Doctor's Best vs Nature Made Magnesium: Both 200 mg

Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium and Nature Made Magnesium Glycinate both list 200 mg of magnesium (48% DV) per 2-unit serving: 2 tablets for Doctor's Best and 2 capsules for Nature Made. Doctor's Best names an Albion magnesium lysinate glycinate chelate, while Nature Made names magnesium bisglycinate.

Neither label is named the better product in this article. The side-by-side facts below are meant to help you read each Supplement Facts panel yourself.

Key takeaways

• Both labels list 200 mg of magnesium per serving at 48% DV, but the serving is 2 tablets for Doctor's Best and 2 capsules for Nature Made.
• Doctor's Best (DSLD 322515) names Albion Magnesium Lysinate Glycinate Chelate, while Nature Made (DSLD 322551) names magnesium bisglycinate.
• A 120-tablet Doctor's Best bottle is 60 servings, and a 60-capsule Nature Made bottle is 30 servings.
• The other-ingredient lists differ, and an earlier Nature Made label (DSLD 310116) used gelatin capsules.

Doctor's Best vs Nature Made Magnesium Glycinate at a Glance: Which Label Details Match?

Both labels list 200 mg of magnesium (48% DV) per serving, with 2 tablets for Doctor's Best and 2 capsules for Nature Made. The magnesium amount and %DV match, while the named form, serving unit, net contents, and dosage form do not. The table below lists each detail from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database entries for Doctor's Best (322515), Nature Made (322551) and the earlier Nature Made label (310116).

Label detail	Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium 200 mg	Nature Made Magnesium Glycinate 200 mg
DSLD label	322515	322551 (earlier label: 310116)
Dosage form	Tablets	Capsules
Serving size	2 tablets	2 capsules
Magnesium per serving	200 mg (48% DV)	200 mg (48% DV)
Named magnesium form	2,000 mg Albion Magnesium Lysinate Glycinate Chelate	Magnesium bisglycinate
Net contents	120 tablets (60 servings)	60 capsules (30 servings)
Other ingredients	Microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, hydroxypropyl cellulose, silicon dioxide, hypromellose	Hypromellose, magnesium stearate, cellulose gel, silicon dioxide
Other ingredients (earlier label 310116)	Not applicable	Citric acid, gelatin, water, magnesium stearate, cellulose gel, silicon dioxide
Capsule shell named	Not applicable (tablet)	Hypromellose (322551); gelatin (310116)
Calories and protein	Not listed in the label facts used here	10 calories and 2 g protein per 2 capsules (310116 only)
Label claims	TRAACS chelate technology from Albion; 100% Chelated; Up to 6x better absorbed (manufacturer claim); Non-GMO; Gluten free; Soy free; Vegan	"High aborption" (sic); Chelated; Gentle on the stomach; #1 Pharmacist Recommended Vitamin & Supplement Brand

Where a cell says "Not listed in the label facts used here," the label facts used here contain no entry for that detail.

Does Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Use Magnesium Glycinate or Lysinate?

Doctor's Best names Albion Magnesium Lysinate Glycinate Chelate, not magnesium glycinate alone, on its Supplement Facts label, and the label lists 2,000 mg of that ingredient per 2-tablet serving.

For the common search question, the short answer is lysinate glycinate: the ingredient is a combined lysinate and glycinate chelate. The label states that the 2,000 mg of ingredient supplies 200 mg of magnesium.

The label does not disclose how much of the ingredient is lysinate compared with glycinate. The phrases "TRAACS chelate technology from Albion" and "100% Chelated" are the manufacturer's own description of the ingredient. The label facts used here say nothing about how this ingredient compares with a bisglycinate product.

How Much Magnesium Is in Nature Made Magnesium Glycinate per Serving?

Nature Made Magnesium Glycinate 200 mg (DSLD 322551) lists 200 mg of magnesium per 2-capsule serving, which is 48% DV. The label names the form as magnesium bisglycinate, and the earlier DSLD 310116 label lists the same amount and form.

Per bottle, the 60-capsule count divided by the 2-capsule serving gives 30 servings. The label facts used here do not give a total magnesium figure per container, and this article does not calculate one.

The earlier Nature Made label prints its suggested use as "Adults, take 2 capsules daily with water and a meal." That text is shown here as printed label wording, not as guidance. For another example of reading per-serving figures on a label, see Pacific vs Swanson Chicken Broth: 530mg vs 860mg Sodium.

What Is the Elemental Magnesium and %DV on Each Label?

Both labels report 200 mg of elemental-equivalent magnesium per serving, which is 48% of the FDA Daily Value of 420 mg.

In this article, "elemental" means the magnesium amount listed on the Supplement Facts panel. The %DV is calculated against 420 mg, and 200 mg divided by 420 mg rounds to 48%.

The label facts used here give no separate elemental figure for Nature Made. Doctor's Best's 2,000 mg is the weight of the Albion chelate ingredient, and its label states that this ingredient supplies 200 mg of magnesium. The two numbers describe different things, and the label facts used here do not give an alternate ingredient weight for the Nature Made bisglycinate.

Percent DV is a reference point for reading labels, not a recommended intake. The label facts used here do not include a Tolerable Upper Intake Level for supplemental magnesium, so this article does not state one.

Is the Chelate Form the Same in Doctor's Best and Nature Made Magnesium?

The labels name different forms, so they are not the same named ingredient. Doctor's Best uses an Albion lysinate glycinate chelate and states "100% Chelated" on its label. Nature Made lists magnesium bisglycinate and the word "Chelated" on its label.

Whether the two forms are absorbed differently is not disclosed in the label facts used here. The chelation wording on each label is the manufacturer's description, and this article does not treat it as a comparison result.

Serving Size and Servings per Bottle: What the Label Counts Show

A 120-tablet Doctor's Best bottle contains 60 servings of 2 tablets, and a 60-capsule Nature Made bottle contains 30 servings of 2 capsules. Those counts come from dividing the net contents by the serving size on each label.

Servings per bottle are arithmetic from the label, not directions for use. The Doctor's Best directions are not disclosed in the label facts used here, so this article does not estimate how long a bottle lasts.

Capsule vs Tablet: What Is Different About Each Dosage Form?

Doctor's Best is labeled as tablets and Nature Made as capsules, and the capsule shell is named as hypromellose on DSLD 322551 but gelatin on earlier DSLD 310116.

The binders and fillers also differ. The Doctor's Best tablet list includes microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, and hydroxypropyl cellulose. The Nature Made capsule list includes hypromellose and cellulose gel.

The earlier Nature Made label lists gelatin capsules, along with citric acid and water. Gelatin is an animal-derived ingredient, so readers with dietary restrictions may want to check the capsule material on the bottle they have. The label facts used here do not establish which capsule shell is used on any given bottle, because DSLD has entries for both.

What Other Ingredients Are in Doctor's Best and Nature Made Magnesium Glycinate?

The Doctor's Best list has seven other ingredients, and the Nature Made 322551 list has four. Both lists include magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, and hypromellose.

• Doctor's Best (322515): microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, hydroxypropyl cellulose, silicon dioxide, hypromellose.
• Nature Made (322551): hypromellose, magnesium stearate, cellulose gel, silicon dioxide.
• Nature Made earlier label (310116): citric acid, gelatin, water, magnesium stearate, cellulose gel, silicon dioxide.

The label facts do not state the specific role of each ingredient. Comparing ingredient lists across brands is covered in Does Nutella Have Palm Oil? Nutella vs Nocciolata Ingredients, which shows how to read long ingredient lists side by side.

What Label Claims Does Each Product Make, and What Do They Mean?

Each label carries marketing statements that describe the product, and those statements are not the same as a test result. Doctor's Best lists "TRAACS chelate technology from Albion," "100% Chelated," "Up to 6x better absorbed than other forms of magnesium," "Non-GMO," "Gluten free," "Soy free," and "Vegan." Nature Made lists "High aborption" (sic), "Chelated," "Gentle on the stomach," and "#1 Pharmacist Recommended Vitamin & Supplement Brand."

• "Non-GMO," "Gluten free," "Soy free," and "Vegan" are the brand's statements. The certification or testing behind them is not disclosed.
• "Up to 6x better absorbed" is a marketing claim. The label facts do not include a test comparing the two products.
• "#1 Pharmacist Recommended" is a brand claim, and the survey or basis for it is not disclosed.
• "High aborption" is reproduced as printed, with the spelling error marked (sic).

Are These Magnesium Glycinate Labels Safe, and What Does FDA Cover?

FDA does not have the authority to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness, or to approve their labeling, before they are sold. A supplement's safety and benefit statements are therefore not reviewed by FDA before the product reaches shelves.

FDA requires a Supplement Facts label that lists the serving size, servings per container, all dietary ingredients, and the amount per serving. Those required elements are the parts of the label to compare first, and they are the figures used throughout this article.

People who are pregnant, managing a kidney condition, or taking prescription medicines may want to ask a clinician before using any magnesium product. The labels compared here cannot show how either product affects a specific person.

What Is the Best Brand of Magnesium Glycinate Based on These Labels?

The labels do not establish a single best brand, because they show different forms, serving sizes, and bottle counts rather than a shared quality standard. This comparison covers two products only, so it cannot rank other brands.

To read any magnesium label, check the magnesium per serving and %DV, the named magnesium form, the serving size, the servings per container, and the full other-ingredient list. Those are the same checks used in the sections above.

To check the label on the bottle in your hand, scan it with the Aurascan app and read what each listed ingredient is.