Magnesium Taurate: Benefits, Heart Health Claims and Taurate vs Glycinate (UK)

What is magnesium taurate?

Magnesium taurate (sometimes sold as magnesium taurinate) is one magnesium atom joined to two molecules of taurine, an amino acid found naturally in the body. Amino acid forms like this, and glycinate, tend to be easier on the stomach than cheap salts such as oxide.

What is taurine?

Taurine is an amino sulfonic acid, usually described as an amino acid, that occurs naturally in the body, where it is made from two other amino acids, methionine and cysteine. The body makes only a small amount, so most comes from food: it is abundant in fish, seafood and meat, and plant foods provide very little. Unlike most amino acids, taurine is not used to build proteins.

How much magnesium is in magnesium taurate?

Not much by weight. Based on its chemical formula (C4H12MgN2O6S2) and its molecular weight of 272.6 listed by PubChem, magnesium (atomic weight 24.3) makes up about 9% of magnesium taurate, and taurine the other 91%. So 1g of magnesium taurate gives about 89mg of elemental magnesium, 500mg gives roughly 45mg, and you need about 1,100mg of magnesium taurate to get 100mg of magnesium.

So check the label for elemental magnesium (or “of which magnesium”), not the compound weight. Magnesium acetyl taurate is a different compound, studied mostly in animals. For all 12 forms, see types of magnesium.

Magnesium taurate vs glycinate, malate, citrate and oxide

The most common search is magnesium taurate vs glycinate. Both are bound to an amino acid and both are gentle, but glycinate is far better studied, easier to find in the UK and usually cheaper per milligram of magnesium.

Which should you choose? For most people, glycinate or citrate does the job of topping up magnesium, with more research behind it and a lower cost. Taurate is a reasonable choice if you prefer it and it agrees with you, but there is no good human evidence that it does anything special compared with other well-absorbed forms. Compare the popular three in glycinate vs citrate vs threonate, or read the full guides to magnesium glycinate, magnesium malate, magnesium citrate and magnesium L-threonate.

You can take two forms together, as long as you add up the elemental magnesium from everything you take.

Magnesium taurate vs glycinate for sleep, anxiety and the heart

These are the three questions people ask most when choosing between the two. The honest answer to each is that neither form has been properly tested against the other.

For sleep

There are no sleep trials of magnesium taurate, and no head-to-head trials of taurate against glycinate. The research on magnesium and sleep uses magnesium in general, and a 2021 review of it in older adults with insomnia found only three small trials, all of low quality. Glycinate is a common choice for an evening routine simply because it is gentle and widely available. See magnesium for sleep and does magnesium make you sleepy?

For anxiety and stress

Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function, whichever form it comes in. Beyond that, a 2017 systematic review of magnesium in general found the evidence on anxiety was of poor quality, and a 2026 review of eight taurine trials found any effects on mood were minor and inconsistent. The taurate-specific finding people quote comes from rats. Neither taurate nor glycinate is a treatment for anxiety; if anxiety is affecting your life, speak to your GP. See magnesium for anxiety.

For the heart and blood pressure

Taurate has the heart reputation, but the human evidence is one study without a control group that combined it with potassium citrate and lifestyle advice. Glycinate has no heart-specific research either. Neither form treats high blood pressure, palpitations or any heart condition, and anyone with a heart condition or on heart medicines should ask their GP or pharmacist before taking magnesium (more in the heart section below).

Does Evopure make magnesium taurate?

No. Our Magnesium Glycinate Sleep Complex contains no taurate. It is a berry-flavoured drink powder made with magnesium bisglycinate and citrate (290mg of elemental magnesium per serving), plus glycine, L-theanine, chamomile, passionflower, hops and oat straw. Magnesium contributes to normal psychological function, to the normal functioning of the nervous system and to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. It is for adults only.

We chose glycinate and citrate because they are well absorbed, gentle at sensible doses and easy to fit into an evening routine. See the best magnesium supplements in the UK for how we would compare products.

Magnesium taurate benefits: what the research says

Most claims about magnesium taurate borrow from three separate kinds of research: magnesium in general, taurine on its own, and a few animal studies of taurate itself. Here is each rated honestly.

What you can rely on. Like any form of magnesium, taurate supplies a mineral that contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to normal muscle function, to the normal functioning of the nervous system and to normal psychological function. These are the authorised health claims for magnesium in Great Britain, and they apply to magnesium in general rather than to taurate specifically.

What is claimed but not proven for taurate itself:

The taurate-specific studies. The study most often quoted gave magnesium taurate to rats whose blood pressure had been raised with cadmium chloride, and found their blood pressure and heart tissue markers improved (Shrivastava and colleagues, 2019). Rats poisoned with cadmium are a long way from people. The only human study we found (Dereli, 2026) followed 110 adults with mildly raised blood pressure taking magnesium taurate plus potassium citrate alongside lifestyle advice, with no placebo group; the author says randomised trials are needed.

The taurine maths. Because taurate is about 91% taurine, a dose giving 100mg of magnesium also gives around 1g of taurine. That is towards the lower end of the 1.5g to 3g a day that worked best in the taurine trials, so even the taurine part may be smaller than people assume.

For more on what magnesium research shows for mood and sleep, see magnesium for anxiety and magnesium for sleep.

Magnesium taurate , the heart, blood pressure and palpitations

Many people find magnesium taurate on heart forums, often while living with atrial fibrillation, ectopic beats or raised blood pressure. The theory is appealing, but there is no good human evidence that magnesium taurate treats or manages any heart condition, and it should never replace medicine your doctor has prescribed.

• Palpitations: the NHS says to see a GP if heart palpitations keep coming back, happen more often, last longer than a few minutes, or if you have a heart condition or a family history of heart problems. Our guides to heart palpitations and heart palpitations at night explain common causes.
• Call 999 or go to A&E if you have palpitations that don’t go away, or palpitations with chest pain, shortness of breath, or feeling faint or fainting. Don’t drive yourself.
• Low magnesium can be checked. Low blood magnesium can itself cause an irregular heartbeat, and the NHS notes that taking some stomach acid medicines (such as lansoprazole) for more than three months can lower it. A simple blood test is a far better starting point than guessing. See signs of magnesium deficiency.
• Blood pressure: magnesium can lower blood pressure slightly, so if you take blood pressure or heart medicines, ask your GP or pharmacist before adding any magnesium supplement.

How much magnesium taurate should I take?

Think in elemental magnesium, not compound weight. The NHS says adults need 300mg of magnesium a day (men) or 270mg (women), and that you should be able to get this from a varied diet. If you take supplements, it says having 400mg or less a day of magnesium from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.

• Products vary a lot, so check the elemental magnesium per daily dose and keep your supplement total at 400mg or less.
• Count everything: multivitamins, sleep blends and any other magnesium you take all add up.
• Start at the lower end and increase over a week or two if it agrees with you.
• Food first: nuts, seeds, spinach, beans and wholegrains are good sources. See foods high in magnesium.

There is no proven “heart dose” or “blood pressure dose” of magnesium taurate. Be wary of any site that gives one. For daily amounts by age and sex, and how to add up food and supplements, see how much magnesium per day.

Best time to take magnesium taurate

Any time you will remember. What builds your levels is taking it regularly, not the hour of the day. Many people take it in the evening as part of a wind-down routine, and taking it with food can help if your stomach is sensitive. Leave a gap between magnesium and certain medicines (below). More in the best time to take magnesium and how long magnesium stays in your body.

Side effects and who should check first

Magnesium taurate is usually well tolerated. The NHS says taking more than 400mg of magnesium for a short time can cause diarrhoea; nausea and stomach cramps can also happen at high doses. Our guide to magnesium side effects covers this in detail.

iAsk a GP or pharmacist before taking magnesium if you:

• Have kidney disease. Your kidneys clear extra magnesium, and people with impaired kidney function are at higher risk of magnesium building up to harmful levels.
• Take blood pressure or heart medicines, because magnesium can lower blood pressure slightly.
• Take some antibiotics (tetracyclines such as doxycycline, and quinolones such as ciprofloxacin). Minerals and antacids can stop them being absorbed, so the timing matters.
• Take osteoporosis medicines (bisphosphonates such as alendronic acid). The NHS lists magnesium-containing laxatives among the products to mention to your doctor.
• Take stomach acid medicines (PPIs) such as lansoprazole or omeprazole long term, as these can lower magnesium levels and your doctor may want to test them.
• Take thyroid medicine (levothyroxine), which needs to be taken apart from some minerals.
• Are pregnant or breastfeeding. Check with your midwife or GP before taking any supplement. We don’t recommend our products during pregnancy or breastfeeding. See magnesium in pregnancy.

Buying magnesium taurate in the UK

In the UK, magnesium taurate is mostly sold online as capsules or tablets. Because so much of each capsule is taurine, it often costs more per milligram of magnesium than glycinate or citrate. When comparing products:

• Check the elemental magnesium per daily dose, and the cost per 100mg of it.
• Check whether it is magnesium taurate or magnesium acetyl taurate.
• Avoid products that promise to fix blood pressure, palpitations or arrhythmia. Those claims are not allowed for food supplements in the UK.

Related guides

• Searching for magnesium taurate for migraines? Our guide to magnesium for migraines covers the forms and doses actually used in trials.
• Comparing with budget tablets? Read magnesium oxide: uses, absorption and side effects.
• If your main concern is your bowels rather than your heart, our guide to which magnesium is best for constipation compares oxide, citrate and glycinate.
• Taking magnesium as a drink instead? Read our guide to magnesium powder benefits and how it compares with tablets.
• Taurate also turns up in multi-form products; our guide to 12 in 1 and triple magnesium complexes explains how to read those labels.
• Holland and Barrett magnesium taurate and malate labels.
• Magnesium orotate is the other form sold for the heart; see magnesium orotate: benefits, dose and side effects for what its research really shows.
• Taurate also turns up in blends, such as the three-form capsule covered in our Myprotein magnesium guide.
• As an example of compound weight vs magnesium, see the label maths in our look at Viridian magnesium taurate and bisglycinate.
• As a label example, BioCare Magnesium Taurate gives 146mg of magnesium from 1,574mg of magnesium taurate.
• For a branded taurate label, see New Nordic magnesium, where 875mg on the name gives 140mg of magnesium.
• Taurate also appears in multi-form blends such as GLOV Magnesium Complex, which names eight forms on its product page.