Hi
Is the coating in the vitamins bad for our health?

A friend of mine has sent me these links and now l am starting to wonder. Thought l would pass it by you all to get your views.

Thanks Sue


http://www.amazon.com/Source-Natural...ews/B000OESOM8


http://www.naturalnews.com/034604_pi...d_release.html

I too am concerned about the enteric coating containing phthalates. My OB/GYN suggested I try a Estrovera, a siberian rhubarb for menopause. When I researched the product, I found that they use a synthetic enteric coating. I contacted the company and they pretty much dismissed my concerns. I cannot understand why they would make a natural health product, especially one dealing with hormone balance, and then encapsulate it in a plastic that is know to disrupt hormones.

Every company says "it such a small amount" so it's safe. But chances are you getting it from multiple sources so it's no longer a small amount.

There are alternatives. http://www.serrapeptase.org/enteric-...-serrapeptase/

The companies are out there trying to make money and that's all they seem to care about. I am suprised nobody else on this board has answered my questions and that nobody else except us, are concerned about this or know anymore about it.

sue

I imagine this is something that most have never given much thought to. MrsD would certainly know more about this and would have commented, but she is out of town on summer vacation (without access to internet). Hopefully she will see your thread when she returns in a couple weeks.

I know I would like to know more about this so will be waiting for MrsD or anyone else to reply.

The problem I have with those particular sources is that one of them is just some anonymous individual on the internet with an agenda/axe to grind, and the other is a site that makes their money from companies that produce (overpriced?) products whose marketing preys as much upon fear as upon science. That there are companies out there trying to make money applies equally to both sides.

One might look to a source like this in counterargument, and it could similarly (and rightly so) be argued that there is bias there as well:
http://phthalates.americanchemistry....FcRlOgodvmcA_g

There are multiple sides to every issue, and the truth usually lies somewhere between.

After perusing a number of sites on each side of this issue, my impression thus far is that while there may be some legitimate concern over phthalates in large quantities, the amount from enteric coatings is infinitesimal compared to other sources (milk, butter, meats, dust, adhesives and glues, electronics, agricultural adjuvants, building materials, personal-care products, medical devices, detergents, packaging, children's toys, modeling clay, waxes, paints, printing inks and coatings, pharmaceuticals, food products, and textiles and much much more.

There are literally thousands of chemicals that we ingest regularly and can be found in the human body which, in trace amounts are harmless, but in larger amounts can be problematic. Arsenic, cyanide, lead, mercury.... and phthalates, are just a few.

There is also the question of benefit vs. risk, which applies not only to everything we ingest, but to everything we DO, including eating, drinking, breathing, sleeping, exercise.... and controlling the absorption/metabolism of things we ingest.

Bottom line, compared to the amounts present everywhere in the environment, and the benefit derived from those things I take that depend on enteric coatings, I am not personally concerned with the infinitesimal amounts present in those coatings, most of which will flush its way through anyway. The harm I would suffer from not having the coating would, IMO, be greater.

Please don't take this as a dimissal; it's not. IMO it's better to ask a question than not to. Views were asked for, and I did look into this. I am not expecting anyone else to agree with me; I encourage anyone to read both sides, reach their own conclusions, and decide for themselves. There are other issues regarding meds & supplements that concern me more.

Doc

The issue for me is that they have a choice to not use a synthetic coating. When you are using a natural supplement, I expect the coating to be natural also. And there are options.

These petro chemicals are pervasive and little here and little there add up. I prefer to reduce the intake of them where I can. Even small amounts can be disruptive. Maybe not immediately, but over time, they are. The more we produce and consume, more ends up in our environment and then gets cycled through the food chain. Just look at how mercury has accumulated in fish.

I know natural is not always safe. It too depends on dosage. However, I feel I have better chance of processing a natural product versus synthetics. We have evolved with these natural substances and our bodies know how to handle them. The petro chemicals are very new and are not detoxed efficiently if at all.

I do what I can to reduce my exposure to phthalates, BPA, fire retardants and stain protection product. IMO, every little reduction helps. It helps me and the environment.