Magtein® Magnesium L-Threonate

What Is Magnesium L-Threonate?

Magnesium L-threonate is magnesium paired with two molecules of L-threonate, the salt of threonic acid. Threonic acid is a small four-carbon sugar acid that the body forms as it breaks down vitamin C. Magtein® Magnesium L-Threonate is the patented version of that compound, at 2,000 mg per serving.

How It Works in the Body

Magnesium is a cofactor in hundreds of enzyme reactions. Nearly every reaction that spends ATP needs it, because enzymes recognize ATP as a magnesium complex rather than as a bare molecule. At nerve and muscle membranes the mineral works opposite calcium, taking part in the release that follows a contraction.

The ligand is what sets this form apart. Threonate is small, water-soluble and already familiar to the body, and it carries magnesium as a neutral complex rather than as a loose charged ion.

What It Supports

• Enzyme cofactor work: Magnesium is required by hundreds of enzymes, among them every enzyme that spends ATP.
• Nerve signaling: Magnesium supports normal nerve signaling, where it sits opposite calcium at the membrane.
• Muscle function: Magnesium is required for normal muscle contraction and for the release that follows it.
• A familiar carrier: L-threonate is a molecule the body already makes from vitamin C, not a synthetic carrier.

Who It May Suit

People who already take magnesium and want the threonate form specifically rather than another citrate, malate or glycinate. The capsule is vegetable cellulose and the filler is rice powder, so it suits vegetarian and vegan eating, and it suits anyone who prefers capsules to large tablets.

Good To Know

A chelate weighs more in ligand than in mineral, so the elemental amount matters: 144 mg of magnesium per serving. The capsule shell contains titanium dioxide, a white colorant. Magnesium can loosen stools, so talk with your provider before use if you have kidney disease, since the kidneys are what clear magnesium.