What is the best magnesium supplement in South Africa?

Which magnesium supplements give the most magnesium per rand?

Brand pages often quote the weight of the compound, not the elemental magnesium your body gets. We compared the four products that state elemental amounts. Prices are from Dis-Chem Living Fit and Faithful to Nature, October 2026.

New Leaf Magnesium Glycinate (R409) and PrimeSelf Magnesium Complex (R499) do not state elemental magnesium for every form, so we cannot rank them fairly.

Do the forms matter?

Somewhat, for tolerance. Oxide and sulphate are cheap but poorly absorbed and more likely to loosen stools; citrate, lactate, chloride and amino-acid chelates are better absorbed. Claims that glycinate is proven better for sleep go beyond the evidence. What matters most is elemental dose.

Our dose checks, using the labels:

• Tri-Mag at the label dose of 2 capsules gives about 240 mg. That is just under the EFSA upper level of 250 mg for supplemental magnesium.
• Dis-Chem Gold Chelate at 1 to 2 tablets gives 99 to 198 mg.
• Dis-Chem Gold Slow Release at 2 to 3 tablets gives 137 to 205 mg, plus about 68 mg calcium per tablet.
• Tri-Mag also contains 450 IU of vitamin D3 per capsule, so two capsules add 900 IU. Count that if you also take a vitamin D supplement.

Who actually benefits?

People with low dietary intake (few nuts, legumes, whole grains or greens), some heavy sweaters on restricted diets, and those with a diagnosed low level. The AIS puts magnesium in Group C, not advocated for athletes without a clinical reason, and evidence that extra magnesium relieves exercise cramps is weak. See does magnesium help sleep and cramps? and glycinate vs citrate.

What are the safety points?

• Diarrhoea is the usual side effect at higher doses.
• Anyone with kidney disease should avoid magnesium supplements unless prescribed, because the kidneys clear it.
• Separate magnesium from tetracycline and quinolone antibiotics and from bisphosphonates by a few hours.

For the daily target see how much magnesium to take per day, and for the broader ranking visit our best magnesium page. We did not find third-party testing claims for any of these four products, and the pricing is for a single date, so check your retailer for specials.

Products mentioned