Magnesium Stearate: An Ingredient To Avoid

Despite its name, magnesium stearate is not a dietary source of the essential macromineral magnesium. Rather, it is a simple salt that is created when a magnesium ion bonds to stearic acid, a long-chain fatty acid. The resulting compound is an effective lubricant, making it ideal for mass supplement manufacturing since it prevents capsules and tablets from sticking to each other. Magnesium stearate is so effective in this regard, in fact, that it is found in an estimated 90 percent of all vitamin supplements. (2)

One study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences found that drugs that were lubricated with magnesium stearate exhibited a decrease in dissolution rate compared to those lubricated with sodium stearyl fumarate, a water-based compound. (3) This result suggests that magnesium stearate could inhibit the nutrient absorption rate of dietary supplements. Another study published in Immunology found that stearic acid could suppress the activity of our natural killer cells, T cells, which could lead “to a loss of membrane potential and ultimately cell function and viability.

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References:

(2) http://preventdisease.com

(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov