Here is an email I received few days ago:
I would love to try this, but it has one major flaw. It contains magnesium stearate. I understand that this ingredient is a benefit during manufacturing, but it has no value for the human body and may inhibit the absorption of the other ingredients. CanXida is not as pure as it should be and would be with the elimination of magnesium stearate. Hope you remove it, so that I can try this in the future.
In response to the inquiry about magnesium stearate,
Many people are needlessly concerned about the miniscule amount of stearic acid in a dietary supplement (tablet or capsule) when in fact they actually safely consume way more stearic acid from healthy food sources! Did you know that most meat, coconut oil and even chocolate (cocoa butter) are particularly rich sources of stearic acid?
Magnesium stearate is a combination of stearic acid and the essential mineral magnesium, it contains between 6 to 8 percent magnesium oxide. Stearic acid is commonly found in animal and vegetable fats and is one of the most common of all long-chain fatty acids. It important to understand that stearic acid is found naturally in many foods with a high fat content, and in far greater quantities than in dietary supplements. Do you ever hear of people avoiding ALL foods with stearic acid due to “health risks” or that it has “no value” for human health?
Stearic acid is also the immediate precursor of oleic acid, an important fatty acid found in healthy olive oil. Do you consume olive oil, or eat occasional chocolate or meat? Then in one average meal or snack you will be consuming a considerable amount of stearic acid than you would in an entire container of CanXida Remove!
Does the stearic acid in fatty foods impede absorption of lipids or fat soluble vitamins? No, research has found that most people have no problems breaking down fatty acids, unless they have major problems with their pancreas or liver. Those who regularly consume large amounts of junk foods, deep fried foods or who drink alcohol regularly may have issues with magnesium stearate when it comes to the absorption of ingredients of a dietary supplement.
The magnesium stearate in our canXida products is derived from palm oil. Our magnesium stearate [C16 to C18] is non- GMO and does not contain any trans-fatty acids. Our canXida Remove is BSE free and even suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Our CanXida products use a USP grade stearate tested to rigorous US Pharmacopeia standards, it is of pharmaceutical grade and of the highest purity and quality.
Our manufacturer uses stearic acid and magnesium stearate that are sourced from vegetable oils obtained from palm and other natural sources. These ingredients are widely considered to be safe, and are suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
You are correct; stearic acid is a waxy oil substance that acts as a lubricant to fill capsules when a dry powdered ingredient (or ingredient mix) is used. It is also used as an manufacturing excipient that helps tablets hold together and break apart properly. Without magnesium stearate, it is much more difficult to manufacture a tablet like CanXida Remove efficiently. It would only be possible to have half the amount of dried ingredients in our tablet, and tablet compression would be considerably more difficult. This would mean a less effective product.
When it comes to Magnesium stearate, the FDA has affirmed that stearic acid is Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) and can be added to foods in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). I’d like to point out that our CanXida dietary supplement manufacturer is a fully GMP-certified manufacturer. Additionally, researchers and scientists do not consider stearic acid to be a lipid that is harmful to cardiovascular or overall human health.
From all the research that points to the view that magnesium stearate is fine to use in a dietary supplement, and that in fact by using it, supplement manufactures are able to make far more effective products. You will notice that the mag. stearate critics do so to promote the “purity” of their products without disclosing to their clients that many fatty animal and plant foods contain in fact contain many hundreds of times the amount of stearic acid than will be ever found in any dietary supplement. All this science and science assures us that stearic acid is a safe fatty acid found in healthy foods and that magnesium stearate is a safe analogue of stearic acid. Our manufacturer uses them only as necessary for the functionality of a particular dietary supplement, in tiny amounts (less than one milligram per tablet or capsule) compared to the amount of stearates found in common fatty foods.
I am totally and 100 percent confident of my CanXida products, I can assure you – there are NO flaws in this product! I take these products myself as well as recommend them to family and friends. Magnesium stearate will not be removed from my products, and it is up to you to decide if stearic acid is for you or not. If you decide not to purchase CanXida based on the magnesium stearate premise, then I would also highly recommend that you please stay away from ALL foods containing this commonly found fatty acid, foods such as meat, poultry and fish, most grain products, vegetables, nearly all oils and fats, eggs, legumes nuts and seeds as well as many fruits, chocolate, all coconut products. I guess this only leaves rice?
All the best,
Eric Bakker ND
REFERENCES:
1. “Stearic Acid.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 18 Dec. 2006 Denke MA.
2. Role of beef and beef tallow, an enriched source of stearic acid, in a cholesterol-lowering diet. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Dec;60(6 Suppl):1044S-1049S. Review. PMID: 7977148
3. Effects of cocoa butter on serum lipids in humans: historical highlights. Am J Clin Nutr. 1994 Dec;60(6 Suppl):1014S-1016S. Review. PMID: 7977142
4. Schmidt, W.F., Barone, J.R., Francis, B.A., Reeves III, J.B. 2006. Stearic acid solubility and cubic phase volume. Chemistry and Physics of Lipids. 142(1-2):23-32.
5. Schneider CL, et al. Dietary stearic acid reduces cholesterol absorption and increases endogenous cholesterol excretion in hamsters fed cereal-based diets. J Nutr. 2000 May;130(5):1232-8. PMID: 10801924
6. Code of Federal Regulations. Title 21, Volume 3. Revised as of April 1, 2006. CITE: 21CFR184.1090 [48 FR 52445, Nov. 18, 1983, as amended at 50 FR 49536, Dec. 3, 1985; 69 FR 24512, May 4, 2004]
7. FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Database of Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Reviews. CFSAN/Office of Food Additive Safety. October 2006