Magnesium

Dr. Andrew Huberman Recommends

Huberman's own position separates the forms by purpose: magnesium bisglycinate is on par with threonate for sleep, while magnesium citrate is a laxative and not a sleep aid. Beyond that, multiple guests discuss magnesium extensively on the Huberman Lab channel. Dr. Rhonda Patrick identified magnesium as an essential mineral often lacking in the US population, emphasizing its role in ATP production and DNA repair enzymes. Dr. Mark Hyman discussed soil depletion reducing magnesium content in foods and shared a hospital anecdote about needing magnesium supplementation post-surgery. Dr. Andy Galpin noted that magnesium supplementation is recommended for roughly 90% of the athletes he works with, as exercise increases requirements and standard blood tests are unreliable indicators.

…magnesium bisglycinate, which is a somewhat of an alternative to threonate, not known to have cognitive enhancing effects, but seems, at least on par with magnesium threonate in terms of promoting transition into and depth of sleep and so on. There are other forms of magnesium, magnesium citrate, which has other functions. Actually, magnesium citrate is a fairly effective laxative, not known to promote sleep and things of that sort, so a lot of different forms of magnesium, and there's still other forms out there. Many people are not getting enough magnesium. Many people are. Okay, that's magnesium.

▶ 86:07 · Using Salt to Optimize Mental & Physical Performance | Huberman Lab

4 more clips

• 19:27 · Essentials: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick (Guest: Rhonda Patrick)
• 20:26 · Essentials: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick (Guest: Rhonda Patrick)
• 47:47 · How to Improve Your Vitality & Heal From Disease | Dr. Mark Hyman (Guest: Mark Hyman)
• 51:03 · How to Improve Your Vitality & Heal From Disease | Dr. Mark Hyman (Guest: Mark Hyman)

Dr. Peter Attia Recommends for Bone Health

Attia provides detailed, specific magnesium guidance in his bone health episode. He calls calcium, vitamin D3, and magnesium 'the big three' for bone health and recommends 300-500mg of magnesium daily as a minimum. He discusses the differences between magnesium forms in detail: citrate, glycinate, and oxide can speed up bowel function, while carbonate is more fully absorbed. He personally supplements with three forms of magnesium, including carbonate in the mornings. He also confirms that standard serum blood tests for magnesium are unreliable indicators of true status.

…reasonable options. In the magnesium school, um, you know, it really depends on what your gut can tolerate, right? So magnesium 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. It's also worth noting magnesium carbonate more fully absorbed than mag oxide, citrate, or glycinate, which is actually why those three help with bowel regularity. So, uh, personally, I like to mix them up. Um, I'm sort of using three forms of magnesium. So, I'm supplementing with mag carbonate in the mornings. I use mag oxide um, at night.

▶ 87:18 · Navigating bone health: early life influences & strategies for improvement & injury prevention

3 more clips

• 86:41 · Navigating bone health: early life influences & strategies for improvement & injury prevention
• 87:02 · Navigating bone health: early life influences & strategies for improvement & injury prevention
• 87:52 · Navigating bone health: early life influences & strategies for improvement & injury prevention

Dr. Rhonda Patrick Strongly Recommends

Patrick is the most comprehensive source on magnesium across all five experts. She has a dedicated 17-minute video plus extensive mentions across 6 additional videos. She covers magnesium's role in DNA repair, brain volume preservation, bone health, blood pressure, vitamin D metabolism, cancer prevention, and longevity. She notes that 45-50% of the US population has inadequate intake, recommends glycinate and malate for bioavailability, and cautions that threonate has low elemental content. Physically active adults need 10-20% more magnesium due to sweat losses. She cites studies linking magnesium inadequacy to accelerated brain aging, dementia, and cancer mortality.

…is magnesium threonate is not the best option for meeting daily magnesium needs it shouldn't be included as contributing to your recommended daily allowance of magnesium and that is because magnesium 3na contains a very low amount of Elemental magnesium so if you are considering supplementing with magnesium 3 andate for its potential brain health benefits which I would say have not been established do not count that magnesium dose towards your RDA goal welcome to the found my fitness podcast I'm your host Rhonda Patrick there is a lever you can pull every day to significantly enhance your body's ability to repair damage to your DNA potentially reducing cancer risk in a dose dependent manner…

▶ 00:30 · The Science of Magnesium and Its Role in Aging and Disease

8 more clips

• 02:05 · The Science of Magnesium and Its Role in Aging and Disease
• 07:15 · The Science of Magnesium and Its Role in Aging and Disease
• 08:32 · How Vitamin D, Omega-3s, & Exercise May Increase Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick
• 10:13 · How Vitamin D, Omega-3s, & Exercise May Increase Longevity | Dr. Rhonda Patrick
• 11:14 · How Micronutrients & Exercise Ameliorate Aging | Dr. Rhonda Patrick
• 13:03 · How Micronutrients & Exercise Ameliorate Aging | Dr. Rhonda Patrick
• 82:49 · Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Maximizing Healthspan with Exercise, Sauna, & Cold Exposure
• 68:45 · Dr. Andy Galpin: The Optimal Diet, Supplement, & Recovery Protocol for Peak Performance (Guest: Andy Galpin)

Dr. Mark Hyman Strongly Recommends as Foundational

Hyman is one of the two strongest advocates for magnesium, discussing it across at least 4 videos with dozens of mentions. He calls it one of the foundational supplements 'everybody needs,' citing its role in over 600 enzyme reactions and subclinical deficiency affecting up to 80% of the population. He shared a clinical case where a patient needed 1,000+ mg to resolve magnesium-related symptoms. He emphasizes soil depletion as a root cause of widespread deficiency and notes the RDA of 400mg would require eating 115 almonds daily, making supplementation essential. He also recommends magnesium for sleep support when quitting alcohol.

…next big one is magnesium deficiency now this affects about 20% of the population based on the minimum amount to prevent a deficiency disease that's 20% who have over magnesium deficiency that's quite serious subclinical deficiency could affect up to 80% of the population which is very important because why magnesium is crucial for over 600 enzyme reactions affecting every single biological system affecting overall health and risk of chronic disease literally everything from your mental health to your immune health to metabolic Health diabetes control muscle function everything pretty much everything vitamin B12 deficiencies also really common about 80 to 90% of vegans and vegetarians may be deficient in vitamin B12 because there's…

▶ 08:55 · My Favorite Supplements for Optimal Health & Longevity | Dr. Mark Hyman

6 more clips

• 02:15 · My Favorite Supplements for Optimal Health & Longevity | Dr. Mark Hyman
• 06:21 · My Favorite Supplements for Optimal Health & Longevity | Dr. Mark Hyman
• 17:58 · The Shady Reality of the $Billion Supplement Industry | The Dr. Hyman Show (Guest: Steve Martosi)
• 15:42 · The Shady Reality of the $Billion Supplement Industry | The Dr. Hyman Show (Guest: Steve Martosi)
• 11:50 · Rhonda Patrick: The Nutrient Deficiencies Causing Cancer, Inflammation & Depression (Guest: Rhonda Patrick)
• 16:11 · When Quitting Alcohol, These 10 Things Will Change in 30 Days!

What's the best form of magnesium to take?

It depends on your goal. Patrick recommends glycinate or malate for general bioavailability, while Attia favors carbonate for the fullest absorption without speeding up the bowel. Threonate is for cognitive focus only — Patrick warns it's a poor source for meeting daily needs due to low elemental content. Citrate and oxide help bowel regularity as a side benefit.

How much magnesium should you take per day?

Experts converge on 300-500mg of elemental magnesium daily. Attia recommends 300-500mg as a minimum and calls calcium, vitamin D3, and magnesium 'the big three' for bone health. Patrick targets roughly 400mg and Hyman 400mg or more. Physically active adults need 10-20% more due to sweat losses (Patrick).

Does magnesium help with sleep?

The report supports magnesium for sleep. An evening dose is suggested for sleep support, and Hyman recommends magnesium to help sleep hygiene when quitting alcohol. Magnesium glycinate is commonly stacked with theanine and apigenin in Huberman's sleep cocktail — magnesium contributing muscle relaxation and GABA activity, theanine calming without sedation.

Can you take magnesium with vitamin D?

Yes, and they work better together. Magnesium is required for the enzymatic conversion of vitamin D into its active form, so without adequate magnesium, supplementing vitamin D may be less effective (Patrick). Attia groups calcium, vitamin D3, and magnesium together as 'the big three' for bone health.

Why do experts disagree on magnesium?

They largely agree it matters but split on form. Attia favors carbonate for best absorption over oxide, citrate, or glycinate, while Patrick recommends glycinate and malate. Hyman emphasizes a food-first approach; Patrick leads with the biochemistry of why supplementation is necessary. Johnson's Blueprint stack is the only one without explicit magnesium coverage.