Supplement Comparison
Magnesium Glycinate vs Citrate: Which Form Should You Take?
We analyzed what top longevity experts — Huberman, Attia, Patrick, Johnson, and Hyman — actually say about magnesium glycinate vs magnesium citrate. Here is where they agree and where they don't.
Strong Consensus
on Magnesium overall
TL;DR — Glycinate for daily use & sleep; Citrate if you want the laxative effect
Take glycinate for daily magnesium, sleep, and calm — it's the form Patrick, Hyman, and Huberman actually use. Choose citrate mainly if you also want help with constipation; its laxative effect is the tradeoff. Attia notes both 'speed up the bowel' and personally prefers carbonate for absorption without the GI effect.
What Each Expert Actually Takes
Glycinate (+ threonate)
Takes magnesium glycinate and threonate in his sleep cocktail alongside theanine and apigenin — using glycinate for calm and sleep, not citrate.
Neither — prefers carbonate; groups citrate & glycinate as bowel-speeding
Recommends 300-500mg daily and personally uses carbonate in the mornings, noting it is 'more fully absorbed than oxide, citrate, or glycinate.' On the forms: 'Citrate, glycinate, and oxide are fantastic if you're looking for a little speed up of the bowel. If you aren't, you want magnesium carbonate.'
Glycinate (or malate)
Recommends glycinate and malate for bioavailability and daily needs. Does not recommend citrate as a primary daily form.
Not specified
Blueprint stack does not call out a specific magnesium form in analyzed videos.
Glycinate
Recommends glycinate for sleep and general use, food-first with supplementation to fill gaps. Does not favor citrate for daily use.
Key Differences
Best For
Magnesium Glycinate
Daily magnesium needs, sleep, calm/anxiety, muscle relaxation
Magnesium Citrate
Occasional constipation relief — draws water into the bowel
GI / Bowel Effect
Magnesium Glycinate
Generally the gentle daily form (Patrick, Hyman); chelated to glycine, a calming amino acid
Magnesium Citrate
Pronounced laxative effect — the classic constipation form; Attia notes citrate 'speeds up the bowel'
Absorption
Magnesium Glycinate
Well-absorbed; Attia groups it just below carbonate
Magnesium Citrate
Well-absorbed and cheap — but bowel tolerance often caps the usable dose
Elemental Magnesium
Magnesium Glycinate
Good elemental content for meeting the 300-500mg daily target (Attia)
Magnesium Citrate
Adequate, but GI tolerance usually limits how much you take
Cost
Magnesium Glycinate
Affordable, widely available
Magnesium Citrate
Among the cheapest forms — very widely available
Expert Consensus
Magnesium Glycinate
Recommended by Patrick & Hyman; used by Huberman for sleep
Magnesium Citrate
No expert recommends citrate as a daily form; useful mainly for its laxative side-effect
What the Experts Said (Direct Quotes)
"I do think magnesium is important. About 40% of the US population doesn't get adequate magnesium intake."
Essentials: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick at 19:27
"DNA repair enzymes require magnesium. Magnesium is a co-factor for them. Magnesium is at the center of a chlorophyll molecule — dark leafy greens are a key source."
Essentials: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick at 20:26
"The big three are calcium, vitamin D — and when I say vitamin D, I mean D3 — and magnesium. I consider the required daily amounts a minimum."
Navigating bone health: early life influences & strategies for improvement & injury prevention at 86:41
"Magnesium 300 to 500 milligrams daily. These can be supplemented if you can't get this in food."
Navigating bone health: early life influences & strategies for improvement & injury prevention at 87:02
"Magnesium threonate is not the best option for meeting daily magnesium needs. It shouldn't be included as contributing to your recommended daily allowance."
The Science of Magnesium and Its Role in Aging and Disease at 00:30
"Nearly half of the US population has inadequate magnesium intake, primarily due to diets lacking magnesium-rich foods like dark leafy greens."
The Science of Magnesium and Its Role in Aging and Disease at 02:05
"The most prevalent deficiencies include iron, vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3s — these are the big ones."
My Favorite Supplements for Optimal Health & Longevity | Dr. Mark Hyman at 02:15
"Magnesium or folate may have the ability to affect the function of hundreds and hundreds of different enzymes."
My Favorite Supplements for Optimal Health & Longevity | Dr. Mark Hyman at 06:21
Bottom Line
For daily magnesium — and especially for sleep and calm — glycinate is the form the experts actually reach for: Patrick and Hyman recommend it and Huberman takes it in his sleep cocktail. It's chelated to glycine, a calming amino acid, and is generally well tolerated. Citrate is well-absorbed and one of the cheapest forms, but its defining feature is a laxative effect — it's the classic ingredient in constipation remedies. Attia lumps the two together on gut effect ('citrate, glycinate, and oxide are fantastic if you're looking for a little speed up of the bowel'), but in practice citrate's laxative pull is the stronger one, which is why it can mean loose stools that cap how much you take. Attia himself prefers carbonate over both for best absorption without the GI effect. The practical move: use glycinate for your daily 300-500mg and for sleep; keep citrate for the occasional time you want gentle constipation relief.
Consensus Protocol — Magnesium
Dosage
300-500mg elemental magnesium daily (Attia: 300-500mg; Patrick: ~400mg; Hyman: 400mg+)
Form
Glycinate or malate for general bioavailability (Patrick). Carbonate for best absorption without GI effects (Attia). Threonate for cognitive focus only — don't count toward daily needs. Citrate/oxide if you want bowel regularity as a side benefit.
Timing
Smaller, frequent doses throughout the day for better absorption. Carbonate in the morning (Attia's protocol). Evening dose for sleep support.
Notes
Standard blood tests for magnesium are unreliable — the body maintains plasma levels by drawing from bones, masking true deficiency (confirmed by both Attia and Patrick). Excessive zinc supplementation can inhibit magnesium absorption. Physically active adults need 10-20% more than sedentary RDA.
Now you know which form. Get the full protocol.
Exact dosages — what each expert recommends, not just which form
Daily schedule — morning vs evening, what to pair with food, what to separate
Expert watchdog — get alerted when an expert changes their recommendation
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