Magnesium at Chemist Warehouse: every product graded by a pharmacist

Written by Cassie, registered pharmacist
Founder of Clean Green Safe

Standing in front of the magnesium shelf at Chemist Warehouse can feel overwhelming. There are dozens of tubs, most of them say “high strength”, and the numbers on the front rarely match what’s on the back.

So I’ve gone through the most popular ones for you. For each product I’ve checked the label against the TGA register, worked out how much magnesium you actually get a day, and what that costs. Here’s what I found.

How we graded these products

• Every grade is based on the brand’s recommended daily dose on the label. Where the directions give a range, such as “1 to 2 tablets daily”, we use the highest dose.
• Each product is checked against its listing on the TGA register (ARTG).
• Grades look at five things: label clarity, dose against Australian daily targets and upper limits, TGA register status, ingredient quality and manufacturing.
• Ingredient quality takes the form of magnesium into account. The more of a product’s magnesium that comes from magnesium oxide, the lower that score.
• Price never affects a grade. No brand pays to be rated or listed.

Clean Green Safe is independent and isn’t affiliated with Chemist Warehouse or any brand on this page.

Magnesium glycinate at Chemist Warehouse

The good news first: most of the magnesium glycinate products on the shelf earn an A+. They’re clearly labelled, listed on the TGA register, and give you a sensible amount of magnesium at the recommended dose. That means the real differences come down to how much magnesium you get and what you pay for it.

What each one costs per 100 mg of magnesium

The price on the tub doesn’t tell you much on its own, because the amount of magnesium in each tablet varies so much. A fairer comparison is what you pay for every 100 mg of magnesium you actually get.

Same grade, very different price. At the time of writing, the most expensive glycinate costs more than three times as much per 100 mg of magnesium as the least expensive.

What about the “high strength” magnesium tablets?

The big-number tablets on the same shelf are usually a blend, and most of the magnesium comes from magnesium oxide. Oxide carries a lot of magnesium in a small tablet, which is why these products give you more magnesium for your money. Some people find oxide less comfortable on the stomach than glycinate, so it’s worth knowing which one you’re buying.

The body absorbs a smaller share of the magnesium in magnesium oxide than in forms like glycinate or citrate, so our grades take the form into account. That’s why these blends score lower than the glycinates above, even when the label is clear and the dose is sensible.

Two products go over the upper limit at their top dose

The upper limit for magnesium from supplements is 350 mg a day. Taken at the highest dose on the label, two products go over it:

• Cenovis Magnesium: the label says 1 to 2 tablets daily. Two tablets give 650 mg of magnesium, plus about 99 mg of vitamin B6, which is also above the B6 upper limit of 50 mg.
• Ethical Nutrients Mega Magnesium Glycinate 5-in-1: the label says 1 tablet daily, or 1 tablet three times daily for therapeutic use. Three tablets give 450 mg of magnesium.

At one tablet a day, both stay under the limit. If you’re taking the higher dose, or combining either with another magnesium product, it’s a good idea to have a chat with your pharmacist.

Three things to check on the shelf

• Turn the tub around and find the line that says “equivalent to magnesium” or “elemental magnesium”. That’s the amount you actually get, not the big number on the front.
• Read the directions and multiply by the number of tablets you’ll take each day. Keep the total from supplements at or under 350 mg.
• Check for other nutrients, especially vitamin B6. If you take more than one product, add them up.

Questions people often ask

If you’d like to see how your own magnesium stacks up, including everything else you take, you can check your products for free. And as always, bring your labels to your local pharmacist. We’re always happy to look over them with you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cassie, registered pharmacist

Cassie is a registered pharmacist, a parent and the founder of Clean Green Safe. With a background in Australian supplement regulation across the TGA, FSANZ and NHMRC, she built Clean Green Safe to help people understand what’s really in their supplements, and how it all adds up across everything they take.