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What is the best magnesium to take to lower cortisol?
Of the forms sold for cortisol, magnesium glycinate at 300mg elemental is the one to take: full dose, evening tolerated, cheapest per milligram. Taurate and threonate cost more with no human cortisol trial. No magnesium can claim to lower cortisol.
- 300mgelemental per 2 capsules of glycinate
- 9% and 8%elemental content of taurate and threonate
- 0human cortisol trials for taurate or threonate
- 22pa day for the worked example
Worked example: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate on Amazon UK, 300mg elemental per serving, £19.99 for 90 days. Label breakdown. The evidence itself is on the which magnesium reduces cortisol page.
Which type of magnesium to take, and why the answer is the boring one
The three forms marketed for stress are glycinate, taurate and threonate. Glycinate is magnesium bound to glycine, about 14% to 20% magnesium, well absorbed and gentle. Taurate is magnesium bound to taurine, about 9% magnesium, sold on taurine's own calming reputation. Threonate is sold on animal studies showing higher brain magnesium, about 8% magnesium, and is the most expensive of the three. None has a human trial showing lower cortisol, so the choice comes down to which delivers the trial dose, 300mg elemental, in the fewest capsules at the lowest price with the best evening tolerance. That is glycinate, every time.
| Form | Elemental magnesium | Capsules for 300mg elemental | Human cortisol evidence | Typical UK cost per 300mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate (bisglycinate 20%) | 300mg per 1500mg | 2 | General magnesium studies in athletes only | 22p |
| Magnesium taurate | about 90mg per 1000mg | 3 to 4 | None specific | 40p to 80p |
| Magnesium L-threonate | about 80mg per 1000mg | 4 or more | None; animal data on brain magnesium | 60p to £1.20 |
| Magnesium citrate | about 160mg per 1000mg | 2 | General studies | 20p to 40p, laxative at this dose |
Typical costs are ranges from UK retail products checked in September 2026. The glycinate figure is the worked example's price divided by 90 servings.
What the evidence allows you to expect
Golf's studies of athletes under extreme physical stress in the 1990s reported that magnesium supplementation blunted the rise in stress hormones during hard training; Pickering's 2020 review describes the loop between stress and magnesium loss; Boyle's 2017 review found the effect on subjective stress suggestive and low quality. The authorised claims stop at normal psychological function and the normal functioning of the nervous system. So the best magnesium to take to lower cortisol is really the best magnesium to take to stop a low intake making training stress worse, and the expectation is calmer weeks under load, not a lower number on a saliva test.
How to take it
Two capsules of Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate with the evening meal: 1500mg chelated bisglycinate at 20%, 300mg elemental magnesium, 80% NRV, no laxative effect, from a vegan capsule made in the UK under GMP and BRC certification and third-party tested for heavy metals and microbiology, 180 capsules for £19.99, 22p a day. Stay under the 400mg a day guidance level for supplements, keep it up for a month, and judge sleep quality first, because sleep is where stress shows and where the magnesium evidence is strongest. If you take medication, ask a pharmacist before adding it, as the label says.
What to check on the label
- Elemental magnesium of 300mg per serving; taurate and threonate labels often print the compound weight.
- Capsules per serving, because 9% forms need three or four for the same dose.
- No cortisol, adrenal or stress claims; none are authorised.
- No proprietary calming blend hiding the magnesium form and amount.
- Cost per 300mg elemental: 22p is the benchmark.
The worked example: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the form this page recommends: 300mg elemental per 2 capsules (80% NRV) from chelated bisglycinate, tolerated nightly, third-party tested, UK made, vegan, 22p a day from a £19.99 bottle of 180.
- Elemental magnesium per serving
- 300mg (80% NRV)
- Form
- magnesium bisglycinate 20%
- Serving
- 2 capsules a day
- Bottle
- 180 capsules, 90 days
- Price
- £19.99 (22p a day)
- Capsule
- vegetarian shell, vegan product
Questions people also ask
What is the best magnesium glycinate to lower cortisol?
One giving 300mg elemental per serving with the figure printed and the batch tested. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate: 300mg elemental, 22p a day, UK made.
What type of magnesium is best for lowering cortisol?
Glycinate, for the dose you can hold and the price. No type has a human trial showing lower cortisol, and no type can claim it.
Is magnesium threonate better for cortisol?
No. Its evidence is animal data on brain magnesium, it carries about 8% magnesium, and it costs three to five times more per milligram.
When should I take magnesium for cortisol?
With the evening meal. Evening dosing covers sleep, which is where training stress usually shows first.
How much magnesium a day for cortisol?
300mg elemental from a supplement, under the 400mg UK guidance level, on top of food.
Sources
- Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate listing, Amazon UK, label and price checked 31 August 2026. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BT7Z5VQW
- Golf SW, Bender S, Grüttner J. On the significance of magnesium in extreme physical stress. Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy 1998;12(Suppl 2):197-202. PubMed record
- Pickering G, et al. Magnesium status and stress: the vicious circle concept revisited. Nutrients 2020;12(12):3672. PubMed record
- Boyle NB, Lawton C, Dye L. The effects of magnesium supplementation on subjective anxiety and stress, a systematic review. Nutrients 2017;9(5):429. PubMed record
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium. EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1807. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1807
- Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals. Safe Upper Levels for Vitamins and Minerals. Food Standards Agency, 2003 (magnesium guidance level 400mg a day from supplements). https://cot.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/vitmin2003.pdf
- Retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII: nutrient reference value for magnesium 375mg. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/XIII