A study comparing the bioavailability of magnesium citrate with magnesium oxide (a form found in many poorly-absorbed dietary supplements) found significantly greater absorption of magnesium citrate than magnesium oxide in healthy volunteers. The same researchers examined solubility and found magnesium citrate to be 55-percent soluble in water; whereas, magnesium oxide is virtually insoluble. The more water-soluble a mineral chelate is, the more absorbable it is in the body.
Magnesium and citric acid have both been found to decrease the precipitation of calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate in the urine, thus supporting good kidney health. The combination of magnesium with citrate in Thorne's Magnesium Citrate offers an attractive combination for individuals with a propensity to have calcium oxalate and phosphate particles in their urine.
Magnesium is present in all cells of the body and is involved in over 300 enzymatic processes, including energy production. Magnesium is essential for maintaining normal bone density, normal cardiac rhythmicity, normal pulmonary function, and normal blood glucose regulation. Other body functions requiring magnesium include nerve conduction, methyl-group transfer, conversion of pyridoxine to pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (the active form of vitamin B6), production of energy, and muscle contraction. Magnesium supplementation appears to be a significant support to maintaining already normal bone density.