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Manganese Citrate

Evidence Level
Preliminary
2 Clinical Trials
4 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Manganese citrate is a manganese salt of citric acid, supplied commercially as trimanganese dicitrate decahydrate at about 22 to 24 percent elemental manganese by weight. It is popular in clean-label and vegan supplements and is often marketed as a well-absorbed, food-friendly form. Manganese is an essential trace mineral and a cofactor for manganese superoxide dismutase, for the enzymes that build bone and cartilage matrix, and for carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Those are enzyme roles rather than demonstrated benefits of taking extra: frank manganese deficiency is very rare in people eating an ordinary diet, because whole grains, nuts, legumes, tea and leafy vegetables are all rich sources. Manganese citrate is a commodity ingredient with no form-specific human bioavailability trials; the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements states there are no data comparing the absorption of different supplemental manganese forms, so superior-absorption claims for citrate are not evidence-based. Better absorption would not automatically be a good thing here either, because manganese has a narrow margin between the 1.8 to 2.3 mg daily adequate intake and the 11 mg upper limit, a ceiling set because chronic manganese excess damages the nervous system.

Studied Dose Adult adequate intake 1.8 mg/day for women and 2.3 mg/day for men of elemental manganese; upper limit 11 mg/day counting food, drinking water and supplements together, not supplements alone. Clean-label multivitamins commonly provide 1 to 3 mg elemental manganese as citrate, which is roughly 4 to 13 mg of the citrate salt. No dose of manganese citrate has been tested in a human trial.
Active Compound Manganese(II) citrate, sold commercially as trimanganese dicitrate decahydrate, Mn3(C6H5O7)2·10H2O, molecular weight 723.2. Food-grade specifications give 22.0 to 23.9 percent elemental manganese as-is and 29.3 to 31.8 percent on an anhydrous basis, so about 9 mg of the salt supplies 2 mg of manganese

Benefits

Clean-label trace-mineral source

Manganese citrate pairs manganese with citric acid, a familiar food-derived acid, making it a favorite for vegan and clean-label products. Most adults already reach the 1.8 to 2.3 mg adequate intake from food alone, so a manganese supplement is only useful to someone whose diet is unusually low in whole grains, nuts, legumes, tea and leafy vegetables.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 2

Cofactor for the antioxidant enzyme MnSOD

Manganese is required for mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, the enzyme that converts superoxide radicals produced during normal energy metabolism. What has actually been measured in people is narrower than that sounds: in a 124 day study, 47 women given 15 mg of manganese a day showed a rise in lymphocyte superoxide dismutase activity from their own starting values, and the authors proposed that enzyme as a way to monitor manganese exposure rather than as a health benefit. That dose sits above the 11 mg upper limit, and no trial has measured whether supplemental manganese lowers oxidative damage or changes any health outcome in people who already get enough from food.

Supported by Trial 2

Helps maintain bone and connective tissue

Manganese activates glycosyltransferases that build the proteoglycan framework of cartilage and bone. The one randomized human test of the idea ran two years in 59 postmenopausal women and gave 5 mg of manganese alongside zinc and copper, with or without 1000 mg of calcium. Only the arm receiving all four minerals differed from placebo on spinal bone density; the zinc, manganese and copper arm on its own did not. Nothing in that result can be credited to manganese by itself.

Supported by Trial 1

Supports normal metabolism

Manganese is a cofactor for pyruvate carboxylase and for arginase, so it is needed for normal carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. No trial has tested whether supplemental manganese changes blood sugar, insulin or body weight in people. The only human data are dietary surveys, in which higher manganese intake from food travels with higher intakes of whole grains, nuts and legumes.

Supported by Trial 2, Trial 1

Mechanism of action

1

Citrate solubilization

Citrate can chelate manganese and improve its solubility across a range of gut pH, the basis for the well-absorbed marketing claim. However, net manganese absorption is low and homeostatically regulated, and no human study confirms a citrate advantage over other forms. More absorption would also not be self-evidently better here, because the body sheds a surplus mainly through bile, which carries more than 90 percent of absorbed manganese and is the step that fails in liver disease, and because the 11 mg upper limit sits only about five times above the daily requirement.

2

MnSOD cofactor activity

Absorbed manganese lets mitochondrial superoxide dismutase convert superoxide radicals to hydrogen peroxide and oxygen. In the one human supplementation study to look, 15 mg of manganese a day did raise lymphocyte superoxide dismutase activity, but the step from higher enzyme activity to less oxidative damage or a better health outcome has not been measured in people, so it remains an inference.

3

Enzyme cofactor for matrix synthesis

Manganese-dependent glycosyltransferases assemble the glycosaminoglycan chains of cartilage and bone proteoglycans, linking adequate manganese status to the maintenance of connective-tissue structure.

Clinical trials

1
Calcium with zinc, manganese and copper and two-year spinal bone loss
PubMed

Strause L, Saltman P, Smith KT, Bracker M, Andon MB. J Nutr. 1994;124(7):1060-1064. Two-year double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized trial with four arms.

59 healthy postmenopausal women, mean age 66 years, about 15 per arm.

The four arms were placebo, trace minerals alone (15 mg zinc, 5 mg manganese, 2.5 mg copper), 1000 mg calcium alone as calcium citrate malate, and calcium plus the trace minerals. Two-year change in L2 to L4 bone density was -3.53 percent on placebo, -1.89 percent with trace minerals alone, -1.25 percent with calcium alone and +1.48 percent with calcium plus trace minerals. Only the calcium plus trace mineral arm differed significantly from placebo (p = 0.0099); the trace minerals alone did not. With about 15 women per arm and manganese given alongside three other minerals, nothing here can be attributed to manganese on its own, and the manganese dose used was 5 mg, roughly twice the adult adequate intake.

2
Controlled dietary manganese in a metabolic ward study
PubMed

Penland JG, Johnson PE. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1993;168(5):1417-1423. Double-blind Latin-square metabolic ward study, four 39-day diet periods over 169 days.

10 healthy women with normal menstrual cycles, living in a metabolic unit.

Diets supplied either 1.0 or 5.6 mg manganese per day crossed with either 587 or 1336 mg calcium per day, and the outcome was a menstrual distress questionnaire. Higher calcium intake lowered mood, concentration, behavior and pain symptom scores. The lower manganese intake raised premenstrual mood and pain symptoms even when calcium intake was high. This is the closest thing to a controlled human test of manganese intake, and it is small: 10 women, a design the authors themselves called exploratory, and a comparison of low versus adequate dietary manganese rather than supplementing above adequacy. It measured nothing about bone, antioxidant or metabolic outcomes.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Generally well tolerated at the 1 to 3 mg of elemental manganese found in supplements. The 11 mg/day upper limit for adults covers manganese from food, drinking water and supplements added together, not supplements on their own.
Chronic excess manganese is neurotoxic and can cause manganism, a parkinsonian movement disorder with tremor, rigidity and mood change. Private well water is a real source: among 362 Quebec children, a tenfold higher manganese concentration in home tap water was associated with 2.4 fewer IQ points, and there was a 6.2-point gap between the lowest and highest water-manganese quintiles. Anyone drawing water from a well should know its manganese level before adding a supplement.
Manganese absorption rises as iron status falls, so an iron-deficient person absorbs more manganese from the same dose and builds up more of it.
More than 90 percent of absorbed manganese leaves the body in bile, so people with cirrhosis, cholestasis or other chronic liver disease accumulate it and are the group at highest risk of neurotoxicity.
High doses may cause mild gastrointestinal upset in sensitive individuals.

Important Drug interactions

Oral iron competes with manganese for absorption; separate dosing reduces the interaction.
Calcium and magnesium antacids can lower manganese absorption; space the doses.
Multivitamins, bone formulas, joint products and greens powders each commonly contain manganese; the total across all products plus food and water is what has to stay under 11 mg/day.
Citrate may slightly increase aluminum absorption from aluminum-containing antacids.

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Frequently asked questions about Manganese Citrate

What is manganese citrate?

Manganese citrate is manganese bound to citric acid, sold as trimanganese dicitrate decahydrate at roughly 22 to 24 percent elemental manganese. It supplies the small amount of manganese the body needs, usually inside a multivitamin or bone formula. No human study has compared how well it is absorbed against manganese sulfate, gluconate or the amino acid chelates, and none has compared them on any health outcome.

What is manganese good for?

Manganese is required by the enzymes that build bone and cartilage matrix, by mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, and by enzymes of carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Only trace amounts are needed. Those enzyme roles have not been shown to turn into a measurable benefit from taking extra manganese, and the one randomized bone trial gave it as part of a four-mineral combination.

How much manganese citrate should I take?

The body needs only about 1.8 to 2.3 mg per day, usually met by diet. Supplements add a few milligrams. Keep the total from food, drinking water and supplements together under 11 mg per day, since chronic excess damages the nervous system.

Is manganese citrate safe?

At the 1 to 3 mg found in a multivitamin it is generally safe. Frank manganese deficiency is very rare in people eating an ordinary diet, so high doses serve no purpose and carry real risk. Anyone with chronic liver disease should avoid supplemental manganese unless a doctor advises otherwise, because bile is the main route for clearing it, and anyone who is iron deficient or drinking well water takes in more than the label suggests.

What is Manganese Citrate used for?

Manganese Citrate is researched primarily for Bone Health. Manganese citrate pairs manganese with citric acid, a familiar food-derived acid, making it a favorite for vegan and clean-label products. Most adults already reach the 1.8 to 2.

What is the recommended dosage of Manganese Citrate?

The clinically studied dose is Adult adequate intake 1.8 mg/day for women and 2.3 mg/day for men of elemental manganese; upper limit 11 mg/day counting food, drinking water and supplements together, not supplements alone. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Manganese Citrate safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, Manganese Citrate is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: Generally well tolerated at the 1 to 3 mg of elemental manganese found in supplements. The 11 mg/day upper limit for adults covers manganese from food, drinking water and supplements added together, not supplements on their own. It may also interact with some medications. Manganese Citrate is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Manganese Citrate interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Oral iron competes with manganese for absorption; separate dosing reduces the interaction. Calcium and magnesium antacids can lower manganese absorption; space the doses. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Manganese Citrate?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Manganese Citrate as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 2 clinical trials and 8 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(8 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Finley JW, Davis CD. Manganese deficiency and toxicity: are high or low dietary amounts of manganese cause for concern? Biofactors. 1999;10(1):15-24. doi: 10.1002/biof.5520100102.PubMedUsed to support: Reviews manganese in the North American food supply and reports that only a few vaguely described cases of manganese deficiency exist in the medical literature, so deficiency in free-living people is expected to be isolated at most. Flags the two situations that raise body burden: iron deficiency increases manganese absorption, and because manganese is eliminated mainly through bile, impaired liver function reduces its removal.
  2. Davis CD, Greger JL. Longitudinal changes of manganese-dependent superoxide dismutase and other indexes of manganese and iron status in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;1992;55(3):747-52.PubMedUsed to support: Forty-seven women were followed for 124 days while taking placebo, 60 mg iron, 15 mg manganese, or both daily. In the manganese groups, lymphocyte manganese superoxide dismutase activity and serum manganese rose above their own starting values, with no change in urinary manganese excretion or any index of iron status. The authors' point was that these two measures can be used to monitor manganese exposure in people, not that the enzyme rise produced a health benefit; no measure of oxidative damage or clinical outcome was taken, and the 15 mg daily dose is above the 11 mg upper limit for adults.
  3. Friedman BJ, Freeland-Graves JH, Bales CW, Behmardi F, Shorey-Kutschke RL, Willis RA, Crosby JB, Trickett PC, Houston SD. Manganese balance and clinical observations in young men fed a manganese-deficient diet. J Nutr. 1987;117(1):133-43. doi: 10.1093/jn/117.1.133.PubMedUsed to support: Seven men aged 19 to 22 were fed 2.59 mg manganese per day for three weeks, then a purified diet of just 0.11 mg per day for 39 days, then repletion. Even after 39 days of near-total deprivation the only clinical sign was a transient rash (miliaria crystallina) in five of the seven, which cleared as soon as repletion began. Balance data put the minimum requirement at 0.74 mg per day by the factorial method, rising to 2.11 mg per day if the lowest individual retention is assumed. It took a purified experimental diet to produce any sign of manganese deficiency in a healthy young adult.
  4. Strause L, Saltman P, Smith KT, Bracker M, Andon MB. Spinal bone loss in postmenopausal women supplemented with calcium and trace minerals. J Nutr. 1994;124(7):1060-4. doi: 10.1093/jn/124.7.1060.PubMedUsed to support: Two-year randomized double-blind trial in 59 postmenopausal women, about 15 per arm. Spinal bone density changed by -3.53 percent on placebo, -1.89 percent with zinc, manganese and copper alone, -1.25 percent with 1000 mg calcium alone and +1.48 percent with calcium plus the trace minerals; only the calcium plus trace mineral arm differed significantly from placebo. Because manganese was given at 5 mg alongside calcium, zinc and copper, the result cannot be attributed to manganese on its own.
  5. Penland JG, Johnson PE. Dietary calcium and manganese effects on menstrual cycle symptoms. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1993;168(5):1417-23. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9378(11)90775-3.PubMedUsed to support: Ten healthy women lived in a metabolic unit for 169 days and were assigned in double-blind Latin-square order to four 39-day diets providing 1.0 or 5.6 mg manganese with 587 or 1336 mg calcium per day, with menstrual symptoms as the outcome. Higher calcium intake lowered mood, concentration, behavior and pain symptom scores; the lower manganese intake raised premenstrual mood and pain symptoms. The authors described the study as exploratory, and the comparison was low versus adequate dietary manganese rather than supplementation above adequacy.
  6. Bouchard MF, Sauvé S, Barbeau B, Legrand M, Brodeur MÈ, Bouffard T, Limoges E, Bellinger DC, Mergler D. Intellectual impairment in school-age children exposed to manganese from drinking water. Environ Health Perspect. 2011;119(1):138-43. doi: 10.1289/ehp.1002321.PubMedUsed to support: Cross-sectional study of 362 Quebec children aged 6 to 13 supplied by groundwater. Median tap water manganese was 34 micrograms per litre, range 1 to 2700. A tenfold higher water manganese concentration was associated with 2.4 fewer IQ points, and there was a 6.2-point IQ difference between the lowest and highest water-manganese quintiles. Hair manganese rose with intake from water but not with dietary manganese. Being cross-sectional, it shows association rather than cause.
  7. O'Neal SL, Zheng W. Manganese Toxicity Upon Overexposure: a Decade in Review. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2015;2(3):315-28. doi: 10.1007/s40572-015-0056-x.PubMedUsed to support: Review of a decade of manganese toxicity research. Excess manganese produces clinical signs resembling but not identical to Parkinson's disease, and exposure occurs not only occupationally but through contaminated food, infant formula, water, soil and air. Manganese clears from blood quickly but persists in tissue, with an estimated half-life in human bone of 8 to 9 years, and age, sex, genetics and pre-existing medical conditions strongly modify individual susceptibility.
  8. Gong JH, Lo K, Liu Q, Li J, Lai S, Shadyab AH, Arcan C, Snetselaar L, Liu S. Dietary Manganese, Plasma Markers of Inflammation, and the Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Postmenopausal Women: Findings From the Women's Health Initiative. Diabetes Care. 2020;43(6):1344-1351. doi: 10.2337/dc20-0243.PubMedUsed to support: Observational analysis of 84,285 postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative, replicated in 62,338 more. Women in the highest quintile of energy-adjusted dietary manganese had a 30 percent lower rate of type 2 diabetes than those in the lowest (hazard ratio 0.70, 95 percent CI 0.65 to 0.76; replication 0.79, 0.73 to 0.85), with interleukin 6 and hs-CRP mediating 19 percent and 12 percent of the association. Manganese here was estimated from food questionnaires rather than given as a supplement, and manganese-rich foods are whole grains, nuts and legumes, so this does not show what a manganese pill would do.