Magnesium stearate is used as an additive in most all supplements, including selenium, zinc and B-vitamins etc. It is possible to find these formulated without added magnesium stearate or titanium dioxide, but you have to shop around.

Here’s an all to common example of a selenium pill with magnesium stearate (undesirable):

Selenium (as L-selenomethionine) 200 mcg 286%

Other Ingredients

Microcrystalline cellulose, dicalcium phosphate, silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, gelatin capsule.

“… magnesium stearate can cause a biofilm to be created in your intestine, which will prevent the absorption of nutrients.“

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/22/is-your-multivi...

How Some Supplements Can do More Harm Than Good

There are a few ways that nutritional supplements may do you more harm than good.

Concentrated formulas make you absorb less -- It’s important to understand that when you take vitamins or antibiotics that are concentrated above what is found naturally, in nature, your small intestine actually forms defenses against the absorption of these excessively concentrated ingredients.

It does this by creating a biofilm – a barrier that effectively blocks the absorption of nutrients – as a form of self defense, if you will.

According to Dr. Klinghardt, who frequently monitors his patients’ nutrient levels, oftentimes the more supplements you take the less your body actually absorbs.

Additives make your body develop protective mechanisms – In the U.S. many supplement makers are adding flowing agents into their capsules. Two common, and potentially toxic, additives are:

·         Magnesium stearate

·         Titanium dioxide

Previous research has shown that magnesium stearate suppresses your natural killer cells, which are a key component of your immune system.

Naturally, when you take vitamins and other supplements, you do it with the idea of strengthening your immune system. However, if you take supplements containing magnesium stearate, you actually end up doing the exact opposite as you’re consuming large amounts of chalk. That’s right – chalk!

This chalk filler stimulates your gut to form a biofilm – a sort of sludge lining – that acts as an effective barrier to the absorption of not only that particular vitamin but ALL the nutrients you’d normally get from food sources as well!

This is a major reason for focusing on nutritional foods rather than taking handfuls of vitamins each day.

Titanium dioxide is another filler you don’t want to see in your supplements, as it has been shown to cause autoimmune disorders.

Steer Clear of Magnesium Stearate

I realize that there is very little research published on this, and I am actually working on a special report to detail what is known.  But the bottom line summary is actually quick and simple.

Some highly respected clinicians like Dr. Klinghardt and others have extensive experience with this issue.  Magnesium stearate is not a supplemental source of magnesium but it is a form of stearic acid and is used as a flow agent. The ONLY purpose of it in the supplement is to help the raw materials become more slippery and flow through the machines that create the supplements.

It is VERY easy to find a harmless inexpensive substitute for this that will not create the biofilm.  However, most all of the large vitamin companies I have repeatedly spoken to about this issue simply refuse to make the change

This is most perplexing and I simply don’t understand their approach. It would seem more than prudent to adopt the precautionary principle here and make the change before “science” definitively proves this.  These clinicians have no ulterior motives in describing their observation that magnesium stearate will cause problems in your body.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/08/22/is-your-multivi...

Other Problematic Ingredients Found in Many Multi-Vitamins

In the U.S., many supplement makers add so-called 'flowing agents' into their capsules. Two common additives are:

·         Magnesium stearate

·         Titanium dioxide

Now, neither of these will cause any major harm in small doses. But they do add up over time, and magnesium stearate can cause a biofilm to be created in your intestine, which will prevent the absorption of nutrients.  The only purpose of it in the supplement is to help the raw materials become more slippery and easily flow through the machines that create the supplements.

Magnesium stearate is not a supplemental source of magnesium but rather a form of stearic acid. It's essentially chalk, and previous research has shown that it suppresses your natural killer cells, which are a key component of your immune system. Unfortunately, this chalk filler stimulates your gut to form a biofilm – a sort of sludge lining – that acts as an effective barrier to the absorption of not only that particular vitamin but all the nutrients you'd normally get from food sources as well. This is a major reason for focusing on nutritional foods rather than taking handfuls of vitamins each day.