Best Magnesium Supplement to Avoid Diarrhea

Magnesium is a great supplement, but there are so many to choose from it can make your head spin.

Many forms of magnesium cause diarrhea, loose stools, gas, cramping, and bloating as unwanted side effects. The reason is that many magnesium supplements do not absorb well enough.

When magnesium doesn’t absorb into the body, it passes into the colon and draws a lot of water along with it. All this extra water in the colon results in diarrhea and the other digestive side effects mentioned above.

The best form of magnesium for highest absorption (ie. won’t cause diarrhea) is non-buffered magnesium bisglycinate.

The “non-buffered” is key. A lot of magnesium bisglyinate (or glycinate) is “buffered”, even though many companies won’t specifically tell you this. If magnesium is “buffered” it means that magnesium oxide has been added and mixed in with it. So even though you may see “magnesium bisglycinate” on the front of a label, you won’t know its “buffered” until you dig a little deeper.

The way to tell is you need to look at the ratio of magnesium bisglycinate to the “elemental” magnesium. If the elemental magnesium is only 10% of the magnesium bisglycinate, then it’s non-buffered (aka Pure). If the elemental magnesium is over 10%, then it has been buffered with oxide.

The reason buffering exists in the first place is that it allows for more elemental magnesium to be in each capsule because magnesium oxide is very high in elemental magnesium.

Check out this article for a comprehensive overview of magnesium bisglycinate.

The issue is that magnesium oxide absorbs very poorly and causes loose stools. Many people actually take pure magnesium oxide or magnesium citrate for the purpose of helping with their constipation. So if you are looking to avoid diarrhea, you really need to get the non-buffered magnesium bisglycinate.

We offer a very pure, non-buffered, magnesium bisglycinate. There are no fillers at all, and it’s in a pure vegetarian capsule. The capsules are also easy to swallow and the magnesium absorbs very well.

A lot of magnesium supplements are in large “horse pills” and very difficult to swallow for many people. Ours are small and very easy.

You may also want to try taking your magnesium on an empty stomach because it will absorb better that way. When magnesium is mixed with a lot of food and specifically fiber, then it can pass into the colon and absorb water and cause gas, bloating, and watery stools. Also, remember to check the labels and take your magnesium within the recommended doses.