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May 8, 2024

Magnesium Malate: The Best Type of Magnesium Supplement?

Magnesium plays an indispensable role in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the body, supporting optimal muscle function, blood sugar levels, sleep, energy production, and more.

Meeting your daily magnesium needs is easy. Supposedly.

All you have to do is pile magnesium-rich foods, such as spinach, nuts, legumes, and whole-grain cereals, on your plate. Hmm. But, if that’s the case, why do ~50% of Americans still fall short of their requirements?

Before you say anything, no — the primary reason isn’t that we’re all eating “junk food”. According to a recent 2019 study, we’ve been making healthier choices in our eating habits than in the past.

So, why is getting enough magnesium so hard? Can magnesium supplements help? And if they can, which type of magnesium is the best? (OK, yes, spoiler alert: it’s magnesium malate — but you’ll have to continue reading to find out why.)

Understanding the low magnesium intake levels

There are 3 reasons why even those eating a well-balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and dairy may fail to hit their daily magnesium needs.

#1: Decline of magnesium in soils

magnesium malate decline of magnesium in soil

Magnesium levels in soil have decreased because of:

Modern agriculture practices (e.g., planting new hybrid crop varieties that are ready to harvest in less time and the usage of K fertilizer) and
Climate changes (e.g., elevated carbon dioxide and temperature levels)

Consequently, this means we're likely getting just a fraction of the magnesium we're supposed to get from our dietary sources — from cereals to fruits to vegetables.

And if that wasn’t bad enough …

#2: Magnesium has very low bioavailability

For the uninitiated, bioavailability refers to the percentage of a nutrient that actually makes it into your bloodstream and is thus able to have an active effect on your body after digestion.

Dietary magnesium’s bioavailability hovers around a dismal 30% to 40%.

This means with every ½ cup of spinach (the “cover model” for foods that are high in magnesium), you’d only be getting 23.4 to 31.2 mg of magnesium instead of the supposed 78 mg.

A huge difference.

#3: Health conditions and lifestyle habits

Research suggests individuals with certain health conditions and/or those who smoke, drink alcohol, or are extremely physically active (endurance sports, in particular) may have a higher daily magnesium intake requirement.

And that’s where magnesium supplements come in to save the day.

That said, if you were to search “magnesium supplement”, you’d quickly get overwhelmed by the many types available — *takes a deep breath* oxide, hydroxide, citrate, chloride, lactate, glycinate, malate … you get the idea.

How do you choose?

Well. To help you make an informed decision, here’s a quick rundown on everything you need to know about the different magnesium types (and why magnesium malate should catch your eye).

Magnesium supplement types

As mentioned earlier, magnesium has a very low bioavailability.

So, to be turned into a supplement, it’s paired with another compound that makes it easier for your body to absorb. The resulting combination can be either:

Organic (dissolves well in liquid) or
Inorganic (doesn’t dissolve well in liquid)

Organic magnesium forms tend to be more easily absorbed and, therefore, more bioavailable.

Inorganic magnesium forms, on the other hand, tend to increase the amount of water your intestines absorb (because they’re trying to dissolve), which can have the unintended effect of, to put things nicely, hurrying things along in your gastrointestinal tract.

Translation: inorganic magnesium forms are associated with loose stools, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping. Yeah. Definitely a no-no before a first date — or anything important, really.

You’re probably definitely wondering, “Which are the inorganic magnesium types?”

Here are a few examples:

Magnesium carbonate (magnesium + carbonic acid)
Magnesium chloride (magnesium + chlorine)
Magnesium sulfate (magnesium + sulfuric acid)
Magnesium oxide (magnesium + oxygen)

As for the organic, gut-friendly magnesium types? Examples include:

Magnesium citrate (magnesium + citric acid)
Magnesium glycinate (magnesium + glycine)
Magnesium L-threonate (magnesium + threonic acid)
Magnesium malate (magnesium + malic acid)

Of the above organic magnesium types, magnesium malate deserves a shout-out.

Magnesium malate benefits

First things first.

Magnesium malate combines magnesium with malic acid, which occurs naturally in fruits, and is known for its 1) ability to fend off oxidative stress and 2) involvement in the Krebs cycle, a process the body uses to obtain energy.

What makes magnesium malate stand out from other organic supplemental magnesium types is that it’s not only very well absorbed in the digestive tract but also seems to stay longer in the body.

Anecdotally, magnesium malate is also gentler on the gut and may cause fewer uncomfortable GI symptoms than other types.

A better way to get magnesium malate

Yes, you could simply get a magnesium malate supplement … but that’s boring.

What’s less boring and more exciting, then?

That’s a great question, and the answer is Nutrionic™ H₂Energizer tablets. How’s that related to magnesium malate? And why is it better than a supplement that’s made up of 100% magnesium malate?

Ah, get ready to have your mind blown by the magic that is chemistry.

See, Nutrionic™ H₂Energizer tablets are formulated with the perfect blend of magnesium, malic acid, and tartaric acid.

Dropping them into water kickstarts a beautiful series of chemical reactions that’ll eventually yield magnesium malate but also hydrogen water; you’ll see:

Magnesium reacts with water to form molecular hydrogen (H₂) and magnesium hydroxide, that’s Mg(OH)₂, which then
Reacts with malic acid to form magnesium malate

“Um,” you may be wondering, “Why should I care about the hydrogen water bit of it?”

For a full-blown deep dive into why molecular hydrogen is beneficial to the body, check out this article.

But, in the meantime, here’s the short and sweet version.

Because molecular hydrogen acts as an antioxidant and supports optimal energy production right where it matters (i.e., at the mitochondrial level), hydrogen water has been linked to many whole-body benefits, including supporting healthy blood glucose levels, exercise performance, and energy levels.

To put it simply, Nutrionic™ H₂Energizer tablets help you get more for your buck. More specifically, every tablet provides up to:

80 mg of unbound, bioavailable magnesium ions (once your stomach acid reacts with magnesium malate to free those precious Mg²⁺ ions)
10 ppm of molecular hydrogen per cup of water

Ahh, what’s better than that?