What Is Chelated Magnesium?

Many people are surprised to learn their bodies lack sufficient magnesium for good health, especially since this important mineral is often a part of their broad spectrum of a multiple vitamin and mineral complex.

Chelation is Key

• For best absorption, inorganic, elemental minerals like magnesium should be attached, or chelated, to an organic compound such as an amino acid. The body then recognizes them as food and produces hydrochloric acid to digest them.

Unchelated Forms are Hard to Absorb

• If the mineral is not chelated, the body first must bind it to food particles in the stomach before it can be used. As we age, however, it becomes less efficient at this process. Consequently, some of the magnesium likely will pass on as waste, or worse, lodge in the kidneys and other parts of the body undigested.

Pass on Magnesium Oxide

• Check out the label of your multiple or magnesium supplement. If it says “magnesium oxide,” you are using a form that is unchelated and not readily available to the body.

Magnesium Citrate

• Health food companies are offering more chelated supplements as awareness of how minerals are processed by the body increases. One of the easiest forms to assimilate is magnesium citrate, which is magnesium attached to molecules of citric acid from citrus fruits.

Other Effective Choices

• Additional chelated forms include magnesium gluconate, magnesium aspartate, magnesium glycinate and magnesium malate. Magnesium chloride, which is sprayed on the skin, doesn’t require chelation for optimal absorption.