Magnesium Glycinate

What it is

Doctor’s Best High Absorption Magnesium is a magnesium lysinate glycinate chelate — magnesium bound to the amino acids glycine and lysine using Albion’s TRAACS chelate. Each tablet carries 100 mg of elemental magnesium; a two-tablet serving is 200 mg, roughly 48% of the daily value. Vegan, gluten-free, and non-buffered, which is the specification that actually matters: it is not cut with cheap magnesium oxide, which is where a great deal of the “magnesium” on the shelf quietly comes from.

Why it’s on this list

Magnesium is required across hundreds of enzymatic reactions, and a meaningful share of American adults take in less than the recommended amount from food. If you are going to close that gap with a pill, the form matters — though not for the reason the label gives.

The real reason is the bathroom. Magnesium oxide is poorly absorbed, and what isn’t absorbed pulls water into the bowel. That is why cheap magnesium doubles as a laxative. A chelated glycinate is absorbed better and, more to the point, tolerated better.

The “up to 6x better absorbed” line on the bottle is the manufacturer’s claim, and it is a comparison against oxide — not against every alternative. Magnesium citrate is also well absorbed and costs less. The honest case for glycinate is tolerability, plus the glycine that rides along with it.

This is the boring, correct choice, and boring and correct is the whole idea. Food first — greens, legumes, nuts, seeds — then this to close the gap.

What to know before you buy

• The tablets are large and you need several. If you struggle to swallow pills, buy a capsule or powdered magnesium instead. This is the most common complaint about the product and it is a fair one.
• Respect the ceiling. The label suggests two tablets twice daily — 400 mg. The tolerable upper intake for supplemental magnesium in adults is 350 mg per day (magnesium from food is not capped). Most people, eating a normal diet, do not need the top of that range.
• It is not a sleeping pill. Magnesium is marketed hard for sleep. The evidence is modest and strongest in people who were short of magnesium to begin with. Do not buy it expecting sedation.
• It interferes with some medications. Magnesium can reduce the absorption of certain antibiotics and thyroid hormone. Separate the doses by several hours and check with your pharmacist.
• Kidney disease changes the calculus entirely. Impaired kidneys clear magnesium poorly, and supplementation can become dangerous. Do not do it unsupervised.
• Talk to a doctor before starting any supplement, particularly if you take prescription medication.