Ghost Fitness/Magnesium/What to look for in a magnesium supplement?
What to look for in a magnesium supplement?
The short answer
Five reads in thirty seconds: the form on the ingredients list, bisglycinate for a nightly habit; the elemental figure with its %NRV, around 300mg at 80%; the arithmetic that matches compound to elemental; the pence per day from price over servings; and the compliance line, a UK address, batch testing stated and only the register's claims.
- Read one: the formthe ingredients list, not the front: bisglycinate, citrate or oxide, single salt
- Read two: the elemental figuremagnesium in mg with %NRV, per daily dose: around 300mg at 80%
- Read three: the arithmeticcompound to elemental at about 20% for bisglycinate: 1500mg to 300mg, two capsules
- Reads four and fiveprice over servings, against 22p; a UK address, batch testing stated, register claims only
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
A label that passes all five reads: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate on Amazon UK, bisglycinate, 1500mg giving 300mg elemental at 80% NRV, 2 capsules, batch tested, UK made, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p. Full label breakdown. The forms compared on the forms page; the buying checks for tablets on the buying-tablets page.
The five reads, in the order they take on a tub, and what each one settles
What to look for in a magnesium supplement is five reads that take thirty seconds on a tub and settle nearly everything, in the order the tub presents them. Read one, the form, on the ingredients list and never on the front: the salt named after magnesium, bisglycinate for a nightly habit because it is well absorbed and the least laxative, citrate acceptable by day for a reader who tolerates it, oxide the cheap concentrated salt that is poorly absorbed and most laxative, and a single salt rather than a blend, since a 3-in-1 divides a capsule and often carries oxide, the forms page's standing order. Read two, the elemental figure, on the nutrient line with its %NRV, per daily dose: magnesium as an amount in milligrams and a percentage of the 375mg reference value, around 300mg at 80% being the section's dose for a lifter whose diet runs light, most of a day's reference intake under the 400mg guidance level, and the figure to compare between products since the compound weight on the front is the carrier and not the mineral. Read three, the arithmetic, which catches the two commonest tricks: the compound weight divided by the elemental figure should sit near one fifth for a true bisglycinate, 1500mg giving 300mg over two capsules, and a product whose elemental figure looks too large for its compound weight in one capsule has used the compound convention on the front or buffered with oxide in the list, the budget glycinate and 300mg-of-what pages' traps. Read four, the pence: the price divided by the servings in the tub at the label's direction, per elemental milligram where salts differ, against 22p for 300mg as the section's benchmark, a 10p oxide being cheaper per day and dearer per absorbed milligram. Read five, the compliance line: a UK business name and address, the words food supplement, a batch number and best-before, testing stated and a certificate askable, and only the register's magnesium sentences printed, muscle function, nervous system, psychological function, fatigue, bones, with any sleep, stress, testosterone or weight word disqualifying the tub whatever the rest said.
The four things to ignore, the thirty-second routine, and the definition filed
Four things on a magnesium tub deserve no read at all. The adjective on the front, ultra, advanced, complete, triple-strength, which names no form, no dose and no test. The blend story, multiple pathways and three-in-one, which no trial supports and which divides a capsule. The format that is not a dose, sprays, oils, lotions and bath salts, which the skin does not absorb. And the review count, which measures how many people bought a tub and not what was in it, the forum epistemology guide's point that a rating is not a certificate. The thirty-second routine, then: turn the tub, read the salt, read the elemental figure and its %NRV, check the ratio and the capsule count, divide the price by the days, scan the compliance line and the claims, and put the tub back if any read fails, the whole routine being the five reads the own-brand review templates apply and the reason those pages can teach a reader to review a product this site will not name. The definition filed: look for a single well-absorbed salt, bisglycinate for a nightly habit; an elemental figure around 300mg at 80% NRV per daily dose; honest arithmetic between compound and elemental across the capsules directed; pence per day that divide well against 22p; and a compliance line with an address, a batch, testing stated and the register's claims only, ignoring adjectives, blend stories, skin formats and star counts, with the worked example being the label that passes all five, 1500mg bisglycinate giving 300mg elemental at 80% NRV over two capsules, batch tested for metals, UK made with an address, authorised claims only, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p.
| The read | Where | What passes |
|---|---|---|
| The form | The ingredients list | A single well-absorbed salt: bisglycinate for a nightly habit |
| The elemental figureOurs | The nutrient line, per daily dose | Around 300mg at 80% NRV |
| The arithmetic | Compound over elemental; the capsule count | Near one fifth for bisglycinate; two or three capsules |
| The pence | Price over servings at the direction | Against 22p for 300mg; per elemental milligram across salts |
| The compliance line | Address, batch, testing, claims | A UK business, testing stated, register sentences only |
| The four ignores | Front adjectives, blend stories, sprays and baths, star counts | None of them is a read |
The verdict, thirty seconds on the back of the tub
What to look for in a magnesium supplement: five reads in thirty seconds on the back of the tub, a single well-absorbed salt on the ingredients list with bisglycinate for a nightly habit, an elemental figure around 300mg at 80% NRV per daily dose, honest arithmetic between compound and elemental across the capsules directed, pence per day that divide well against 22p, and a compliance line with a UK address, a batch, testing stated and only the register's claims, while ignoring front-of-pack adjectives, blend stories, skin formats and review counts. The label that passes all five: Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate, bisglycinate, 1500mg giving 300mg elemental at 80% NRV over two capsules, batch tested, UK made, authorised claims only, £19.99 for 90 days at 22p a day.
What to check on the label
- Read the salt on the ingredients list: bisglycinate, single.
- Read the elemental figure with its %NRV: around 300mg at 80%.
- Check the arithmetic: compound over elemental near one fifth.
- Divide the pence: against 22p, per elemental milligram.
- Scan the compliance line: address, batch, testing, register claims only.
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
What is the most important thing to look for in a magnesium supplement?
The elemental figure with its %NRV on the nutrient line, per daily dose, around 300mg at 80% for a lifter whose diet runs light, since the compound weight on the front is the carrier and not the mineral.
Which form of magnesium should I look for?
A single well-absorbed salt on the ingredients list: bisglycinate for a nightly habit because it is well absorbed and least laxative, citrate by day if tolerated, and not oxide or a blend, oxide being poorly absorbed and blends dividing a capsule.
How do I spot a misleading magnesium label?
Run the arithmetic: compound weight over elemental figure should sit near one fifth for a true bisglycinate, and a large elemental number in one capsule means the compound convention on the front or oxide buffering in the list; any sleep, stress, testosterone or weight word disqualifies the tub.
What should a magnesium label say about testing and compliance?
A UK business name and address, the words food supplement, a batch number and best-before, independent testing stated with a certificate askable, and only the register's magnesium sentences, muscle function, nervous system, psychological function, fatigue and bones.
What can I ignore on a magnesium tub?
The adjective on the front, the multiple-pathways blend story, any spray, oil, lotion or bath format the skin does not absorb, and the review count, which measures purchases rather than contents.
Sources
- Firoz M, Graber M. Bioavailability of US commercial magnesium preparations. Magnesium Research 2001;14(4):257-262. PubMed record
- Walker AF, Marakis G, Christie S, Byng M. Mg citrate found more bioavailable than other Mg preparations in a randomised, double-blind study. Magnesium Research 2003;16(3):183-191. 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 Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 (food supplements are regulated as foods in the UK). https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1387/contents/made