Magnesium Glycinate: Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, and More
Magnesium Glycinate: Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, and More Consider magnesium glycinate supplements if you have a condition that affects your magnesium levels, like diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Alcohol and medication use can affect your levels, too. People in the United States consume less magnesium than they should.
However, symptoms of low dietary intake are rarely seen because your kidneys how much magnesium you excrete.
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for magnesium depends on your age and sex, but a healthy range is about 300–420 mg/day for most adults.
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Through diet and supplements, magnesium may help:
- lower blood pressure
- reduce the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes
- improve bone health
- prevent migraine headaches
One supplement people with magnesium deficiencies use to help boost their levels is magnesium glycinate. It’s usually well tolerated and easily absorbed by your body.
What is magnesium glycinate?
Magnesium Glycinate: Benefits, Side Effects, Uses, and More Magnesium glycinate is a supplement made from a combination of the mineral magnesium and an amino acid known as glycine. It’s available in tablet, gummy and powder forms.
Magnesium is critical to keeping you healthy. It helps your body regulate nerve and muscle function, blood sugar levels and inflammation. It also plays a part in making bone, protein and DNA.
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Glycine is a non-essential amino acid that can be found in high-protein foods like meat and beans. Glycine has antioxidant properties and is important for mental health.
With credentials like that, it’s easy to see why taking magnesium glycinate supplements could have health benefits. But further research is needed before it can be called a cure to everything from constipation to low energy levels.
Reasons to Take Magnesium L-Threonate
Magnesium L-threonate was discovered in 2010, so it is still a relatively new supplement. Preliminary research is promising, but more human studies are warranted to understand magnesium L-threonate’s health benefits fully.
1. Cognitive Enhancement
Mouse models show that magnesium L-threonate protects against neurodegeneration by supporting the ability of neurons to form connections (synaptic plasticity). In human research, magnesium L-threonate improved deep sleep, enhancing energy, alertness, mood, memory, and learning.4
Other research shows that magnesium L-threonate boosts cognitive function and ability. Still, additional research in humans is needed.
2. Anxiety, Stress, and Depression
Some research indicates low magnesium levels are associated with an increased risk of anxiety; supplementation may improve stress and anxiety levels. Magnesium’s effect on enhancing memory and synaptic density may help ease mental health issues. Emerging research on magnesium L-threonate for depression shows promise, but more studies are needed.
3. Sleep Quality
Magnesium is essential for the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone that helps you fall asleep. Magnesium’s effect on GABA promotes relaxation and calmness, facilitating sleep. One study observed improved deep sleep—the most restorative and rejuvenating sleep period—with 1,000 milligrams (mg) of magnesium L-threonate daily.
4. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
According to one study, supplementing with magnesium L-threonate for 12 weeks is associated with a 25% reduction in ADHD symptoms. Some studies suggest lower circulating magnesium levels exist in people with ADHD. Although promising, additional research is needed, as only small studies exist.
5. Pain Management
Supplementing with magnesium L-threonate alongside other pain management medications reduced the dosage of opioid medications and delayed morphine tolerance among individuals undergoing cancer treatment. Still, more studies are needed.
What are the benefits of magnesium glycinate?
The body requires magnesium in large amounts. While the most efficient way to consume nutrients is in their natural form, supplements are available to help boost magnesium intake in people with low levels.
Magnesium glycinate can help improve these levels, which in turn can help the body regulate processes such as blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and muscle and nerve function.
Unlike other forms of magnesium, magnesium glycinate might not cause as many side effects, such as an upset stomach or loose stool. In a 2013 study, participants taking magnesium glycinate did not report any instances of diarrhea, but the study notes that diarrhea can be a possible side effect for some other types of magnesium.
It is important to note that taking magnesium supplements may be more beneficial for some people than others. For example, it is advisable for a person with kidney issues to contact a doctor before taking magnesium glycinate. Kidney problems can cause difficulties in excreting excess magnesium.
Common Uses for Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium glycinate is a common magnesium supplement, given its versatility and high bioavailability.
1. Sleep Quality
Limited research exists on magnesium glycinate specifically for sleep. Individually, glycine and magnesium contribute to sleep. Combining glycine and magnesium may enhance their sleep-promoting effects. Some research suggests glycine promotes sleep and boosts sleep quality, reducing sleepiness and fatigue the following day.
Studies show a link between sleep and magnesium levels, with a higher magnesium status associated with better sleep quality, duration, and efficiency.
RDA
The RDA for magnesium in milligrams (mg) is as follows:
| Age | RDA for males | RDA for females |
| Birth–6 months | 30 milligrams (mg)* | 30 mg* |
| 7–12 months | 75 mg* | 75 mg* |
| 1–3 years | 80 mg | 80 mg |
| 4–8 years | 130 mg | 130 mg |
| 9–13 years | 240 mg | 240 mg |
| 14–18 years | 410 mg | 360 mg |
| 19–30 years | 400 mg | 310 mg |
| 31+ years | 420 mg | 320 mg |
How could magnesium glycinate affect anxiety and sleep?
While magnesium is often marketed to help with relaxation, sleep and mood, it hasn’t been proven in human studies.
Magnesium, in any form, might help with anxiety and depression. Magnesium is necessary to make serotonin, a neurotransmitter recognized that affects mental health and mood. It also affects brain biochemistry, influencing systems that play a role in the development of depression.
Health Benefits of Magnesium Glycinate
There are many forms of magnesium used in dietary supplements. A highly bioavailable form of this mineral that may support overall health is magnesium glycinate. Magnesium glycinate benefits can include easing anxiety, supporting bone health, managing blood sugar, and improving sleep.
1. Can Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Magnesium plays an important role in the body’s stress response. Having low blood levels of this mineral may worsen stress and anxiety symptoms. Research has shown that taking magnesium glycinate may reduce anxiety symptoms.Magnesium supplements have been shown to help reduce stress levels in people with certain health conditions, such as fibromyalgia. These supplements also can decrease stress related to surgical procedures.
A review published in 2017 found that magnesium supplements could improve subjective anxiety symptoms. The researchers noted that more high-quality studies are needed to fully understand how magnesium glycinate supplements may benefit people with anxiety.
2. Decreases the Risk of Heart Disease
Magnesium is an important mineral for at least 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including those that impact heart health. Research has shown that magnesium may improve the function of the heart muscle to regulate heart rhythm. This can help prevent arrhythmia, or when the heart beats too fast or too slow.
Some evidence suggests that magnesium can decrease inflammation in the body. Supplementation may also improve lipid profiles, or levels of fats in the blood.1 Both of these are significant risk factors for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.
3. Has Been Shown To Manage Blood Sugar
Having low blood levels of magnesium can negatively impact the body’s ability to manage blood sugar. People with high blood sugar, such as those with diabetes, are more likely to develop low magnesium. You may lose magnesium by frequently urinating and taking certain medications.6
A study published in 2021 that included 300 people with diabetes found that those with uncontrolled blood sugar had significantly lower magnesium levels. The study authors found that 65.8% of the participants with a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) exceeding 7% had low magnesium levels. HbA1c is a long-term marker of blood sugar control.
4. May Improve Sleep
A magnesium glycinate supplement could be a helpful addition to your wellness routine if you have sleep problems. Magnesium binds to and increases the activity of receptors for gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). GABA is a neurotransmitter that promotes sleep.
Research has shown that magnesium glycinate may improve sleep quality in those with sleep disturbances. A study published in 2021 noted a trend that people with the highest dietary magnesium intake, including from food and supplements, were more likely to report better sleep quality. These people were also less likely to have short sleep duration. Note that this result was not statistically significant and more research is needed.
5. May Lower Blood Pressure
Maintaining optimal magnesium levels is essential for healthy blood pressure. Magnesium promotes the release of nitric oxide. This signaling molecule helps relax blood vessels and maintains blood pressure.12
A review published in 2022 analyzed the findings from 24 studies. The researchers found that people with diabetes who took magnesium supplements had significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.12
6. Might Support Bone Health
Magnesium is an essential mineral for bone health. It helps form bones and increases bone mineral density, both of which can prevent osteoporosis. This condition is characterized by brittle and weak bones that can fracture easily.
Research has shown that magnesium can also regulate blood levels of calcium and vitamin D. Both of these nutrients are essential for bone health.
7. Might Treat Depression
Magnesium glycinate may also help reduce depression symptoms in some people. A study published in 2022 included people with major depressive disorder who took 250 milligrams (mg) of magnesium, along with an antidepressant drug, daily for six weeks. The participants reported reductions in depression symptoms starting in the fourth week of treatment.
