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Manganese
Bottom line
In our scoring, Manganese rates weak evidence: the human evidence is thin for dietary deficiency is exceptionally rare. Our top-scored product is Pure Encapsulations Manganese 8 mg (84/100), about $0.22 a day at a clinical dose of AI 1.8-2.3 mg/day. Bottom line: treat any benefit as unproven. This is our opinion, not medical advice; talk to your clinician before starting.
Here is the twist that makes manganese different from almost every other mineral on this site: the most important thing to know about it is not a benefit, it is a risk.
- Evidence
- Weak Evidence
- Category
- Vitamins & Minerals
- Best form
- most people should not supplement manganese at all
- Effective dose
- AI 1.8-2.3 mg/day (no RDA)
- Lab tested
- 2 of 6 products
- Category
- Vitamins & Minerals
- Best form
- most people should not supplement manganese at all
- Effective dose
- AI 1.8-2.3 mg/day (no RDA)
- Lab tested
- 2 of 6 products
Key takeaways
- →The defining fact about manganese is a risk, not a benefit: chronic excess is neurotoxic (manganism, a parkinsonian syndrome). More is not better.
- →Deficiency is exceptionally rare - the NIH reports no US group is likely to fall short. A varied diet (whole grains, nuts, tea, leafy greens) plus drinking water already covers it.
- →Most standalone products are 8-10 mg, which sits right at the 11 mg/day upper limit; some go to 40-50 mg, several times over it. There is almost no low, sensible-dose option on the market.
- →If you have no documented deficiency, the honest recommendation is to skip standalone manganese entirely. If a doctor has flagged one, discuss dosing with them rather than self-dosing near the ceiling.
What Is Manganese?
Here is the twist that makes manganese different from almost every other mineral on this site: the most important thing to know about it is not a benefit, it is a risk. Chronic excess manganese is neurotoxic. Sustained overexposure produces manganism, a parkinsonian movement disorder that looks a lot like Parkinson's disease, driven by damage to the basal ganglia in the brain. That is the headline. For manganese, "more" is not a lever you want to pull.
Manganese is genuinely essential - your body needs a small amount, and it is a cofactor for real enzymes (Mn-SOD, which is part of your antioxidant defense, plus arginase, glutamine synthetase, and pyruvate carboxylase), with roles in bone, energy metabolism, and mopping up free radicals. But "essential" and "you should supplement it" are not the same claim. The reason we score this a Tier 4 is simple: dietary manganese deficiency is exceptionally rare. It is essentially not reported outside experimental settings, because the food supply is loaded with it - whole grains, nuts, tea, leafy greens, and drinking water all carry manganese. The NIH's own dietary office states there are no known groups in the US likely to have inadequate manganese intakes. If nobody is running short, a standalone 8-10 mg pill is a solution in search of a problem.
So what does a standalone manganese product actually do? It stacks 8-10 mg on top of a diet that already meets your needs, and those common doses sit right up against the 11 mg/day upper limit - some products go to 40-50 mg, several times over it. And the "more is better" instinct is exactly backwards here: in a study of roughly 362 Quebec children, higher manganese in drinking water tracked with lower IQ, about a 6-point gap between the highest and lowest exposure groups. That is an association in a specific exposure setting, not proof that a supplement will lower anyone's IQ - but it points the same direction as the manganism data. With this mineral, the downside is the story.
On forms, chelated types (manganese bisglycinate, sometimes branded Albion) are the most common in supplements, but honestly the form barely matters, because the recommendation for most people is not to take it. The NIH notes there is no good bioavailability data comparing the forms head to head, so treat "best form" as a soft preference, not a reason to buy. If your doctor has flagged a documented deficiency - rare, but it happens with certain malabsorption conditions - that is a conversation to have with them, not a reason to grab a 50 mg bottle off the shelf.
Does It Work? The Evidence
How A-F grades workManganese earns a Weak Evidence rating - human evidence is thin across its claimed uses, the best-supported being dietary deficiency is exceptionally rare (the reason most people do not need it) (grade A). Each claim is graded individually below.
Chronic excess manganese is neurotoxic (manganism, a parkinsonian syndrome)
Guilarte 2010 (Environ Health Perspect): occupational/environmental manganese overexposure produces basal-ganglia dysfunction and a parkinsonian movement disorder - for manganese the headline is a downside, which flips the usual supplement framing.
Dietary deficiency is exceptionally rare (the reason most people do not need it)
Aschner & Erikson 2017 (Adv Nutr, 'Manganese'): deficiency is essentially not reported outside experimental settings given abundant dietary sources; NIH ODS: no known groups are likely to have inadequate manganese intakes.
Essential enzyme cofactor (Mn-SOD antioxidant defense, bone, energy metabolism)
Chen et al. 2018 (Front Biosci): manganese is a cofactor for Mn-SOD, arginase, glutamine synthetase, and pyruvate carboxylase, with roles in bone, antioxidant defense, and energy metabolism.
Elevated manganese exposure is linked to cognitive harm
Bouchard et al. 2011 (Environ Health Perspect): ~362 Quebec children with higher drinking-water manganese had lower IQ (~6-point gap between highest and lowest quintiles) - more is not better and can be harmful.
| Grade | Claimed Benefit | Key Studies | Our Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Chronic excess manganese is neurotoxic (manganism, a parkinsonian syndrome) | Guilarte 2010 (Environ Health Perspect): occupational/environmental manganese overexposure produces basal-ganglia dysfunction and a parkinsonian movement disorder - for manganese the headline is a downside, which flips the usual supplement framing. | Supported |
| A | Dietary deficiency is exceptionally rare (the reason most people do not need it) | Aschner & Erikson 2017 (Adv Nutr, 'Manganese'): deficiency is essentially not reported outside experimental settings given abundant dietary sources; NIH ODS: no known groups are likely to have inadequate manganese intakes. | Supported |
| B | Essential enzyme cofactor (Mn-SOD antioxidant defense, bone, energy metabolism) | Chen et al. 2018 (Front Biosci): manganese is a cofactor for Mn-SOD, arginase, glutamine synthetase, and pyruvate carboxylase, with roles in bone, antioxidant defense, and energy metabolism. | Supported |
| B | Elevated manganese exposure is linked to cognitive harm | Bouchard et al. 2011 (Environ Health Perspect): ~362 Quebec children with higher drinking-water manganese had lower IQ (~6-point gap between highest and lowest quintiles) - more is not better and can be harmful. | Early Signal |
How to Choose: Forms, Doses & What Matters
Clinical dose: AI 1.8-2.3 mg/day (no RDA); UL 11 mg/day; most people already get plenty from diet
Best forms: most people should not supplement manganese at all, if you do, common standalone doses (8-10 mg) sit near the 11 mg upper limit, dietary sources - whole grains, nuts, tea, leafy greens - are abundant
The most useful guidance is usually not to take a standalone manganese supplement at all. If a clinician has told you to, take it with food to ease any stomach upset, and keep the total from all sources under the 11 mg/day upper limit - that includes any manganese hiding in a multivitamin, greens powder, or bone-support formula you already use, which is easy to overlook. Common standalone products are 8-10 mg, so a single one can put you at or over the ceiling on its own; there is very little on the market in the 1-3 mg range that would match the adequate-intake target (1.8-2.3 mg/day for adults). On form, chelated manganese (bisglycinate, sometimes labeled Albion) is the usual pick, but the NIH notes there is no solid data showing one form absorbs meaningfully better than another, so do not pay up for form. If you have any liver or bile-flow condition, do not start manganese without medical advice.
Who Should Take Manganese?
This is a very short list. The honest answer for most readers is nobody - a varied Western diet and ordinary drinking water already meet manganese needs, and no US group is flagged as likely to fall short. You might have a genuine reason to consider it only if a doctor has documented a deficiency, which is uncommon and tends to show up with conditions that impair nutrient absorption or in people fed long-term through an IV that omits trace minerals. Even then, this is a dose-with-your-clinician situation, not a grab-a-bottle-off-the-shelf one, because the gap between an adequate intake and the upper limit is narrow. If you are reaching for manganese for bone or antioxidant support, know that the benefit only shows up when you are short on it, and almost nobody is.
Who Should Avoid It?
Not for everyone
Side Effects & Safety
Product Scores
6 products scored on dosing accuracy, third-party testing, cost per effective dose, and label transparency.
The Scorecard: 6 Products Compared
Pure Encapsulations Manganese 8 mg
Pure Encapsulations$13.00 ÷ 59 days at 8000mcg/day (1 serving × 8000mcg)
Our Top Pick for the narrow group who genuinely need manganese: it pairs the best testing on this list with a label that actually flags the upper limit. For everyone else, the honest move is to skip standalone manganese entirely.
Prices checked 2026-07-07. Cost shown is per clinically effective daily dose, not per pill.
Nutricost Chelated Manganese 8 mg
Nutricost$11.95 ÷ 119 days at 8000mcg/day (1 serving × 8000mcg)
Best Value among the standard-dose options: a well-absorbed chelate from a tested facility at the lowest per-dose price. The honest footnote is that the highest-value choice in this category is usually to get manganese from food and skip the pill.
Prices checked 2026-07-07. Cost shown is per clinically effective daily dose, not per pill.
Solgar Chelated Manganese 8 mg
Solgar$11.95 ÷ 100 days at 8000mcg/day (1 serving × 8000mcg)
A solid, long-standing bisglycinate option from a reputable brand. Form and label are fine; it just lacks the independent certification and the upper-limit caution that push Pure Encapsulations ahead.
Prices checked 2026-07-07. Cost shown is per clinically effective daily dose, not per pill.
Swanson Albion Chelated Manganese 10 mg
Swanson
$7.99 ÷ 200 days at 10000mcg/day (1 serving × 10000mcg)
Cheapest per capsule, but the 10 mg dose is the catch: it sits right at the 11 mg/day ceiling, so any manganese from your diet or a multivitamin can push your daily total over. A lower-dose product is the safer pick.
Prices checked 2026-07-07. Cost shown is per clinically effective daily dose, not per pill.
Source Naturals Manganese 10 mg
Source Naturals
$11.05 ÷ 221 days at ~11312mcg/day (1.1 servings × 10000mcg)
Same core caveat as the other 10 mg product here: the dose leaves no room under the ceiling once you count food and any multivitamin. Fine on price and label, but the dose choice is the problem for most buyers.
Prices checked 2026-07-07. Cost shown is per clinically effective daily dose, not per pill.
NaturesPlus Manganese 50 mg
NaturesPlus
$25.99 ÷ 93 days at 50000mcg/day (1 serving × 50000mcg)
We include this specifically as the cautionary example: 50 mg is about 4.5 times the 11 mg/day upper limit, and chronic intake at that level is exactly what the neurotoxicity concern is about. This is far too much manganese for almost anyone - the dose is the problem, not the brand.
Prices checked 2026-07-07. Cost shown is per clinically effective daily dose, not per pill.
Full Comparison
| Category | Pure Encapsulations Manganese 8 mg Pure Encapsulations | Nutricost Chelated Manganese 8 mg Nutricost | Solgar Chelated Manganese 8 mg Solgar | Swanson Albion Chelated Manganese 10 mg Swanson | Source Naturals Manganese 10 mg Source Naturals | NaturesPlus Manganese 50 mg NaturesPlus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brand Score | 84/100Winner | 77/100 | 73/100 | 68/100 | 67/100 | 40/100 |
| Dosing & Form | 20/25Winner | 20/25 | 20/25 | 17/25 | 17/25 | 6/25 |
| Purity | 20/25Winner | 18/25 | 16/25 | 15/25 | 15/25 | 15/25 |
| Value | 19/25 | 21/25Winner | 18/25 | 20/25 | 18/25 | 6/25 |
| Transparency | 25/25Winner | 18/25 | 19/25 | 16/25 | 17/25 | 13/25 |
| Cost/Day | $0.22 | $0.10 | $0.12 | $0.04Winner | $0.05 | $0.28 |
| Dose/Serving | 8000mcg | 8000mcg | 8000mcg | 10000mcg | 10000mcg | 50000mcg |
| Form | manganese (aspartate/citrate) capsule | chelated manganese capsule | manganese bisglycinate tablet | manganese bisglycinate (Albion) capsule | manganese tablet | manganese tablet |
| Third-Party Tested | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Proprietary Blend | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a manganese supplement?
Almost certainly not. Dietary manganese deficiency is exceptionally rare - the NIH's Office of Dietary Supplements states there are no known groups in the US likely to have inadequate manganese intakes. Whole grains, nuts, tea, leafy greens, legumes, and even drinking water all supply it, so most people comfortably meet the adequate-intake target (1.8-2.3 mg/day for adults) without trying. Unless a doctor has documented a deficiency, a standalone manganese pill is solving a problem you probably do not have.
Is it possible to take too much manganese?
Yes, and this is the main thing to know about the mineral. The tolerable upper intake level is 11 mg/day from all sources combined. Chronic excess is neurotoxic: sustained overexposure can cause manganism, a movement disorder resembling Parkinson's disease, caused by manganese accumulating in the basal ganglia of the brain. Most of the strong evidence comes from occupational and high-environmental exposure rather than ordinary supplements, but many standalone products are dosed at 8-10 mg (right at the ceiling) and some at 40-50 mg (several times over it), so the risk is not purely theoretical if you stack products.
Why are so many manganese supplements dosed at 8-10 mg or higher?
It is one of the odder things about this category. The adequate intake for adults is only 1.8-2.3 mg/day, yet most standalone products land at 8-10 mg, which sits right against the 11 mg/day upper limit, and a few go to 40-50 mg. There is very little on the market in the sensible 1-3 mg range. Our read is that these doses reflect marketing conventions more than any clinical rationale - there is no evidence that more manganese helps someone who is not deficient, and good reason to think it could hurt. If you have been told to supplement, the goal is to stay under the ceiling counting every source, not to chase a big number.
What does manganese actually do in the body?
It is a genuine essential trace mineral and an enzyme cofactor. It is required for Mn-SOD (a superoxide dismutase that is part of your antioxidant defense), as well as arginase, glutamine synthetase, and pyruvate carboxylase, with supporting roles in bone formation, energy metabolism, and free-radical handling. The catch is that these functions only falter when you are actually short on manganese, and dietary shortfall is essentially not seen outside experimental settings. So the biology is real, but it does not translate into a reason to supplement for people who already get enough - which is nearly everyone.
Who is at higher risk from manganese?
People with liver disease or impaired bile flow (cholestasis) are the main group to flag, because manganese is cleared mostly through bile - if that route is compromised, manganese can accumulate at intakes that would be fine for others. Several product labels themselves warn against use above 11 mg/day in people with impaired excretion or liver disease, which is a responsible signal. Beyond that, anyone taking multiple products that each contain manganese (a multivitamin plus a greens powder plus a bone formula, say) can quietly stack past the upper limit without noticing.
Can I get manganese from food instead?
Yes, and for practically everyone this is the better path. Manganese is abundant in whole grains, brown rice, oats, nuts (especially hazelnuts and pecans), leafy greens, legumes, pineapple, and tea - a cup of tea alone can supply a meaningful share of the daily target. Because the food supply is so rich in it, meeting the 1.8-2.3 mg/day adequate intake through diet is easy and does not carry the risk of overshooting that a concentrated pill does. The whole reason manganese deficiency is rare is that ordinary eating covers it.
Sources
- Guilarte TR. Manganese and Parkinson's disease: a critical review and new findings. Environ Health Perspect. 2010;118(8):1071-1080.
- Chen P, Bornhorst J, Aschner M. Manganese metabolism in humans. Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2018;23(9):1655-1679.
- Aschner M, Erikson K. Manganese. Adv Nutr. 2017;8(3):520-521.
- Bouchard MF, et al. Intellectual impairment in school-age children exposed to manganese from drinking water. Environ Health Perspect. 2011;119(1):138-143.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Manganese Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.
Scores and tiers are our independent opinion, formed by applying a published rubric to label data, third-party certifications, and the research record. They are not statements of objective fact about a product and not a lab test. Where we report a brand-specific fact, it comes from a cited source or a public certification; where verification is missing, we say so rather than assume a result.
FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Dietary supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before starting any supplement regimen.