concerns and identify the right move for you.

Sources:

1. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements Magnesium Consumer Fact Sheet: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer/
2. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements Magnesium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/
3. Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786912/
4. Serum Magnesium and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2939007/
5. Circulating and dietary magnesium and risk of cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3683817/
6. Dietary magnesium intake and risk of stroke: a meta-analysis of prospective studies: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22205313/
7. Researchers Find Low Magnesium Levels Make Vitamin D Ineffective: https://osteopathic.org/2018/02/26/researchers-find-low-magnesium-levels-make-vitamin-d-ineffective/
8. Magnesium Deficiency Questionnaire: A New Non-Invasive Magnesium Deficiency Screening Tool Developed Using Real-World Data from Four Observational Studies: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7400907/
9. Oral Magnesium Supplementation and Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29793665/
10. Oral magnesium supplementation in insulin-requiring Type 2 diabetic patients: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9632126/
11. Intestinal Absorption and Factors Influencing Bioavailability of Magnesium-An Update: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5652077/
12. The Relationship between Plasma Taurine Levels and Diabetic Complications in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6468751/
13. Assessment of bioavailability of Mg from Mg citrate and Mg oxide by measuring urinary excretion in Mg-saturated subjects: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32162607/