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Is Magnesium Stearate OK to Consume?

When you look at the ingredients list of the medicine you take, you're likely to see a whole host of "inactive ingredients" along with the active ones. You may wonder if they are safe. Magnesium stearate may be one of the ones you have seen.

  1. What Is Magnesium Stearate?

    • Also called "octadecanoic acid magnesium salt," or "stearic acid magnesium salt," magnesium stearate is a stable white powder commonly used as an additive in foods and drugs.

    Is Magnesium Stearate Safe To Consume?

    • Magnesium stearate is generally regarded as safe by the Food and Drug Administration. Thus, it is used frequently in pharmaceutical formulas as an "excipient."

    What's An Excipient?

    • An excipient is a substance that helps stabilize a formula or improve its texture, taste, or smell. Excipients can also help ensure that an active ingredient gets to the right place within the body at the proper time.

    What Does Magnesium Stearate Do In My Medicine?

    • According to the American Chemical Society, magnesium stearate is good for several things. As a binder and filler, it helps ensure that capsules are the right size. As a granulating agent, it helps keep powder formulations flowing freely through the manufacturing plant. As a lubricant, it helps keep formed tablets from sticking to machinery.

    Rumors About Magnesium Stearate

    • Some supplement manufacturers have been making unfounded claims about magnesium stearate. They claim that it suppresses the immune system, although there is no research to back this up. These same manufacturers market products that claim to have no magnesium stearate.

    Fun Fact About Magnesium Stearate

    • You've seen magnesium stearate in your house--and not in the medicine cabinet. Where? In the bathtub. It's a major component of the stuff we call "soap scum."

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