Should I choose magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate?

It depends on what you want from it and how your stomach reacts. Glycinate is the calmer option, citrate the more mobile one. Neither is stronger as such; they simply behave differently in the gut. Form Bound to Suits Magnesium glycinate Glycine Evening use, sensitive stomach Magnesium citrate Citric acid Easy dissolving, sluggish digestion Potassium magnesium citrate Citric acid Two minerals in one capsule Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function.

Are the doses higher than in typical UK supplements?

Often yes, because the range grew out of practitioner use. That is useful when you follow a specific plan, less so when you are guessing. It helps to know the UK reference points before you compare labels. Nutrient UK adult daily amount Supplement note Folate 200 mcg Up to 1 mg folic acid unlikely to cause harm Vitamin B12 1.5 mcg Up to 2 mg unlikely to cause harm Source: NHS

Metabolic Maintenance supplements: additive-free capsules

Q: What kinds of products does the range include?

Broader than most people expect. You will find magnesium glycinate and citrate , vitamin D3 with K2 as MK-7, a B-complex with methylated B vitamins, L-methylfolate on its own, CoQ10, NAC, resveratrol, phosphatidylserine, 5-HTP and omega-3 softgels. There are also multivitamins, offered with and without iron. Most items are capsules, a few are softgels or creams.

Metabolic Maintenance is an American supplement maker, founded in 1984 and based in Central Oregon. For years it sold only through practitioners, and that origin still shows in the range: single nutrients in clear doses, plus a small number of broader formulas. It is a family-owned company that produces in its own facility instead of outsourcing, which is unusual among the brands we carry.

Short ingredient lists, by design

The label is the point here. A capsule holds the nutrient and the vegetarian capsule shell, with no binders, fillers, preservatives, artificial colours or sweeteners. The products are also free from gluten and dairy, and the ingredients are non-GMO. Metabolic Maintenance packs in amber glass rather than plastic, which keeps light off the contents. Raw materials and finished batches go to independent laboratories for testing. If you react to excipients, or you simply want to read a label in five seconds, that matters more than any slogan.

The forms in this range

You will find the same nutrient in more than one form, and the difference is practical rather than cosmetic. If you are comparing across makers, our wider magnesium selection puts these options side by side.

Magnesium glycinate: magnesium bound to the amino acid glycine. Gentle on the stomach and the usual pick for evening use. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function.
Magnesium citrate: dissolves easily and has a mild laxative effect at higher intakes.
L-methylfolate: folate in its active form, so your body does not need to convert it first. Folate contributes to normal blood formation.
Vitamin D3 with K2 as MK-7: MK-7 is the longer-acting form of K2. Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

The range goes wider than the name suggests. Next to vitamins and minerals you will find CoQ10, NAC, resveratrol, 5-HTP, phosphatidylserine and omega-3 softgels, plus multivitamins such as The BIG ONE, sold with and without iron. The iron-free version exists for a reason: many men and post-menopausal women do not need extra iron. Doses in the B vitamin range are often higher than in supermarket products, which helps when you follow specific advice.

Why we stock Metabolic Maintenance

We judge a brand on three things: the form of each ingredient, the dose, and whether the combinations make sense. This range scores on all three. Methylated folate and B12 instead of folic acid. Magnesium glycinate for people who find other forms harsh. D3 paired with MK-7 rather than sold on its own. We buy directly from the brand, with no intermediaries, so your bottle is authentic, and our compliance team checks every product before it goes live. We test ourselves too, and independent labs spot-check batches. You can read how we select brands.

This is not the cheapest range on our shelves. You pay for small production runs, glass packaging and third-party testing. That is a fair trade if a clean label genuinely matters to you, or if you have tried several magnesium types without success. If a standard multivitamin already suits you, a simpler product will do the job just as well. With any new supplement, give it two to three weeks of consistent daily use before you judge the result.

Metabolic Maintenance is a family-owned American supplement company, started in 1984 and based in Central Oregon. It began as a practitioner-only brand and later opened up to consumers. The name is misleading: this is not a metabolism-only range. It covers vitamins, minerals, amino acids, plant extracts and multivitamins. The common thread is short ingredient lists and single nutrients in clearly stated doses.

Broader than most people expect. You will find magnesium glycinate and citrate, vitamin D3 with K2 as MK-7, a B-complex with methylated B vitamins, L-methylfolate on its own, CoQ10, NAC, resveratrol, phosphatidylserine, 5-HTP and omega-3 softgels. There are also multivitamins, offered with and without iron. Most items are capsules, a few are softgels or creams.

Everything is made in the company's own facility in Oregon, under cGMP rules, rather than by a contract manufacturer. Both raw materials and finished batches are sent to independent laboratories to check purity and potency. On our side, every product also passes our compliance team before it goes live, we test products ourselves, and independent labs spot-check batches we receive.

They are separate brands under the same roof. Metabolic Maintenance is now part of Allergy Research Group, and both keep their own names, labels and formulas. In practice you may see overlapping ingredients across the two lines, with different dosing choices. If you are comparing, the Allergy Research Group collection shows how the sister brand approaches the same nutrients.

It depends on what you want from it and how your stomach reacts. Glycinate is the calmer option, citrate the more mobile one. Neither is stronger as such; they simply behave differently in the gut.

Form	Bound to	Suits
Magnesium glycinate	Glycine	Evening use, sensitive stomach
Magnesium citrate	Citric acid	Easy dissolving, sluggish digestion
Potassium magnesium citrate	Citric acid	Two minerals in one capsule

Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function.

Methylated means the nutrient is already in the form your body uses. Standard folic acid has to be converted first; L-methylfolate skips that step. For most people either works fine. The active form is mainly relevant if a practitioner has advised it, or if you prefer not to rely on conversion. Folate contributes to normal blood formation. Higher strengths are not automatically better, so match the dose to the advice you were given.

Most capsules use a plant-based cellulose shell and are suitable for vegetarians. Softgels and a few animal-derived ingredients, such as some omega-3 oils, are not, so check the individual label. During pregnancy, ask your midwife or GP before adding anything new. NHS guidance for pregnancy is a 400 microgram folic acid supplement daily until week twelve, and it also advises against supplements containing vitamin A.

Often yes, because the range grew out of practitioner use. That is useful when you follow a specific plan, less so when you are guessing. It helps to know the UK reference points before you compare labels.

Nutrient	UK adult daily amount	Supplement note
Folate	200 mcg	Up to 1 mg folic acid unlikely to cause harm
Vitamin B12	1.5 mcg	Up to 2 mg unlikely to cause harm

Source: NHS

Short ingredient lists, by design

The forms in this range

Magnesium glycinate: magnesium bound to the amino acid glycine. Gentle on the stomach and the usual pick for evening use. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function.
Magnesium citrate: dissolves easily and has a mild laxative effect at higher intakes.
L-methylfolate: folate in its active form, so your body does not need to convert it first. Folate contributes to normal blood formation.
Vitamin D3 with K2 as MK-7: MK-7 is the longer-acting form of K2. Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones.

Why we stock Metabolic Maintenance

It depends on what you want from it and how your stomach reacts. Glycinate is the calmer option, citrate the more mobile one. Neither is stronger as such; they simply behave differently in the gut.

Form	Bound to	Suits
Magnesium glycinate	Glycine	Evening use, sensitive stomach
Magnesium citrate	Citric acid	Easy dissolving, sluggish digestion
Potassium magnesium citrate	Citric acid	Two minerals in one capsule

Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function.