Expert Answer
Magnesium glycinate vs citrate: which form should you take?
Quick Answer
Both absorb well; experts split them by side effect. Citrate has a mild laxative pull (Attia groups it with forms that "speed up the bowel"), so it suits constipation. Glycinate is the gentler, sleep-friendly chelate Huberman and Hyman favor. Hyman and Patrick both say skip oxide as poorly absorbed.
Strong Consensus
on Magnesium overall
What the Panel Says
Rotates SlowMag, L-threonate and oxide to reach ~1g elemental magnesium a day. The daily total is what he cares about, not the form.
Favors well-absorbed chelates like glycinate and citrate over "cheap" magnesium oxide, which he calls poorly absorbed.
Recommends citrate, glycinate and taurate in smaller divided doses. Skeptical of threonate, which is low in elemental magnesium and rests on industry-funded evidence.
“the second study was also industry funded which I think is important to keep in mind this study was published in 2022 and it involved 100 participants and the treatment group was given 400 milligrams”
Rhonda Patrick, on the record @ 19:19
Uses glycinate/bisglycinate or threonate for sleep and malate for gut and recovery. Picks the form by the goal, not by one "best" form.
Detailed Answer
Glycinate and citrate are both well-absorbed organic forms. Choose between them by side effect. The panel draws that line at the gut.
Citrate pulls harder on the bowel. That makes it a reasonable pick when constipation is the problem and a worse one when it is not. Attia skips the form question. He rotates SlowMag, L-threonate and oxide to hit roughly a gram of elemental magnesium a day. The daily total is what he tracks, not any single form.
For sleep and calm, glycinate keeps coming up. Hyman favors glycinate and citrate as well-absorbed chelates. He warns against magnesium oxide as a "cheap," poorly absorbed form.
Huberman's sleep stack uses magnesium threonate or bisglycinate for sleep latency and depth. Bisglycinate is a close cousin of glycinate. He saves malate for gut health and recovery.
Patrick recommends the organic salts in smaller divided doses: citrate, glycinate and taurate.
Two honest caveats. Threonate is popular for "brain" benefits. Patrick notes its elemental magnesium content is low and its clinical evidence thin and industry-funded.
Treat it as a cognition or sleep add-on, not as a way to hit your daily magnesium target. Oxide is where the panel splits. Hyman and Patrick group it with the cheap, poorly absorbed forms and tell you to skip it.
Attia still takes it as one of his three, because he is chasing a total elemental dose and not the best-absorbed single pill. That is a real disagreement, worth knowing before you buy.
Related Questions
Is magnesium glycinate or citrate better for sleep?
Glycinate. Huberman uses glycinate/bisglycinate in his sleep stack and Hyman favors it as a gentle, well-absorbed chelate. Citrate works too but carries more of a laxative pull, which Attia flags.
Which magnesium form is best for constipation?
Citrate. Attia groups it with the forms that "speed up the bowel," so its mild laxative effect is useful if you're constipated and a downside if you're not.
Is magnesium threonate worth it?
Only for cognition or sleep, not for your daily magnesium target. Patrick notes threonate's elemental magnesium content is low and its evidence thin and industry-funded. Huberman still uses it for sleep.
What magnesium form should I avoid?
Oxide. Hyman calls it a cheap, poorly absorbed form. Attia only groups it with forms taken for their bowel effect. It is the budget filler, not a good daily choice.
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