Questionable components of the nutraceuticals we take…
You’re vigilant regarding your health. You keep your larders well stocked, not only with healthful food, but with a program of wellness supplements. But are you reading the fine print on the bottles and packages? Are you noting and researching those “Non-medicinal ingredients” in the supplements you buy? It might be time for you to watch for those other ingredients. They are all supposed to be listed on the labels of health supplements. (I might add: Non-medicinal ingredients are all-too-commonly not listed in pharmaceutical product data sheets, as we’ve been learning the hard way over the past few years. )
That said, herein, we will talk about some substances of particular concern which are often listed as components or ingredients of many health supplements. Let’s dive right in!
Hypromellose, a shortened word meaning “Hydroxpropyl methylcellulose”, hypromellose is also known in the pharmaceutical industry as HPMC. It’s also sometimes referred to as “hyprolose”. It is an controlled-delivery/excipient component in many kinds of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. As an additive in foods Hypromellose / HPMC is an emulsifier/thickener/suspension agent, being a replacement for the more expensive animal gelatin. As noted in Wikipedia…
“Hypromellose, short for hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), is a semi-synthetic, inert, viscoelastic polymer used as an ophthalmic lubricant, as well as an excipient and controlled-delivery component in oral medicaments, found in a variety of commercial products. As a food additive, hypromellose is an emulsifier, thickening and suspending agent, and an alternative to animal gelatin.”
As a replacement for animal gelatin, hypromellos is created by altering cellulose by adding hydroxy, propyl and methyl moieties. It is not digestible as is gelatin. Therefore, it can cause IBS symptoms including diarrhea and resulting dehydration if taken by individuals sensitive to it.
Croscarmellos sodium, AKA Sodium croscarmellos or sodium CMC, is an ingredient added as a super disintegrant to assist the body to break down (disintegrate in the intestinal tract) the complexity of substances in your tablets or capsules. It is also sometimes included in medicinal injections such as cortisone shots. It is derived from cotton fibres or wood pulps and is free of sugars or starches.
In technical terms, Croscarmellose sodium is a cross-linked polymer of carboxymethylcellulose sodium. Remarkably, this cross-linked polymer can expand up to 20 times its original size. This property can greatly assist the “effective release” of the active ingredients in your medications or supplements to which this polymer is added. However, this expansion property also makes it a useful filler to reduce pharmaceutical factory costs, which is not always a benefit to us. This ability to extract water from its environment means that you should never leave a medication or nutraceutical open such that it would absorb excess moisture from the air. Such premature absorption would cause premature breakdown of needed active ingredients in the stomach rather than the intestines, which can mean either stomach damage or reduced effectiveness of that drug or supplement you are taking.
Main safety concerns regarding Croscarmellose Sodium:
Anyone with intestinal conditions should avoid products with this additive. Although there may be only a minimal chance of an allergy to it, if you notice allergic or sensitivity symptoms after adopting use of supplements or drugs in which it is added, the damage from the croscarmellos sodium may have already been done. Never use anything containing it if you have ever suffered from Crohn’s disease or other similar conditions. Also, you won’t know if you’re prone to anaphylactic shock from it until the substance is in your system. This could be very dangerous, according to a source which says “one study found that 2 patients who received a cortisone injection with croscarmellos sodium … immediately went into anaphylactic shock.”
Due to its high expansion properties, it can also put you at risk of intestinal blockages. Some health researchers have found a correlation between croscarmellos sodium and intestinal flora overgrowth.
Maltodextrin – This is a common additive in many nutritional supplements (including protein powders) and in a long list of commercial food products and sports drinks. It is processed from starchy foods, mainly from corn, most of which is likely to be genetically modified grain. You’ll want to look into it and decide for yourself whether or not it should be a component in health products. I don’t believe it should be in your health supplements, especially if you have blood sugar problems. I suggest you try doing your own web search on Maltodextrin (or use this search query in a new tab) and follow your gut-feeling on whether you want it in your health supplements.
Microcrystalline cellulose – High in insoluble fibre, this commonly used processed cellulose is often made from tree wood, cotton or plant stalks. It is often found in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products and in processed foods as an additive to stabilize combined ingredients or thicken products such as ice cream, etc. It is considered generally safe, especially in small amounts as in vitamin / mineral supplement capsules. This type of cellulose is claimed to have some benefits as an insoluble fibre. That said, do keep these cautions in mind:
- It may cause mild side effects when used in some fibre supplements – discomforts such as gas and bloating
- If you have or have suffered from Crohn’s disease, you should avoid products containing microcrystalline cellulose, especially fibre supplements
Summary
Ingredients to avoid or consider carefully when buying nutritional supplements:
Hypromellose – AKA “Hyprolose / HPMC / Hydroxpropyl methylcellulose
Croscarmellose sodium, AKA Sodium croscarmellos
Maltodextrin
Microcrystalline cellulose
So, to conclude: Please do your own research on the above highlighted additives / excipients and fillers. When you browse for nutritional supplements, please shop carefully, making sure the non-medical ingredients are listed and that they are what you consider safe for consumption by you or your family. When you buy “natural health” products in capsules, make some extra effort to source out the gelatin capsule choices if that indeed matters to you. Those gel-cap supplements are getting harder to find because gelatin is a valuable resource used in the expensive collagen powders many people are now using for health and beauty purposes. The highly lucrative collagen supplement industry could likely be a major business motivation for the prevalent promotion and use of ” Veggie caps” for our vitamin, mineral and herbal encapsulated supplements.
Below are some of my sources for this article, and search engine result examples to help you do your own research on all of these ingredients discussed above:
https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/104/8/709/1581931?login=false – An Oxford Journal article, “Allergic reaction to Croscarmellose sodium used as excipient of a generic drug” (opens in new tab).
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=croscarmellose+sodium – A general web search result on croscarmellos sodium for you to browse during your own research* (*opens in a new tab).
https://www.qwant.com/?q=Croscarmellose+sodium – A search result via Qwant search engine, which leads you to some the sources for my article above* (*opens in a new tab).
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hypromellose+is+it+safe – A search result regarding safety of hypromellose, to lead you to some of my sources* (*opens in a new tab).
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=maltodextrin+safety – A search result regarding maltodextrin, highlighting some articles you may want to read* (*opens in a new tab)
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