Magnesium Citrate
Mineral ·Exploratory record · not publication-reviewed ·Updated July 13, 2026
Well-absorbed magnesium form with mild laxative properties.
Exploratory record, not a reviewed medical publication.
See the editorial and medical-review policies for the publication gate.
This generated database record has not completed a claim-level review by a qualified human medical reviewer. Bibliography links and evidence labels are not approval. The page remains available for reference and is excluded from search indexing.
What the research says.
A quick, data-only summary. The full evidence, dosing, and sources are below.
Magnesium Citrate is a mineral most often used for magnesium supplementation, constipation relief, muscle relaxation. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong. A typical adult dose is 200-350 mg elemental magnesium daily, commonly taken as magnesium citrate powder or capsules. This profile indexes 16 sources.
The bottom line
Evidence rating strong. Most-documented uses: magnesium supplementation, constipation relief, muscle relaxation. 16 sources indexed (1990–2022), with 0 interaction records on file.
How it works, mechanistically.
Core mechanism
Citrate chelation increases solubility at intestinal pH. Absorbed via TRPM6/7 channels. Osmotic effect draws water into intestines, supporting bowel regularity.1,5
Dosing & protocol.
What it actually costs.
Real-world pricing across three quality tiers. Assumes Citrate.
Assumes about 300-400 mg elemental magnesium/day. Citrate is often the best price-to-absorption middle ground if stool loosening is acceptable. Updated 2026-04-02.
The same dose, as food.
How much you'd eat to match a supplemental dose.
Foods provide magnesium, not the citrate salt; citrate is a supplement form.
Full safety detail.
Sources, by evidence tier.
Numbered references. Citations throughout the page link here.
Meta-analyses & systematic reviews
4- 1Sodium Picosulphate with Magnesium Citrate versus Polyethylene Glycol for Bowel Preparation in Children: A Systematic ReviewPMIDDziechciarz P, Ruszczyński M, Horvath A · Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition · 2022
Dziechciarz P, Ruszczyński M, Horvath A. Sodium Picosulphate with Magnesium Citrate versus Polyethylene Glycol for Bowel Preparation in Children: A Systematic Review. Pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology & nutrition. 2022
- 2Oral magnesium supplementation in adults with coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysisSource linkedPMIDRosanoff A, Costello R, Johnson R · Adv Nutr · 2021
- 3Magnesium and health outcomes: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational and intervention studiesPMIDVeronese N et al. · Eur J Nutr · 2019
Strong evidence that magnesium supplementation decreases risk of hospitalization in pregnant women and reduces migraine intensity/frequency; beneficial for blood pressure.
- 4Effect of magnesium supplementation on blood pressure: a meta-analysisPMIDKass L et al. · Eur J Clin Nutr · 2012
Combining trials showed magnesium supplementation decreases systolic blood pressure by 3-4 mmHg and diastolic by 2-3 mmHg in hypertensive populations.
Randomized controlled trials
7- 5Reversal Of Arterial Disease by modulating Magnesium and Phosphate (ROADMAP-study): rationale and design of a randomized controlled trial assessing the effects of magnesium citrate supplementation and phosphate-binding therapy on arterial stiffness in moderate chronic kidney diseasePMIDVermeulen EA, Eelderink C, Hoekstra T et al. · Trials · 2022
Vermeulen EA, Eelderink C, Hoekstra T et al.. Reversal Of Arterial Disease by modulating Magnesium and Phosphate (ROADMAP-study): rationale and design of a randomized controlled trial assessing the effects of magnesium citrate supplementation and phosphate-binding therapy on arterial stiffness in moderate chronic kidney disease. Trials. 2022
- 6Senna Versus Magnesium Oxide for the Treatment of Chronic Constipation: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled TrialPMIDMorishita D et al. · Am J Gastroenterol · 2020
Magnesium oxide significantly improved bowel movement frequency and quality of life in chronic constipation (68.3% response rate vs 11.7% placebo).
- 7Effects of magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate supplementation on arterial stiffness in healthy overweight individuals: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trialPMIDSchutten JC, Joris PJ, Mensink RP et al. · Trials · 2019
Schutten JC, Joris PJ, Mensink RP et al.. Effects of magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate supplementation on arterial stiffness in healthy overweight individuals: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2019
- 8Efficacy and Safety of Sodium Picosulfate/Magnesium Citrate for Bowel Preparation in a Physically Disabled Outpatient Population: A Randomized, Endoscopist-Blinded Comparison With Ascorbic Acid-Enriched Polyethylene Glycol Solution Plus Bisacodyl (The PICO-MOVI Study)PMIDMathus-Vliegen EMH, van der Vliet K, Wignand-van der Storm IJ et al. · Diseases of the colon and rectum · 2018
Mathus-Vliegen EMH, van der Vliet K, Wignand-van der Storm IJ et al.. Efficacy and Safety of Sodium Picosulfate/Magnesium Citrate for Bowel Preparation in a Physically Disabled Outpatient Population: A Randomized, Endoscopist-Blinded Comparison With Ascorbic Acid-Enriched Polyethylene Glycol Solution Plus Bisacodyl (The PICO-MOVI Study). Diseases of the colon and rectum. 2018
- 9Effectiveness of magnesium citrate as preparation for capsule endoscopy: a randomized, prospective, open-label, inter-group trialPMIDNinomiya K, Yao K, Matsui T et al. · Digestion · 2012
Ninomiya K, Yao K, Matsui T et al.. Effectiveness of magnesium citrate as preparation for capsule endoscopy: a randomized, prospective, open-label, inter-group trial. Digestion. 2012
- 10Mg citrate found more bioavailable than other Mg preparations in a randomised, double-blind studyPMIDWalker AF et al. · Magnes Res · 2003
Magnesium citrate led to the greatest mean serum magnesium concentration compared to other treatments following both acute and chronic supplementation.
- 11Magnesium bioavailability from magnesium citrate and magnesium oxidePMIDLindberg JS et al. · J Am Coll Nutr · 1990
Magnesium citrate was more soluble and bioavailable than magnesium oxide as measured by urinary magnesium excretion.
Reviews & position papers
3- 12Bioavailability of magnesium food supplements: A systematic reviewPMIDUysal N et al. · Nutrition · 2021
Inorganic magnesium formulations are less bioavailable than organic ones; organic forms (citrate, amino-acid chelate) showed greater absorption at 60 days than oxide.
- 13Cleansing efficacy and safety of bowel preparation protocol using sodium picosulfate/magnesium citrate considering subjective experiences: An observational studyPMIDLiu FX, Wang L, Yan WJ et al. · World journal of clinical cases · 2021
Liu FX, Wang L, Yan WJ et al.. Cleansing efficacy and safety of bowel preparation protocol using sodium picosulfate/magnesium citrate considering subjective experiences: An observational study. World journal of clinical cases. 2021
- 14Efficacy and Patient Tolerability of Split-Dose Sodium Picosulfate/Magnesium Citrate (SPMC) Oral Solution Compared to the Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Solution for Bowel Preparation in Outpatient Colonoscopy: An Evidence-Based ReviewPMIDde Miranda Neto AA, de Moura DTH, Hathorn KE et al. · Clinical and experimental gastroenterology · 2020
de Miranda Neto AA, de Moura DTH, Hathorn KE et al.. Efficacy and Patient Tolerability of Split-Dose Sodium Picosulfate/Magnesium Citrate (SPMC) Oral Solution Compared to the Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) Solution for Bowel Preparation in Outpatient Colonoscopy: An Evidence-Based Review. Clinical and experimental gastroenterology. 2020
Reference material
2- 15Schutten JC, Joris PJ, Groendijk I et al.. Effects of Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Oxide, and Magnesium Sulfate Supplementation on Arterial Stiffness: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Intervention Trial. Journal of the American Heart Association. 2022Source linkedPMID
- 16Afitska K, Clavel J, Kisters K et al.. Magnesium citrate supplementation decreased blood pressure and HbA1c in normomagnesemic subjects with metabolic syndrome: a 12-week, placebo-controlled, double-blinded pilot trial. Magnesium research. 2021Source linkedPMID
Common questions.
Quick answers about Magnesium Citrate, drawn from the data on this page.
What is Magnesium Citrate?
Well-absorbed magnesium form with mild laxative properties.
What is Magnesium Citrate used for?
Commonly cited benefits of Magnesium Citrate include: Magnesium supplementation; Constipation relief; Muscle relaxation. NutriStack rates the overall evidence as strong.
What is a typical dose of Magnesium Citrate?
A typical adult dose of Magnesium Citrate is 200-350 mg elemental magnesium daily. The commonly recommended form is Magnesium citrate powder or capsules. These are general ranges, not personalized advice; confirm the right dose with a clinician.
What are the side effects of Magnesium Citrate?
Reported side effects include loose stools, diarrhea (feature for some, bug for others). This is educational information; check with a healthcare professional before use.
How strong is the evidence for Magnesium Citrate?
NutriStack rates this as Strong, meaning multiple high-quality meta-analyses or systematic reviews converge on the same finding. Full tier criteria are at https://nutristackapp.com/methodology/evidence-tiers.
Deep dives & adjacent profiles.
This page is educational. Do not start, stop, or change a supplement or medication based on it without checking with a qualified healthcare professional.
Use this with your stack
Magnesium Citrate in NutriStack.
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