Lubrizol calls for more human studies comparing magnesium absorption

Superior bioavailability claims are increasingly common as magnesium supplement brands try to stand out in a crowded market. But Lubrizol Advanced Materials Europe tells Nutrition Insight that absorption percentages alone can mislead — what matters is how much elemental magnesium the body ultimately takes up.

According to Innova Market Insights data, magnesium is among the top three ingredients in sleep and calm enhancer launches worldwide (Apr 2025–Mar 2026). The market researcher also found magnesium among the five leading supplement ingredients for cognitive supplements in the same period. 

In our interview, Cecilia Izquierdo, marketing manager of Pharma and Nutra, discusses the company’s recent randomized study on MagShape microcapsules, which it claims led to greater and more sustained plasma magnesium levels than magnesium oxide, citrate, and bisglycinate.

Is the evidence keeping up with magnesium launches that claim better absorption?
Izquierdo: Magnesium is one of the fastest-growing supplement categories, with many forms claiming superior bioavailability or specific health benefits. In reality, regardless of the source, it is the absorbed elemental magnesium that delivers the physiological effects.

Therefore, the key question is not which magnesium salt is used, but how much elemental magnesium is ultimately absorbed and made available to the body. Despite the numerous claims in the market, there are surprisingly few comparative human clinical studies evaluating magnesium absorption across different forms.

Cecilia Izquierdo, marketing manager of Pharma and Nutra at Lubrizol Advanced Materials Europe.In this context, a randomized, double-blind, crossover study evaluating MagShape microcapsules against magnesium oxide, citrate, and bisglycinate demonstrated that MagShape offers greater and more sustained plasma magnesium levels, highlighting the importance of formulation technology and clinical validation when assessing magnesium products.

How should a brand choose between the various options for magnesium?
Izquierdo: Some important criteria are to make sure that you have a way to truly analyze the amount of free magnesium from a particular supplement that is going to be available in the body, and also to check how well it is substantiated by true clinical studies.

The MagShape study answers a fundamental question: how much magnesium is actually absorbed. While consumers buy magnesium for benefits such as sleep, muscle function, relaxation, and recovery, these effects depend on achieving and maintaining adequate magnesium status in the body. Elemental magnesium plays a role in more than 300 enzymatic reactions involved in neuromuscular function, energy production, and nervous system regulation.

Therefore, absorption is the first and essential step. If magnesium is not efficiently absorbed, it cannot exert its physiological effects regardless of the form consumed. Our study demonstrated that MagShape microcapsules sustain magnesium absorption, maintaining elevated plasma magnesium levels for longer than several commonly used magnesium sources.

While we did not directly evaluate outcomes such as sleep or muscle function, we know that magnesium must first be absorbed to deliver any physiological benefit. Sustained absorption may help ensure a more continuous availability of elemental magnesium to support the body’s many magnesium-dependent functions.

What should formulators make of absorption claims that compare against unnamed standard sources?
Izquierdo: Formulators should always look at what an ingredient is being compared against. An absorption claim is only as meaningful as the benchmark used. Many studies compare an ingredient against a placebo, which can show an effect but provides limited insight into how it performs relative to established market options.

Cecilia Izquierdo says absorbed elemental magnesium, not the salt form, drives benefits.We prefer to benchmark our ingredients against widely recognized reference forms that are relevant for formulators. For iron, ferrous sulfate is widely recognized as the reference standard for absorption and is conventionally assigned a relative bioavailability of 100%. For magnesium, however, there is no single universally accepted reference standard.

That is why we compare MagShape against magnesium citrate, magnesium bisglycinate, and magnesium oxide, which are among the most commonly used magnesium sources in food supplements. For formulators, this approach provides far more actionable information because it shows how an ingredient performs against real market benchmarks rather than against an unspecified standard or placebo.

Are innovators actually willing to pay for microencapsulation?
Izquierdo: In today’s crowded supplement market, manufacturers need more than just another ingredient. They need a way to differentiate their products. Microencapsulation helps premium brands deliver added value through improved absorption, tolerability, stability, and sensory performance.

Microencapsulated branded ingredients provide manufacturers with more than just an active ingredient. They offer clinical substantiation, proven technical performance, and a stronger science-backed value proposition that can support product differentiation with both consumers and healthcare professionals.

Ultimately, manufacturers are investing not just in an ingredient but in product differentiation and a stronger market position.