Magnesium malate

A US Supplement Facts panel declares the element, not the salt. Magnesium malate has a molar mass of 156.38 against magnesium's 24.305, so 13.2–15.54% of its mass is magnesium. One caveat: anhydrous or dihydrate — so the figures below are given as a range wherever that matters.

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.

Counted only for capsule labels naming this salt alone. Full method and the corpus-wide figure: label mass-budget audit.

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.

1. Dose-Dependent Absorption Profile of Different Magnesium Compounds

   Biological Trace Element Research · 2020 · PMID 30761462

   Design

   Absorption of several magnesium compounds profiled across doses rather than at a single dose.

   What it measured

   Absorption is treated as dose-dependent, so a comparison made at one dose need not hold at another — which is why single-dose head-to-head results disagree.

   Limits

   Compound coverage and sample size vary by arm; read the paper before carrying any single figure across.

2. Timeline (Bioavailability) of Magnesium Compounds in Hours: Which Magnesium Compound Works Best?

   Biological trace element research · 2019 · PMID 29679349

   Design

   Single-dose administration of 400 mg/70 kg magnesium as one of five compounds (magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide, magnesium acetyl taurate, magnesium citrate, magnesium malate) to Sprague Dawley rats, with a control group, followed by time-dependent tissue and serum sampling.

   What it measured

   Time-dependent magnesium absorption profile (area under the curve) in serum; magnesium tissue penetration and concentration, including brain tissue; behavioral indicators (e.g., anxiety-related behavior) recorded in the animals.

   Limits

   Animal model (Sprague Dawley rats), not humans — extrapolation of pharmacokinetic and behavioral findings to people is not established; single dose only, no chronic-dosing data; per-compound group sample size is not stated in the abstract; behavioral endpoints were measured only in rodents. The tested acetyl taurate is distinct from the unmodified taurate in the chemistry table.

3. Scottsdale Magnesium Study: Absorption, Cellular Uptake, and Clinical Effectiveness of a Timed-Release Magnesium Supplement in a Standard Adult Clinical Population.

   Journal of the American College of Nutrition · 2018 · PMID 29425476

   Design

   Placebo-controlled study at two clinics in 91 adults; 53 received MagSRT (500 mg dimagnesium malate plus vitamins B6, B12, and folate, dosed as 2 tablets containing 250 mg elemental magnesium) and the remainder received placebo. A subset of 24 MagSRT participants continued the trial to 90 days.

   What it measured

   Serum magnesium at 4 and 8 hours post-dose; red blood cell (RBC) magnesium at baseline, 30 days, and 90 days (subset); magnesium status questionnaire score at baseline, 30 days, and 90 days.

   Limits

   Comparator was placebo only, not a head-to-head comparison against other magnesium salts; the tested product combined dimagnesium malate with B-vitamins and folate, so effects cannot be isolated to the malate salt alone; 90-day follow-up was limited to a subset (n=24) of the original 53 treated participants; outcome included a self-reported symptom questionnaire alongside biochemical markers.

Compare malate with other salts

13 published comparisons include magnesium malate 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 malate vs magnesium citrate: 11.3–16.16% magnesium by mass; 619–885 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium glycinate: 11.83–14.1% magnesium by mass; 709–845 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium oxide: 60.32% magnesium by mass; 166 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium aspartate: 8.42% magnesium by mass; 1,188 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium carbonate: 24.78–28.83% magnesium by mass; 347–404 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium gluconate: 5.86% magnesium by mass; 1,706 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium chloride: 11.96–25.53% magnesium by mass; 392–836 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium taurate: 8.85% magnesium by mass; 1,130 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium hydroxide: 41.68% magnesium by mass; 240 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium l-threonate: 8.25% magnesium by mass; 1,212 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium orotate: 7.27% magnesium by mass; 1,376 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium lactate: 12.01% magnesium by mass; 833 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.
• Magnesium malate vs magnesium sulfate: 9.86–20.19% magnesium by mass; 495–1,014 mg compound per 100 mg elemental magnesium.

Excipients most common in malate labels

5 published excipient facets below have the highest frequencies among 73 labels mentioning magnesium malate in the NIH DSLD records, counted 2026-09-13; each label enters an ingredient count once.

• magnesium stearate: 37 of 73 labels.
• silicon dioxide: 33 of 73 labels.
• microcrystalline cellulose: 24 of 73 labels.
• stearic acid: 21 of 73 labels.
• cellulose: 15 of 73 labels.