bbc: Vitamins linked with higher death risk in older women - Magnesium stearate

[Guest guest]

The following rhetoric has ramifications for individuals, be they child

or adult, who ingest large quantities of supplements. Is one or more of

the excipients having a negative effect regarding the absorption of

nutrients?

- - - -

Excipients added to supplements may merit concern for some subgroups of

elderly, for instance, individuals who ingest large numbers of

supplements per day. This topic is controversial. Magnesium stearate has

earned special attention. Some writers defend the use of magnesium

stearate (e.g., here

<http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/the_facts_on_magnesium_stearat\

e/>);

others suggest that sufficient ingestion of magnesium stearate may

impair ingestion not only of the supplements but also of other nutrients.

The ability of magnesium stearate to cling to surfaces is illustrated in

a Wikipedia quote: 'Magnesium stearate is a major component of " bathtub

rings " '.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_stearate

Two critics of magnesium stearate sell supplements lacking magnesium

stearate. Nonetheless, their opinions are worth considering.

Ron Schmid, ND, has a webpage dedicated to magnesium stearate (here

<http://www.drrons.com/beware-of-additives-in-supplements.htm>), wherein

he states:

>

> " These stearates, made by hydrogenating cottonseed or palm oil, are

> used throughout the supplements industry as lubricants. They are added

> to the 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. This ensures that

> production schedules will meet profit targets.

>

> " Cottonseed oil has the highest content of pesticide residues of all

> commercial oils; cotton crops are heavily sprayed. In the

> hydrogenation process, the oil is subjected to high heat and pressure

> in the presence of a metal catalyst for several hours, creating a

> hydrogenated saturated fat...

>

> " In a study published in the journal /Pharmaceutical Technology/

> (April, 1985), the percent dissolution for capsules after 20 minutes

> in solution went from 90% without stearates to 25% with stearates. In

> other words, stearates reduced the rate the capsule dissolved by 65%!

> This delays the absorption of nutrients. Individuals with impaired

> digestion may have particular difficulty absorbing nutrients coated

> with stearates. "

An important point seems also to be whether or not daily ingestion of

magnesium stearate impairs assimilation of food-borne nutrients.

Dr. Schmid continues:

> " 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 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 "

Dr. Mercola delineates a similar rationale on the webpage entitled, " Why

Taking Supplements Could be Hazardous to Your Health " (here

<http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/14/Why-Taking-Supple\

ments-Could-be-Hazardous-to-Your-Health.aspx>).

Excerpts convey a similar point:

> " ...as Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt explains in this Inner Circle interview

> <http://products.mercola.com/inner-circle/>, many of the supplements

> on the market contain added fillers and additives that actually block

> absorption of whatever nutrients are in them! "

> " It’s important to understand that when you take vitamins or

> antibiotics that are concentrated above what is found naturally, in

> nature, your small intestine actually forms defenses against the

> absorption of these excessively concentrated ingredients.

>

> It does this by creating a biofilm – a barrier that effectively blocks

> the absorption of nutrients – as a form of self defense, if you will.

>

> According to Dr. Klinghardt, who frequently monitors his patients’

> nutrient levels, oftentimes the more supplements you take the /less

> /your body actually absorbs.... "

>

Indeed, might magnesium stearate or perhaps even silica have contributed

to the ill health of at least some supplement-gobbling women who

participated in the study summarized by the BBC:

/Vitamins linked with higher death risk in older women/

By Health reporter, BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15238610

I don't have expertise in this area but I have a real interest since I'm

among the elderly individuals who ingest numerous supplements per day,

many and perhaps most containing magnesium stearate and/or silica. I

can't help but wonder if GSE or some other edible would begin to

dissolve an intestinal " biofilm " wherein magnesium stearate is a primary

component.

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