magnesium stearate

[Guest guest]

Hi, all.

I'd like to add some comments to the discussion of magnesium

stearate. It's composed of magnesium and stearic acid.

Stearic acid is a long-chain (18 carbons) saturated fatty acid that

is found in animal fat and milk, and also in some vegetable oils.

It can also be synthesized by hydrogenating vegetable oils.

Magnesium stearate is related to the soaps, but it is less soluble

than the sodium stearate and potassium stearate soaps. If you use

hard water with soap, the scum that forms is calcium and magnesium

stearate.

Magnesium stearate is used in tablet-making as a lubricant.

I think it's also interesting that it can form in the gut under

certain circumstances, namely if the absorption of fats is

inadequate, such as because of low bile production, the fat in the

diet can react with magnesium and calcium in the gut, making these

minerals insoluble, thus interfering with their absorption as well.

So poor fat absorption leads to poor calcium and magnesium

absorption.

This may be part of the reason why PWCs are low in magnesium.

Glutathione depletion decreases the production of bile in the liver,

and this in turn could decrease the absorption of fat in the gut,

since bile is needed as a " detergent " to break the fat into small

droplets so that it has larger surface-to-volume ratio and can thus

be more readily broken down by lipase enzymes. The residual fat in

the gut could then tie up magnesium as an insoluble " soap, " lowering

the absorption of magnesium.

Once something can be tied to glutathione depletion, I think it is

very likely that it is also tied to methylation cycle

blockade. " All roads lead to Rome. "

I don't know why magnesium stearate gives some people problems, but

I believe you.

Rich