It is estimated more than 40 percent of the U.S. population use some form of nutritional supplement each day.  But despite the fact that the U.S. spent $6 billion last year on supplements, the rates of most chronic diseases remain unchanged, while others are still on the rise.

So why aren’t all these supplements helping reduce disease?

Well, first of all, it’s important to realize that “vitamins” are not man-made, synthetic ingredients but the organic building blocks of sound nutrition, which you get from plant and animal foods.

Secondly, as Dr. Dietrich Klinghardt explains in this Inner Circle interview, many of the supplements on the market contain added fillers and additives that actually block absorption of whatever nutrients are in them!

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.

So it is my STRONG recommendation that you avoid any supplement that has magnesium stearate in it. I made the decision to do this last year and none of the supplements we offer on this site contain it anymore.

The Problem with Synthetic Vitamins

Most natural health experts world agree on one thing: No matter which foods you eat, whole foods are far better for you than refined foods.

So why do some people tbelieve the rules of nutrition would suddenly change when it comes to vitamins and other nutritional supplements?

Whole food supplements are what their name suggests: Supplements made from concentrated whole foods. The vitamins found within these supplements are not isolated. They are highly complex structures that combine a variety of enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, trace elements, activators and many other unknown or undiscovered factors that work together synergistically, to enable this vitamin complex to do its job in your body.

Synthetic nutrients, on the other hand, are not natural, in that they are never found by themselves in nature.

Taking these isolated nutrients regularly, especially at the ultra-high doses found in formulas today, is frequently more like taking a drug.

Studies show your body treats these isolated and synthetic nutrients like xenobiotics (foreign substances). This is why your urine will oftentimes turn some shade of glow-in-the-dark yellow when you take synthetic vitamins, as your body is simply flushing these foreign substances out.

When and What Types of Supplements Should You Look For?

There is no question that supplements -- including vitamins and minerals -- can compensate for some of the damage that you do to yourself. However, my experience is that many people use their supplements to justify their poor food choices.

In my experience no shopping bag full of supplements will ever be a substitute for healthy food choices.

No matter how many supplements you take, there is simply no substitute for proper eating. A healthy diet based on food choices that are appropriate for your nutritional type, along with exercise, are the two bedrocks of optimal health.

Typically supplements will work not work nearly as well if these foundations are not in place.

There are times when supplements can be useful, and I believe that several supplements are essential for nearly everyone, and that is a high quality animal-based omega 3 supplement. This is because the main source of omega 3 in your diet comes from fish – most of which is now so grossly polluted with heavy metals, PCBs and other environmental toxins I can no longer recommend eating fish for optimal omega 3 levels.

The other supplement that most people need is vitamin D because they simply do not have enough appropriate sun or safe tanning bed exposure. However, when using oral vitamin D a blood test is important.

You may also want to take one or more food-based supplements to ensure you are getting an adequate array of nutrients in your diet. However, I strongly recommend you make whole food supplements your first choice.