Comparison
Magnesium L-Threonate vs Pterostilbene
Magnesium L-Threonate
MIT-developed magnesium that crosses the blood-brain barrier. Shown to enhance synaptic density and reduce 'brain age'.
Pterostilbene
Methylated analog of resveratrol with much higher bioavailability. Found in blueberries.
| Field | Magnesium L-Threonate | Pterostilbene |
|---|---|---|
| Category | neuroprotective | neuroprotective |
| Dose range | 1000–2000mg | 50–250mg |
| Half-life | 6h | — |
| Onset | — | — |
| Evidence | EVIDENCEB | EVIDENCEB |
| Safety | ●●●●● | ●●●●● |
| Legal (US) | USOTC | USOTC |
| PubMed refs | 90 | 280 |
The comparison in plain English
Auto-generated from dataMagnesium L-Threonate and Pterostilbene are both in the neuroprotective category respectively. Magnesium L-Threonate MIT-developed magnesium that crosses the blood-brain barrier. Pterostilbene Methylated analog of resveratrol with much higher bioavailability.
Bottom line
Magnesium L-Threonate (evidence B, safety 5/5) matches the evidence base of Pterostilbene (evidence B, safety 5/5). Magnesium L-Threonate has the slightly cleaner safety profile. For users new to either, the higher-evidence option is the safer first try.
Choose Magnesium L-Threonate if
Magnesium L-Threonate is the better fit when your goal aligns with its mechanism (L-threonate is a sugar-acid carrier that uniquely enables magnesium to cross the blood-brain barrier in meaningful quantities — most oral magnesium forms (oxide, citrate, glycinate) raise serum magnesium but not central magnesium) and the dose range (1000–2000mg) suits your protocol. Half-life is 6h.
Choose Pterostilbene if
Pterostilbene is the better fit when your goal aligns with its mechanism (Pterostilbene is structurally similar to resveratrol but with two methyl groups attached, increasing lipophilicity and substantially improving blood-brain-barrier penetration (4x oral bioavailability and a longer half-life vs resveratrol)) and the dose range (50–250mg) suits your protocol. Half-life is —h.