Balchem – Advantages of Mg Bis Buffered

How Buffering By Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate Improves Magnesium Oxide Absorption

by Jonathan Bortz MD, VP Nutrition Science,
2nd Updated Edition May, 2025
(first published December, 2018)

Advantages of Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate Buffered

The normal adult dietary intake of magnesium is between 300mg to 360mg/day (12.5-15.0 mmol/day).  Magnesium is the 11th most common mineral in the human body, governs the activity of over 350 enzyme systems, and plays a key role in over 80% of metabolic functions; yet it remains one of the most poorly understood and underappreciated minerals in human nutrition.

Magnesium Absorption

Magnesium can be absorbed along the entire length of the gastrointestinal tract, although different segments of the small bowel and the colon contribute unequally to overall absorption.

Magnesium Oxide

Magnesium oxide is a potent alkalizing agent that is used in the pharmaceutical industry to improve bioavailability of alkaline compounds such as HTCZ

In a rat model, it has been found to raise the luminal pH in the rat intestine to 8.5 and increase absorption of HCTZ up to 3-fold when compared to HCTZ without magnesium oxide. 

Therefore, driving up the pH in the vicinity of the absorption site could be contributing to magnesium oxide’s poor bioavailability and is more likely to occur at doses in excess of 250mg which require paracellular absorption; but at high pHs, the tight junction transporters are inhibited.

Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate Buffered

The low bioavailability of Mg oxide can be improved by reducing the pH at the absorptive surface of the intestine, thereby enhancing passive uptake via the paracellular pathway by stimulating Claudin
upregulation.  The glycine in Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate is a powerful buffer that slows the rate of increase of small intestinal luminal pH.  Hence a combination of both these magnesium sources offers distinct advantages. 

Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate Buffered delivers 18mg of elemental Mg/100mg of the product.  Per 100mg of the product, it contributes 8.9mg of magnesium that is chelated with 55mg glycine – enough to improve solubility and buffer the remaining Mg as oxide to optimize paracellular transport.

Significantly more than half the product by weight is magnesium bisglycinate chelate – hence the name Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate Buffered.

Link:  Read full details in the PDF brochure – ‘Advantages of Magnesium Bisglycinate Chelate Buffered’.