18 Harmful Ingredient Additives to Avoid in Supplements

While health supplements should be viewed as generally positive, many additives have been shown in studies to in some way damage your health – and yet they’re still cleared by the FDA.

Listed below are just a few of the counterproductive cheap additives you should watch out for.

Why continue to purchase supplements that have some significant downsides when we could purchase ones that are more pure and can truly deliver? (No, I’m not selling anything).

Companies use additives as binders, for holding together powdery ingredients, as flow agents to allow supplements to run through machines without gumming them up, and they’re also used as fillers in order to bulk out capsules. Additives are part of a strategy to make supplements look more attractive, improve their taste, but they are also a way to cut costs (to enhance profits).

Here are just a few additives and fillers alphabetically to look out for (and avoid!)

• Ascorbyl Palmitate – unless it says otherwise on the label, this is made from GMO corn which is heavily exposed to harmful pesticides and should be avoided.

• Artificial Colors – many of the bright colors used for supplements have been linked to increased allergies, behavioral problems in children, and various cancers, while others are derived from coal tar, a toxic substance used for industrial purposes.

• Carrageenan – found in many supposedly healthy food items, carrageenan is used to thicken products but can cause some major gastrointestinal distress, Crohn’s, and increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes.

• Cholecalciferol – A form of Vit D. Certain forms may have undisclosed ingredients such as peanut or soybean oil, sugar, aspartame (phenylalanine), or certain food dyes. It can harm you if you have heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, phenylketonuria (PKU), or an electrolyte imbalance. (source)

• Citric acid – this is the chemically-made version of vitamin C, usually derived from GMO corn.

• Cornstarch (unless organic)– yet another GMO ingredient! Avoid, avoid, avoid.

• Cyanocabalamin – found in most vitamin supplements, is the synthetic form of vitamin B12. This cheap, lab-created version contains a cyanide molecule – the same substance used in cyanide poison. Consequently, your body has to break it down and then remove and detoxify this unwanted poison. Approximately 50% of us with MTHFR gene mutations have reduced detox capabilities, plus cyanide disrupts/blocks oxygen use in our mitochondria, so there is a double whammy. Instead look for naturally-occurring methylcobalamin.

Naturopath Dr. Janine Bowring summarizes some of these.

5 minutes. (see ‘D’ through ‘T’ below the video)

• Dicalcium Phosphate – often used to bulk out capsules, this cheap form of calcium is not easily absorbed by the body.

• Gelatin – an animal protein often sourced from low-quality, GMO-fed, factory-farmed animals.

• Hydrogenated Oils – also found in highly processed foods, these health-damaging oils contain trans fats, which are known to increase bad cholesterol (LDL) and decrease good cholesterol (HDL). In fact, according to the FDA 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines: “As of June, 2018, partially-hydrogenated oils, the major source of artificial trans-fat in the food supply, are NO longer Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS).”

• Lactose – this common allergen is a type of sugar found in milk, and is often sourced from grain-fed cows treated with medications.

• Magnesium Silicate – you may know magnesium silicate in its more common form: talc. Talc has recently become a household name in a bad way thanks to emerging research connecting it to increases in ovarian, lung and endometrial cancer when applied topically, so avoid it internally.

• Magnesium stearate or stearic acid – it has never been tested to be safe. It is a chemical, it’s not the supplement magnesium. It also a known cause of alpha-Gal syndrome. They use it as a flow agent to coat the raw materials to speed up the manufacturing process. This study suggests it could inhibit the nutrient absorption rate of dietary supplements. Another study found that stearic acid could suppress the activity of our natural killer cells, T cells, which could lead “to a loss of cell function and viability.” (source)

• Microcrystalline Cellulose – this is made from wood chips and it is a fiber that your stomach and your intestinal tract isn’t so good at dealing with. They use it to fill up the capsules or to make those hard tablets. Again a filler you don’t necessarily want to be ingesting. If you’re taking good high-quality supplements, they don’t use these fillers, they don’t need to because they’re putting just good ingredients hopefully whole food ingredients into the supplements.

• Potassium Sorbate – another additive used to extend the shelf life of food and supplements that can lead to migraines and allergic reactions in sensitive people.

• Pharmaceutical glaze or Shellac is a natural resin secreted by the female lac beetle and is frequently used to coat capsules and tablets. Sensitive individuals can have significant allergic reactions to shellac, resulting in skin rashes, itching, and respiratory problems.

• Retinyl palmitate is a synthetic form of vitamin A that’s toxic in even moderate doses. This synthetic Vitamin A is particularly problematic for pregnant women as it can affect the developing fetus, increasing risk of congenital disabilities.. (see 3 excellent, tested cod liver oils – which probably everyone should be taking – that contain natural Vitamin A).

• Sodium Benzoate – used as a preservative, this additive becomes the carcinogenic substance known as benzene when mixed with vitamin C in food or supplements. Ingesting foods or beverages containing this additive can cause issues such as stomach irritation, tiredness, dizziness, and even vomiting and convulsions.

• Titanium Dioxide – this toxic additive is a colorant used to make tablets and capsules bright white and is typically used in paint, cosmetics, paper, and sunscreen. This filler has no nutritional value and can, in fact, cause damage.

There are so many more harmful or unnecessary additives that would be good to mention, but my brain is tired.

I’m going to search out the supplement companies (like all of Dr. Christopher’s formulas) that use very few to no additives and are a better overall health value. I will attempt to do that in a separate post soon.

“Please become a consistent label reader. Make it a habit.” ~Jacqueline

“Less is only more where more is no good.” ~Frank Lloyd Wright

***For the Full Spike Protein Protocol to protect from transmission from the “V” and to help those who took the “V”, go here.

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Medical Disclaimer: I am no longer a practicing medical professional, and I am not doctor. I am a mother. I do seek scientific confirmation of the safety and effectiveness of the herbs and remedies I use. Using remedies is a personal decision. Nothing I say on this blog is intended to treat or prevent disease. Consult your own doctor.