Magnesium stearate, also called magnesium salt, is a kind of salt that is solid at room temperature. It is made up of stearic acid and a magnesium cation.
Magnesium stearate is an additive commonly used in the manufacturing of supplements and medications. Since magnesium stearate is not soluble in water, it is used in pills and capsules as a binder. Magnesium stearate is also used on manufacturing machinery to keep the ingredients from sticking to the equipment.
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Foods Which Contain Magnesium Stearate Magnesium stearate is produced from oils from both plant and animal sources. One of the components of magnesium stearate is stearic acid. Stearic acid is a saturated fat found in many food sources. Stearic acid is found in meats, eggs, fish, dai... more
Magnesium stearate is produced from oils from both plant and animal sources. One of the components of magnesium stearate is stearic acid. Stearic acid is a saturated fat found in many food sources.
Stearic acid is found in meats, eggs, fish, dairy and grains. It is also present in cocoa butter. Stearic acid has been shown to have a lowering effect on LDL cholesterol, as opposed to other saturated fats.
If you do a search on the internet, you’ll find a lot of warnings against magnesium stearate. Misleading claims include that stearic acid is fattening; that the magnesium stearate contains pesticides from the oils it was hydrogenated from; and, that magnesium stearate keeps the medicine or vitamins in the pills from being absorbed.
The US Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has labeled magnesium stearate as a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) ingredient in 1979. The FDA concluded that there were no risks associated with magnesium stearate as an additive with a daily intake value of 2500 mgs.
One 1985 study that is cited to show the adverse effects of magnesium stearate reported that it reduced the dissolving rates of tablets containing it by 65%. However, they do not mention another study, found on the National Center for Biotechnology Information’s website. That 1998 study showed that while the dissolving of tablets is slowed by magnesium stearate, it does not affect the availability or absorption of the medication or vitamins.
Another study used to malign magnesium stearate was conducted in 1980 and reported in the journal “Toxicology”. This study was conducted with magnesium stearate and rats.
In the study, 20 rats were fed varying levels of magnesium stearate for three months. The rats experienced decreased weight, kidney stones, increased iron in the liver and lower liver weights in the rats.
Again, all of the facts are not given when this study is cited to disparage magnesium stearate. Researchers determined that a 5% dose of magnesium stearate was a level that showed no adverse effects; health issues were only reported in rats that were fed a 10% or 20% dose of magnesium stearate.
The 5% dose is equivalent to a daily human intake of 2500mgs, which is the limit determined by the FDA. The average tablet contains around 10mgs of magnesium stearate.
The study really shows that if humans stay within the daily dosage limits recommended by the FDA, there is no reason to heed the faulty warnings given on websites that disparage magnesium stearate use in tablets. However, if you are taking more than 250 pills or tablets a day, then magnesium stearate is probably the least of your concerns!
There is also a backlash to the websites warning against magnesium stearate. Many maintain that there is no truth to the cautions about magnesium stearate, and that most sites are using the warnings as a marketing pitch to make their own “additive free” supplements seem more desirable by comparison.
The fact is made clear that tablet and vitamin mixtures would not be able to maintain equal measurements of ingredients from batch to batch, or even pill to pill, without magnesium stearate to aid in blending the materials.
Magnesium stearate is also used to bind or mix some foods, such as hard candies and baby formula. While it may seem that, especially with misinformation such as referenced above, some food additives and preservatives aren’t thoroughly researched by the FDA, any food or medication for babies and children undergoes much more rigorous testing and scrutiny than those for adults.
There are no known side effects associated with normal intake levels of magnesium stearate that are documented by a scientific study. Side effects are reported to the FDA, which investigates when it receives a lot of reports.
You can feel safe taking a supplement containing magnesium stearate as long as it is manufactured in the United States.
Check with your health care professional before starting any new supplement or medication. There are health supplements containing the element magnesium, but there are none that are made wholly of magnesium stearate.
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| None Known When Taken Properly |
| Magnesium Salt, Atomic Number 12, Epsom Salts |
| Binder |
| Food Additive |
| Lower LDL |