Dimagnesium Malate: Why the Form of Magnesium Matters
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Flip over most hydration products and you'll find magnesium on the panel. What you usually won't find is any explanation of which magnesium — and that matters more than most people realize. The form a mineral comes in affects how well it dissolves, how well your body takes it up, and how your stomach handles it.
Here's what Dimagnesium Malate is, how it compares to the cheaper options, and how much magnesium from supplements is actually too much.
What magnesium does
Magnesium helps run more than 300 enzyme systems in your body, including the ones behind energy production and normal muscle and nerve function. It's one of the five electrolytes, and you lose small amounts of it in sweat.
It's also one many people come up short on. According to the NIH, the diets of many people in the United States provide less magnesium than recommended.
What "Dimagnesium Malate" means
Supplements don't use pure magnesium — it's always bonded to something else, and that partner compound gives each form its name. Dimagnesium Malate is magnesium bonded to malic acid, the same acid that makes green apples tart. Your body also produces malic acid naturally as part of turning food into energy.
Why the form matters
The NIH puts the basic principle simply: forms of magnesium that dissolve well in liquid are more completely absorbed than forms that don't. In small studies, magnesium citrate, aspartate, lactate, and chloride were absorbed more completely than magnesium oxide and magnesium sulfate.
Magnesium oxide is the cheapest form and one of the most common in supplements — but it dissolves poorly. That's the form we chose not to use.
| Form | What to know |
|---|---|
| Magnesium oxide | Cheapest and common. Dissolves poorly and is absorbed less well than more soluble forms. One of the forms most often reported to cause digestive upset at high doses. |
| Magnesium citrate | Dissolves well. Absorbed more completely than oxide in small studies. |
| Magnesium chloride | Dissolves well. Absorbed more completely than oxide in small studies, though also among the forms linked to digestive upset at high doses. |
| Dimagnesium Malate | A more soluble form, paired with malic acid. The form in every Redi stick. |
In the interest of accuracy: the NIH's absorption studies didn't specifically test malate. We don't claim Dimagnesium Malate is the best-absorbed form of magnesium — we chose it because it's a soluble form, and because solubility is what the research points to.
How much magnesium is too much?
For adults, the NIH's upper limit for magnesium from supplements and medications is 350mg a day. Magnesium from food doesn't count toward that limit — healthy kidneys clear the excess.
Going over it with supplements often causes diarrhea, which can come with nausea and cramping. If you take a separate magnesium supplement along with an electrolyte product, add the two together — the limit applies to all supplemental magnesium combined. And if you take prescription medication, check with your doctor or pharmacist, since magnesium can interact with some medicines.
Where else you get magnesium
Food is the foundation. Good sources include legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and leafy greens like spinach, plus fortified cereals.
How to read magnesium on a label
On a supplement facts panel, magnesium is listed with its amount and, usually in parentheses, its form — for example, "Magnesium (as Dimagnesium Malate)." If a product doesn't name the form, or hides its minerals inside a proprietary blend, you can't tell what you're getting.
Why it's in Redi
Every stick of Replenish and Amplify gets its magnesium from Dimagnesium Malate, alongside the other four electrolytes in forms chosen the same way — like Calcium Citrate, which absorbs well with or without food. The exact amount of each is printed on the panel.
New to electrolytes? Start with Electrolytes 101. For the full formula, see The Science.
Quick answers
Is Dimagnesium Malate the same as magnesium malate?
Both pair magnesium with malic acid. Dimagnesium Malate is the specific form listed on the Redi label.
Why don't more brands use it?
Mostly cost. Magnesium oxide is cheaper, and on a label, "magnesium" looks the same no matter which form is behind it.
Can magnesium upset your stomach?
At high doses from supplements, yes — diarrhea is the most common effect. Staying under the 350mg daily limit for supplemental magnesium helps avoid it.
Do I need a magnesium supplement if I use Redi?
That depends on your diet and your doctor's advice. If you do take one, count both toward the 350mg limit.
Sources: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Magnesium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals; NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Magnesium Fact Sheet for Consumers. This article is general information, not medical advice. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.