A supplement is only as good as the form it is made from.
Two products can both say “magnesium 700 mg” and differ by an order of magnitude in how much of it you absorb. This page is the argument for why NexGen specifies the raw materials it does, with the figures and the sources attached.
The part of the label nobody else fills in
“Magnesium” is not an ingredient. It is a category containing forms that differ by an order of magnitude in how much of them you absorb. Here is what NexGen specifies, and why.
Albion® TRAACS® chelates
Fully reacted amino-acid chelates, not minerals stirred together with glycine powder. The chelate structure protects the mineral through the digestive tract, which is what separates a magnesium that works from one that sends you to the bathroom. Albion is regarded internationally as a gold standard in chelated mineral technology. Used across Magnesvia and every mineral in Omniva.
Ferrochel® ferrous bisglycinate
Iron bound to two glycine amino acids in a patented chelate from Balchem Albion Minerals. It bypasses many of the phytates, tannins and calcium that block conventional iron, and Balchem reports up to roughly five times the absorption of ferrous sulfate under phytate-rich conditions, with around 64% fewer gastrointestinal adverse events. It carries GRAS recognition in the United States under approved conditions of use. Used in Ferrivia and Omniva.
Activated and co-enzyme vitamins
Riboflavin-5-phosphate, pyridoxal-5-phosphate, methylfolate, methylcobalamin, adenosylcobalamin and benfotiamine, rather than the cheaper forms the body must first convert. Conversion capacity varies considerably between individuals; supplying the active form removes that variable. Used in Neurovia, Ferrivia and Omniva.
K2VITAL® vitamin K2
A branded K2, paired with vitamin D3 rather than sold alone. D3 raises how much calcium you absorb; K2 influences where that calcium is directed. Supplying one without the other answers half the question. Used in Osteovia and Omniva.
Standardised botanical extracts
Korean Ginseng 15:1, Siberian Ginseng 10:1, grape seed at 95% polyphenols, artichoke leaf 10:1, gentian, dong quai and nettle leaf — declared at extract ratio and herb equivalent, so the number on the label means something. Used across Ferrivia and Omniva.
The figures, and where they come from
These are published figures for the branded raw materials NexGen buys. They describe the ingredient, not a clinical outcome for any individual.
Ferrochel® iron absorption versus ferrous sulfate under phytate-rich conditions, as reported by Balchem.
Fewer gastrointestinal adverse events for ferrous bisglycinate versus standard iron salts, per Balchem.
Bioavailability recorded for magnesium bisglycinate in a 2025 evaluation — among the highest-performing organic magnesium forms studied.
Ferrochel® has undergone extensive toxicology and safety evaluation and holds GRAS recognition in the United States under approved conditions of use.
Sources as cited in our formulation documentation: Balchem Albion Minerals technical literature; a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis in Nutrition Reviews on ferrous bisglycinate supplementation in pregnant women; a 2025 magnesium bioavailability evaluation. Figures describe ingredient performance under study conditions.
Why the cheap one did not work
If you have taken a supplement and felt nothing, the odds are the formulation was the problem rather than your body. This is the difference, item by item.
Built to a price
- Magnesium oxide — poorly absorbed, laxative at useful doses
- Ferrous sulfate — constipation, nausea, reflux, abandoned therapy
- Folic acid and cyanocobalamin — forms that need converting
- Vitamin D3 with no K2, or K2 at a token level
- Iron with no copper, folate or B12 to actually build blood
- “Proprietary blend” — doses not disclosed
- Unnamed generic extracts, no standardisation ratio
Built to work, then priced
- Albion® magnesium bisglycinate, fully reacted chelate, 700 mg
- Ferrochel® bisglycinate iron, engineered for tolerability
- Methylfolate, methylcobalamin, R5P, P5P, benfotiamine
- 1000 IU D3 with 50 mcg K2, in proportion
- Iron with vitamin C, copper, folate and B12 alongside
- Every active and every dose printed on the carton
- Extracts declared at ratio and herb equivalent
How a NexGen formula gets built
In this order, every time. The dose is decided last, because it depends on the form.
Start from the failure, not the nutrient
The question is never “should we make an iron?” but “why do people taking iron still feel exhausted?” That reframes the brief from a single ingredient to a system: absorption, transport, red blood cell synthesis, oxygen delivery, and the mitochondrial machinery that uses it.
Choose the form before the dose
A large dose of a poorly absorbed form is worse than a moderate dose of a well absorbed one, because the unabsorbed remainder is what causes the side effects that stop people taking it. Form first: fully reacted chelates, co-enzymated vitamins, activated folate.
Add the cofactors the primary ingredient needs
Iron needs vitamin C to convert, copper to transport, folate and B12 to build cells. D3 needs K2 to direct calcium. Magnesium benefits from a carrier that is itself calming. Leaving these out makes a cheaper product, not a working one.
Design for months, not for a first dose
Ferritin restoration takes months. Magnesium repletion takes weeks. So gastrointestinal tolerability is a design requirement rather than a bonus — the best formula is the one someone can still take in week twelve.
Print everything
Every active, every dose, every extract ratio and herb equivalent, the branded ingredient names, the batch number and the expiry. If a number would embarrass us, the answer is to change the formula, not to hide the number.
Every active in the range
All 59 declared actives across five formulas, with doses. Open any one of them.
Fair questions
Are these figures about your products or about the ingredients?
The ingredients. Every figure on this page describes a branded raw material under study conditions — Ferrochel® versus ferrous sulfate, magnesium bisglycinate versus other magnesium forms. We are telling you what we buy and why, not claiming a clinical outcome for you.
Why should a branded ingredient matter to me?
Because “iron bisglycinate” on a label is not a specification. Ferrochel® is a specific patented chelate from a named manufacturer with published research and traceable batches. A generic equivalent may be fully reacted, partially reacted, or a physical mixture — you cannot tell from the label, and the difference shows up in absorption and in tolerability.
Does a higher dose mean a better product?
Not on its own. A 400 mg magnesium oxide tablet delivers less usable magnesium than a well absorbed chelate at a lower elemental dose, and it is far more likely to cause a laxative effect. Read the form before the number.
Have these products been tested in clinical trials?
The individual raw materials have published research behind them, which is cited above and on each product page. The finished formulas have not been through their own clinical trials, and we do not claim otherwise. They are dietary supplements, not registered medicines, and they have not been evaluated by any health authority for quality, safety and intended use.
What does “co-enzyme form” actually mean?
Most vitamins are supplied in a storage form the body must convert before use, and that conversion depends on enzymes, minerals and genetics that vary between people. A co-enzyme form — riboflavin-5-phosphate, pyridoxal-5-phosphate, methylfolate — is already in the shape the cell uses, so utilisation depends less on individual conversion capacity.
Compare our label against the one in your cupboard
That is the honest way to judge this. Look up the form of magnesium or iron on the product you currently take, then look at ours. If yours holds up, keep taking it.