Form Comparison

Magnesium Lactate vs Magnesium L-Threonate

How magnesium lactate and magnesium L-threonate differ in elemental content, absorption, tolerance, and cost.

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Quick verdict. Absorption evidence is stronger for magnesium lactate (rated high) than for magnesium L-threonate (rated moderate), though the gap reflects thinner data more than demonstrated poor absorption. Choose magnesium lactate when you want a gentle, well-absorbed form in a sustained-release product. Choose magnesium L-threonate when you specifically want the form studied for cognition and accept thin evidence and high cost.

Side by Side

Magnesium Lactate Magnesium L-Threonate
Elemental content 12% elemental magnesium 8.3% elemental magnesium
Absorption High Moderate
How it is absorbed Soluble organic salt. Absorption was equivalent to chloride and aspartate in Firoz and Graber 2001. Threonate is a vitamin C metabolite. In rodents it raised cerebrospinal fluid magnesium more than other salts; human brain uptake has not been directly measured.
Typical dose 100-350 mg elemental magnesium daily 1.5-2 g compound daily (about 104-144 mg elemental)
Common uses sensitive stomachs, sustained-release formulas cognition (limited evidence)
Side effects Among the gentlest forms on the gut. Gentle at the low elemental doses involved.
Cost Moderate High
Also called magnesium L-lactate dihydrate Magtein, magnesium threonate
Labels in index 12 95

When to Choose Magnesium Lactate

Choose magnesium lactate when you want a gentle, well-absorbed form in a sustained-release product. The dihydrate common in products is about 10.2% elemental.

Magnesium Lactate

Choose magnesium lactate when you want a gentle, well-absorbed form in a sustained-release product.

What to look for: Magnesium Lactate named on the Supplement Facts panel, with the amount per serving stated.

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When to Choose Magnesium L-Threonate

Choose magnesium L-threonate when you specifically want the form studied for cognition and accept thin evidence and high cost. Human cognitive evidence is one small industry-funded RCT (Liu 2016). It delivers little elemental magnesium per dollar, so it is a poor choice for correcting a deficit.

Magnesium L-Threonate

The only form studied for cognition, on thin and industry-funded evidence. Poor value for correcting a deficit.

What to look for: Magtein (the patented form) with about 144 mg elemental magnesium per 2 g daily serving.

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Products on Titrate

In Titrate's index of NIH label data, 12 labels in the Magnesium category list magnesium lactate and 95 list magnesium L-threonate.

Open supplement search

Supplement Search loads one category at a time. Choose the Magnesium tab, then type a form such as "bisglycinate" under Must contain, or a form to avoid under Must not contain.

Related

References

NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.

Firoz M, Graber M. Bioavailability of US commercial magnesium preparations. Magnes Res. 2001;14(4):257-262.

Kappeler D, et al. Higher bioavailability of magnesium citrate as compared to magnesium oxide shown by evaluation of urinary excretion and serum levels after single-dose administration in a randomized cross-over study. BMC Nutr. 2017;3:7.

Pardo MR, et al. Bioavailability of magnesium food supplements: A systematic review. Nutrition. 2021;89:111294.

Zhang X, et al. Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials. Hypertension. 2016;68(2):324-333.

Holland S, et al. Evidence-based guideline update: NSAIDs and other complementary treatments for episodic migraine prevention in adults. Neurology. 2012;78(17):1346-1353.

Garrison SR, et al. Magnesium for skeletal muscle cramps. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;9(9):CD009402.

Liu G, et al. Efficacy and Safety of MMFS-01, a Synapse Density Enhancer, for Treating Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;49(4):971-990.