Illness Is Optional Health Blog

In fact, there is an entire science to the manufacture of capsules and tablets. The magnesium stearate is added to the nutritional ingredients to allow the powder to flow through the encapsulating machine more efficiently, this allows for a product with good consistency, which means that each capsule or tablet will have a consistent amount of active ingredient.

If it is inert, why is it in there and what is the big deal?

The problem is that magnesium stearate is a magnesium salt that is bound to a saturated fat called stearic acid. Some supplement companies are throwing a fit about products that contain magnesium stearate, claiming that the stearic acid is doing the body harm. This allows them to sell “Stearate-free” products which gives them, what is called in marketing, a Unique Selling Proposition (USP). In a nutshell, it makes their products stand out from the rest. But let’s explore some of the facts:

1. Stearic acid is found in the diet in much higher quantities than are found in supplements
2. The average capsule contains 10-20 mg of stearic acid compared to 5,000 mg in a bar of chocolate
3. Stearic acid is easily converted by the body into oleic acid which is the monounsaturated fatty acid found in extra virgin olive oil.
4. Encapsulating supplements uses far less magnesium stearate than tablets. Poor quality companies use excess amounts of magnesium stearate in order to increase the speed at which they can manufacture capsules and tablets.
5. Good quality companies (such as professional companies like Pure Encapsulations, Metagenics, Thorne Research, Carlson Labs, Life Extension, etc.) follow strict pharmaceutical standards to assure that they use only the necessary amounts of inert ingredients.
6. The magnesium stearate found in supplements is negligible compared to the amounts found in the diet. If you were to swallow an entire bottle of a particular supplement you would likely get just 1,000-2,000 mg of stearic acid (less than half the amount found in a chocolate bar).

Source:http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/the_facts_on_magnesium_stearate

Vitamin K exists in two main forms, K1 and K2. Vitamin K1 is the form found in plant foods, especially green leafy vegetables. This form of vitamin K is considered inactive and requires activation by the body in order to have an impact on the cells. Studies with vitamin K1 have been somewhat disappointing due to poor activation by the body. Vitamin K2 is the activated form of vitamin K found in fermented foods such as natto as well as some dairy sources. Vitamin K2 is involved in a process called carboxylation that is important in the formation of healthy bones as well as the removal of calcium from the arteries. To date, a number of studies have proven the benefits of high dose vitamin K2 (45 mg daily) in the reversal of osteoporosis. These findings are truly exciting.

In a recent study, researchers tested the impact of low dose vitamin K2 on the carboxylation process. Compared to placebo, 1.5 mg of vitamin K2 daily resulted in significant carboxylation of osteocalcin which indicates significant protection from bone loss.

(Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology, 2009; 55(1): 15-21.)

Dr. Ray’s Notes: The clinical research published to date is quite impressive, but I have always wondered if we could get away with lower doses. The majority of the research on vitamin K2 utilized 15 mg of vitamin K2 three times daily. Although this study does suggest that lower doses do enhance carboxylation, until we have data that suggests that low-dose K2 also increases bone density and decreases fracture rate then we must continue to recommend the higher dose for people diagnosed with osteoporosis. For those who are looking to prevent osteoporosis, it appears that lower doses may be sufficient to protect against osteoporosis and calcification of the arteries.

First, I encourage you to read our articles in the “Healthy Skin” section of our website that talk about protecting the skin from sun exposure because I list the most important factors in choosing sunscreen. These factors include choosing a non-oil based product, choosing sunscreen with antioxidants built in and choosing a sunscreen that thoroughly blocks both UVA and UVB radiation. When you choose a sunscreen by SPF alone, you may end up ignoring these other important factors.

So what is SPF?

The SPF number basically is a rating for the length of time that you can spend in the sun compared to if you wore no sun protection. For example an SPF of 25 means that you can hang out in the sun 25 times longer before you will begin to burn compared to if you wore no sunscreen. In fact, an SPF of 25 blocks 96% of the sun’s UVB radiation while an SPF of 50 blocks just 2% more for a total of 98%. You can see how higher is not necessarily significantly better. In addition, the redness is caused by exposure to UVB radiation and thus the SPF only speaks to how well a sunscreen blocks the UVB radiation while ignoring the UVA radiation. It is possible for a sunscreen to have a high SPF while offering little protection from the UVA radiation. A good sunscreen should show protection from both UVA and UVB radiation!

In addition, 35% of the subjects receiving the thiamine had a normalization of urine protein.
(Diabetologia. 2008 Dec 5)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
Kidney damage is a major complication of diabetes and can result in poor quality of life and ultimately death if left to progress. Conventional medicine uses medications like ACE Inhibitors to slow the progression of kidney damage, however, the medications are only modestly effective and can leave the patient with side effects. Thiamine appears to be effective without causing side effects. In addition to thiamine, omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil and activated coenzyme Q10 are also important parts of any kidney protection program.

You can comment, or trackback.

The study enrolled patients who reported forming at least one canker sore every two months during the previous year. They were then given either 1,000 mcg of sublingual (dissolved under tongue) B12 or placebo (sugar pill). After 6 months the researchers reported dramatically reduced numbers and severity of these nasty little mouth sores. Interestingly enough, these benefits occurred even if the patient did not show low blood levels of this vital nutrient.

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
Canker sores are annoying and painful sores that develop in the inside of the mouth or on the tongue. These crater-like sores can form after trauma (such as biting your lip) or can form out of the blue. For some unfortunate people, they are prone towards forming these sores on a regular basis and apparently without cause. This study suggests that a vitamin deficiency may be at the foundation of the problem. In addition to supplementing with B12, one study found that your choice of toothpaste can play a dramatic role as well. Look for toothpaste that does not contain sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate as these compounds can trigger inflammation and canker sores in the mouth. If the toothpaste is the problem, you will likely see dramatic reductions or even complete resolution of the problem.

In this study, 91 women age 40-55 who were suffering an average of 2.58 hot flashes daily were given either a supplement containing EPA or a placebo. The group receiving EPA decreased the number of hot flashes by an average of 1.58 while the placebo group only saw a decrease of approximately 0.5.
(Menopause, 2008: Nov 20)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
It does not surprise me that omega-3 fatty acids have an impact on incidence of hot flashes. This is just one more notch in the belt of fish oil. Although this research is fairly preliminary, the multitude of other benefits are pretty clear and thus fish oil should be a part of most people’s supplement program. This finding is simply icing on the cake.

The researchers determined that fish oil resulted in a 23% decrease in risk of death from all causes while statin medications resulted in only a 13% reduction. For death rates from heart disease related conditions, fish oil decreased the death rates by 32% while statins decreased the rate by 22%. Overall, the fish oil provided the most benefit compared to other treatments.
(Arch Intern Med., April 11, 2005; Vol. 165, 725-730)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
When we look at studies for medications and supplements that impact a condition such as heart disease we want to know how that product benefits funeral rates (death rates). If a medication lowers rates of heart attack and has no benefit to longevity then it begs the question “why not?” This is the type of situation that we see with aspirin. Aspirin decreases death rates from heart attack, however, the side effects from the medication increase risk of death from other causes such as bleeding in the stomach or brain. In the end it is a wash because overall funeral rates are the same in the group who received the aspirin or the sugar pill. Said another way, people who take an aspirin a day don’t live a day longer than someone who doesn’t take an aspirin a day. Fish oil appears to decrease cardiovascular related deaths as well as death from all causes. In fairness, statins appear to achieve a decrease as well. There are two differences though, first fish oil worked better than statins and second, fish oil has almost no side effects while statins can cause pain, muscle weakness, and liver damage. I know which one I will choose, how

Although we are seeing more research every day about how vitamin D impacts many different conditions, the likelihood is we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg as far as what conditions will benefit from vitamin D supplementation. For example, here are some examples of recent data:

1. Low vitamin D blood levels increase risk of poor brain function by 200 percent. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol, 2008 Dec 10;)
2. Low vitamin D linked to increased risk of colon cancer (Nutr Cancer, 2009; 61(1): 70-5.)
3. Vitamin D protects against Multiple Sclerosis (MS) (Mult Scler, 2009; 15(1): 9-15)

Aside from these studies there are literally hundreds of other studies linking vitamin D to bone health, heart health, cancer risk, immune function, flu prevention, and much more. The fact of the matter is vitamin D has hormone-like activity that interacts with over 600 known genes. By interacting with these genes, vitamin D can either activate or inactivate a certain process in the body depending on the need. This means, vitamin D may activate the uptake and utilization of minerals while simultaneously inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. Few other nutrients have such a robust impact on the body. On your next physical, ask your doctor to order a vitamin D blood test. I will warn you however, if it does come back low avoid the prescription vitamin D and instead opt for natural vitamin D3 which can be found at any health food store.

Researchers looked at the blood tests of 3,289 Chinese subjects between the ages of 50 and 70. A blood test called serum ferritin, a measure of stored iron, was determined to be an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome and diabetes. In fact, the group who had the highest ferritin level was more than 300 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and nearly 300 percent more likely to develop metabolic syndrome. This connection held even when the study controlled for other potential risk factors such as obesity, markers of inflammation, adipokines and other risk factors.
(Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2008; 93(12): 4690-4696.)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
First, it is unlikely that iron overload is the primary cause of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Clearly, the most prevalent cause of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome is a diet full of refined carbohydrates and a lifestyle devoid of activity. With that said, it is interesting to see how other factors that are not normally associated with diabetes may in fact play a role with insulin resistance and blood sugar control. Iron overload can cause problems for the body by causing the production of high levels of free radicals, basically leading to a “rusting” of the cells. This rusting effect may cause important receptors, such as insulin receptors, to lose function. If you suspect metabolic syndrome or suffer with diabetes, it may be helpful for to have your doctor order a test for ferritin to determine if you have an issue with iron overload.

In this procedure, the doctor sends a small tube into the arteries of the heart through the artery of the leg. A liquid contrast material is then injected into the blood vessel through the catheter so that they can see where blockages have developed.

The contrast material used in this procedure can be quite challenging for the kidneys and is a leading cause of hospital induced kidney failure. This means that you can go into the test with working kidneys and come out of the procedure needing dialysis. For most people, this is a scary thought.

A recent study evaluated the use of a natural compound called N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) before and after the procedure. Researchers gave 212 people either high dose NAC (1200 mg twice daily before and on the day of the procedure) or high dose vitamin C before and after the procedure. The group who received the NAC faired significantly better than the group who received the vitamin C. The researchers concluded “High dose NAC seems more beneficial than ascorbic acid in preventing contrast-induced renal [kidney] function deterioration in patients, especially diabetic patients, with renal insufficiency undergoing coronary angiography.”
(American Heart Journal, 2009)

Dr. Ray’s Notes:
This test procedure is commonplace in many hospitals and the population who is most likely to undergo this procedure are diabetics, the group at the highest likelihood of developing kidney failure. The findings of this study are very important because one simple supplement can significantly decrease your risk of losing kidney function after the test is complete. Now, there is good news and bad news…The good news is most hospitals already have NAC on their formulary because NAC is used in treating Tylenol toxicity. The bad news is most doctors will never hear about this study and so it is up to you to ask for NAC on the day of the procedure. You will also want to take the NAC, which is available in most health food stores, for a couple days before the procedure to allow it to build up in your body. The recommended dose is 1000 mg twice daily for a few days before and a few days after the procedure. I would also recommend taking 100 mg twice daily of ubiquinol, an active form of coenzyme Q10, which can help to energize the cells of the kidney and heart.