Magnesium Oxide Vs. Citrate

An increasing number of hospital patients suffer from a condition called hypomagnesemia, a deficiency of magnesium in the bloodstream, according to the National Institutes of Health. Magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide have the potential to prevent this condition, but the two substances are not equally effective.

Water Solubility

• A major component of blood is water. So the human body can absorb a substance into the bloodstream more easily if it is soluble in water. Magnesium citrate readily dissolves in water, but magnesium oxide does not.

Testimony of Urine

• A urine test will show how much magnesium is entering the blood stream after consuming magnesium oxide or magnesium citrate. According to a study conducted by the Center for Mineral Metabolism and Clinical Research, University of Texas, urinary magnesium showed a greater increase after ingestion of magnesium citrate than it did after the consumption of magnesium oxide.

Relative Bioavailability

• Magnesium has to be in the bloodstream before the body can use it. Since the bloodstream absorbs magnesium more efficiently from magnesium citrate than from magnesium oxide, the human body profits more from magnesium citrate than from pure magnesium oxide.

A Recent Development

• According to a study conducted by the Department of Urology of the University of Bonn in 2010, the ingestion of effervescent tablets of magnesium oxide resulted in considerably greater urinary magnesium than the ingestion of magnesium capsules. Magnesium citrate was not included in the study.