Dietary supplements and additives

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Aktualisiert – März 27, 2025

Consumers want dietary supplements to be free of additives. However, the industry likes to use the production-facilitating and economically optimizing properties of various additives, such as colors or sweeteners, for its own benefit.

Every now and then you can find advertising flyers in drugstores, department stores or magazines with sample bags with an attractive advertising slogan, such as “Support your muscles” with magnesium citrate as the active ingredient.

If you don't take a look at the small print before taking it, you will be delighted with the benefits on offer and consume the contents of the bag straight away, convinced that you have done something good for your body.

Ingredients and additives

Isn't that one and the same?

Ingredients

According to German food law, ingredients have been mandatory on packaged (!) foods since December 26, 1983 - with a few exceptions - and include, in descending order of weight, individual ingredients down to 2 %, which were added to the food during the manufacturing process. Components below 2 % are not subject to declaration in Germany.

A partial ingredient that cannot be declared refers to ingredients that no longer fulfill a function. An example: carrageenan is added as an emulsifier to mix fat with water, for example in cream. However, the cream (emulsified with carrageenan) is used in creamed spinach and does not have to be declared. The carrageenan processed in the cream has already fulfilled its function in the cream and not (any longer) in the creamed spinach.

Or: Preservatives contained in a fruit preparation of a yoghurt also do not need to be declared if they only preserve the fruit preparation and not the yoghurt.

Additives

Additives refer to substances that simplify manufacturing processes and influence color, taste, consistency or shelf life in the desired way. In the EU, around 320 additives are registered and approved under so-called E numbers. They are in Additive classes divided.

The devil is in the details

But, as is often the case, the devil is in the details: the list of ingredients contains a whole range of substances that are anything but beneficial and beneficial to health. In the example case above you will find E953 (Isomalt), E1400 (Maltodextrin), E952 (Cyclamate), E954 (Sodium saccharin), all artificial sweeteners and E101 (Riboflavin) as a dye. But also other designer materials, such as E202 (Potassium sorbate) lead to unpleasant skin irritations.

E101 (riboflavin)

Riboflavin, also called Lactoflavin In contrast to the naturally occurring vitamin B, it is produced artificially, including genetically.

The possible presence of aluminum in the artificially produced food coloring is worrying, as it can disrupt intestinal function by modifying the natural microbiome (intestinal bacteria) and thereby weaken the immune system. It is also possible to promote dementia and impair reproductive ability by influencing female sex hormones (so-called metal estrogen).

E171 (Titandioxid)

It is used as an artificial additive E171 or CI 77891, or. PW6 als – weißes – Farbpigment) geführt.

In a 2017 study in the journal Nature, researchers from the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) reported that rats were given drinking water enriched with titanium dioxide for 100 days. The dose corresponded to that that people consume every day through food or cosmetics. The results of the study showed that benign tumors initially form, which ultimately develop into malignant ones.
The authors mention that the study results cannot necessarily be transferred to humans.

Since the particle size of titanium dioxide can be less than 100nm, titanium dioxide is also permeable to the blood-brain barrier. It leads to oxidative cell stress and triggers inflammatory reactions (chronic lung diseases source dated October 25, 2010) and is also capable of damaging the genetic material.

The German Bundestag (Scientific Services) responded to the latter under Ref. WD 9 – 3000 – 021/18 mit der Feststellung: „Da eine kleine Zahl von Studien mögliche negative Auswirkungen auf das Fortpflanzungssystem nahegelegt hätten, empfiehlt die EFSA die Durchführung weiterer Studien, um bestehende Datenlücken bezüglich möglicher Auswirkungen auf das Fortpflanzungssystem zu schließen“

In one study From December 2020, nano-sized food additives (dyes E171, E172, E 174, E 175 and anti-caking aid E551) were examined and the induction of gastrotoxicity, liver toxicity and neurotoxicity was demonstrated.

E200 (sorbic acid), E201 (sodium sorbate), E202 (potassium sorbate), E203 (calcium sorbate)

Sorbic acid, sodium, potassium and calcium sorbate are produced synthetically and used as preservatives. Potassium sorbate is found naturally in the unripe fruits of mountain ash, and sorbic acid is generally found in aphids, rowan berries and wine.

These are used as preservatives, for example, in medicines, spreads, dates, iced tea, ketchup, cosmetic products, jam, mayonnaise, olives, tartar sauce, juice spritzers, syrup, soy sauce, tobacco, wine.

Normally, potassium sorbate is metabolized like a fatty acid. However, since one study It was known from Sevcan Mamur ea in 2009 that potassium sorbate has genotoxicity with regard to lymphocytes and in animal experiments caused a reduction in the bacterial diversity of the intestinal flora. Hypersensitivity, such as hives, has also been observed in rare cases. Carcinogenic effects have been demonstrated in vitro at high doses.

The use of the chemically related E201 (sodium sorbate) has been banned in the EU since 1998 because it has been proven that genetic damage can be initiated.

E 407 / 407a (Carrageen)

Carrageenan is used as a gelling/thickening agent, for example in cream, to prevent the cream from settling. It is found in almost 17,000 foods (E 407a in around 80), even in products intended for infants.

Gesundheitlich betrachtet wird Carrageen, einem aus Rotalgen (Furcellariaceae, Gigartinaceae, Hypneaceae, Solieriaceae), bzw. Eucheuma-Algen (E 407a – Eucheuma cottonii und spinosum) hergestellten Zusatzstoff, sehr kontrovers bewertet.

Die EFSA rät von einer Zufuhr von Carrageen bei Babys bis 3 Monate ab und fordert, dass „entzündliche Darmerkrankungen beim Menschen geklärt werden“ müssen, wie auch der Verdacht auf ein erhöhtes Risiko an Diabetes zu erkranken.

Carrageenan is available in different variants (e.g. κ-(kappa-)carrageenan, ι-(iota-)carrageenan and λ-(lambda-)carrageenan), which in turn can have various, including carcinogenic, effects (especially those with smaller molecular weight).
In general, only variants with a larger molecular weight are permitted, but these may contain a proportion of up to 5 % of those with a smaller molecular weight.

The problem is made even worse by digestion, because the harmless variants can be converted into harmful variants.

General information on this topic is available in one study from April 2013 summarized quite comprehensively.

The development of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis caused by carrageenan in connection with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) is discussed in this study treated. This study In this context, it also sheds light on the triggering of allergies.

E460 (Mikrokristalline Cellulose)

Microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is used industrially as a filler. The discovery of cellulose Anselme Payen, a French chemist, dates back to 1838.

Dr. J. Seidemann warnte 1976 vor diesem Stoff, von dem gesagt wird, dass der Körper sie nicht verstoffwechsele und daher unverändert ausscheide, weil er „persorbiert“ (Aufnahme feinster unlöslicher Partikel über das Darmepithel) wird.

Der Unterschied liegt in „mikrokristallin“. Denn herkömmliche Cellulose ist tatsächlich unverdaulich und wird auch unverändert und in gleicher Menge wie zugeführt ausgeschieden. Die mikrokristalline Cellulose hingegen bewegt sich im Nanometer-Bereich und kann deshalb die Darmschleimhaut, wie auch die Blut-Hirn-Schranke überwinden. Da diese Partikel vom Organismus nicht verstoffwechselt werden können, muss zunächst davon ausgegangen werden, dass sie im Organismus verbleiben.

Dieweil beschränkt sich die EFSA darauf, zu beraten, ob MCC nun „mäßig“ oder „nahezu“ löslich in Natriumhydroxidlösung ist, wie here can be read.

At least MCC should be banned in baby and toddler food.

A reversible inflammation caused by MCC affecting the cell tissue of the lungs was observed in this case study described.

Positive effects of MCC in the treatment of alkaline gastritis due to bile reflux were reported in this study proven.

E551 (silicon dioxide)

Silicon dioxide is used as a release agent or anti-caking agent in the food industry as well as in food supplements (food supplements) to prevent clumping.

Silicon dioxide is suspected of provoking intestinal inflammation, as it releases inflammation-reactive processes in the intestine. Although this has only been proven in laboratory tests on dendritic cells of mice by the research team led by Mr. Hanspeter Nägeli at the University of Zurich, studies on these effects in humans are still pending.

Furthermore, silicon dioxide cannot be metabolized by the body and is stored in organs. Among other things, it leads to inflammation, causes disturbances in cell metabolism and leads to premature cell ageing.

The proclaimed safety of silicon dioxide should be reassessed, says Hanspeter Nägeli from the Institute of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Zurich in the final brochure of the National Research Program NRP 64 „Chancen und Risiken von Nanomaterialien“.

E572 (Magnesiumstearat)

Magnesium stearate is a salt of stearic acid, consisting of 96 % stearic acid and 4 % magnesium. It is used as a flow/release agent. Magnesium stearate does not occur naturally.

Harmful side effects are said to include weakening of the immune system and making it more difficult to absorb vital substances and nutrients. An allergenic effect has been proven here case described.

E952 (cyclamate)

Cyclamate is also an artificially produced designer substance that is not metabolized but is excreted unchanged through the kidneys. This results in pollution of the drinking water. In mice, weight gain was experimentally demonstrated after consuming cyclamate in drinking water.
Nevertheless, animal experiments showed changes in the composition of the bacteria in the intestine. In some countries cyclamate is banned due to suspected carcinogenic effects.

E953 (Isomalt)

Isomalt is made from household sugar, is considered a so-called designer substance and can be used in the food industry without any maximum quantity limits. Since it cannot produce a sufficient level of sweetening on its own, it is used in combination with other artificial sweeteners.
Since isomalt can cause diarrhea in large quantities, the food must be labeled with the addition “May have a laxative effect if consumed in excess”.

E954 (sodium saccharin)

The above applies essentially identically to sodium saccharin. The limit value for use in food is between 80 mg and 3g per kilogram. The occurrence of urticaria is a health concern. In addition, saccharin and acesulfame K were classified as triggers for DNA damage. The genotoxicity is higher than that of aspartame.
With regard to wastewater pollution, it should be noted that to date no sewage treatment plant has been able to remove this artificial sweetener.

E967 (xylitol / birch sugar)

Birch sugar, known by various names such as xylitol, xylitol, pentanpentol (2R,3r,4S)-Pentan-1,2,3,4,5-pentol / xylo-1,2,3,4,5-pentanpentol), serves as a sugar substitute and, unlike sugar, is not classified as a carbohydrate but as a sugar alcohol.

It must be labeled in foods with a weight content of more than 10 % (laxative effect if consumed in excess), as it can cause flatulence and diarrhea.

Furthermore, as with sorbitol, a similar sugar alcohol, there is the fact that these are fermented by intestinal bacteria, which on the one hand leads to the above-mentioned undesirable effects, but also to possible intolerance.

Recent studies in Germany and abroad show an increase in thrombosis and infarction events of 60 % (see also E968), such as the study from 07.2024 Xylitol is prothrombotic and associated with cardiovascular risk.

E968 (Erythritol / Erythritol)

Erythritol is, like Xylitol, sorbitol, mannitol is a sugar alcohol and is therefore to be regarded as identical in terms of risks and side effects.

Studies show the same problem with regard to health effects. For example, the American study from 02.2023 The artificial sweetener erythritol and cardiovascular event risk.

E1400 (maltodextrin)

Maltodextrin is a man-made designer substance and, like sugar, can cause tooth decay. In addition, the glycemic index of 120 is much higher than 70 for table sugar. It can also lead to an increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and even earlier death. When used simultaneously with the sweetener sucralose (E955), maltodextrin can promote obesity. Animal experiments have shown chronic intestinal inflammation, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

This is a variant digestive resistant Maltodextrin, which is not absorbed by the body.

Bioavailability

Who doesn't know this: you sit in front of a sealed pack of cheese or sausage and you just can't get the pack open?!

The organism experiences a similar situation with various nutritional supplements. You take them, but only some of them can be absorbed and processed by the body

It is therefore important that only those substance preparations are taken that are fully and quickly available to the body for use, i.e. bioavailability refers to the extent and speed with which an active ingredient is available in the bloodstream.

The active ingredient: magnesium citrate

A form of magnesium is now offered here, namely magnesium citrate.

The following compounds are primarily used in magnesium preparations:

• Magnesium sulfate
• Magnesium oxide
• Magnesium taurate
• Magnesium citrate
• Magnesium malate

You try Studies On the subject of magnesium bioavailability, one finds that magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide have the worst bioavailability, while magnesium malate ensures the highest availability.

Conclusion

First and foremost, food additives and dietary supplements represent an economically interesting opportunity for manufacturers to increase their sales. In collaboration with effective marketing, these can be increased significantly.

Anyone who believes advertising claims without checking them will quickly fulfill the company's aspirations, but will rarely contribute to their own health.

It is therefore advisable to take a closer look at the topic of dietary supplements and only use products that are actually free of any additives and ingredients that are not health-promoting and - in the case of dietary supplements - have high bioavailability.