As global life expectancies increase, consumers are seeking effective solutions to support their cognitive and mental health.
In the US alone, almost a quarter of adults, and a third of those aged 74 and older, take at least one supplement targeted at brain health.1
The most commonly sought benefits are improved energy, sleep, memory, focus, cognition and emotional/mental health.2
A new solution for brain health
Magnesium is one of the most popular supplements for cognitive, sleep and mood benefits.3 It is involved in more than 300 different cellular reactions in the body, brain and nervous system.
Brain magnesium levels significantly decline with age and higher magnesium intake is associated with better cognition in adults aged 60 and older.4,5
However, most conventional forms of magnesium are characterised by low brain bioavailability and poor absorption.
Most importantly, they have not been shown to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), limiting their impact on neurological function.
By contrast, Magtein®, a patented magnesium L-threonate compound, offers very high bioavailability, allowing it to elevate brain magnesium levels.
Backed by three randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and more than 10 in vitro and in vivo studies, it offers clinically substantiated benefits for cognition, sleep, memory, mood and brain ageing.
Additionally, it has been studied by laboratories around the world in a wide range of fields, including chronic pain, depression and neuroinflammation, as well as emerging areas such as gut-brain axis modulation.
The findings have shown that it supports healthy brain communication, protects cells from stress and boosts levels of brain chemicals that play a role in memory and learning.
The research continues, but it’s clear that Magtein offers great promise for the support of healthy memory and brain longevity.
Why cognitive function declines with age
As we age, the brain naturally undergoes structural and functional changes. Its growth peaks at the age of 25 after which its volume starts to shrink by roughly 5% a decade after 40 … and more rapidly after the age of 70.
By our 80s, our cognitive abilities are approximately 50% lower than in our 20s.6 And as lifespans increase, familiar changes in brain function — such as forgetting where you left the keys, struggling to remember names and feeling lost in familiar places — are more common.
So, to maintain quality of life as we get older, it is essential to find ways to slow down these natural processes.
One hypothesis that explains brain shrinkage and ageing is synapse loss: the brain is made up of trillions of synapses or connectors between neurons that enable them to communicate with each other.
Unlocking synaptic potential
Fortunately, the adult brain is capable of greater plasticity — the ability to adapt with time — than was previously believed.
With the right interventions, old neurons can increase their synaptic density, particularly in the brain regions involved in memory and learning.
Several in vivo studies have shown that Magtein significantly improves synaptic density in the brain, thereby helping to improve working memory, reasoning, planning, decision making and the control of emotional responses.
It also helps to restore synaptic density and plasticity, which contribute to both long- and short-term memory.
Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that it supports natural brain energy by improving mitochondrial activity and brain energy production.7
Key mechanisms of action
The creation of Magtein began with a scientific effort to better understand how brain cells communicate and form stronger connections.
This became a quest to discover a dietary compound that could safely and effectively increase brain magnesium levels to enhance synaptic density and improve both learning and memory.
After developing a new assay technique to examine synapse functionality, we identified magnesium as the only compound that increased synapse density in culture.8
However, in vivo research found that no existing magnesium compounds could effectively raise levels of magnesium in the brain.
Further research showed that magnesium concentration is about 50% higher in the brain than in the blood.
As such, magnesium requires help to cross the BBB as it cannot passively diffuse against this concentration gradient.
A 2010 in vivo study demonstrated that adding threonate — a vitamin C metabolite — to magnesium resulted in elevated neuron magnesium levels.9
Additional research has suggested that threonate’s passage across the BBB and into neurons is mediated by glucose transporters (GLUTs) that increase magnesium levels and functional synapse density.10
Interestingly, threonate is endogenous in the body and central nervous system at concentrations some five times higher in the brain than in the blood.
These large numbers of preclinical discoveries laid the foundation for Magtein, a unique compound specifically designed to overcome the challenge of delivering magnesium to the brain.
Magtein has consistently demonstrated its ability to elevate brain magnesium levels, enhance synaptic density and support key cognitive functions such as learning and memory, marking a significant advancement in neuronutrition.
Robust clinical substantiation
The benefits of Magtein for human brain health have been demonstrated in three double-blind placebo-controlled RCTs.
Our first clinical study, published in 2016, investigated the effects of Magtein for 12 weeks in 51 healthy older adults (aged 50–70) with self-reported memory problems, anxiety and poor sleep.11
Compared with a placebo, at 6 weeks Magtein intake significantly raised body magnesium status and overall cognitive ability — including memory, learning and executive function.
By 12 weeks, the improvements in the Overall Cognitive Ability with Magtein were highly statistically significant (Total Treatment p = 0.001), demonstrating a robust and sustained cognitive enhancement with time.
What was particularly interesting was a 20% improvement from baseline in executive function in the Magtein group, as measured by The Trail Making Test – Part B (TMT-B) at 12 weeks.
This level of improvement is equivalent to turning back the brain’s clock by nearly 9 years based on normative executive function data.
In 2022, Zhang et al. explored the effects of 30 days of supplementation with a Magtein-phosphatidylserine formula on memory in 102 healthy adults aged 18–65.12
The researchers used the standard test commonly used in Chinese hospitals and academic institutes for cognitive evaluation to assess short- and long-term memory, associative learning, figure recognition, recall and character-face association.
After 30 days, a Magtein formula led to statistically significant improvements across all cognitive domains compared to both baseline and a placebo. Furthermore, the older the participants, the greater the improvement.
Magtein’s effects on emotional regulation were evaluated in a 2022 RCT involving 50 healthy participants aged 50–70 with self-reported stress and anxiety.13
After 12 weeks of supplementation, participants receiving Magtein experienced a significant and meaningful reduction in fear scores (HAM-A) and significant improvements in self-rated stress and anxiety (Likert scale) compared with the baseline.
This suggests strong potential for Magtein to help manage stress-related conditions.
Significant improvements in sleep quality
Our latest RCT, published in 2024, focused on Magtein’s potential to improve sleep quality, energy, mood and mental clarity in 80 healthy adults aged 35–55 with self-reported anxiety and poor sleep.14
Participants were randomised to receive Magtein or a placebo for 21 days (taken 2 hours before bed). Outcomes were evaluated using standard questionnaires and data from a wearable smart device that tracked sleep stages and total sleep duration.
Compared with the placebo, Magtein significantly improved sleep quality; participants spent less time in light sleep (p < 0.01) and more time in the restorative deep sleep phase (p < 0.001).
It also led to significant daytime improvements in mood, energy, alertness and productivity (p < 0.001). These results were broadly consistent with how Magtein works in neuron cells and animal models, suggesting wider positive impacts on overall brain health.
Magtein is currently being clinically evaluated for its benefits in areas including attention deficit disorder, Alzheimer’s, dementia, longevity, pain management and ageing conditions.
These human clinical trials demonstrated consistent benefits in areas such as memory, learning and executive function, thereby validating the preclinical results and confirming Magtein’s potential as a breakthrough ingredient for brain health throughout the lifespan.
An effective way to support healthy brain ageing
Magtein has been available for more than a decade on the US market where it was granted US FDA GRAS status in 2012.
In November 2024, it was authorised as a novel food in the EU, with exclusive distribution protection based on its proprietary data.
Its European debut at Vitafoods Europe 2025 garnered considerable interest and we were delighted to make several agreements at the event.
Magtein is tasteless, odourless, colourless and water-soluble; it is highly stable in beverage manufacturing processes and low pH conditions. Multiple granulation size options are available for a wide range of delivery systems.
These include capsules, tablets, sachets, gels, soft chews, gummies, sparkling water, instant coffee and functional bars. Effective at 1–2 g per day, Magtein is rapidly absorbed to eliminate the digestive issues associated with other less well-absorbed magnesium compounds.
It offers an effective, convenient solution for consumers seeking enhanced focus, attention, productivity, memory, brain energy, sleep quality and overall mental well-being in an increasingly hectic world.
References
- H.A. Young, et al., “Alignment of Consumers’ Expected Brain Benefits from Food and Supplements with Measurable Cognitive Performance Tests,” Nutrients 16(12), 1950 (2024).
- https://ific.org/media-information/press-releases/2023-food-health-survey/.
- www.spins.com/resources/blog/vitamins-supplements-and-sports-nutrition-key-trends-shaping-2024/.
- L.M. Resnick, et al., “Direct Magnetic Resonance Determination of Aortic Distensibility in Essential Hypertension: Relation to Age, Abdominal Visceral Fat and In Situ Extracellular Free Magnesium,” Hypertension 30(3 Pt 2), 654–659 (1997).
- M-H. Tao, et al., “Association Between Magnesium Intake and Cognition in US Older Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011 to 2014,” Alzheimers Dement. TRCI 8(1), e12250 (2022).
- R. Peters, “Ageing and the Brain,” Postgrad. Med. J. 82(964), 84–88 (2006).
- H. Zhou and G. Liu, “Regulation of Density of Functional Presynaptic Terminals by Local Energy Supply,” Molecular Brain 8, 42 (2015). Erratum in Molecular Brain 8, 45 (2015).
- N.R. Wilson, et al., “Synaptic Reorganization in Scaled Networks of Controlled Size,” Journal of Neuroscience 27(50), 13581–13589 (2007).
- I. Slutsky, et al., “Enhancement of Learning and Memory by Elevating Brain Magnesium,” Neuron 65, 165–177 (2010).
- Q. Sun, et al., “Regulation of Structural and Functional Synapse Density by L-Threonate Through Modulation of Intraneural Magnesium Concentration,” Neuropharmacology 108, 426–439 (2016).
- G. Liu, et al., “Efficacy and Safety of MMFS-01, a Synapse Density Enhancer, for Treating Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial,” Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 49, 971–990 (2016).
- C. Zhang, et al., “A Magtein®, Magnesium L-Threonate-Based Formula Improves Brain Cognitive Functions in Healthy Chinese Adults,” Nutrients 14(24), 5235 (2022).
- S. Hewlings and D. Kalman, “A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Comparator Trial Evaluating Magtein® Magnesium Supplement on Quality of Life as Related to Levels of Stress, Anxiety, Fear and Other Indicators,” EC Nutrition 17(3), 7–14 (2022).
- H.A. Hausenblas, et al., “Magnesium-L-Threonate Improves Sleep Quality and Daytime Functioning in Adults with Self-Reported Sleep Problems: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” Sleep Med. X 8, 100121 (2024).
