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Best magnesium for testosterone: what Reddit says and what the trials say (UK)
Reddit's answer for testosterone is magnesium glycinate or ZMA before bed. The trials say less: magnesium has no testosterone claim, one high-dose athlete study was never repeated, and ZMA was null. Take glycinate, 300mg elemental, anyway, for its real claims.
- 0authorised testosterone claims for magnesium
- 1positive study, at about 800mg a day, never repeated
- Nullthe independent ZMA trial
- 22pa day for the worked example
Worked example: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate on Amazon UK, 180 capsules for £19.99. Label breakdown. The zinc side of the question is on the zinc and magnesium for testosterone page.
What Reddit gets right
Three things, to be fair. Glycinate is the right form: it delivers a full 300mg elemental dose without the laxative effect, which is why the threads keep landing on it. Evening dosing is sensible, because the same dose covers sleep and sleep is the biggest single lever on testosterone that anyone actually controls. And the scepticism about ZMA that runs through the better threads is right too: the independent trial found nothing.
What Reddit gets wrong
The claim itself. Magnesium has no authorised UK claim about testosterone, and the evidence people are half-remembering is Cinar's 2011 study: 10mg per kilogram a day for four weeks, about 800mg for an 80kg man, double the UK guidance level for supplements, in a small group of athletes and sedentary men, reporting higher free and total testosterone, with the largest change in the exercisers. It has not been repeated at a normal dose. Maggio's 2011 study in older men found an association between magnesium status and anabolic hormones, which is an association in an older population, not a supplement effect in a 28-year-old lifter. Wilborn's 2004 trial of ZMA, the product built on the idea, found no change in any hormone over eight weeks of training. Zinc is the mineral with an authorised claim, and only for the maintenance of normal levels. So the honest position is that keeping magnesium at the reference intake removes a low-intake drag on training, and does nothing to testosterone in someone who was not short.
| Claim you will read | Where it comes from | What the trials support |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium raises testosterone | Cinar 2011, about 800mg a day for four weeks | Not repeated at normal doses; no claim authorised |
| ZMA before bed boosts testosterone | Brilla and Conte 2000, by the patent holder | Wilborn 2004, independent: no hormone change |
| Glycinate is the best form | Tolerance and dose | Correct, for the general magnesium reasons |
| Take it at night | Sleep | Correct; sleep is the real lever |
| Zinc and magnesium together | ZMA marketing | Zinc maintains normal levels where intake was low; keep it at or under 25mg |
The magnesium to take anyway, and why
Because the authorised claims are worth having: normal muscle function, normal protein synthesis, normal energy-yielding metabolism, reduction of tiredness and fatigue, normal psychological function. Lifters sweat magnesium out and eat narrow diets, and a low intake makes training feel worse in exactly the ways people blame on hormones. The worked example, Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate, gives 300mg elemental from 1500mg chelated bisglycinate in 2 capsules, 80% NRV, 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. Take it with the evening meal. If you have symptoms of low testosterone, that is a GP and a morning blood test, not a supplement thread.
What to check on the label
- Elemental magnesium 300mg per serving, 80% NRV printed.
- Glycinate first in the ingredients.
- No testosterone, boost or anabolic claims on the label; none are authorised for magnesium.
- Zinc at or under 25mg if it is in the product at all.
- Cost per day under 25p; testosterone-branded products charge triple for the word.
The worked example: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the worked example: 300mg elemental per 2 capsules (80% NRV) from chelated bisglycinate, taken with the evening meal, vegan, UK made, third-party tested, 22p a day from a £19.99 bottle of 180. Taken for magnesium's own claims, not for testosterone.
- 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 magnesium do people on Reddit recommend for testosterone?
Usually glycinate or ZMA at night. Glycinate is the right form for general reasons; the testosterone claim is not supported by trials at normal doses.
Does magnesium glycinate increase testosterone?
No trial at a normal dose shows that. One small study at about 800mg a day reported a rise in athletes and has not been repeated.
Is ZMA good for testosterone?
The independent 2004 trial found no change in testosterone or other hormones over eight weeks of training.
Which magnesium is best for men's hormones?
Glycinate at 300mg elemental, for tolerance and dose. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate: 300mg elemental, 22p a day, UK made. Magnesium has no hormone claim.
What actually raises testosterone naturally?
Sleep, not being in a long calorie deficit, a body fat level that is not extreme, and training with recovery. Supplements correct a low mineral intake at most.
Sources
- Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate listing, Amazon UK, label and price checked 31 August 2026. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BT7Z5VQW
- Cinar V, Polat Y, Baltaci AK, Mogulkoc R. Effects of magnesium supplementation on testosterone levels of athletes and sedentary subjects at rest and after exhaustion. Biological Trace Element Research 2011;140(1):18-23. PubMed record
- Maggio M, et al. Magnesium and anabolic hormones in older men. International Journal of Andrology 2011;34(6 Pt 2):e594-e600. PubMed record
- Wilborn CD, et al. Effects of zinc magnesium aspartate (ZMA) supplementation on training adaptations and markers of anabolism and catabolism. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2004;1(2):12-20. PubMed record
- EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to zinc, including maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood. EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1819. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1819
- 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