Magnesium glycinate

Magnesium glycinate for dogs, and why the form matters

Magnesium glycinate is included as part of Calm's nervous system cofactors active ingredients.

Magnesium for dogs comes in several forms, and the one that matters most is magnesium glycinate, which is why that's what we use in Broono. Magnesium is an essential mineral involved in neuromuscular function, neurotransmission, and the regulation of stress-related physiology. Magnesium glycinate is gentle and well-tolerated, pairing magnesium with glycine, an amino acid involved in inhibitory nervous-system signalling. Within the formula, magnesium glycinate supports normal nervous-system function and helps maintain a relaxed physiological state.

Not every form of magnesium suits a daily chew: glycinate is gentle and well absorbed where other forms cause digestive upset, and studies pairing it with vitamin B6 found better stress outcomes than magnesium on its own.

Not all magnesium is the same

"Magnesium" on a label can mean several different compounds, and the form matters more than people expect. Magnesium citrate, for instance, is absorbed quickly and has a laxative effect at higher amounts, which is exactly why it's sold as a human constipation remedy.

Magnesium glycinate is a different pairing: magnesium bound to glycine, an amino acid involved in inhibitory nervous-system signalling. It's absorbed well without the digestive side effects that come with citrate, which is why Broono chose it for a daily chew rather than a form meant for occasional, fast-acting use.

What it contributes to a calm baseline

Magnesium plays a role in neurotransmission and in regulating the physiology behind stress responses. Two clinical studies in stressed adults found that magnesium combined with vitamin B6 outperformed magnesium on its own for measures of severe stress, mental health, and quality of life, which is the reasoning behind pairing magnesium glycinate with B6 in Calm rather than using magnesium alone.

Why not just give a human magnesium tablet

Magnesium itself is an essential mineral for dogs, and supplementing it is well tolerated in most healthy dogs. The complication is that a tablet from the pharmacy shelf is built around a person's body weight and, often, a form chosen for reasons that have nothing to do with a dog: citrate for fast absorption, oxide because it's cheap to manufacture.

Splitting a human tablet means guessing at both the amount and the form at once. A chew formulated for dogs fixes both: a specific amount of a specific form, glycinate, sized for the dog eating it.