Magnesium taurate
Summary
Magnesium taurate is marketed for heart health, but no randomized trial has tested it. One uncontrolled 3-month study of magnesium taurate with potassium plus lifestyle advice saw blood pressure fall about 11–12/8–9 mmHg (grade D). The rest of the evidence is rat work and a 1996 hypothesis paper.
Key facts
- Magnesium salt of taurine; 8.9% elemental magnesium by weight[2]
- Blood pressure ↓ in one single-arm study combined with potassium and lifestyle advice (D)[3]
- 121 mg/day elemental magnesium (with 180 mg potassium) for 3 months[3]
- Adult RDA 310–420 mg/day magnesium from all sources; UL for supplemental magnesium 350 mg/day[1]
- Same as other magnesium supplements: bisphosphonates, some antibiotics; PPIs can lower magnesium[1]
- 1 graded human outcome on this page
- October 10, 2026
How it works
ProposedMagnesium and taurine both help keep calcium inside cells low, which relaxes blood vessels, and a 1996 hypothesis paper proposed pairing them as a vascular supplement. Rat studies found magnesium acetyl taurate reached the brain readily. No human study has shown the taurate form works differently from other magnesium forms.[4][5]
What the human research says
Human trials only, one row per outcome. The form column shows what each trial actually tested. Grades follow our evidence-grading policy.
| Outcome | Effect | Grade | Best evidence | PMID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure in adults with elevated BP | Improved | Grade D | Observational · n = 121 · 2026 Adults with elevated blood pressure or stage 1 hypertension and low cardiovascular risk, declining drugs Form: magnesium taurate with potassium citrate, plus lifestyle counselling · Dose: 121 mg elemental magnesium and 180 mg potassium per day · Duration: 3 months Ambulatory and home blood pressure fell about 11/8 mmHg and office pressure 12/9 mmHg; arterial stiffness improved; serum magnesium rose slightly. No serious adverse events. | 42439043 (opens PubMed)Source [3] |
Forms
| Form | Elemental % | Absorption (human data) | GI tolerance | Studied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnesium taurate | 8.9%[2] | No human absorption data in our sources. In rats, magnesium acetyl taurate was absorbed quickly and reached the highest brain levels of five compounds.[5] | No serious adverse events in one 3-month human study.[3] | Blood pressure (one uncontrolled study) |
Compound weight → elemental magnesium
500 mg magnesium taurate ≈ 45 mg elemental magnesium
Studied doses
Doses studied in human trials ranged from a single studied dose: 121 mg/day of elemental magnesium as taurate (with 180 mg potassium) for 3 months, in an uncontrolled study.[3]
Intake reference: Adult RDA 310–420 mg/day from all sources (by age and sex). Upper limit for supplemental magnesium: 350 mg/day for adults.[1] The upper limit covers supplements and medicines only, not magnesium in food. NIH ODS fact sheet (updated January 6, 2026).
Dose math: how much compound supplies that much magnesium
| Form (elemental %) | 121 mg magnesium121 mg/day: magnesium in the single-arm blood pressure study | 350 mg magnesium350 mg/day: adult upper limit from supplements (a ceiling, not a target) |
|---|---|---|
| Magnesium taurate (8.9%) | ≈ 1,360 mg compound | ≈ 3,930 mg compound |
Interactions
Published interactions only: each row cites a source. No row means none was found in our sources, not that a combination is safe.
Medicines
Medicines that can lower levels
- Proton pump inhibitors (long-term)NIH fact sheetUse for more than a year can cause low magnesium, which supplements may not fully correct.[1]
Who should be careful
- Kidney problems
- The risk of magnesium toxicity rises with impaired kidney function, because the kidneys remove excess magnesium.[1]
- High doses
- The adult upper limit for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg/day; high doses often cause diarrhea, nausea and cramping.[1]
- Blood pressure medicines
- If you use blood-pressure drugs, a supplement that may lower pressure could add to their effect; the one study enrolled people not on medication.[3]
- Medicines
- See interactions: antibiotic and bisphosphonate timing matters.[1]
Talk to your pharmacist or clinician before starting a supplement, especially if you take prescription medicines.
How to read the label
- Label dose vs clinical doseThe only human study used 121 mg/day of elemental magnesium. Because taurate is just 8.9% magnesium, that equals about 1,360 mg of magnesium taurate compound.[3][2]
- Read the elemental numberSupplement Facts show the magnesium weight, not the taurate compound weight. A front label "500 mg magnesium taurate" is about 45 mg of magnesium.[1][2]
- Count every source against the upper limitThe 350 mg/day UL counts magnesium from all supplements and medicines combined, not food.[1]
Cost per studied dose, without the sales pitch
Compare any product you already have by the amount it delivers, not by capsule count or front-of-pack weight.
Cost per studied dose
Enter the price, servings and the amount per serving from your label.
Frequently asked questions
Is magnesium taurate good for blood pressure?
Unproven. The only human study found blood pressure fell about 11/8 mmHg, but it had no control group and also gave potassium and lifestyle advice.[3]
Is magnesium taurate better absorbed?
There are no human data. In rats, magnesium acetyl taurate was absorbed quickly and reached the brain well.[5]
How much magnesium is in magnesium taurate?
About 8.9% by weight, so 1,000 mg of the compound contains roughly 89 mg of magnesium.[2]
Magnesium taurate vs glycinate: which is better?
No study compares them in people. Taurate is 8.9% magnesium by weight, so it supplies less magnesium per gram than higher-percentage forms; the magnesium overview compares forms.[2]
Sources
- [1]Magnesium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals (updated January 6, 2026). NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, 2026. fact-sheet
- [2]Magnesium taurate (CID 13343447): C4H12MgN2O6S2, MW 272.6. PubChem, NCBI, 2026. database
- [3]Effects of magnesium taurate-potassium citrate on blood pressure and vascular stiffness in low-risk adults with elevated blood pressure.. Magnes Res, 2026. observational
- [4]Complementary vascular-protective actions of magnesium and taurine: a rationale for magnesium taurate.. Med Hypotheses, 1996. review
- [5]Timeline (Bioavailability) of Magnesium Compounds in Hours: Which Magnesium Compound Works Best?. Biol Trace Elem Res, 2019. animal-study
What changed
- First draft. Every PMID checked against NCBI E-utilities esummary (title and year taken from the record) and abstracts read for the cited rows.
- Adversarial review pass: claims re-checked against cited abstracts; blood-pressure result labelled uncontrolled and confounded by potassium and lifestyle advice; absorption claims limited to rat data. Page set indexable.
- Second review: removed 'magnesium acetyl taurate' from aliases, since it is a different compound (the rat data are labelled as acetyl taurate).