By: Alex Liska
What is Magnesium Stearate??? If you look on the back of most multi-vitamin tablet products or other common pills/supplements you will see the ingredient "Magnesium Stearate" listed. Sometimes products contain a higher percentage of this per capsule, sometimes less. Magnesium stearate is used commonly throughout the pharmaceutical/supplement industry as a lubricant. It is formed by combining 'stearic acid' , 'calcium stearate' and by HYDROGENATING cottonseed/palm oil. If you recall in recent literature/news/articles/magazine columns, 'hydrogenated oil' means TRANS FATS. Therefore, whether in a low or high dose, Magnesium Stearate is a binding/granulating agent but also a trans fat.
In many clinical studies, Magnesium Stearate has also been shown to inhibit the absorption of pill/capsule contents by up to 80% !!! What happens to the stearic acid & calcium stearate, the actual capsule/pill? According to studies any ionic compound such as this one will damage your kidneys in high enough doses, main reason being that it may not be dissolved fast enough to clear your system.
I have been reading and researching 'magnesium stearate' for years now and have also used MANY products that list it as an ingredient (I will also add that most products with this ingredient are a LOT cheaper/more cost effective and easier to find) and i have noticed that i get some pretty gruesome headaches upon taking these products. When i first started taking them however, i did not really notice any difference. Apparently it is quite common for folks that are sensitive to pills/tablets/capsules/medications to experience severe headaches/migraines from having taken products with 'magnesium stearate' in them.
For me, the big RED FLAG comes from knowing that this binding agent is in fact a TRANS FAT!!
More companies are becoming aware of consumers knowledge of Magnesium Stearate and its health implications, so they are all publishing interesting sounding articles about where their magnesium stearate is derived from, or how their capsules/pills/tablets contain a much lesser amount.
At the end of the day, you must ask yourself this: "Is it worth taking the risk using a product with Magnesium Stearate listed as an ingredient?
-Not knowing HOW MUCH of it is actually in the product?
-Not knowing HOW MUCH of the actual contents of the capsule/pill/tablet you are actually absorbing?
-Not knowing HOW MUCH of what your body cannot absorb will be leaving behind toxins/residue/by-products in your liver?
And finally, how comfortable are you with consuming a product that has even a SMALL AMOUNT OF TRANS FATS in it????"
The purpose of this article is simply to raise awareness on this filler/binding agent/granulating agent/mysterious ingredient (or not so mysterious since it's always listed) so that all my fitness/health-conscious readers can either do more research on this topic or simply AVOID taking products with Magnesium Stearate in them.
Personally, I would much rather follow a sound nutritious diet, rich in minerals and whole foods (ingredients that i can actually SEE and FEEL good after i consume them), than gamble with my health and try to make up for lost minerals/vitamins and expose myself to Magnesium Stearate!!!!
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and i hope this info was helpful to some of you:)
xo,
Alex L. :)
What is Magnesium Stearate??? If you look on the back of most multi-vitamin tablet products or other common pills/supplements you will see the ingredient "Magnesium Stearate" listed. Sometimes products contain a higher percentage of this per capsule, sometimes less. Magnesium stearate is used commonly throughout the pharmaceutical/supplement industry as a lubricant. It is formed by combining 'stearic acid' , 'calcium stearate' and by HYDROGENATING cottonseed/palm oil. If you recall in recent literature/news/articles/magazine columns, 'hydrogenated oil' means TRANS FATS. Therefore, whether in a low or high dose, Magnesium Stearate is a binding/granulating agent but also a trans fat.
In many clinical studies, Magnesium Stearate has also been shown to inhibit the absorption of pill/capsule contents by up to 80% !!! What happens to the stearic acid & calcium stearate, the actual capsule/pill? According to studies any ionic compound such as this one will damage your kidneys in high enough doses, main reason being that it may not be dissolved fast enough to clear your system.
I have been reading and researching 'magnesium stearate' for years now and have also used MANY products that list it as an ingredient (I will also add that most products with this ingredient are a LOT cheaper/more cost effective and easier to find) and i have noticed that i get some pretty gruesome headaches upon taking these products. When i first started taking them however, i did not really notice any difference. Apparently it is quite common for folks that are sensitive to pills/tablets/capsules/medications to experience severe headaches/migraines from having taken products with 'magnesium stearate' in them.
For me, the big RED FLAG comes from knowing that this binding agent is in fact a TRANS FAT!!
More companies are becoming aware of consumers knowledge of Magnesium Stearate and its health implications, so they are all publishing interesting sounding articles about where their magnesium stearate is derived from, or how their capsules/pills/tablets contain a much lesser amount.
At the end of the day, you must ask yourself this: "Is it worth taking the risk using a product with Magnesium Stearate listed as an ingredient?
-Not knowing HOW MUCH of it is actually in the product?
-Not knowing HOW MUCH of the actual contents of the capsule/pill/tablet you are actually absorbing?
-Not knowing HOW MUCH of what your body cannot absorb will be leaving behind toxins/residue/by-products in your liver?
And finally, how comfortable are you with consuming a product that has even a SMALL AMOUNT OF TRANS FATS in it????"
The purpose of this article is simply to raise awareness on this filler/binding agent/granulating agent/mysterious ingredient (or not so mysterious since it's always listed) so that all my fitness/health-conscious readers can either do more research on this topic or simply AVOID taking products with Magnesium Stearate in them.
Personally, I would much rather follow a sound nutritious diet, rich in minerals and whole foods (ingredients that i can actually SEE and FEEL good after i consume them), than gamble with my health and try to make up for lost minerals/vitamins and expose myself to Magnesium Stearate!!!!
Thanks for stopping by my blog, and i hope this info was helpful to some of you:)
xo,
Alex L. :)
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