Magnesium is a most critical mineral for optimal health and recovery.

Facilitating the flow of electricity throughout the body (that’s actually the definition of an ‘electrolyte’), magnesium partners with other minerals to control fluid balance and hydration throughout the body. 

It’s involved in hundreds of metabolic functions, immunity, gut health, sleep, and brain function.  You name it, magnesium plays a role.

Magnesium is incredibly important to our health — yet alarmingly absent from modern foods.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, muscular cramps, constipation, brain fog, fatigue, or other symptoms, supplemental magnesium could be a step in the right direction.

You’ll need about 300-500mg per day based on your gender and size of your body (males and larger folks need more).

Let’s explore various forms of magnesium supplements — and give each one a grade.

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1

Magnesium L-Threonate

Magnesium L-Threonate was recently developed by MIT researchers. The inventors claim it is a superior form of magnesium, due to its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, which can raise brain levels of magnesium. 

Research has shown Magnesium L-Threonate to boost memory and brain function. 

On paper and in my observations with clients and myself, magnesium L-threonate appears to be the most absorbable form of magnesium available.

Threonate (as an isolated compound) is a metabolite of Vitamin C, with the potential to reduce hair loss — but appears otherwise fairly biologically inactive compared to other chelates.

My clients have found there to be an initial adjustment period as your body becomes familiar with the highly absorbable magnesium. Start slowly with this one, and be ready to drink some water after taking it.

PROs:

• Highly absorbable
• Uniquely supplies the brain with magnesium

CONs:

• Adjustment period for some first-time users
• This appears unique to this form of magnesium

RATING: 9.8/10

This is a seriously good supplement.

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2

Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium glycinate is extremely absorbable. 

The magnesium is chelated (attached) to glycine (an amino acid) that, itself, has many nutritional and therapeutic qualities. Seeing that glycine is a very important, yet under-supplied amino acid in the diet, this can be a good source of glycine. Glycine is the building block of proteins in the body.

The only drawback to magnesium glycinate is that supplemental glycine can cause problems in excess. If you find yourself in this situation, you’ll likely need to take another form of magnesium. Another problem with this supplement: If you feel worse, you won’t know if it’s the magnesium or the glycine — at least not without doing some more thinking about your recent glycine supplementation.

RULE OF THUMB: If you supplement glycine elsewhere, skip the magnesium glycinate.

PROs:

• High absorbability. 
  
• Glycine can be energizing (or calming), and improve protein synthesis.

CONs:

• People who already supplement glycine (or collagen) may not need even more glycine.

RATING: 9.4/10

This is certainly a fantastic supplement, and I highly recommend it. The combination of magnesium and glycine can be extremely calming (yet energizing) for some people.

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3

Magnesium Chloride

Magnesium Chloride is a highly absorbable, effective way to raise magnesium levels. 

Chloride is important for detoxification, but if you’re low in sodium (many hypothyroid and CFS folks are), taking more chloride could “lower” sodium further.

I have had good results with this product in the past. The magnesium felt extremely absorbable and gave me a boost in energy and cognitive function many times that I took it.

However, I stopped taking this product after only two bottles due to the price and the fact that my body seemed to not “want” it as much by the end of the second bottle.

A report released in late January 2020 by Consumer Labs found high levels of lead and less magnesium per serving than is claimed on the bottle.

Therefore, this product can no longer be recommended. ReMag even offers a certificate of analysis showing very low levels of heavy metals. This would seem to contradict or ignore the high levels of lead found by Consumer Labs.

This goes to show that marketing almost always has one goal: to get you to buy. In this age of information overload, almost all knowledge comes in the form of marketing.

Stay savvy out there.

PROs:

• High absorbability
• Seems effective at raising magnesium levels

CONs:

• Presence of lead contamination
• Less magnesium than reported on bottle
• Expensive
• Awful taste (powder, flakes, and liquid) that is difficult to mask

RATING: 0/10

I have tried Heiltropfen and it seems okay, but it’s hard to trust products that have misspellings in the title — regardless of its German-to-English translation.  If it is — in fact — a clean product, it’s a very, very cost-effective solution.  The powder/flakes can make it difficult to measure dosages.

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Magnesium Taureate

Magnesium taurate is also well-absorbed, and boasts the benefits of taurine. 

Taurine is a powerful “amino acid” (although it isn’t used to make proteins, instead it is used directly in high-level biological functions like bile production, osmoregulation, muscle repair, and the cardiovascular and nervous systems.  

Don’t take magnesium taurate if you also supplement taurine, or if you are sensitive to sulfur/sulfites.

PROs:

• Well absorbed
• Includes the benefits of taurine

CONs:

• Taurine may improve or harm sleep
• People who already supplement taurine may not need even more taurine (excess taurine can drive down glycine levels and raise sulfur levels)

RATING: 7/10

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Magnesium Malate

Magnesium Malate is highly absorbable and is bound to malic acid — a chemical long thought to improve symptoms for folks with chronic fatigue. 

I suspect energy improvement from malic acid may be short-lived “pyrite” for many people — while malic acid is an ingredient in the Krebs cycle, supplementing individual Krebs cycle ingredients is a good way to throw the Krebs cycle out of balance. 

Studies have also shown malic acid to be rather ineffective at treating CFS.  No surprise there, throwing single compounds at disease is rarely the answer — magnesium included.

PROs:

• Well-absorbed
• Malic acid may provide some benefits to metabolism and health
  

CONs:

• There are better Magnesium “chelates” out there for long-term use

RATING: 6.5/10

This is probably just fine in small doses, or for a short duration.

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6

Magnesium Citrate

Magnesium Citrate used to be the gold standard — a breakthrough product due to its superior absorbability.  It was more expensive and produced better results than other forms of magnesium.

Now?  It’s cheaper and becoming outclassed. A handful of products have eclipsed it and magnesium citrate is on the back-burner — mostly due to its citric acid content (which can be a minor gut irritant, lower blood ceruloplasmin, and is made from various mold species).

I now greatly prefer Magnesium Threonate (or Magnesium Glycinate) over Magnesium Citrate.

PROs:

• Pretty absorbable
• Affordable

CONs:

• Citric acid may be problematic for some
• No longer the best-performing form of magnesium

RATING:  6/10

If you’re going to take Magnesium Citrate, Pure Encapsulation’s version is about as pure as it gets.

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Magnesium Spray

Magnesium Sprays are usually magnesium chloride, used topically instead of internally.  

I’m not anti-topical magnesium, but if your body needs magnesium, so do your gut tissues. Magnesium can be incredible for the restoration of the gut. And if taking magnesium irritates your gut, it’s a definitely sign that you have gut health problems that you need to be aware of, and take steps to correct.

Absorption is another factor, here. The skin, while permeable, will always absorb a smaller amount than taking internally.

PROs:

• Magnesium levels can rise while avoiding the GI system — and potential GI distress.
• Convenient? — Just rub on the skin and go.
  

CONs:

• Potentially low absorbability vs internal.
• Often uncomfortable/burning sensations on skin.
• Less likely to increase magnesium levels over time.

RATING: 4/10

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Magnesium Oxide

While other forms of magnesium boast 25-40% absorbability rates, Magnesium Oxide embarrasses itself by being only 3% absorbable.  Such low absorption suggests that magnesium oxide’s only legitimate reason to exist (at least as a nutritional supplement) is as a laxative.  And let me tell you, it’s extremely effective for that purpose.

PROs:

• Effective as a laxative
• Cheap as dirt

CONs:

• Bottom-dwelling absorbability
  

RATING: 1/10

If you really want magnesium oxide, here’s one by Vitamin Shoppe. It can be helpful in times of serious constipation, however, don’t depend on it alone. Fix your gut with a full-spectrum approach.

Read more.

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Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition

Sodium gets a bad rap — but is it warranted? After all, sodium is vital to your health.

In fact, the evidence that sodium restriction improves cardiovascular outcomes is appearing to be weak. Instead, balance between important minerals, such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium, may be much safer and more effective than reducing sodium intake.

In hypothyroidism, it’s wasted by the body in high amounts — meaning extra supply is critical. Remember, many chronically ill have some amount of hypothyroidism.

Ultimately, if sodium intake makes one feel worse, it’s likely that higher intakes of potassium and other electrolytes is needed — not necessarily less sodium. When sodium is “high” it’s usually a bandaid approach to simply lower sodium intake. Instead, increase the intake of its supporting cofactor nutrients.

Therefore, sodium is not the bad guy. What do we look for when choosing an excellent source of salt?

Important Variables To Consider

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1

Sea Salt

Sea salt is made from evaporating ocean water (or salty lake water, such as the Dead Sea).

Sea salt will contain a small amount of trace minerals that may benefit health. These minerals can also improve the salt’s taste.

For the most part, sea salt is an excellent choice for health. There’s only one major downside: Our modern oceans are so filled with plastic. This means that tiny plastic particles are more often appearing in our sea salt — and yes, we’re eating that plastic.

PROs: 

• No fillers
• No iodine
• No pink rust

CONs:

• Possible plastic particles (due to ocean harvesting)

RATING:  9.0/10

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Pink Himalayan Salt

Pink salt used to be very popular at my house. 

Then came some fears that the pink color in pink salt was due to iron which was oxidized — rust. Now, oxidized iron isn’t a great form of iron to put in the body for most people.  If the body needs iron, there are much better ways to get it.

Upon further research, it appears the amount of iron contained in pink salt is incredibly tiny. In fact, it may only represent about .02% of the DV — if an entire day’s salt intake (3g or so) were from pink salt.

What about the extra trace minerals? Yes, pink salt contains just about every mineral and metal that can be found in the earth’s crust. However, some studies suggest the amounts of trace minerals in pink salt are so minuscule that pink salt is no more helpful than sea salt. Some products claim to have adequate iodine levels — this is a misleading marketing claim.

PROs:

• No fillers
• No iodine
• No plastic
• Fun (pink color!)

CONs:

• Tiny amount of oxidize iron (probably not a big deal)
• No iodine (some claim to have adequate iodine — those claims are wrong)

RATING: 9.2/10

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‘REAL’ Salt

Made in Idaho, USA, REAL Salt is a great product. 

It’s mined from underground — much like pink Himalayan salt —  and boasts a slightly higher content of trace minerals than sea salt.  This also means it does have some oxidized iron “rust” in it, but significantly less than pink salt — which we’ve already established is negligible, anyway. 

Being mined underground means it is pure of plastic contamination.

PROs:

• High quality source
• Higher trace minerals
• No iodine
• Incredible taste.  10/10 for taste
• No plastic particles

CONs:

• Miniscule, barely-detectable levels of iron

RATING: 9.5/10

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Kosher Salt

Kosher salt is all about the size of the crystals — which are perfect for drawing out moisture from meat.

This makes it excellent for the koshering process of meat.

Kosher salt is free of iodine (which is a necessary nutrient), has no fillers (anti-caking agents), and often has a larger granule size (for the koshering process).

PROs:

• No fillers
• No iodine
• No pink rust

CONs:

• Usually made from sea salt, therefore could have plastic. I do question, however, if the larger particle size filters out more plastic than products with finer crystal size.

RATING: 9.0/10

You really can’t go wrong with a simple Kosher salt.

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My Recommendation

I happily use sea salts, REAL Salt, or Kosher salt. The difference between the three is not large enough to fret over.

The biggest trade-off is that REAL Salt has a small amount of rust (oxidized iron), and sea salt has a small amount of plastic. How each might affect someone is hard to say — and nobody out there is an authority on that.

Read more.

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Calcium is a critical mineral for bone, hormonal, muscular, nervous system, and metabolic health.

Calcium can also improve thyroid health, calm the stress response, help avoid osteoporosis and facilitate nervous system & muscular function.

Folks with hypothyroidism, women, and the elderly especially need calcium — although supplementation should be done cautiously and wisely. 

If digestible, dairy is a fine source of calcium, but many can’t properly digest dairy. On the other hand, non-dairy products are usually supplemented with forms of calcium that are poorly absorbed.

Similarly, plant-based food sources of calcium are largely full of anti-nutrients that can render calcium less absorbable.

For those with certain digestive problems, eating lots of greens may be undesirable — due to insoluble fiber, goitrogens, lectins or oxalates.

However, there are many supplemental forms of calcium, but they’re not created equal. Let’s explore the best calcium supplements.

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1

Calcium Hydroxyapatite

Calcium hydroxyapatite is a unique form of calcium that you everyone needs to be aware of.

Over 99% of body calcium is found as calcium hydroxyapatite — and it’s a superior source of supplemental calcium.   

I have found calcium hydroxyapatite to be less constipating than other forms (perhaps due to the presence of other minerals and/or better absorption). 

Calcium hydroxyapate also contains trace amounts of other minerals, and this will encourage quicker assimilation when you supplement. Instead of having to recruit these minerals already occurring in the body, these trace minerals are already present, streamlining the process. This becomes more important in sicker folks and the elderly.

PROs:  

• A natural, biologically-active form
• The presence of other minerals in small amounts improves facilitation of calcium
• Less constipating than other forms

CONs:  

• All calcium supplements can cause constipation (though this product is superior for this). 

RATING: 9.5/10

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Calcium Citrate

Calcium Citrate has been a leading supplemental form of calcium for some time due to its superior absorption rate and gentle nature on the stomach.

However, there are some concerns that citric acid can 1) irritate the gut, 2) interfere with the Krebs cycle at moderate doses, or 3) cause an allergic reaction due to how citric acid is manufactured; it’s manufactured by the fermentation of starch by several types of mold (candida and aspergillus niger, in particular).

PROs:  

• High absorbability
• Improved absorption on an empty stomach

CONs: 

• Citric acid may be an issue for some

RATING: 7.5/10

This product has a tiny amount of fat-soluble Vitamin C that won’t interfere with your observations and could promote the utilization of the calcium.

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Bone Meal Powder

Bone Meal Powder is a calcium source derived directly from cattle bones. Perhaps surprisingly,  powdered bovine bones make for a superior source of calcium. 

Why?  Because the calcium found in bone meal is calcium hydroxyapatite — a superior source of calcium.  The hydroxyapatite molecule provides cofactors supporting calcium’s role in the body.  It’s also more absorbable.

PROs:

• A cheaper form of hydroxyapatite calcium
• Somewhat gentle on the stomach
• Provides a small number of other minerals that support bone formation and metabolism

CONs:

• All supplemental calcium can cause constipation
• Difficult to find in pill form
• Potential heavy metal contamination. Just like with bone broth and collagen, there are minor concerns about heavy metal content in bone meal.  Modern companies claim to test for heavy metals — but are you willing to trust them?  I do use this product from time to time, but I don’t depend on it solely.

RATING: 8/10

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Calcium Carbonate

Calcium Carbonate is the most common form of calcium.  It’s highly prevalent in rocks and is used to make chalk.  People commonly use it in homemade and commercial toothpaste.

Calcium carbonate is difficult to absorb and hard on the stomach. Calcium carbonate’s best quality? It’s very cheap.

I personally find calcium carbonate to be quite absorbable in small doses, but larger doses do not sit as well in the gut.

PROs: 

• Cheap
• Pure
• Non-allergenic

CONs: 

• Not very absorbable
• Harder on the digestive system

RATING: 4/10

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Coral Calcium

Coral Calcium is simply calcium carbonate (again, the most common form of calcium) with a small amount of trace minerals included. 

These products often seem to describe the coral source as providing these extra nutrients, but in fact, these extra nutrients are added by the manufacturer. This makes these products a supplement blend.

These added nutrients are often of lower quality. Worse, you need to take important nutrients like calcium in isolation so you can perceive any positive or negative effects about the dosages.

One glaring nutrient added to many coral calcium brands is magnesium oxide, which is an inferior source of magnesium.

This magnesium (oxide) ostensibly added to make the coral’s calcium carbonate (the same calcium as eggshell calcium, and rocks) less constipating in the gut.

Nevertheless, there’s at least one big coral calcium brands will try and twist the science and suggest that magnesium oxide is actually MORE absorbable than other forms.

It only takes a few weeks of experimentation for most people to see this is not the case: magnesium oxide is most effective as a laxative, not as a source of magnesium, and its inclusion into any coral calcium product is most likely to combat the effects of the highly-constipating calcium carbonate.

PROs: 

• May have a tiny amount of trace minerals

CONs: 

• It’s mostly calcium carbonate
• Most coral calcium products are blends with many added ingredients
• Added ingredients are often inferior

RATING:  4/10

I have not found a coral calcium supplement that I like.

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(Homemade) Eggshell Calcium

Eggshells are essentially — and almost entirely — calcium carbonate with a tiny amount of other minerals (just like coral calcium). 

Among people who cannot tolerate dairy, it is common for some to make their own eggshell calcium powder by grinding eggshells in a coffee grinder. I do not recommend this.

PROs:

• It’s fun to make things yourself
• Pure — if you trust the source of your eggshells
• Calcium carbonate may be less irritating than citric acid-based calcium (in a very small number of people)

CONs: 

• Low absorbability
• Higher rate of constipation

RATING: 4/10