Imagine a single mineral that aids in everything from energy production to muscle function, all while keeping your heart’s rhythm and calming nerves. Magnesium does all this and more, quietly supporting essential biochemical reactions throughout your body. Despite its crucial role, magnesium is one of the most overlooked nutrients in our diets.^1,2

Modern lifestyles and agricultural practices make it difficult to get enough magnesium, leading many to seek effective supplements.² Among the various options, one stands out: magnesium bisglycinate. Known for its high absorption and gentle effect on the stomach, this form of magnesium is gaining popularity.³ Understanding the science, advantages, and proper usage of magnesium bisglycinate reveals why it is the top supplement choice for many.

Magnesium 101

Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in more than 600 enzyme-driven reactions in your body.⁴ With roles in most of your body’s systems, your overall health and well-being depend on getting enough magnesium. Magnesium helps with:

• Energy metabolism: Magnesium is a cofactor in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), your body’s primary form of energy used by all your cells and systems. Magnesium also supports your body’s ability to metabolize nutrients, which, in turn, affects blood glucose, protein and DNA synthesis, and the usability of vitamins and antioxidants.^1,4
• Bones and teeth: More than half of your body’s magnesium is stored in your bones, where it forms part of your bone’s dense mineral structure.¹ When dietary magnesium is low, your body draws magnesium from its bones to use for other purposes.⁴
• Muscle function: Magnesium helps maintain proper muscle function, including your heart muscle.^1,4 For active individuals, magnesium intake has been linked with greater muscle mass and power.⁵ For the elderly, it has been associated with improved muscle strength and physical performance, helping to maintain mobility.⁶
• Electrolyte balance: Magnesium, sodium, potassium, and calcium are electrolytes that affect your fluid balance, nerve transmissions, and muscle contractions. Because these electrolytes work in tandem, a deficiency in magnesium can disrupt your balance of the others.^4,7
• Relaxation: Often called the relaxation mineral, magnesium’s contributions to energy production, muscle function, and electrolyte balance all converge to help your body relax and recover.^1,4

Despite its importance, many people do not get enough magnesium in their diet to fulfill all the body’s requirements.⁸ Taking a daily magnesium supplement, such as magnesium bisglycinate, is a convenient way to prevent magnesium deficiency.

Why take magnesium bisglycinate?

Supplementing with magnesium can be crucial for ensuring you get enough of this important mineral, especially when your diet falls short. Modern lifestyles, health issues, and environmental factors make it increasingly difficult to maintain adequate magnesium levels. Some key factors contributing to this growing concern are:

• Low dietary intake: Many people do not eat enough magnesium-rich foods like leafy greens, seeds, legumes, and whole grains. Typical Western diets often lack these nutrient-dense options.²
• Highly processed foods: Diets heavy in processed and refined foods, such as refined grains and demineralized drinking water, can lead to magnesium deficiency. Food processing often strips away natural magnesium, leaving these foods nutritionally inferior.²
• Poor soil quality: Certain modern farming practices deplete soil nutrients, meaning today’s crops often have less magnesium than crops grown in nutrient-rich soil. This reduction directly impacts the magnesium levels in your food.⁴

What is magnesium bisglycinate?

The main limitation of standard magnesium supplements is their bioavailability. Magnesium bisglycinate overcomes bioavailability challenges with its more absorbable chemical structure.³

Magnesium bisglycinate is a form of magnesium where the magnesium ion is bound to two molecules of the amino acid glycine. As a supplement, this bisglycinate form offers several advantages:

• High absorption: The glycine in magnesium bisglycinate helps it pass more easily through the intestinal wall. In contrast, other forms like magnesium oxide are less soluble and not absorbed as efficiently, resulting in lower blood magnesium levels for the same dose.³
• Easy to digest: Magnesium bisglycinate is easier to digest because it does not rely on high stomach acidity. Glycine’s buffering effect makes it suitable for people with low stomach acidity or poor digestion.^3,9
• Gentle on the stomach: Magnesium bisglycinate is less likely to cause gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, which is common with inorganic forms of magnesium supplements.³

The higher bioavailability of magnesium bisglycinate means that more magnesium is available for your body to use, allowing it to have a greater effect compared to non-chelated forms.³

Who can benefit from magnesium bisglycinate?

Magnesium bisglycinate is a highly absorbable form of magnesium that benefits various groups:

• People with magnesium deficiency: Symptoms like muscle twitching, cramps, fatigue, irritability, and irregular heartbeat can signal magnesium deficiency. Supplementation can help restore healthy levels.¹
• Individuals with digestive issues: Conditions such as low stomach acid, celiac disease, chronic diarrhea, or certain medications can hinder magnesium absorption from food. Magnesium bisglycinate is especially effective with gastrointestinal concerns because of its high absorbability.¹
• Adults with bone loss: Low magnesium levels are linked to decreased bone mineral density, increasing the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Supplementation can help maintain bone strength.^10,11
• Individuals concerned about heart function: Magnesium is involved in regulating heart contractions and protecting the heart against harmful calcium deposits.¹²
• Athletes: Magnesium is crucial for muscle function and energy. Anyone engaged in intense exercise, who loses magnesium through excessive sweat and physical stress, may benefit from supplementation.¹
• Stressed individuals: Stress, whether physical, emotional, or environmental, increases your need for magnesium.¹ Magnesium supports neurotransmitter function and your body’s stress response, aiding relaxation.¹³
• Seniors: As we age, magnesium absorption decreases by up to 30%. A bioavailable form like magnesium bisglycinate can help maintain sufficient levels.¹
• Pregnant and breastfeeding women: Magnesium deficiency is common during pregnancy. More magnesium is needed during pregnancy and breastfeeding to support the baby’s growth and development.¹
• People with muscle cramps: 50% of adults report nighttime muscle cramps. Research evidence shows that taking magnesium can play an important role in relieving these uncomfortable symptoms.^14,15
• People who experience migraines: Low magnesium levels are linked to migraines because magnesium affects blood vessel constriction and neurotransmitter levels.^1,16
• Alcohol consumers and smokers: Both alcohol consumption and smoking can lower magnesium levels, increasing the need for additional sources.¹

How much magnesium you need

Health Canada’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) for magnesium varies by age and gender:¹⁷

Males

• Ages 19–30: 400 mg/day
• Ages 31 and older: 420 mg/day

Females

• Ages 19–30: 310 mg/day
• Ages 31 and older: 320 mg/day

Pregnant women

• Ages 19–30: 350 mg/day
• Ages 31 and older: 360 mg/day

Breastfeeding women

• Ages 19–30: 310 mg/day
• Ages 31 and older: 320 mg/day

Personal health and lifestyle factors can affect your daily magnesium needs. To determine if you require more than the RDA, it is best to consult a health care practitioner. Magnesium bisglycinate supplements typically come in dosages of 200–400 mg per day, available in powdered and capsule formats, allowing for tailored support based on your individual requirements.

Choose a quality magnesium supplement

Ensuring the quality and safety of magnesium bisglycinate supplements involves rigorous testing and strict quality control. Reputable manufacturers follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and perform comprehensive tests to ensure that their products meet high standards. These processes help guarantee that you receive a safe and effective supplement:

• Purity testing: Confirms that the supplement contains the labelled amount of magnesium bisglycinate without any contaminants.
• Potency testing: Verifies the strength and concentration of the active ingredient to ensure its efficacy.
• Microbial testing: Detects harmful bacteria, yeast, and moulds to ensure the product is safe for consumption.
• Heavy metals testing: Ensures the supplement is free of harmful levels of heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium.
• Stability testing: Assesses how well the supplement maintains its potency and effectiveness over its shelf life.

ISURA® is Canada’s only independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the verification and certification of natural health supplements and food products. Look for magnesium bisglycinate products that are labelled with the ISURA seal of approval. ISURA certification guarantees that the products are safe, uncontaminated, high quality, a guaranteed potency, GMO-free, and properly labelled.

Using magnesium safely

Magnesium is typically a safe supplement, as excess amounts are usually eliminated through urine. Daily supplementation within a range of 300–400 mg of elemental magnesium generally does not cause adverse effects.

Although magnesium bisglycinate is known for being gentle on the stomach, some people might experience diarrhea at higher doses. It is important to monitor how your body responds and adjust the dosage if needed.

Interactions and precautions with magnesium

People with kidney problems, kidney disease, or heart disease should not take magnesium supplements without first consulting a health care practitioner. Older adults who use multiple magnesium-containing laxatives and antacids may be at risk for toxicity symptoms if they also supplement with magnesium.

Supplementing with magnesium can interfere with certain medications, such as antibiotics, bisphosphonate, and calcium channel blockers. If you are taking any medications, it is important to consult a health care practitioner before starting magnesium supplementation.

Your go-to magnesium supplement

Magnesium bisglycinate is a preferred form of magnesium supplement because it is highly absorbable and gentle on digestion. It is an excellent supplement choice for improving your magnesium levels, whether you are an athlete, concerned about bone loss, or dealing with stress or digestive issues. With its well-tolerated nature and high bioavailability, magnesium bisglycinate can be a key step toward achieving your health and wellness goals.

References:

1. Schwalfenberg, G.K., & Genuis, S. J. (2017). The importance of magnesium in clinical healthcare. Scientifica (Cairo), 2017, 4179326.

• Fiorentini, D., Cappadone, C., Farruggia, G., et al. (2021). Magnesium: Biochemistry, nutrition, detection, and social impact of diseases linked to its deficiency. Nutrients, 13(4), 1136.

• Vynckier, A.K., Vervaet, C., Van, M., et al. (2020). Types of magnesium salt and formulation solubility that determines bioavailability of magnesium food supplements. J Nutr Food Sci, 10(5), 781.

• Barbagallo, M., Veronese, N., Dominguez, L.J. (2021). Magnesium in aging, health and diseases. Nutrients, 13, 463.

• Welch, A.A., Kelaiditi, E., Jennings, A., et al. (2016). Dietary magnesium is positively associated with skeletal muscle power and indices of muscle mass and may attenuate the association between circulating c-reactive protein and muscle mass in women. JBMR, 31(2), 317-25.

• Veronese, N., Berton, L., Carraro, S., et al. (2014). Effect of oral magnesium supplementation on physical performance in healthy elderly women involved in a weekly exercise program: A randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr, 100(3), 974-81.

• Ahmed, F., & Mohammed, A. (2019). Magnesium: The forgotten electrolyte—A review on hypomagnesemia. Med Sci (Basel), 7(4), 56.

• Ahmed, M., Praneet Ng, A. & L’Abbe, M.R. (2021). Nutrient intakes of Canadian adults: Results from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)-2015 public use microdata file. Am J Clin Nutr, 114(3), 1131-40.

• Aguilar, F., Autrup, H., Barlow, S., et al. (2008). Opinion on certain bisglycinates as sources of copper, zinc, calcium, magnesium and glycinate nicotinate as source of chromium in foods intended for the general population (including food supplements) and foods for particular nutritional uses. The EFSA J, 718, 1-26.

1. Rondanelli, M., Faliva, M.A., Tartara, A., et al. (2021). An update on magnesium and bone health. Biometals, 34(4), 715-36.

1. Hori, M., Yasuda, K., Takahashi, H., et al. (2021). Impact of serum magnesium and bone mineral density on systemic fractures in chronic hemodialysis patients. PloS One, 16(5), e0251912.

1. Fritzen, R., Davies, A., Veenhuizen, M., et al. (2023). Magnesium deficiency and cardiometabolic disease. Nutrients, 15(10), 2355.

1. Pickering, G., Mazur, A., Trousselard, M., et al. (2020). Magnesium status and stress: The vicious circle concept revisited. Nutrients, 12(12), 3672.

1. Barna, O., Lohoida, P., Holovchenko, Y. et al. (2021) A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study assessing the efficacy of magnesium oxide monohydrate in the treatment of nocturnal leg cramps. Nutr J, 20, 90.

1. Supakatisant, C., & Phupong, V. (2015). Oral magnesium for relief in pregnancy-induced leg cramps: A randomised controlled trial. Matern Child Nutr, 11(2), 139-45.

1. Mauskop, A., & Varughese, J. (2012). Why all migraine patients should be treated with magnesium. J Neural Transm (Vienna), 119(5), 575-79.

Health Canada (2023). Dietary reference intakes tables: Reference values for elements. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/dietary-reference-intakes/tables/reference-values-elements.html#tbl2