Magnesium
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Magnesium
150mg, as glycinate. The interesting thing about magnesium is not the dose — it is that two different numbers can honestly describe the same amount, and most labels only print one of them.
Belle Balance contains 150mg of elemental magnesium, 40% of the Nutrient Reference Value, in the glycinate form. Delivering that requires roughly 1,064mg of magnesium glycinate, because the compound is only about 14% magnesium by weight. We print the elemental figure. Ten health claims for magnesium have passed scientific assessment; our pack carries two.
How we grade this one
Vitamins and minerals are not graded A to E. They sit on the other track: a health claim for them has either been through formal scientific assessment or it has not. That is a different question from how many trials exist.
Magnesium carries ten health claims that have passed scientific assessment — more than any other mineral in Belle Balance. The question worth asking is not whether magnesium does anything, but whether the number on a label means what you think it means. Section 2 is about that, and it is the one place where our own label needed a decision.
1 · What is in the sachet
| Amount | % NRV | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnesium · elemental | 150 mg | 40% | Glycinate |
| Magnesium glycinate · the compound | ~1,064 mg | — | — |
Both rows describe the same magnesium. One is the mineral itself; the other is the weight of the substance carrying it. A label may print either, and which one a brand chooses tells you something.
2 · Two numbers, one mineral
The single most common way a supplement label misleads without saying anything untrue.
Why the compound weighs seven times more
Magnesium is a metal and cannot be eaten on its own. It is always bound to something — an oxide, a citrate, an amino acid — and that carrier makes up most of the weight. Magnesium glycinate is roughly 14% magnesium, the rest being the glycine it is bound to. So 150mg of magnesium arrives inside about 1,064mg of compound.
Which number a label prints
A product carrying our exact amount could honestly print “1,064mg magnesium glycinate” instead of “150mg magnesium”. The first is a bigger number describing a smaller thing. Neither is false. Only one is comparable with anything else on the shelf.
We print the elemental figure, and the percentage NRV alongside it. The NRV is the check: a percentage can only be calculated from elemental magnesium, so if a panel shows a large milligram figure and no percentage, the large figure is probably the compound.
3 · Glycinate, bisglycinate, and what the name can hide
Two words for the same thing, and one real reason to check which you have.
They are the same compound
Our pack says magnesium glycinate; some brands write magnesium bisglycinate. Both names describe the same material: magnesium bound to two glycine molecules, which is where the bis (two) comes from. Neither name is more correct than the other.
Where the name can hide something
Some products sold as “magnesium glycinate” are buffered — blended with magnesium oxide, which is cheap and around 60% magnesium, to lift the elemental content of the mix. That is not fraudulent and it is not always disclosed, but it means two products carrying the same name can be quite different things.
The arithmetic tells you which you have, and ours is in section 2. 150mg of magnesium from about 1,064mg of compound is 14.1% elemental, which is what the unbuffered form delivers. A buffered blend would run meaningfully higher. That figure is the check, and it is why section 2 prints the compound weight at all.
4 · Why glycinate and not oxide
Magnesium oxide is about 60% magnesium by weight — it carries four times as much magnesium per gram as glycinate, and is considerably cheaper. It is also poorly absorbed and well known for drawing water into the bowel, which is why it appears in laxatives.
Glycinate takes the opposite trade. It is bulky and expensive because most of its weight is glycine rather than magnesium, and it is generally better tolerated at the same elemental dose.
That trade has a physical consequence you can see in the product. Over a gram of compound for 150mg of mineral is a lot of powder, which is part of why this is a sachet rather than a capsule. A form chosen for tolerability costs volume, and volume has to go somewhere.
The form does not change the claims. The ten authorised claims in section 5 belong to magnesium itself, whichever form carries it. What the form changes is how well it is tolerated and how much powder it takes.
5 · The claims, and the two on our pack
Reproduced exactly as written. We do not reword them and we do not add to them.
- Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue
- Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function
- Magnesium contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system
- Magnesium contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism
- Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function
- Magnesium contributes to electrolyte balance
- Magnesium contributes to normal protein synthesis
- Magnesium contributes to the maintenance of normal bones
- Magnesium contributes to the maintenance of normal teeth
- Magnesium has a role in the process of cell division
Our pack carries the first two. The others are equally available to us at this dose.
They apply from a threshold of 15% of the reference intake — about 56mg of magnesium. We carry 150mg, which is comfortably clear of it.
6 · Where else magnesium comes from
Magnesium is widespread in ordinary food — wholegrains, nuts and seeds, pulses, leafy greens and dark chocolate are among the richer sources. Hard tap water contributes a little in some areas.
Which is the right way to read 40% NRV. A supplement at this level is topping up a dietary intake, not replacing one. That is also why we did not reach for a larger number: magnesium above a certain intake reliably causes digestive effects, and the ceiling is low enough to be worth respecting.
What we do not claim
- We do not claim magnesium glycinate is better absorbed than other forms in any particular amount. It is generally better tolerated, which is a different and smaller statement.
- We do not claim those ten sentences describe what this product does. They describe what the mineral contributes to, assessed on the mineral and not on our formulation.
- We do not claim 150mg is a therapeutic dose. It is 40% of the reference intake, chosen to top up a diet rather than to treat anything.
- We do not claim this product treats, prevents or reduces the risk of anything.
What we claim is the composition: 150mg of elemental magnesium as glycinate, 40% of the Nutrient Reference Value.
Worth knowing
Supplemental magnesium can cause loose stools, and the threshold varies a good deal between people and between forms. If you already take a magnesium supplement, count ours alongside it rather than instead of it. If you have reduced kidney function, speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking magnesium at all, because it is cleared by the kidneys.
Common questions
- How much magnesium is in Belle Balance?
- 150mg of elemental magnesium per 8g sachet, which is 40% of the Nutrient Reference Value. It is supplied as magnesium glycinate, and delivering 150mg of the mineral takes roughly 1,064mg of that compound.
- What is the difference between magnesium and magnesium glycinate on a label?
- One is the mineral, the other is the compound carrying it. Glycinate is only about 14% magnesium by weight, so the compound figure is roughly seven times larger for the same mineral. A percentage NRV can only be calculated from the elemental figure.
- Is magnesium glycinate the same as magnesium bisglycinate?
- Yes. Both names describe magnesium bound to two glycine molecules; the bis means two. The practical difference is that some products named glycinate are buffered with magnesium oxide, which lifts elemental content. Ours runs at 14.1% elemental, consistent with the unbuffered form.
- Why use magnesium glycinate rather than magnesium oxide?
- Oxide is around 60% magnesium and much cheaper, but poorly absorbed and commonly used in laxatives. Glycinate carries far less magnesium per gram and is generally better tolerated at the same elemental dose. The trade is cost and bulk for tolerability.
- Is 150mg of magnesium enough?
- It is 40% of the reference intake, and the threshold at which the health claims apply is 15%, or about 56mg. It is designed to top up dietary magnesium from foods like wholegrains, nuts, pulses and leafy greens rather than to replace it.
- What does magnesium do?
- Ten health claims for magnesium have passed scientific assessment, covering the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, psychological function, the nervous system, muscle function, energy-yielding metabolism, electrolyte balance, protein synthesis, bones, teeth and cell division.
Sources
- GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register. Checked against the register export of 19 May 2026. Ten authorised claims for magnesium, reproduced above verbatim. Condition of use: the food must be at least a source of magnesium, meaning 15% of the Nutrient Reference Value per daily portion.
- Retained Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, establishing the list of permitted health claims. The wordings above and the 15% NRV condition originate here.
- Supplier formulation table, 4 September 2026. Magnesium glycinate stated at approximately 1,064mg per sachet.
- Manufacturer's product specification (batch 2 formulation table, 4 September 2026). Magnesium is specified at 150mg per sachet.