Which Magnesium Is Best?

Magnesium supplements are available in multiple forms. With so many options, it can be hard to choose the most adequate one for you. In fact, a question we often see asked is “Which magnesium is best?”. To answer this question, we must first clarify what “best” means in this context. 

The “best” form of magnesium is often equated to the most bioavailable form of magnesium. That’s a story we often see told by other supplement companies. But we disagree. Qualia Life believes that bioavailability is important, but it’s not the decisive factor in determining the quality of a magnesium supplement.

There's More to Magnesium Than Bioavailability

Bioavailability is relevant because it informs us of the capacity of a compound to reach the systemic blood flow and be delivered to tissues. However, good bioavailability does not guarantee that a compound will be effective. 

We see bioavailability as a feature of a compound, not a benefit. A benefit is a positive outcome resulting from a physiological effect. The benefits of magnesium can only occur if it is taken up and retained in cells and tissues, where magnesium can exert its physiological functions. Therefore, Qualia believes that the best forms of magnesium are those that, in addition to being bioavailable and reaching the blood flow, are well retained in tissues so that cells can use magnesium.* 

Retention was therefore an important factor for us in deciding which forms of magnesium to include in QUALIA MAGNESIUM+. To choose the best magnesium for our formula, we researched which among the most bioavailable forms of magnesium were actually taken up, retained, and used well in tissues. 

The Best Form of Magnesium Depends on Which Tissue You Want to Support

Our research revealed that some forms do better than others at optimizing magnesium in different tissues. This highlighted the fact that just because a form supports healthy magnesium levels in some tissues, it doesn’t mean it’s the best form for all tissues. This is important to keep in mind when thinking about what being the “best” form of magnesium means—which magnesium is best may depend on which tissue or outcome you want to support.* 

The “best” form of magnesium means—which magnesium is best may depend on which tissue or outcome you want to support.* 

Our goal in developing QUALIA MAGNESIUM+ was to create a product that would help to promote the many aspects of health and performance that magnesium naturally supports. We believe that the best and most comprehensive approach to do so is to combine well-retained forms of magnesium that optimize magnesium levels in different tissues. This led us to the selection included in QUALIA MAGNESIUM+. Let’s briefly see why we believe these are the best forms to support magnesium’s health benefits.* 

Magnesium Gluconate is one of the most bioavailable and best retained forms of magnesium [1]. In a two-week preclinical study that compared the bioavailability and retention of ten forms of magnesium, Magnesium Gluconate had the greatest retention. The study showed that organic magnesium salts (e.g., Magnesium Aspartate, Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Gluconate, found in Qualia Magnesium+) were better retained than the inorganic forms of magnesium (e.g., Magnesium Carbonate, Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Sulfate, which we did not include).*

Magnesium Acetyl Taurate may be the best form to support brain magnesium levels. In two preclinical studies, Magnesium Acetyl Taurate supported brain magnesium (but not muscle) even when given in low amounts (which didn’t happen with other bioavailable forms of magnesium) [2,3]. People taking Magnesium Acetyl Taurate typically report experiencing it as a very calming form of magnesium.* 

Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate has very good bioavailability and is another of the few forms of magnesium that have been found to help optimize brain magnesium levels (but not muscle) [2].* It has been shown to support mood [4] and may be a great option for sleep and relaxation support because of the combination of magnesium and glycine—users’ comments support this view.*

Magnesium Aspartate can be thought of as the “hearing” magnesium. It has been the main form studied in humans for supporting healthy hearing under conditions of noise stress [5–8]. Magnesium Aspartate is bioavailable and well retained in the body; it is among the best types of magnesium for promoting our tissue stores [1].*

Magnesium Citrate is one of the most widely used and versatile forms of magnesium. Because citrate is also an important molecule in cellular energy metabolism, it can be considered an “energy metabolism” form of magnesium. Magnesium Citrate has very good bioavailability and, in one study, it was the only form that supported healthy magnesium status in both the brain and muscles [2]. In clinical studies, it has supported heart health [9,10], metabolic health [11,12], and physical comfort related to muscle and nerves [13–17].*

Magnesium Taurate is another versatile form of magnesium. We included it to support both magnesium and taurine, which are important for mitochondrial function and healthy function in many tissues. Studies suggest it is a “vision” magnesium [18,19], which is in line with the important role taurine plays in supporting healthy vision. It is also regarded as a heart form of magnesium because of the functional role both molecules have in supporting heart health and because preclinical research has shown cardiac benefits [20]. Magnesium Taurate has also supported a healthy mood [4].*

Magnesium Creatine Chelate is another great form of magnesium that combines aspects of what magnesium and creatine do well. In clinical studies, it outperformed a combination of magnesium and creatine in supporting exercise performance, muscle function, and cellular fluid balance, indicating an additive effect of this magnesium chelate relative to its components taken individually [21–25].* 

Aquamin Mg is a bioavailable form of magnesium sourced from the clean sea waters off the Irish coast. It contains 70+ other minerals and trace minerals that naturally occur in our oceans along with magnesium [26,27]. This form of magnesium has been studied for supporting a healthy gut microbiota [28].* 

Concentrated Sea Water Minerals is a standardized mineral and trace mineral complex extracted from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It supplies magnesium, chloride (another important electrolyte mineral), and 60+ other naturally occurring minerals and trace minerals found in this inland sea.*

Aquamin Mg and Concentrated Sea Water Minerals were included in QUALIA MAGNESIUM+ because we believe that the combination of magnesium with other minerals and trace minerals may potentiate its benefits. Not only do those minerals play important roles in health, but some, such as boron and lithium, may also support optimal tissue levels of magnesium [29–31]. In fact, we also included additional boron because it supports magnesium balance [30–37] and appears to be especially important for supporting the retention of magnesium in bones [38–42], where most of the body’s magnesium is stored.*

Overall, QUALIA MAGNESIUM+ contains 9 types of magnesium plus 70 minerals and trace minerals to enhance absorption and tissue retention.* This combination is one of the things that make QUALIA MAGNESIUM+ unique. 

You can learn more about each form of magnesium, why we chose them, and their specific properties and benefits in our article “Qualia Magnesium+ Ingredients.” 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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