Magnesium Glycinate vs Threonate vs Taurate vs Malate: Which Is Best?

Published 3 September 2026. Prices, pack sizes and every reference link were checked the same day.

Not sure which form you need? The magnesium plan tool on this page picks the form and dose for you in four taps, and the elemental magnesium calculator below converts any label's compound weight into elemental milligrams and capsules. If citrate or oxide are still on your shortlist, start with our magnesium glycinate vs citrate vs oxide guide; this page picks up where that one stops.

Magnesium glycinate vs threonate vs taurate vs malate: the comparison table

Per gram of material, malate and glycinate carry almost twice the magnesium of taurate and L-threonate, which is why the last two need five or more large capsules for a 300 mg elemental dose. Absorption differences between the well-absorbed organic forms are small next to the gap between all of them and oxide, which managed around 4% fractional absorption in the human study that measured it ^{[1] [2]}. The table gives each form's theoretical magnesium yield from its molecular weight, the compound weight needed for 100 mg and 300 mg of elemental magnesium, and how many 700 mg capsules that is. Four reference rows cover the other forms you will meet on UK labels, including the remaining forms inside Magnesium Seven.

Yields are theoretical maxima calculated from the molecular weights of the fully reacted compounds (citrate as anhydrous trimagnesium dicitrate; orotate and lactate as dihydrates; malate as the 1 : 1 anhydrous salt; taurate as the ditaurate). Commercial materials usually assay below these figures because of moisture and incomplete reaction, so the elemental figure printed on a label is the number to use. Capsule counts assume a 700 mg fill and are rounded to whole capsules. Love Life Supplements figures are label values checked on 3 September 2026.

Price per 100 mg of elemental magnesium (our products, checked 3 September 2026)

• Magnesium Glycinate: £37.95 for 240 capsules is 60 servings of 303 mg, or 18,180 mg of elemental magnesium per tub: 20.9p per 100 mg, about 63p a day.
• Magnesium Seven: £38.95 for 120 capsules is 30 servings of 329 mg, or 9,870 mg per tub: 39.5p per 100 mg, about £1.30 a day for seven forms plus vitamin B6 and manganese.
• Magnesium L-threonate: no Love Life Supplements row, because we do not sell it. To price any threonate product the same way, take the elemental magnesium per serving from the label (not the compound weight in the product name), multiply by the servings in the pack, and divide the price by that total.

How do you work out the elemental magnesium in a supplement?

Multiply the compound weight by the form's magnesium percentage. A 700 mg capsule of magnesium bisglycinate at 14.1% holds about 99 mg of magnesium; the same 700 mg of magnesium L-threonate at 8.3% holds about 58 mg, and 700 mg of magnesium malate at 15.5% about 109 mg. If the label prints an elemental figure, use that instead, because commercial materials often assay below the theoretical maximum: our own bisglycinate assays at about 11%, which is why a 303 mg serving takes four capsules rather than the three the theoretical figure suggests. The calculator below does the arithmetic for any of the eight forms in the table.

Magnesium glycinate: the default

Magnesium glycinate, sold as magnesium bisglycinate when fully reacted, is magnesium bound to two molecules of the amino acid glycine. It carries 14.1% magnesium in theory and 10 to 14% in practice, it was absorbed better than oxide in the human studies that compared them, and it was the better tolerated of the two. That combination, a useful dose per capsule, good tolerance and the deepest evidence base of the four forms here, is why it is the default choice on this page and the form we sell on its own.

The glycine arithmetic. On the 2 : 1 molar ratio of the chelate, every 100 mg of magnesium arrives with about 618 mg of glycine, so a 303 mg serving delivers roughly 1.9 g of glycine. Glycine has no authorised health claims in Great Britain, so we state the amount and leave it there. The magnesium itself contributes to normal muscle function, normal psychological function, normal functioning of the nervous system and the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, which are the claims authorised for magnesium on the GB register ^[16].

What the research studied. In a 60-day randomised trial of 46 healthy adults taking 300 mg of elemental magnesium a day, the amino-acid chelate and citrate were absorbed better than oxide on 24-hour urinary magnesium, and oxide was no different from placebo ^[3]. In 12 patients with ileal resection, a 100 mg dose of magnesium diglycinate was absorbed at least as well as oxide overall, better in the four patients with the most impaired absorption, and was better tolerated by all of them; the authors concluded that part of the chelate is absorbed intact through a dipeptide pathway ^[4]. A 2025 randomised, placebo-controlled trial gave 155 adults reporting poor sleep 250 mg of elemental magnesium from bisglycinate daily and reported a small improvement in an insomnia questionnaire at week four, with the largest changes in people whose diets were lowest in magnesium ^[5]. That is one modest trial, not an authorised claim.

Why people take it in the evening. Glycinate is chosen for evening routines because it is gentle and because the sleep research above used this form; it is not a sedative and does not need to be taken at night. Our morning or night guide covers timing in detail.

Our label. Love Life Supplements Magnesium Glycinate is a fully reacted, non-buffered bisglycinate: 303 mg of elemental magnesium per four capsules (75.75 mg per capsule), with a recent batch testing at 302 mg; 240 capsules per tub for a 60-day supply; £37.95, about 63p a day; made in GMP and BRC-certified UK facilities; third-party tested every batch with the Certificate of Analysis published; and covered by a 60-day guarantee. How much to take, and how to build up, is in our how much magnesium glycinate per day guide.

The sleep and calm specialist: Magnesium Glycinate, fully reacted bisglycinate, 303 mg elemental magnesium per serving, UK-made and third-party tested.

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Magnesium L-threonate vs glycinate: what is the difference?

The partner molecule and the dose. Glycinate pairs magnesium with glycine and carries 14.1% magnesium; L-threonate pairs it with threonic acid, a metabolite of vitamin C, and carries 8.3%. Threonate is chosen for what its research studied, brain magnesium levels and memory tests, while glycinate is chosen to meet a daily magnesium target gently and cheaply. The trial doses of threonate, 1 to 2 g of compound a day, deliver only 83 to 166 mg of magnesium, so it is not a practical way to reach 300 mg.

What the research studied. The compound was introduced by a team at MIT; their 2010 paper reported that magnesium L-threonate raised brain magnesium in rats and improved the animals' performance on learning and memory tasks ^[6]. In people, a 12-week randomised, placebo-controlled trial of 44 adults aged 50 to 70 with cognitive impairment reported a higher composite cognitive score in the supplemented group; the authors noted that placebo effects on sleep and anxiety were too strong for those outcomes to be judged ^[7]. A 2024 trial gave 80 adults aged 35 to 55 with self-reported sleep problems 1 g a day for 21 days and reported better sleep and daytime scores on questionnaires and a wearable; three of its authors work for the ingredient supplier ^[8]. A 2026 trial of 100 adults aged 18 to 45 taking 2 g a day for six weeks reported a higher overall cognition composite and faster reaction times, mixed results on sleep, and no group difference on a reasoning test; it was funded by the company that holds the ingredient's intellectual property ^[9]. Together that is a handful of short, mostly industry-funded trials on one branded material. The results are what those studies measured, not an authorised claim for any product, and magnesium L-threonate has no authorised claims of its own in Great Britain.

The capsule burden. At 8.3%, the 2 g daily dose used in the largest trial is about three 700 mg capsules for 166 mg of magnesium, alongside roughly 1.8 g of threonic acid. Reaching 300 mg of magnesium from threonate alone would take about 3.6 g of compound, five to six capsules; work out the price per 100 mg from the label before you buy, because the product name will quote the compound weight.

Why we do not sell it. Love Life Supplements does not sell magnesium L-threonate. The evidence base is small and mostly funded by the ingredient's owners, the trial doses do not cover a day's magnesium, and the cost per milligram of magnesium is high. If those trials are your reason for buying, buy the branded material the trials used from a specialist and check the elemental figure on the label; if your aim is to cover your magnesium intake, glycinate does that at 20.9p per 100 mg.

Magnesium taurate vs glycinate: what is the difference?

Both pair magnesium with an amino acid, but taurate carries less magnesium (8.9% against 14.1%) and a great deal more partner molecule. Magnesium taurate is magnesium bound to two molecules of taurine, so every 100 mg of magnesium arrives with about 1,030 mg of taurine; a 300 mg elemental dose from taurate alone means about 3.4 g of compound, five 700 mg capsules, and roughly 3.1 g of taurine. Glycinate gets you the same magnesium in three to four capsules. People choose taurate when they specifically want taurine alongside their magnesium.

Why people take it. The case for magnesium taurate began with a 1996 hypothesis paper that proposed pairing the two because magnesium and taurine were thought to act in complementary ways on blood vessels; it was a rationale, not a trial ^[10]. Since then the taurate-specific human evidence has stayed thin. The most recent study, from 2026, followed 121 adults with elevated blood pressure who took a magnesium taurate and potassium citrate product supplying 121 mg of magnesium a day for three months alongside lifestyle advice, measuring blood pressure and arterial stiffness; it had no placebo group, and its author states that cause and effect cannot be inferred from it ^[11]. The rat studies often quoted for taurate and the brain used magnesium acetyl taurate, a different compound ^[12]. None of this supports a claim for taurate as a product. What it reliably provides is magnesium, which contributes to normal muscle function, normal psychological function, normal functioning of the nervous system and electrolyte balance; taurine itself has no authorised health claims in Great Britain.

In our range. Magnesium Seven includes magnesium taurate as one of its seven forms. We do not sell it on its own, because five capsules a day for a full dose is a poor trade against glycinate for most people.

Magnesium malate vs glycinate: what is the difference?

Similar magnesium, a different partner and a different time of day. Magnesium malate pairs magnesium with malic acid and carries 15.5% magnesium, the highest yield of the four forms here; glycinate carries 14.1%. A 300 mg elemental dose is about 1.9 g of malate, three 700 mg capsules, and brings roughly 1.7 g of malic acid (about 552 mg for every 100 mg of magnesium). People take malate in the morning and around training, glycinate in the evening, and many use both.

Why people take it in the morning. Malic acid is an intermediate in the cell's energy-producing cycle, which is where the form's daytime reputation comes from. That reputation is not an authorised claim: malic acid has none in Great Britain. The authorised lines belong to the magnesium, which contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue whichever form carries it.

What the research studied. A 2019 rat study compared five magnesium compounds after a single dose and reported the largest area under the serum curve for magnesium malate, with serum magnesium staying elevated for longer than with the other forms; oxide and citrate had the lowest bioavailability in that model ^[12]. A follow-up in mice compared citrate and malate with two amino-acid forms (acetyl taurate and glycinate) at three doses and found that splitting a high daily dose into two did not raise tissue magnesium further ^[13]. Both are animal studies; there is no human trial that puts malate ahead of glycinate. EFSA's 2018 opinion on di-magnesium malate could not distinguish it from the magnesium malate already authorised as a source of magnesium, and concluded that if it dissociates its magnesium availability should be similar to other permitted sources ^[14].

Which malate? Labels say "magnesium malate" for both the 1 : 1 salt in the table (15.5%) and di-magnesium malate, a 2 : 1 material that carries more magnesium per gram. Read the elemental figure rather than the compound weight. We use malate in Magnesium Seven and in our electrolytes; why we use magnesium malate explains the electrolyte side.

Which magnesium is best for you?

For most people, magnesium glycinate: it is well absorbed in human studies, gentle on the stomach, carries a useful 14% magnesium and has the deepest evidence base of the four. Choose a different form only when you want its partner molecule or the specific thing its research studied. Decide in this order: the elemental dose you can comfortably take, the partner molecule you want, then the price per 100 mg.

• You want the simplest route to about 300 mg of magnesium a day: glycinate. Four of our capsules, 303 mg, about 63p.
• You take magnesium in an evening routine: glycinate, the form the sleep trials used.
• You want a daytime or training-day form: malate, inside Magnesium Seven (which also carries glycinate for the evening) or an electrolyte.
• You are buying because of the brain-magnesium trials: L-threonate is the form those trials used, at 1 to 2 g of compound a day. We do not sell it; buy the branded material the trials used and check the elemental figure.
• You want taurine with your magnesium: taurate, accepting five capsules per 300 mg, or Magnesium Seven, which includes it in a smaller amount alongside six other forms.
• You have a sensitive gut: glycinate first; it was the better tolerated form in the comparisons with oxide, and it has none of citrate's laxative reputation.
• You want all the forms at once: Magnesium Seven, 329 mg across seven forms in four capsules.

One form or seven? Magnesium complex vs magnesium glycinate

Neither is better; they do different jobs. A single-form glycinate gives you one well-studied form at a full dose (303 mg per serving in ours). A complex such as Magnesium Seven spreads a similar total (329 mg) across seven forms so that daytime forms such as malate and evening forms such as glycinate arrive together in one tub. Choose glycinate for a single purpose, such as an evening routine; choose a complex for all-round daily cover without buying two products. We know of no trial showing that a complex absorbs better than a well-made single form, so the choice is about convenience and partner molecules, not absorption.

Magnesium Seven: seven forms, every dose shown

Magnesium Seven supplies 329 mg of elemental magnesium per four-capsule serving from seven forms: magnesium orotate, magnesium taurate, magnesium lactate, magnesium malate, magnesium glycinate, magnesium citrate and sucrosomial magnesium, with vitamin B6 and manganese alongside. The label prints the dose of each form rather than hiding them in a proprietary blend, and a 120-capsule tub is 30 servings at £38.95, about £1.30 a day and 39.5p per 100 mg. It is made in GMP and BRC-certified UK facilities, third-party tested batch by batch, and covered by the same 60-day guarantee as the glycinate.

Who it suits: anyone who wants a daytime form (malate, citrate) and an evening form (glycinate) in one product, or who wants taurate and orotate without buying five capsules a day of either. Who it does not suit: anyone who wants the maximum dose of a single form, which is what the glycinate is for. Full details and the ingredient panel are on the Magnesium Seven product page; the rest of our magnesium range is in the magnesium collection.

All-round daily cover: Magnesium Seven combines 7 forms in one capsule, 329 mg elemental magnesium per serving, including malate for daytime energy.

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How much magnesium a day, and who should take care?

UK guidance is 300 mg of magnesium a day for men and 270 mg for women aged 19 to 64, from all sources including food, and the NHS advises that 400 mg or less a day from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm; higher doses taken for a short time can cause diarrhoea ^[15]. The US tolerable upper intake level for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg a day for adults ^[2], and the European figure used by EFSA is 250 mg a day from supplements, the most conservative of the three ^[14]. Whatever the form, the number that counts is elemental magnesium, not compound weight, which is the whole point of the table above.

Speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking any magnesium supplement if you have kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or take medicines such as certain antibiotics, thyroid medication or bisphosphonates, which need spacing from magnesium. Our who should not take magnesium guide lists the interactions and conditions in detail.

What about the other forms of magnesium?

Citrate and oxide are the two forms most people compare before they reach this page, and they get their own head-to-head in our magnesium glycinate vs citrate vs oxide guide: in short, citrate absorbs well but can be laxative, and oxide holds the most magnesium per gram yet very little of it is absorbed ^[1]. The wider field, including orotate, lactate and sucrosomial magnesium, is covered in our types of magnesium supplements overview.

Frequently asked questions

Is magnesium glycinate or threonate better?

For meeting a daily magnesium target, glycinate: it carries 14.1% magnesium against 8.3% for L-threonate, so 300 mg of elemental magnesium is about 2.1 g of glycinate (four of our capsules) versus about 3.6 g of threonate. Threonate is the form used in the brain-magnesium research, at 1 to 2 g of compound a day, which is only 83 to 166 mg of magnesium; if that research is your reason for buying, threonate is the form those studies used. We do not sell threonate.

What is magnesium taurate good for?

Magnesium taurate is magnesium bound to taurine, so each 100 mg of magnesium arrives with about 1 g of taurine. People choose it when they want taurine alongside magnesium; the taurate-specific research consists of a 1996 hypothesis paper, animal studies and one uncontrolled human study, so it does not yet support claims of its own. What it reliably provides is magnesium, which contributes to normal muscle function, normal psychological function and normal functioning of the nervous system. Magnesium Seven includes it as one of seven forms.

What is magnesium malate good for?

Magnesium malate is magnesium bound to malic acid and carries about 15.5% magnesium, the highest yield of the four forms compared here. People pick it for daytime and training routines because of the malic acid pairing; the magnesium it supplies contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism and to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. A 300 mg elemental dose is about 1.9 g of compound, roughly three 700 mg capsules. We use it in Magnesium Seven and in our electrolytes.

Magnesium malate vs glycinate: which should I take?

Take glycinate if you want one form for a daily dose and an evening routine, and malate if you want a daytime form, or already take glycinate at night and want a lighter second dose in the morning. They carry a similar amount of magnesium (14.1% and 15.5%) and both are well tolerated at label doses; the difference is the partner molecule, glycine or malic acid. Many people use both: glycinate at night and malate, inside Magnesium Seven or an electrolyte, by day.

Is a magnesium complex better than magnesium glycinate?

Neither is better; they do different jobs. A single-form glycinate gives you one well-studied form at a full dose (303 mg per serving in ours); a complex such as Magnesium Seven spreads 329 mg across seven forms with every dose printed on the label. Choose glycinate for a single purpose such as an evening routine; choose a complex for all-round daily cover without buying two products. We know of no trial showing that a complex absorbs better than a well-made single form.

Which type of magnesium is best?

For most people, magnesium glycinate (bisglycinate): well absorbed in human studies, gentle on the stomach, 14.1% magnesium, and the deepest evidence base of the four compared here. Malate is the best of the four for daytime use and for yield per gram, taurate suits people who want taurine, and L-threonate is the form the brain-magnesium studies used rather than a way to meet daily intake. Choose on elemental dose per capsule, partner molecule and price per 100 mg, not on the name.

Ready to compare brands? Our magnesium glycinate buyer's guide covers how to read a label, what to avoid and how to judge quality, and the different types of magnesium guide walks through the forms one by one.