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 | Tier 1 |
| 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; produced the highest urinary/salivary Mg response of forms tested in a human RCT.
Source: Lindberg 1990, PMID 2407766; Walker AF et al. 2003, Magnesium Research 16(3):183-191, PMID 14596323
Why Magnesium Glycinate is tier 1
Marketed and studied as a gentler, well-absorbed chelate; showed greater clinical symptom improvement than oxide in a comparative RCT.
Source: Walker AF et al. 2003, PMID 14596323
Tiers summarize published comparative bioavailability or outcome evidence for each form (see methodology).
This page describes the market; it is not a recommendation to take either form. Talk to a clinician about what's right for you.
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