Form · as filed on labels
Magnesium lactate
Magnesium lactate is 12.01% elemental magnesium by mass (Mg(C₃H₅O₃)₂, molar mass 202.45). Every 100 mg of elemental magnesium from it needs 833 mg of the compound, calculated 2026-09-13. 2 on-market labels name this form. Median filed amount is 400 mg elemental magnesium per serving across 2 computed labels. Small group: fewer than three computed labels, so the median is a single reading, not a distribution. 2 of these labels blend this form with other forms.
Chemistry · fixed
How much lactate carries how much magnesium
A US Supplement Facts panel declares the element, not the salt. Magnesium lactate has a molar mass of 202.45 against magnesium's 24.305, so 12.01% of its mass is magnesium.
| Elemental magnesium | lactate required | Size 00 capsules that much powder fills |
|---|---|---|
| 100 mg | 833 mg | 2 |
| 200 mg | 1,665 mg | 3 |
| 400 mg | 3,331 mg | 5 |
A size 00 capsule holds about 730 mg of powder at powder density 0.6–0.8 g/mL; a size 000 about 1,100 mg.
Published measurements · peer-reviewed sources
2 published studies have measured how this form is absorbed
Absorption is a separate question from mass, and a contested one. Below is what each study did, on whom, and what it measured — with the original linked. See the full literature page for why results conflict.
These entries report what each study measured and on whom. They are not advice, not a ranking, and not a claim about any product on this site. Every reference links to its PubMed record so the original can be read in full.
Study of magnesium bioavailability from ten organic and inorganic Mg salts in Mg-depleted rats using a stable isotope approach
- Design
- Eighty male Wistar rats fed a magnesium-depleted diet for three weeks, then randomised into ten groups, each receiving a different magnesium salt labelled with a stable isotope.
- What it measured
- Stable isotopes allow absorption and retention to be traced directly rather than inferred from urine, across ten salts at once — the widest head-to-head comparison in the literature.
- Limits
- Rats, not people, and magnesium-depleted rats at that: depletion itself raises absorption. The breadth of the comparison is its value; the species is its limit.
Bioavailability of US commercial magnesium preparations
- Design
- Four commercially available US preparations given to healthy volunteers; bioavailability measured as the increment in urinary magnesium excretion.
- What it measured
- The study set out to test the claim that organic magnesium salts are more easily absorbed than inorganic ones, using urinary excretion as the read-out.
- Limits
- Healthy volunteers, small sample, urinary excretion as a proxy for absorption rather than a direct measurement of retention.
Median and range use the 2 labels with one determinable amount per serving, excluding any above 1,000 mg as filed. 0 of these labels carry an observed price in the gold set. This form has no priced EC100 table yet.
Labels filing this form 2
| GNC | Super Magnesium 400 mgNIH DSLD · Label 224737 · Other (e.g. tea bag) | aspartate, citrate, lactate | 400 mg | 45 | 18.00 g | Not tracked yet |
| Indiana Botanic Gardens | Triple Magnesium AdvantageNIH DSLD · Label 77282 · Capsule | aspartate, citrate, lactate | 400 mg | 30 | 12.00 g | Not tracked yet |
See all forms, brands, or the priced form matrix.
Compare lactate with other salts
13 published comparisons include magnesium lactate as of 2026-09-13; each row gives the other salt's magnesium fraction and compound mass for 100 mg elemental magnesium from the chemistry model.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium citrate: 11.3–16.16% magnesium by mass; 619–885 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium glycinate: 11.83–14.1% magnesium by mass; 709–845 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium oxide: 60.32% magnesium by mass; 166 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium malate: 13.2–15.54% magnesium by mass; 644–758 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium aspartate: 8.42% magnesium by mass; 1,188 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium carbonate: 24.78–28.83% magnesium by mass; 347–404 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium gluconate: 5.86% magnesium by mass; 1,706 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium chloride: 11.96–25.53% magnesium by mass; 392–836 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium taurate: 8.85% magnesium by mass; 1,130 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium hydroxide: 41.68% magnesium by mass; 240 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium l-threonate: 8.25% magnesium by mass; 1,212 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium orotate: 7.27% magnesium by mass; 1,376 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
- Magnesium lactate vs magnesium sulfate: 9.86–20.19% magnesium by mass; 495–1,014 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
Excipients most common in lactate labels
5 published excipient facets below have the highest frequencies among 6 labels mentioning magnesium lactate in the NIH DSLD records, counted 2026-09-13; each label enters an ingredient count once.
- magnesium stearate: 5 of 6 labels.
- microcrystalline cellulose: 4 of 6 labels.
- carnauba wax: 3 of 6 labels.
- silicon dioxide: 3 of 6 labels.
- calcium carbonate: 2 of 6 labels.
The metric
What EC100 measures
EC100 = container price ÷ (elemental mg per serving × servings per container ÷ 100)
It normalizes the declared elemental amount to a 100 mg unit. It does not score ingredients, quality, or outcomes.