The Most Superior Forms of Minerals

By Jennifer Morganti, ND

Are you looking for the best multivitamin available, but just don’t know where to start? In our previous blog, we covered the optimal forms of vitamins that you should look for on the supplement facts panel. Here, we will cover the forms of minerals with the best bioavailability.

Magnesium is an important mineral because so many of us are deficient. The amount found in a multivitamin may not be adequate because this mineral takes a lot of volume; therefore, you may need to supplement with an extra magnesium pill. When looking for the best form, you’ll notice that magnesium is always bound to another nutrient for the sake of stability. Some nutrients that are bound to it release the magnesium into its single form easily, and some hang on tighter, making it less absorbable. Magnesium carbonate, sulfate, hydroxide, gluconate, and oxide are forms that are least absorbable into the tissues. This means that they are more likely to have a laxative effect, which may be desirable in some situations. Better absorbed forms are magnesium citrate, taurate, glycinate, and threonate. Citrate is one of the more common forms and is very cost-effective. Magnesium threonate is the newest form of magnesium, and has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier. This makes it an excellent choice to prevent dementia and other cognitive problems. However, this form is not found in any multivitamin.

Calcium is another mineral that is not found in adequate doses in a multivitamin because of its bulk, so it may need to be taken as an additional supplement. Calcium carbonate is commonly found in multivitamins because it is cheaper and less bulky, but it is poorly absorbed and not ideal for building bone. Instead, look for calcium citrate, hydroxyapatite, or Microcrystalline Hydroxyapatite Concentrate (MCHC).

In general, the true mineral chelates are well absorbed, but there is some controversy over which ones are authentically chelated. Albion brand chelated minerals are an example of a true chelate, so their presence indicates a high quality formula.

Beyond the chelates, zinc picolinate is preferred over the sulfate or gluconate form.

For selenium, selenomethionine is a common and well-absorbed form; it is considered superior over selenium yeast, and sodium selenite. Chromium picolinate is recommended over nicotinate, yeast, and chloride forms.

When looking for a high-quality multivitamin, it may not be possible to find the optimal form of every single nutrient. The key is to find a formula that has a good amount of nutrients in the best forms, in the quantity that you need, at a price you can afford. If you need assistance finding a product to suit you, you can always call the NEEDS wellness team for a complimentary consult!