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Magnesium Stearate: A Safe and Effective Filler


Setting the Record Straight An Interview with Dr. Dana Myatt, NMD


Note: Magnesium stearate, a common “inactive” ingredient in many nutritional supplements, has been critiqued by several nutritional supplement companies and physicians online. It has been compared to chalk, said to impair absorption of nutrients, to form a harmful “biofilm” in the intestines, and even to suppress immune function. Since magnesium stearate is an important flow agent that is widely used in the nutritional industry, we felt it important to carefully examine these claims. We found that they were all baseless. After watching a thorough, highly credible and scientifically referenced video by Dr. Dana Myatt on magnesium stearate, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx_ISfVVGuQ, we invited her to a question and answer session with Focus. – Stephen Levine, PhD


Focus: What exactly is magne- sium stearate and what is its role in nutritional supplements?


Myatt: Magnesium stearate is a simple salt made of two com- mon nutritional substances, the mineral magnesium and the sat- urated fat stearic acid. It is used as a “flow agent” in many nutri- tional supplements and pharma- ceuticals.


Magnesium stearate


contains two molecules of stearic acid and one molecule of mag- nesium. The molecule is held together by ionic bonds — the definition of a salt — that break apart easily in acid, the condition


found in the human stomach. Though the name may make it sound like a synthetic, space-age molecule, both magnesium and stearic acid are abundantly avail- able in many foods in our diet. In order to really understand mag- nesium stearate, let’s look at its two components.


Magnesium is an essential miner- al, the major mineral most likely to be deficient in the American diet.1


I don’t think anyone would argue the safety of magnesium.


Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid found in many foods includ-


ing eggs, chicken, grass-fed beef, coconut oil, walnuts, cheese, chocolate, salmon and human breast milk, to name just a few.2


Both magnesium and stearic acid are not only safe, they are benefi- cial to human health.


Magnesium stearate is simply a salt that combines both of these molecules.


Focus: Magnesium stearate is used as a flow agent in count- less nutritional supplements. What is a “flow agent” and why is it necessary?


Focus April 2013 21


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