10 Hidden Toxins in Your Vitamins and Supplements

These days, people tend to take vitamins and supplements to help strengthen their immune systems. This is due to the increasing demands in life which can only be addressed with a healthy body and alert mind. We can’t take being and feeling sick, it will cost us much. So how would you feel if you discover that the vitamins and the supplements you take are embedded with toxins that instead of making you feel stronger can actually damage your health?

Here’s a list of hidden toxins in vitamins and supplements that can damage your health:

1. Maltodextrin. It is an oligosaccharide commonly used as a food additive or a binding agent of pharmaceutical products from starch. It can actually be digested easily and can be absorbed as fast as glucose. If you’ll look at it as it is, you may find it harmless and even beneficial at times since it comes from starch. But you should be concerned about the fact that most maltodextrin these days are derived from genetically modified (GM) corns. Every time you take in your vitamins or supplements which usesmaltodextrin as its binder, you are also taking in genetically modified matters.
2. Ascorbic Acid. We commonly purchase it as Vitamin C. Yes, ascorbic acid and vitamin c are in a lot of ways similar. You would surely disagree that it is harmful. But it is. A large portion of the vitamin c produced these days are made up of, again, genetically modified corn. Without the right information, we may end up continuously drinking the vitamins without knowledge of its possible side effects. But now that you know better, start looking for other more beneficial and organic sources of vitamin C.
3. Hexane. It is one of the components of gasoline. With that information, your mind will surely wonder how it can form part of your vitamins and supplements. That’s easy to explain, hexane can be used in extracting protein from soy and rice which are rich sources of protein. If the processing of the product involves using hexane-extraction, then traces of the chemical can surely be found in the resulting products. The use of the process is already being discouraged because of the long term toxicity it can cause.
4. High Aluminum content. Vitamins and supplements that conceal the level of aluminum content mislead people. It must be indicated since aluminum is toxic, especially if it exceeds human capacity. Aluminum toxicity causes rickets, colic, gastro-intestinal problems, extreme nervousness and other dysfunctions.
5. Lead and arsenic. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) itself declared a couple of vitamins that contain lead, arsenic and other trace amounts of some heavy metals. These are undeclared components of the vitamins and supplements and most are derived from the source plants themselves.
6. Inorganic minerals. Most cheap vitamins use inorganic minerals to save on their production costs. These includes iron fillings instead of iron, ground-up seashells for calcium and magnesium oxide instead of magnesium orotate or malate. These composes the vitamins yet end up useless in our bodies.
7. Acrylamides. These are actually not ingredients of vitamins and supplements but these are developed when carbohydrates are cooked. In the process of developing the vitamins, acrylamides are produced and become part of the supposedly healthy supplement. This chemical cause cancer and those who consume it increases the risk of developing kidney cancer by 59%.
8. MSG camouflaged as yeast extract. These days, one can find yeast extract as components of food, especially vegetarian products. Yeast extract, autolyzed yeast extract, torula yeast or hydrolyzed vegetable proteinare all other names for MSG. It is often concealed because of the controversial “MSG symptom complex” which is the short-term reaction of some people to MSG. it includes headache, sweating, facial tightness, numbing and burning feeling in the mouth, shortness of breath, chest pain and heart palpitations.
9. Fluoride. Some supplements like green tea contains fluoride. It is actually beneficial but only if it is within normal range. Once a person ingests too much fluoride, fluorosis is then experienced. It may not be a disease but it can cause psychological distress and is difficult to treat. Fluorosis is evident in the form of mild discoloration of the teeth. But there are cases of stains that range from yellow to dark brown. Surface irregularities in the teeth may also be evident as well as highly noticeable pits.
10. Carrageenan. It is considered to be more beneficial than detrimental. It was only labeled dangerous when a study on animals showed that those who take in carrageenan develop gastrointestinal inflammation and high risk of developing colon cancer. Those with sensitive digestive systems should therefore avoid taking in carrageenan.

These are just some of the components of food, vitamins and supplements that one should check out to ensure its real health benefits.Look out for these components or ingredients, even their other names. That way, you get your desired results for the vitamins and supplements you pay for.