Gross Overtreatment

Here is a list of some of the chemicals, preservatives and harmful additives in supplements.

Artificial Colors

Artificial colors are added to supplements to make the appearance of them more appealing for consumers. Some of the artificial coloring are driven from toxic coal tar that is also used inside the exterior paints and roofing. Artificial colors have been linked to many health problems such as autism, ADHD and cancer.

Carrageenan

Carrageenan is another toxic filler found in many supplements. It is driven from red seaweed and has been linked to cancer, gastrointestinal problems, inflammation and leaky gut.

GMO Ingredients

With the anti-GMO labeling policies in US, it’s very challenging to know if what you are buying is made from GM ingredients. According to the Non-GMO project, here are the lists ingredients that are very likely made from GMOs:

Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid (also called vitamin C, but it’s not real vitamin C and it is driven from GM corn), Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C (usually derived from corn), Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Ethanol, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins (unless it says non-GMO, all Maltodextrins come from GM sources—corn derivative), Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose (mostly seen in children’s supplements), High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products.

Heavy Metals

You will be surprised to know that many detox products, protein shakes and supplements contain heavy metals. As a matter of fact, high levels of aluminum even exist in detox products (especially the products that offer magical results in a short period of time). Many herbs imported from China have also high levels of aluminum, lead and arsenic. Even green tea (not real ones) with so many health benefits are known to be contaminated with high levels of fluoride.

Hexane-extracted soy and rice proteins

Nearly 100% of the "natural" soy proteins sold in the USA are extracted in China using a hexane extraction method. Anything from China should be double checked for metals content just to make sure it's all clean. This is true across the board for all food products from China, not just brown rice protein. Nutritional products from China are known to be contaminated with worrisome levels of metals.

Hexane is a highly explosive chemical. It is not only extremely hazardous to the environment, there may also be trace amounts of hexane left remaining in the resulting protein products. My understanding is that hexane extraction is not allowed in certified organic proteins, so if you have a choice, go for certified organic instead of just "natural" (which means nothing anyway).

Magnesium Stearate

Magnesium Stearate is used as a lubricant in vitamins to prevent pills and capsules from sticking into the machineries. Stearic acid is also used to stick the pill or capsules together. Both Magnesium Stearate and stearic acid have been linked to many health problems including lowering immune system.

Titanium oxide

Titanium oxide is widely used in supplements as filler. Titanium oxide has been classified in list of carcinogens that can cause cancer, allergies, auto immune disorder and organ toxicity.