Magnesium Stearate and Stearic Acid Safety: Another Perspective
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
This recent, well-researched article in Natural Products Marketplace addresses the safety issue with magnesium stearate. We previously discussed it here. The author suggests that there is no potential hazard to blood cholesterol levels. Furthermore, the amounts of stearate and stearic acid used as a binder in tablets and capsules is too small to
cause harm. In fact, you ingest more stearic acid from the food you eat every day than you encounter in a tablet. As for the potential effects of stearic acid on immunity, this article questions some recent scientific findings where stearic acid affected the immunity of human cells:
“So would these in vitro results be similar in humans? Likely not. Consider a study in which immune competence was tested by a battery of T- and B-lymphocyte stimulation tests and also by natural killer (NK) cell activity in a group of 94 men receiving different fatty acids, including stearic acid. Stearic acid was actually found to have a positive effect on immunity, particularly NK cell activity. In any case, whether the effects on immunity were positive or negative, the amount of stearic acid and magnesium stearate found in dietary supplements is still too insignificant to matter.”
Read the full article at Natural Products Marketplace.
