What's in the Supplements You Are Taking?
Are your supplements poisoning you...

Do you know if your supplements are healthy or toxic? Unfortunately, most supplements, including those sold to health providers, contain excipients.  Excipients are used in the manufacturing process and are non-nutritive substances in nutritional products.   

 

All tablets have them, most encapsulated supplements have them too.  The list of excipients include an array of substances that are known to be associated with health issues.  The substances are classified as binders, disintegrants, fillers (diluents), colorants, flavors, sweeteners, preservatives, lubricants, flavors, printing inks, glidants (flow agents), coating agents, and emulsifying agents. Some mineral supplements contain heavy metals from the earth.  

 

In order to choose supplements wisely, it is important that you know the facts about these ingredients, some of which may cause health problems. 

 

Flow agents such as: magnesium stearate, stearic acid and calcium stearate.

 

These flow agents are made by hydrogenating cottonseed or palm oil. They are used throughout the supplement industry and added to raw materials in supplements so that production machinery will run at maximum speeds.  These fatty substances coat every particle of the nutrients so the particles will flow rapidly and ensures that production schedules will meet profit targets.   

 

Magnesium stearate adversely affects the normal functioning of T-cells, which are very important for the body's immune responses. High amounts of magnesium stearate act as a immunosuppressor.  Stearic acid, in concentrated doses suppress the action of T-cells, a key component of the immune system. Additionally, magnesium stearate decreases absorption of Vitamin B2, B3, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and Zinc.    

 

Researchers report that tablets without magnesium stearate have a 90 percent absorption rate, while those laced with magnesium stearate show a 25-30 percent absorption capacity.  This could be very serious for a patient with any health issue, as it would be compounding the problem.   

 

Supplement manufacturers argue that small amounts of these substances do no harm and contend that magnesium stearate is a benign form of magnesium. Magnesium stearate is the magnesium salt of stearic acid, which is also used in supplements for the same purpose.    

 

The question is do we really want even small amounts in our supplements everyday? I mean, the whole purpose of using this substances is a flow agent -- to make the machines go faster. Supplements can be made without these machines; it just takes more time, care, and attention to detail.  

 

Up to 5% of the average 1000 mg capsule or tablet is magnesium stearate.  That's 50 milligrams. Suppose you take 8 capsules or tablets a day. That's 250 capsules or tablets a month or 12,500 mg of this hydrogenated oil, nearly half an ounce! That works out to about 6 ounces of hydrogenated oils a year, from just 8 pills a day.  

 

Many people take more supplements, and ingest pounds of this oil -- while directly inhibiting the utilization of the nutrients they are supplementing. Remember that the oils are for the company's easy and quick production. This only helps them by increasing production time and bottom line; therefore, not doing what is right and best to provide a quality product for the consumer.    

 

Additionally, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are used as preservatives in most liquid vitamin products including expensive longevity juice formulas sold n health food stores or by multi-level-marketing distributors. What does a preservative do? It kills everything alive in the product so it can sit on a shelf in a warehouse or store for weeks or months without spoiling.  

 

The affects on humans are noted in a publication from the United Nations Environment Programme and WHO states the following symptoms: Urticaria, asthma, rhinitis, or anaphylactic shock following oral, dermal or inhalation exposure of benzoic acid and sodium benzoate.    

 

Furthermore, the Material Safety Data Sheet on sodium benzoate states -- Ingestion: If swallowed, call a physician immediately; Induce vomiting. Give oxygen or artificial respiration as needed. The Chemical Analysis Data Sheet on sodium benzoate states: Store away from food and beverages.  

 

What do labeling laws tell us? In California and other states, if a supplement contains less than 5 ppm of heavy metals (lead, mercury, nickel, etc) that the manufacturer does NOT need to list it on the label. Due to the fact that supplement manufacturers, for the most part, are numb to the fact that additives and excipients in vitamins and minerals cause health issues, we need to go beyond reading labels to reading the laws.  

 

Labeling laws state that if a product has less than 5 ppm of heavy metals, flow agent, filler, binder (excipients); they also do NOT have to be disclosed on the label. Just because these additives are not listed on the label does NOT mean that the products do not contain them.   

 

Health By Hands Wellness, Arlington, Texas, offers a variety of supplements that have been through a stringent assessment concerning ingredients, manufacturers, and their production processes.    

 

Excerpts for this article are by Dr. Theresa Dale