Do Your Vitamins Contain Unnecessary Additives?

We are getting better at reading labels. We look at ingredients and additives in our food and other products. And, we demand transparency.

Yet, the supplement ingredient list can be a little trickier to figure out. This is because those unnecessary ingredients aren’t listed on the label in a visible way.

What many consumers don’t know is, in addition to vitamins and minerals, supplements also contain many unnecessary ingredients.

Just notice all the “other” or “inactive” on the ingredients listed on the packaging.

In fact, an estimated 90% of all vitamin supplements contain manufacturing fillers.

Why Are Fillers Used?

Fillers help bind all the ingredients together.

They are used as flow agents which allow supplements to run through manufacturing machines without gumming up equipment. They make supplements look more appealing to consumers, and they even make them taste better. And the list goes on.

Unnecessary additives include magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide, starch, microcrystalline cellulose, stearic acid, simethicone, vegetable gum, talc and propylene glycol.

What we do know is that these additives and fillers offer no nutritional value.

What Does “No Additives” Mean At Tespo?

It means that we don’t use any ingredients in our products that aren’t necessary. We use only what your body needs. And we can do this because of the system we use to create our formulas.

We don’t use pills. We don’t need to worry about machines gumming up.

At Tespo, 76% of our formulas are made up of premium quality vitamins and the other 24% is used for natural flavoring. Compare this to those popular gummy vitamins. Those contain only an approximate 4% of quality ingredients. And, pills contain roughly 20% quality ingredients.

Additives To Watch Out For

When you’re looking to purchase supplements and vitamins, read the labels. Watch out for the following additives.

Hydrogenated Oils

These oils are found in bakery products and highly processed foods. They are used to increase the shelf life of products. And, they are also found in supplements for the same reasons.

While these days we are all about healthy fats, there is nothing healthy about hydrogenated oils.

In fact, partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils contain trans fats. Trans fats increases our bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreases our good cholesterol (HDL). And, these fats can also contribute to heart disease, affect our nervous system, limit our ability to absorb essential fatty acids, and regulate our blood sugar.

Artificial Colors 

A red gummy bear or an orange vitamin looks so much better than a white or no-color vitamin, right? But those contain additives which completely defeats the purpose of taking vitamins.

Some of these same bright colors have been linked to various cancers and hyperactivity in children (We’re looking at you, Red #40).

The FDA states that these artificial colors in your vitamins are added to: “Offset color loss due to exposure to light, air, temperature extremes, moisture and storage conditions; correct natural variations in color; enhance colors that occur naturally; provide color to colorless and ‘fun’ foods.”

Yet, not only are colors linked to health issues, some colors are derived from toxic coal tar, which is otherwise used for roofing, outdoor sealants, exterior paints and heating. Gross.

Do we really need our vitamins to look fun? Probably not.

Magnesium Stearate

Magnesium Stearate is used as a flow agent. Its main purpose is to keep equipment from gumming up during the manufacturing process.

This synthetic ingredient can help a vitamin company increase its output and maintain the efficiency of production. And, magnesium stearate is also thought to hinder the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals.

Basically, it interferes with the body’s ability to absorb the contents of the pills it is used in. Seems counterintuitive.

Titanium Dioxide

Titanium dioxide is used in vitamins as a pigment, for similar reasons to why artificial colors are used.

Yet, research has shown that it is a possible carcinogen that could possibly affect immune system function and create inflammation.

In fact, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists Titanium Dioxide as a Group 2B carcinogen. In other words, it has the potential to cause cancer in humans.

Looking for vitamins and supplements without those nasty additives? Shop the Tespo difference.