Re: SUPPLEMENTS w/ MAG STEARATE & STEARIC ACID - TOXIC to PWCs

October 31, 2006

I've done a very little bit of research about this as I'm highly sensitive to

magnesium stearate. What I understand is that it's made from ''vegetable

sources'? Many PWCs including myself are intolerant of the nighshade family.

Could it be that some of these have found their way into the making of these

fillers? I also found out that glycerine is made from either cocoanut or palm

oil. I'm also allergic to cocoanut. Found out the hard way by trying to get

away from the fillers by trying to take my supplements in liquid form.

Glycerine is sometimes added. One has to become a detective to avoid reactions

from supposedly good supplementation. Good post.

SUPPLEMENTS w/ MAG STEARATE & STEARIC ACID -

TOXIC to PWCs

Since these fatty acids are commonly used as a filler/binder in just about

every supplement out there, I felt in necessary to bring this issue to light -

again.

At the beginning of this year there were several posts with respect to the

possibility of mag stearate and stearic acid being toxic, binding magnesium in

the gut, and causing immunosuppression. The result was that we came to no

conclusion since one study that supported its negative effects would be

challenegd by another that showed it to be beneficial. My gut instinct tells

me to

always err on the side of caution, and exclude the so-called positive research

especially when it comes directly from a supplement manufacturer that

markets their product containing these questionable chemicals when used as

pharmaceutical isolates and not when they're naturally occuring in nature. The

companies that tout the benefical qualities seem to be citing research based

on

these substances' effects as found in certain foods like meat and not when

they're synthesized and isolated. The question is - could that be the

difference?

Therefore, I am bringing this topic back to express my concerns over the

distinct possibility that this substance which is used in 90% of all the

tableted and some encapsulated supplements could be damaging to our precious

immune

systems - T-cells, and specifically NK cell acitvity. Despite all the

boosters I take for improving NK cell function, my levels are still severely

depressed. While this is a complex issue involving a multitutde of exogenous

and

endogenous factors, all we can do is experiment and do a process of

elimination

to see what works as well as what could be contributing or directly causing

this immunosuppression. I just found out after asking that just one of my many

supplements contains a whopping 8mg of mag stearate per tablet. That's huge

considering that I consume between 15-20 of those tablets per day. That's not

counting all the other ones whose amount is unknown. If mag stearate and/or

stearic acid is in fact toxic to T-cells (see the studies below), then think

about the multi-grams amounts I'm being exposed to over the months and years!

There is some evidence that this and related fatty acids can cause

immunosuppression. Here are just a few links. I probably could find more, but

this is

all I have right now:

_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uid

s=2379942 & dopt=Abstract_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=\

2379942 & dopt=Abstract)

_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uid

s=9150243 & dopt=Citation_

(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uids=\

9150243 & dopt=Citation)

_http://endo.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/endo;142/8/3590_

(http://endo.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/endo;142/8/3590)

_http://www.drrons.com/beware-additives.htm_

(http://www.drrons.com/beware-additives.htm)

_http://www.hummelcroton.com/msds/mgstear_m.html_

(http://www.hummelcroton.com/msds/mgstear_m.html)

A respected firm like Metagenics has vehemently defended the use of mag

stearate in its products and cites studies to the contrary:

_http://www.metagenics.com/products/general_faqs.asp_

(http://www.metagenics.com/products/general_faqs.asp)

I welcome all input. This is a big issue!

November 1, 2006

I always try to avoid supplements with magnesium streatate (and its difficult

because it in everything) because Magnesium strearate is a harmful trans-fat

which can be incorporated into cells. It makes me livid that they put this

rubbish in supplements