Does magnesium glycinate lower cholesterol?

The evidence doesn't support magnesium glycinate, or magnesium in any form, for lowering cholesterol or triglycerides. Two separate meta-analyses of randomized trials — one from 2017, one updated in 2025 — found no significant effect on total cholesterol, LDL or triglycerides. The two reviews disagree only on a small HDL finding, and even that comes with very high inconsistency across the underlying studies.

What the evidence doesn't support

It doesn't support magnesium glycinate, or any magnesium supplement, as a way to reduce total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol or triglycerides, whether your levels are elevated or in the normal range. It doesn't support magnesium as an alternative or addition to cholesterol-lowering medication. And it doesn't clearly support a meaningful HDL effect either — the one review that found a small increase also reported the highest possible level of inconsistency across the studies it pooled.

What the trials found

A 2017 meta-analysis in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology pooled randomized, controlled trials of oral magnesium supplementation in both diabetic and non-diabetic adults. Across every lipid measure — total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides — the pooled result was not statistically significant, and a subgroup analysis found no difference in outcome between diabetic and non-diabetic participants. The authors' own conclusion was that magnesium supplementation showed no significant effect on lipid profile in either group.

A 2025 dose-response meta-analysis in Nutrition Journal updated the picture, pooling 20-25 studies per lipid measure in the general adult population. It found the same null result for total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL as the 2017 review. It differed on one point: HDL cholesterol rose by a small, statistically significant amount (about 1.2 mg/dL) across the pooled trials. The authors flagged the same caveat themselves — heterogeneity across the underlying studies was extremely high for every single outcome, including the HDL result, meaning the individual trials disagreed with each other substantially. They concluded more research is needed before drawing a practical recommendation from it.

Neither review isolated magnesium glycinate as the specific form tested; both pooled trials that used a range of magnesium compounds and doses. Nothing in either meta-analysis reports on a form-specific effect.

Questions people ask

Does magnesium glycinate lower cholesterol?

No. Two meta-analyses of randomized trials found no significant effect of magnesium supplementation on total cholesterol, and neither isolated magnesium glycinate specifically.

Does magnesium glycinate lower triglycerides?

No. Both meta-analyses found no significant effect of magnesium supplementation on triglycerides.

Does magnesium glycinate raise HDL?

One 2025 meta-analysis found a small, statistically significant increase in HDL, while a 2017 meta-analysis found none. Both flagged very high inconsistency across the underlying trials, so this isn't a settled finding.

Should I take magnesium instead of a cholesterol medication?

No trial supports that. If you're managing cholesterol with medication, that's a decision to make with a doctor, not a supplement swap based on the evidence here.

When to talk to a doctor

Elevated cholesterol or triglycerides are worth managing with a doctor, who can interpret your full lipid panel and recommend treatment based on your individual risk. Magnesium glycinate is not a treatment for high cholesterol or triglycerides, and nothing in the evidence above supports using it as a substitute for medical care or prescribed medication. If you take a cholesterol-lowering medication or any other prescription drug, talk to a doctor before adding any supplement.

Related reading: magnesium glycinate benefits: what's established and what isn't, does magnesium glycinate help with dementia?, and does magnesium glycinate help with GERD or IBS?.