Manganese
Of 7,447 on-market manganese products in the January 2026 DSLD dump, the median declared dose is 2,000 elemental mcg, and 35.4% list unspecified/undisclosed form as the primary form.
Form share
Of 7,236 products with an identifiable primary form, here is the share held by each form of Manganese on the market today.
| Form | Quality tier | n | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| unspecified/undisclosed form | Unrated | 2,561 | 35.4% |
| Manganese Amino Acid Chelate | Unrated | 1,309 | 18.1% |
| Manganese Sulfate | Tier 2 | 1,306 | 18.0% |
| Manganese Gluconate | Tier 2 | 1,162 | 16.1% |
| Manganese Citrate | Tier 2 | 898 | 12.4% |
Form share over time
Entry-year breakdown of the top forms, 2012–2025.
Dose distribution
Deciles of declared dose per serving (elemental mcg), among 7,084 products with a disclosed amount, against the RDA of 2300 and UL of 11000.
- 18.7% of products fall below the fairy-dust threshold (1000 mcg, 20% of the studied low dose).
- 1.1% of products don't disclose an amount because Manganese is declared inside a proprietary blend.
By dosage form
By target group
Top brands
Forms explained
Label discloses only "Manganese" with no salt form.
Elemental fraction: 32.5% (MnSO4 x H2O, monohydrate (USP monograph commercial form; anhydrous at 0.364 also exists))
NIH ODS states no human comparative bioavailability data exist across manganese forms; treated as "acceptable by convention" (soluble reference salt used in mostly-animal research), not evidence-ranked.
Source: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Manganese-HealthProfessional/
Elemental fraction: 30.3% (Mn3(C6H5O7)2 anhydrous (0.303); commercial hydrated powder per supplier FCC spec ranges 22-24% Mn as sold -- hydration state as labeled is unconfirmed)
Same caveat as sulfate -- no human comparative data exists; acceptable by convention only.
Source: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Manganese-HealthProfessional/
Elemental fraction: 12.3% (Mn(C6H11O7)2, anhydrous, MW 445.26)
Same caveat -- no human comparative bioavailability data located; acceptable by convention only.
Source: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Manganese-HealthProfessional/
Elemental fraction: 27.0% (Mn(C2H4NO2)2, pure 1:2 stoichiometric chelate, MW 203.06 (commercial raw material may be diluted, lowering actual %))
Animal (poultry) data suggest higher relative bioavailability than MnSO4, but NIH ODS confirms no human data exist -- not willing to assert a human-relevant tier on animal-only evidence.
Source: uncertain -- needs review (animal/poultry evidence only)
Reference values
- RDA (adult): 2300 elemental mcg — Adequate Intake, no RDA established: 2.3mg (men); 1.8mg (women)
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (adult): 11000 elemental mcg — Based on a no-observed-adverse-effect level for Western diets
- Studied clinical dose range: 5000–5000 mcg
- Strause L et al. 1994, J Nutr 124(7):1060-4, PMID 8027856 -- 2yr RCT (n=59) postmenopausal women; Mn 5mg/day was part of a trace-mineral combination (with Zn, Cu) that, only when further combined with calcium, significantly reduced spinal bone loss. The trace-minerals-alone arm (including this Mn dose) was not independently significant -- manganese's isolated effect cannot be determined from this trial.
- Note: NIH ODS states no human comparative bioavailability data exist across manganese forms -- every form's quality_tier below reflects "acceptable by convention" (soluble organic-acid salt), not an evidence-based ranking. The one human dosing citation found is confounded with other minerals (see studied_dose_citation).