Form Comparison

Magnesium Malate vs Magnesium L-Threonate

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

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

Side by Side

Magnesium Malate Magnesium L-Threonate
Elemental content 15.5% elemental magnesium 8.3% elemental magnesium
Absorption High Moderate
How it is absorbed Soluble organic salt. Human pharmacokinetic data are thin; absorption is inferred from solubility and animal studies. 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 daytime use, muscle function, fatigue (weak evidence) cognition (limited evidence)
Side effects Generally well tolerated. Gentle at the low elemental doses involved.
Cost Moderate High
Also called dimagnesium malate Magtein, magnesium threonate
Labels in index 354 95

When to Choose Magnesium Malate

Choose magnesium malate when you want a gentle, well-absorbed daytime form. Malate is a citric acid cycle intermediate, the rationale for its use in fatigue and fibromyalgia, where trials are small and mixed. Dimagnesium malate is about 20% elemental.

Magnesium Malate

A gentle, well-absorbed alternative for daytime dosing.

What to look for: Malate named alone on the panel. Avoid proprietary blends that do not state per-form amounts.

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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, 354 labels in the Magnesium category list magnesium malate 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.