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Inactive Ingredients

Concerned About Red Colorants?

February 09, 2024
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Some supplements are colored with Red No. 3 or Red No. 40. Should you be concerned? Find out in our article about ingredients added to supplements.

Sodium Benzoate and Benzene

August 22, 2023
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Vitamin C can promote the conversion of sodium benzoate, a preservative, to benzene, a toxic chemical. Should you be worried about consuming products such as lemon juice (a source of vitamin C) preserved with sodium benzoate? Find out in the Preservatives section of our article about Inactive Ingredients.

Benzene in Supplements?

August 18, 2023
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Can sodium benzoate, a preservative used in supplements and foods, be converted to benzene, a toxic compound? Find out what a recent study showed in our article about Inactive Ingredients.

Also see our articles about benzene in sunscreens and deodorants.

Phosphate Additives in Food

March 31, 2023
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Are phosphate additives, such as trisodium phosphate and dicalcium phosphate, a health concern? Find out in our article about Inactive Ingredients in supplements and foods.

Tooth Stains from Food Colorants

November 29, 2022
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Find out which food colorants appear to increase staining of the teeth in the Coloring Agents section of our Inactive Ingredients Review.

Cancer-Causing Sweetener?

October 14, 2022
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Acesulfame potassium is a sweetener in some of the products that we have tested. A CL member asked if it can cause cancer. Find out in the Sweetening agents section of our Inactive Ingredients/Excipients in Supplements Review Article.

Can a Natural Colorant Cause Adverse Effects?

December 06, 2021
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A CL member recently asked if purple carrot powder in his supplement might have caused symptoms such as chest tightness and headache. Find out in our updated article about Inactive Ingredients/Excipients.

Whitener In Many Pills May Not Be Safe

May 10, 2021
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Titanium dioxide, which is commonly used to whiten pills, is not safe according to the European equivalent of the FDA. Find out why in our Review Article about Inactive Ingredients.

Concern With a Colorant

May 24, 2019
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Titanium dioxide is a common white colorant in foods and supplements. A recent study in mice, however, suggests that it may affect the gut. For details, see the updated Titanium Dioxide section of the Inactive Ingredients/Excipients article.