Ghost Fitness/Magnesium/How much elemental magnesium is in 500mg of magnesium glycinate?
How much elemental magnesium is in 500mg of magnesium glycinate?
The short answer
About 100mg on the 20% figure most commercial bisglycinate ingredients declare, and about 70mg by pure chemistry, where the true chelate is 14% magnesium. The %NRV on the tub settles which, and a 300mg elemental product needs 1500 to 2100mg of compound.
- Pure chemistrymagnesium bisglycinate, one magnesium to two glycine: about 14% magnesium, so 500mg gives about 70mg
- Commercial ingredientsbuffered or different chelate ratios declare up to 20%: 500mg gives about 100mg
- The settling linethe %NRV: 100mg reads about 27%, 70mg about 19%
- For 300mg elemental1500mg of a 20% ingredient, or 2100mg of the pure chelate
Our brand: the worked example on this page
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
- 22p a day
- 180 capsules, 2 capsules daily
- Lab tested
- Made in the UK
The 20% figure with its maths printed: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate on Amazon UK, 1500mg bisglycinate giving 300mg elemental at 80% NRV, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p. Full label breakdown. The 1500-to-300 label teach is on the label-says page; the lookup table on the conversion table page.
The chemistry, the commercial figure, and why 500mg of glycinate has a range rather than a number
How much elemental magnesium is in 500mg of magnesium glycinate has an answer with a range, and the range is worth understanding because it is where labels differ. The chemistry: magnesium bisglycinate is one magnesium ion bound to two glycine molecules, and by molecular weight the pure chelate is about 14% magnesium, magnesium's 24 against the compound's 172, so 500mg of pure bisglycinate contains about 70mg of elemental magnesium. The commercial figure: the bisglycinate ingredients most manufacturers buy are not always the pure chelate, some being buffered with a little magnesium oxide, some being a different chelate ratio or a partly chelated blend, and these declare magnesium contents of 18 to 20% on their specifications, so that 500mg of a 20% ingredient contains about 100mg of elemental magnesium, the figure this section uses for the worked example and the typical-capsule page's basis, 1500mg giving 300mg. Between the two, 500mg of magnesium glycinate contains about 70 to 100mg of elemental magnesium depending on the ingredient, and the label decides which by its %NRV line: 100mg reads about 27% of the 375mg NRV and 70mg about 19%, so a tub declaring 500mg of bisglycinate can be read for its elemental content in a second, and a tub declaring only the compound with no %NRV has left the reader guessing within the range, the label guide's elemental rule in its magnesium form.
The reverse arithmetic for a 300mg elemental product, the variants answered, and the number filed
The reverse arithmetic is the one a buyer needs when a label promises 300mg of elemental magnesium as glycinate, the variant this query carries: at the 20% commercial figure, 300mg elemental needs 1500mg of compound, the worked example's two capsules, and at the 14% pure figure it needs about 2100mg, three large capsules, so a product declaring 300mg elemental magnesium glycinate in one capsule has either used the compound convention on the front, meaning 300mg of bisglycinate and about 60 to 70mg of magnesium, or buffered heavily with oxide to fit the number, the budget glycinate template's trap, the ingredients list and the capsule count telling which. The magnesium glycinate 300mg elemental variant is therefore answered as the honest specification: 300mg of magnesium delivered by 1500 to 2100mg of bisglycinate across two or three capsules, at 80% NRV, the specification the worked example prints with its maths. The number filed: 500mg of magnesium glycinate contains about 100mg of elemental magnesium on the commercial 20% figure and about 70mg by pure chemistry, the range being the ingredient's and the %NRV line being the settlement, a 300mg elemental product needing 1500 to 2100mg of compound, and the worked example being the 20% case printed in full, 1500mg bisglycinate, 300mg elemental, 80% NRV, two capsules, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p, a label that leaves no range to guess.
| The basis | Magnesium content | 500mg gives |
|---|---|---|
| Pure bisglycinate chemistry | About 14% | About 70mg elemental, ~19% NRV |
| Commercial 18 to 20% ingredients | Up to 20% | About 100mg elemental, ~27% NRV |
| The settling line | The %NRV on the nutrient table | Read the elemental figure in a second |
| For 300mg elemental | 1500mg at 20%; 2100mg at 14% | Two or three capsules |
| One capsule declaring 300mg elemental | Compound convention or oxide buffering | The ingredients list tells which |
| The worked exampleOurs | 20%, printed with its maths | 1500mg gives 300mg, 80% NRV |
The verdict, a range settled by one line
How much elemental magnesium is in 500mg of magnesium glycinate: about 100mg on the 20% figure most commercial bisglycinate ingredients declare and about 70mg by the pure chelate's 14% chemistry, the range being the ingredient's and the %NRV line on the tub settling it, with a 300mg elemental product needing 1500 to 2100mg of compound across two or three capsules and a one-capsule 300mg claim being a compound convention or an oxide buffer. The 20% case printed in full: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate, 1500mg bisglycinate giving 300mg elemental at 80% NRV over two capsules, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p a day.
What to check on the label
- Know the chemistry: pure bisglycinate is about 14% magnesium.
- Know the commercial figure: ingredients declare up to 20%.
- Read the %NRV to settle it: 27% for 100mg, 19% for 70mg.
- Run the reverse arithmetic: 300mg elemental needs 1500 to 2100mg.
- Distrust a one-capsule 300mg: compound convention or oxide.
Our brand
The worked example: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is the worked example for magnesium reviews because its label states every number a review needs: 1500mg magnesium bisglycinate at 20%, 300mg elemental, 80% NRV, 2 capsules a day, 180 capsules for £19.99, 22p a day, UK made, vegan HPMC shell, batch tested for lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium, and only the register's own magnesium claims printed.
- 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
Is 500mg of magnesium glycinate the same as 500mg of magnesium?
No: 500mg of the compound contains about 70 to 100mg of elemental magnesium, the range depending on whether the ingredient is the pure 14% chelate or a commercial 18 to 20% grade, and the %NRV line on the tub tells you which.
Why do different sources give different percentages for magnesium glycinate?
Because the pure chelate, one magnesium to two glycine, is about 14% magnesium by molecular weight, while the commercial bisglycinate ingredients most manufacturers buy are buffered or of different chelate ratios and declare up to 20%.
How much magnesium glycinate do I need for 300mg of elemental magnesium?
About 1500mg at the commercial 20% figure, two capsules on the worked example, or about 2100mg at the pure 14% figure, three large capsules.
A product says 300mg elemental magnesium glycinate in one capsule, is that possible?
Not as pure bisglycinate: one capsule cannot hold 1500 to 2100mg of compound, so the label either means 300mg of the compound, about 60 to 70mg of magnesium, or is buffered with oxide, and the ingredients list and capsule count tell which.
What does the %NRV show for 500mg of glycinate?
About 27% of the 375mg NRV if the ingredient is 20% magnesium and about 19% if it is the pure 14% chelate, which is why the %NRV line is the fastest way to read a glycinate's real dose.
Sources
- The magnesium bisglycinate chemistry: the pure chelate, one magnesium to two glycine, is about 14% magnesium by weight, and commercial bisglycinate ingredients, buffered or of different chelate ratios, declare magnesium contents up to about 20%. PubMed record
- Retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII: nutrient reference value for magnesium 375mg. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/XIII
- The GB claims register, magnesium entries: magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue, normal psychological function, normal nervous system function, normal muscle function and electrolyte balance, among others. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-britain-nutrition-and-health-claims-nhc-register
- The Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (food supplements are regulated as foods in the UK). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/contents/made