UCLA Magnesium Formulation Athlete Study

NCT07640685 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: IRB-26-1185
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 150
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial will compare magnesium glycinate, magnesium L-threonate, and placebo in UCLA varsity athletes. Participants will complete a baseline monitoring period followed by 4 weeks of blinded nightly supplementation. WHOOP or study-approved wearable data will be used to evaluate sleep efficiency, total sleep time, sleep consistency, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and recovery metrics. Baseline and final testing will assess selected reaction and physical performance outcomes. The primary outcome is change in WHOOP-derived sleep efficiency from baseline week to final treatment week.

Conditions

Athletic Performance; Recovery; Sleep

Keywords

magnesium glycinate; magnesium L-threonate; collegiate athletes; sleep duration; athlete recovery; WHOOP; heart rate variability; reaction time; placebo-controlled trial; dietary supplement

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in WHOOP-derived sleep efficiency percentage from baseline week to final treatment week

  Average nightly WHOOP-derived sleep efficiency, expressed as a percentage, will be calculated for the baseline week and final treatment week. A valid week requires at least 5 usable nights in the 7-day window. The outcome is final-treatment-week average minus baseline-week average; higher values indicate improved sleep efficiency.

  Baseline week to final treatment week, approximately 5 weeks total including baseline monitoring

Secondary Outcomes (10)

• Change in BlazePod RIW Challenge reaction time in milliseconds from baseline to final visit

  Baseline to final visit, approximately 5 weeks

• Change in BlazePod Speed Tap reaction time in milliseconds from baseline to final visit

  Baseline to final visit, approximately 5 weeks

• Change in WHOOP-derived sleep consistency score from baseline week to final treatment week

  Baseline week to final treatment week, approximately 5 weeks total including baseline monitoring

• Change in WHOOP-derived total sleep time in minutes from baseline week to final treatment week

  Baseline week to final treatment week, approximately 5 weeks total including baseline monitoring

• Change in WHOOP-derived resting heart rate in beats per minute from baseline week to final treatment week

  Baseline week to final treatment week, approximately 5 weeks total including baseline monitoring

Study Arms (3)

Magnesium Glycinate

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants randomized to this arm will take blinded magnesium glycinate capsules nightly for 4 weeks. The current planning dose is approximately 240 mg elemental magnesium nightly, with final capsule count and label language based on the selected blinded formulation.

Dietary Supplement: Magnesium glycinate

Magnesium L-Threonate

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants randomized to this arm will take blinded magnesium L-threonate capsules nightly for 4 weeks. The current planning target is approximately 2 g/day total magnesium L-threonate, with elemental magnesium content, capsule count, and label language confirmed before activation.

Dietary Supplement: Magnesium L-threonate

Placebo

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants randomized to this arm will take matching placebo capsules nightly for 4 weeks on the same blinded schedule.

Other: Placebo

Interventions

Magnesium glycinate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Blinded oral magnesium glycinate capsules taken nightly for 28 days.

Magnesium Glycinate

Magnesium L-threonate DIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Blinded oral magnesium L-threonate capsules taken nightly for 28 days.

Magnesium L-Threonate

Placebo OTHER

Matching placebo capsules taken nightly for 28 days.

Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18 to 35 years.
• Current UCLA varsity athlete.
• Actively training or competing during the study period.
• Willing to wear WHOOP or a study-approved wearable device continuously during baseline and treatment periods if wearable data are used.
• Willing to take assigned study capsules nightly for 28 days.
• Willing to complete brief daily REDCap surveys and weekly adherence/safety check-ins.
• Able to provide informed consent and comply with study procedures.

You may not qualify if:

• Current magnesium supplementation without completion of an appropriate washout before baseline.
• Current investigational drug or investigational supplement use.
• Current use of prescription or over-the-counter sleep medications unless reviewed and permitted by the study clinician.
• Diagnosed sleep disorder that, in the investigator's judgment, would confound outcomes or increase risk.
• Significant kidney disease or another medical condition that may increase risk with magnesium supplementation.
• Known intolerance or allergy to magnesium glycinate, magnesium L-threonate, placebo, or inactive study ingredients.
• Use of medications with clinically relevant magnesium interactions unless reviewed and permitted by the study clinician.
• Any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, would make participation unsafe, compromise voluntary consent, or prevent valid outcome assessment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Los Angeles: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of California, Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California, 90095, United States

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Hausenblas HA, Lynch T, Hooper S, Shrestha A, Rosendale D, Gu J. Magnesium-L-threonate improves sleep quality and daytime functioning in adults with self-reported sleep problems: A randomized controlled trial. Sleep Med X. 2024 Aug 17;8:100121. doi: 10.1016/j.sleepx.2024.100121. eCollection 2024 Dec 15.

  PMID: 39252819 BACKGROUND

• Schuster J, Cycelskij I, Lopresti A, Hahn A. Magnesium Bisglycinate Supplementation in Healthy Adults Reporting Poor Sleep: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Nat Sci Sleep. 2025 Aug 30;17:2027-2040. doi: 10.2147/NSS.S524348. eCollection 2025.

  PMID: 40918053 BACKGROUND

• Mah J, Pitre T. Oral magnesium supplementation for insomnia in older adults: a Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2021 Apr 17;21(1):125. doi: 10.1186/s12906-021-03297-z.

  PMID: 33865376 BACKGROUND

• Walsh NP, Halson SL, Sargent C, Roach GD, Nedelec M, Gupta L, Leeder J, Fullagar HH, Coutts AJ, Edwards BJ, Pullinger SA, Robertson CM, Burniston JG, Lastella M, Le Meur Y, Hausswirth C, Bender AM, Grandner MA, Samuels CH. Sleep and the athlete: narrative review and 2021 expert consensus recommendations. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Nov 3:bjsports-2020-102025. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102025. Online ahead of print.

  PMID: 33144349 BACKGROUND

• Miller DJ, Lastella M, Scanlan AT, Bellenger C, Halson SL, Roach GD, Sargent C. A validation study of the WHOOP strap against polysomnography to assess sleep. J Sports Sci. 2020 Nov;38(22):2631-2636. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1797448. Epub 2020 Jul 26.

  PMID: 32713257 BACKGROUND

• Gupta L, Morgan K, Gilchrist S. Does Elite Sport Degrade Sleep Quality? A Systematic Review. Sports Med. 2017 Jul;47(7):1317-1333. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0650-6.

  PMID: 27900583 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Interventions

magnesium diglycinate; threonic acid

Study Officials

• Jeremy Swisher, MD

  University of California, Los Angeles

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Joshua Goldman, MD

  University of California, Los Angeles

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Jeremy Swisher, MD

CONTACT

936-520-3595; jswisher@mednet.ucla.edu

Kimberly Burbank, MD

CONTACT

kburbank@mednet.ucla.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: QUADRUPLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Participants, study personnel involved in assessment, investigators, and outcome assessors will remain blinded to treatment assignment. The primary analysis will also be performed with treatment assignment masked when feasible. Emergency unblinding may occur only when needed for participant safety or regulatory requirements.
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Participants will be randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio to magnesium glycinate, magnesium L-threonate, or placebo.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 26, 2026
• First Posted: June 11, 2026
• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2027
• Last Updated: June 11, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)