Comparison
Magnesium Glycinate vs Urolithin A
Side-by-side of Magnesium Glycinate and Urolithin A. Every row below is pulled from the compound schema and will update as our data grows. For deeper reads, follow through to each compound page.
Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium glycinate supplement guide: chelated bisglycinate form, 200 to 400 mg dosage, sleep architecture benefits, low GI side effects, glycine co-effect.
Urolithin A
Urolithin A supplement guide: pomegranate-derived metabolite, 500-1000 mg Mitopure dosing, mitophagy and muscle endurance evidence.
Effects at a glance
Magnesium Glycinate
- •Shortens sleep onset latency in older adults and in deficient populations supplementing 200 to 400 mg elemental Mg
- •Improves subjective sleep quality scores (PSQI, ISI) modestly versus placebo over 4 to 8 weeks
- •Reduces nocturnal leg cramps and exercise-induced muscle cramping in some controlled trials
- •Lowers self-reported anxiety in mild-to-moderate cases, with smaller effect than first-line pharmacotherapy
- •Glycinate form delivers fewer GI side effects than oxide or citrate at equivalent elemental doses
- •Insufficient as a stand-alone hypertension treatment; small adjunctive blood-pressure reductions only
Urolithin A
- •Gut-microbiome-derived metabolite of pomegranate and walnut ellagitannins
- •Roughly 40% of adults are 'urolithin producers' from dietary intake; ~60% are non-producers
- •Ryu 2016 (Nature Medicine) reported lifespan extension in C. elegans and muscle benefits in aged rodents
- •Andreux 2019 first-in-human trial (n=60) established safety and mitochondrial gene-expression upregulation
- •Singh 2022 (n=66, 4 months, 1000 mg/day) reported improved muscle endurance in older adults
- •Most human trial portfolio is Amazentis-funded; independent replication is thin
Side-by-side
| Attribute | Magnesium Glycinate | Urolithin A |
|---|---|---|
| Category | supplement | supplement |
| Also known as | magnesium bisglycinate | UA, Mitopure, ellagitannin metabolite |
| Half-life (hr) ↗ | 5 | 17 |
| Typical dose (mg) ↗ | 300 | 500 |
| Dosing frequency | daily (often evening) | daily, morning with food |
| Routes | oral | oral |
| Onset (hr) | 1 | 2 |
| Peak (hr) | - | 4 |
| Molecular weight | - | 228.2 |
| Molecular formula | - | C13H8O4 |
| Mechanism | Magnesium acts as a cofactor for 300+ enzymes and as a voltage-dependent antagonist at NMDA receptors; glycine serves as an inhibitory neurotransmitter and co-agonist at glycine receptors. | Induces mitophagy via potentiation of PINK1/Parkin signaling, leading to selective degradation of damaged mitochondria. Secondary anti-inflammatory effects via NF-kB modulation. |
| Legal status | Dietary supplement | OTC dietary supplement (US GRAS 2018; EFSA Novel Food 2021) |
| WADA status | allowed | allowed |
| DEA / Rx | OTC supplement | OTC supplement (not scheduled) |
| Pregnancy | Generally considered acceptable at RDA doses; consult clinician | Insufficient data; not routinely recommended |
| CAS | 14783-68-7 | 1143-70-0 |
| PubChem CID | 84645 | 5488186 |
| Wikidata | - | Q27101321 |
Safety profile
Magnesium Glycinate
Common side effects
- mild GI upset at high doses
- loose stools (dose-dependent, less than with oxide/citrate forms)
Contraindications
- severe renal impairment
- myasthenia gravis
- heart block
Interactions
- tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics: magnesium chelates antibiotic, reducing absorption; separate by 2+ hours(moderate)
- bisphosphonates: reduced absorption of bisphosphonate(moderate)
- potassium-sparing diuretics: possible hypermagnesemia in renal impairment(moderate)
Urolithin A
Common side effects
- mild GI upset (rare)
- soft stools (rare)
Contraindications
- pregnancy and lactation (insufficient data)
- active chemotherapy (consult oncology)
Interactions
- chemotherapy agents: theoretical interaction with mitochondrial-targeting agents; consult oncologist(moderate)
Which Should You Take?
Magnesium Glycinate and Urolithin A score evenly on the criteria we weight (goal breadth, legal accessibility, evidence depth). The conditionals below should drive the decision more than any aggregate score.
- → If your priority is sleep onset or sleep quality, pick Magnesium Glycinate.
- → If your priority is post-training recovery, pick Magnesium Glycinate.
- → If your priority is healthspan extension, pick Urolithin A.
- → If your priority is muscle hypertrophy, pick Urolithin A.
Edge case: Half-lives differ materially (Magnesium Glycinate ~5 hr vs Urolithin A ~17 hr). Urolithin A reaches steady state faster; Magnesium Glycinate is easier to dial in if tolerability is uncertain.
Default choice: either is defensible. Magnesium Glycinate edges out on goal breadth + legal accessibility; Urolithin A is the right call if your priority sits in the goals listed above.
This verdict is generated from each compound's schema (goals, legal status, evidence outcomes, dosing route). It updates automatically as our compound data evolves; the deeper read sits on each individual compound page.
Common questions
What is the difference between Magnesium Glycinate and Urolithin A?
Magnesium Glycinate and Urolithin A differ in category (supplement vs supplement), mechanism, and typical dosing. See the side-by-side table for full details.
Which has a longer half-life, Magnesium Glycinate or Urolithin A?
Magnesium Glycinate half-life is 5 hours; Urolithin A half-life is 17 hours.
Can you stack Magnesium Glycinate with Urolithin A?
Stack compatibility depends on mechanism overlap, legal status, and individual response. Check each compound page for specific interactions and contraindications before combining.
Go deeper