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Supplement evidence

054 / 575Mineral form

Magnesium L-threonate

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The short answer

Early trials examine cognitive and sleep outcomes; superiority over other forms is unproven.

Evidence and scope
Emerging evidence

This status does not grade the ingredient for every goal, outcome, or person.

Important limitation
Early human findings are hypothesis-generating; efficacy, long-term safety, and optimal dose remain uncertain.
Before deciding
Key concern: Kidney impairment and interacting antibiotics require review; do not stack multiple magnesium forms.

01 / PRACTICAL GUIDE

Dose, absorption, and combinations

These are indication-specific reference or studied ranges—not a personalized prescription. Start with the objective, then check the form, label, medicines, and health conditions.

Reference range by objective
Cognitive-performance researchAbout 1.5–2 g/day compound, providing much less elemental magnesium, in early trials

Reference or studied range—not a personalized prescription. The product label or a clinician may specify a different dose.

Dose source

More is not automatically better. A clinician or product label may specify a different amount.

Absorption / solubilityWater-soluble

Water-soluble or readily water-dispersible. This does not mean excess is always harmless.

How it is commonly taken

Divide doses and verify elemental magnesium on the label.

Do not combine casually

Kidney impairment and interacting antibiotics require review; do not stack multiple magnesium forms.

Dose and use source

Dose and use links lead to primary or official source material. Search links are discovery tools, not proof that every returned paper applies.

02 / EVIDENCE

What the research says

We keep supportive, mixed, negative, safety, and contextual findings together. The headline never replaces the underlying papers.

4research papers in this ledger
3unique primary studies represented
224unique participants represented

These are audited counts for this JIVANA collection, not search-result totals. Participants are counted once when multiple papers use the same cohort; review papers are not added again to participant totals.

Open the research timelineResearch timeline

Entries are ordered by publication year. A study period appears only when the source reports it.

2026
Mixed or qualifiedPMID 41601871

The effects of magnesium L-threonate on cognitive performance and sleep quality in adults

The NIH composite and reaction time favored treatment, but Raven's testing did not. One subjective sleep-impairment measure improved, while objective sleep measures and several other sleep scales did not; derived 'cognitive age' is not clinical evidence of slower aging.

Study design and methods
Design
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial
Population
100 adults aged 18–45 dissatisfied with their sleep
Intervention
Magtein magnesium L-threonate 2 g/day or placebo
Outcome
NIH cognitive tests, Raven's matrices, derived cognitive age, subjective sleep, Oura sleep measures, heart rate, and heart-rate variability

Funding or conflict note: Threotech funded the study, supplied the intellectual property and product, and helped conceptualize the design. Both authors worked for the contract research organization, whose director reported nutraceutical funding and honoraria.

Open research record
2024
Mixed or qualifiedPMID 39252819 · NCT05183750

Magnesium-L-threonate improves sleep quality and daytime functioning in adults with self-reported sleep problems

Selected subjective and Oura measures favored treatment, but the pattern partly reflected deterioration in placebo and involved many outcomes over only 21 days. The trial does not establish durable sleep or health benefit.

Study design and methods
Design
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel trial
Population
80 adults aged 35–55 with self-assessed sleep problems
Intervention
Magnesium L-threonate 1 g/day or placebo
Outcome
Subjective sleep and daytime questionnaires, mood diary, and Oura sleep, activity, and readiness measures

Funding or conflict note: Three authors were affiliated with AIDP, and the article is copyrighted by AIDP. The PubMed conflict statement is not informative despite these product-company ties.

Open research record
2022
Evidence contextPMID 36558392

A Magtein Magnesium L-Threonate-Based Formula Improves Brain Cognitive Functions in Healthy Chinese Adults

The multi-ingredient formula improved memory-test scores, but the effect of magnesium L-threonate cannot be separated from phosphatidylserine or vitamins C and D.

Study design and methods
Design
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Population
109 healthy Chinese adults aged 18–65
Intervention
A 2 g/day formula containing magnesium L-threonate, phosphatidylserine, and vitamins C and D, or placebo
Outcome
Clinical Memory Test subscales and memory quotient

Funding or conflict note: Wu-xi Magtein Bioscience funded the trial. It is excluded from aggregate totals because the four-component product cannot identify a magnesium L-threonate effect.

Open research record
2016
Mixed or qualifiedPMID 26519439 · NCT02363634

Efficacy and Safety of MMFS-01 for Treating Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults

The composite cognition score favored MMFS-01 (d=0.91), but sleep and anxiety could not be distinguished from strong placebo effects. The small completer analysis and sponsor-led cognitive analysis require independent replication.

Study design and methods
Design
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single-site trial
Population
44 adults aged 50–70 with cognitive complaints, poor sleep, and anxiety who completed efficacy analysis
Intervention
MMFS-01 containing magnesium L-threonate, 1.5 or 2 g/day by body weight, or placebo
Outcome
Composite cognition, individual cognitive domains, sleep, anxiety, magnesium status, and adverse events

Funding or conflict note: Neurocentria funded and co-designed the study, analyzed cognitive outcomes, and wrote the paper; three authors were affiliated with Neurocentria.

Open research record
Unscreened discovery appendix—not evidence3 candidate publicationsSearch run: Aug 21, 2026

Complete for the displayed PubMed query at the search timestamp—not for all databases or every possible synonym. Candidates can be irrelevant, duplicate the same study, or report negative findings. They are never summed as evidence or participants until screened.

03 / SOURCES

Start with the source material

The live search is for discovery only. Search-result counts change and are not included in the audited totals above.

Recent PubMed discovery recordsDirect links to the first 12 records returned by the reproducible search. These are discovery candidates—not reviewed summaries or a count of supportive findings.
  1. Oral application of magnesium-L-threonate enhances analgesia and reduces the dosage of opioids needed in advanced cancer patients-A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.Wu S, Jin T, Ma B et al. · 2023 · Cancer medicine · PMID 36703238Open on PubMed
  2. A Magtein(®), Magnesium L-Threonate, -Based Formula Improves Brain Cognitive Functions in Healthy Chinese Adults.Zhang C, Hu Q, Li S et al. · 2022 · Nutrients · PMID 36558392Open on PubMed
  3. A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study of Magnesium Supplementation in Patients with XMEN Disease.Chauvin SD, Price S, Zou J et al. · 2022 · Journal of clinical immunology · PMID 34655400Open on PubMed

04 / EXPERT CONTEXT

Expert context—not evidence

Expert positions are dated context—not scientific evidence. They never raise the evidence status or become consensus by repetition.

No direct, source-verified endorsement is currently recorded. Research authorship or discussion alone is not treated as endorsement.

Educational information only—not medical advice. Product quality, dose, medicines, pregnancy, and kidney or liver disease can materially change safety.