Common Additive Titanium Dioxide Is Neurotoxic

haidut

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Titanium dioxide is one of the most common additives used in the supplement and drug industry. Ray has mentioned a few times that the particles can get into the bloodstream and cause an allergic reaction, and that is one of the reason Ray avoids is as much as possible. The food and supplement industry has been denying the claim of toxicity for decades, but now it looks like the truth it getting some light. One of key findinga IMO is that even low doses of titanium dioxide, widely considered safe, were found to be potently neurotoxic. The second one is that the neurotoxicity is mediated by glutamate. Titanium dioxide seems to act like a Selective Glutamate Reuptake Inhibitor (SGRI), if there is such a term at all:):
So, if possible, avoid supplements (and foods) that list this substance as an ingredient.

http://phys.org/news/2015-12-modest-nan ... cells.html

"...Even moderate concentrations of a nanoparticle used to whiten certain foods, milk and toothpaste could potentially compromise the brain's most numerous cells, according to a new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The researchers examined how three types of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, the world's second-most abundant nanomaterial, affected the functioning of astrocyte cells. Astrocytes help regulate the exchange of signal-carrying neurotransmitters in the brain while also supplying energy to the neurons that process those signals, among many other functions. The team exposed rat-derived astrocyte cells to nanoparticle concentrations well below the extreme levels that have been shown to kill brain cells but are rarely encountered by humans. At the study's highest concentration of 100 parts per million, or PPM, two of the nanoparticle types still killed nearly two-thirds of the astrocytes within a day. That mortality rate fell to between half and one-third of cells at 50 PPM, settling to about one-quarter at 25 PPM. Yet the researchers found evidence that even surviving cells are severely impaired by exposure to titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Astrocytes normally take in and process a neurotransmitter called glutamate that plays wide-ranging roles in cognition, memory and learning, along with the formation, migration and maintenance of other cells. When allowed to accumulate outside cells, however, glutamate becomes a potent toxin that kills neurons and may increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The study reported that one of the nanoparticle types reduced the astrocytes' uptake of glutamate by 31 percent at concentrations of just 25 PPM. Another type decreased that uptake by 45 percent at 50 PPM."
 

Vinero

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Yikes. Why the hell do manufacturers put such nasty additives in all supplements??
If I walk into a health store all the vitamins and minerals contain titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide and a whole list of unnecessary ingredients.
It's nearly impossible to buy pure vitamin powder. Another thing that frustrates me is the lack of benefits reported on bodybuilding forums by people experimenting with supplements.
A lot of people report nausea and stomachaches when taking any supplements, and blame it on the nutrient instead of all this crap that is added by the manufacturer.
 

jyb

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Vinero said:
post 115803 Yikes. Why the hell do manufacturers put such nasty additives in all supplements??
If I walk into a health store all the vitamins and minerals contain titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide and a whole list of unnecessary ingredients.
It's nearly impossible to buy pure vitamin powder. Another thing that frustrates me is the lack of benefits reported on bodybuilding forums by people experimenting with supplements.
A lot of people report nausea and stomachaches when taking any supplements, and blame it on the nutrient instead of all this crap that is added by the manufacturer.

No choice but to buy online. Health stores and restaurants on the high street are piles of junk really.
 
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jyb

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haidut said:
post 115800 Titanium dioxide is one of the most common additives used in the supplement and drug industry. Ray has mentioned a few times that the particles can get into the bloodstream and cause an allergic reaction, and that is one of the reason Ray avoids is as much as possible. The food and supplement industry has been denying the claim of toxicity for decades, but now it looks like the truth it getting some light. One of key findinga IMO is that even low doses of titanium dioxide, widely considered safe, were found to be potently neurotoxic. The second one is that the neurotoxicity is mediated by glutamate. Titanium dioxide seems to act like a Selective Glutamate Reuptake Inhibitor (SGRI), if there is such a term at all:):
So, if possible, avoid supplements (and foods) that list this substance as an ingredient.

Now imagine spreading that titanium dioxide rich sunscreen (typical nowadays) over you in summer and thinking how healthy you are to protect yourself.
 
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Dan W

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Vinero said:
post 115803 Yikes. Why the hell do manufacturers put such nasty additives in all supplements??
On titanium dioxide, it's frequently added to tablets to make them all pretty and white. It helps convey their "purity" :roll:
 
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charlie

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Dan Wich said:
post 115807 On titanium dioxide, it's frequently added to tablets to make them all pretty and white. It helps convey their "purity" :roll:
Wow! :(
 
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haidut

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Just in case someone is wondering what can be done to mitigate the damage if titanium dioxide cannot avoided. As a possible mitigation strategy, things that reduce glutamate include theanine, pregnenolone, biotin, and caffeine.
 

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Vinero

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Things that lower Glutamate like Taurine, Magnesium, Theanine, Aspirin etc. might protect against some of the harmful effects but titanium dioxide might have other bad effects like gut damage so I would totally avoid it.
 

aguilaroja

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haidut said:
post 115800 One of key finding IMO is that even low doses of titanium dioxide, widely considered safe, were found to be potently neurotoxic. The second one is that the neurotoxicity is mediated by glutamate. Titanium dioxide seems to act like a Selective Glutamate Reuptake Inhibitor (SGRI), if there is such a term at all:):
So, if possible, avoid supplements (and foods) that list this substance as an ingredient.

Oops, jyb mentioned this earlier. Here is a wordier rendition:
Let's also be mindful that Titanium Dioxide is found in some sunscreens as well. Didn't titanium dioxide and zinc oxide sunscreens become more popular when there were breaking concerns about PABA? Some products by Bullfrog, Banana Boat, Blue Lizard, Oz "Naturals" and other brands contain titanium dioxide.

Even more, different manufacturers are tinkering with the size of the titanium dioxide particles, which may be at nano-particle scale. Titanium dioxide is a photocatalyst, potentially releasing free radicals to nearby cells. Sunscreen particles wash off, so titanium dioxide may enter the ecosystem and affect humans "indirectly".

There are many discussions on the web, for instance:

http://www.ewg.org/2015sunscreen/report ... sunscreen/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hillary-p ... 03525.html

http://copublications.greenfacts.org/en ... particles/
 
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DaveFoster

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Titanium and silicon dioxide, while possible to avoid, are in a large amount of pharmaceuticals, including valuable medications like cyproheptadine, famotidine, clonidine, memantine, and even rasagilline. Is there any way to mitigate the effects of these excipients and still consume them in small quantitites?

Any input would be greatly appreciated, particularly regarding the efficacy of using a substance that enhances glutamate reuptake (possibly tinapetine) to combat these effects.
 
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haidut

haidut

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DaveFoster said:
post 119060 Titanium and silicon dioxide, while possible to avoid, are in a large amount of pharmaceuticals, including valuable medications like cyproheptadine, famotidine, clonidine, memantine, and even rasagilline. Is there any way to mitigate the effects of these excipients and still consume them in small quantitites?

Any input would be greatly appreciated, particularly regarding the efficacy of using a substance that enhances glutamate reuptake (possibly tinapetine) to combat these effects.

You can dissolve the tabs in water and the metal salts and other crap will usually precipitate. I have done it with cyproheptadine since it is sold as water soluble salt, and I think it will work with famotidine OTC and clonidine. For the non-water soluble ones using vodka or DMSO would be the possible options.
 
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DaveFoster

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haidut said:
You can dissolve the tabs in water and the metal salts and other crap will usually precipitate. I have done it with cyproheptadine since it is sold as water soluble salt, and I think it will work with famotidine OTC and clonidine. For the non-water soluble ones using vodka or DMSO would be the possible options.
That's actually very helpful haidut. Thank you. Will they sink or float on the surface? I'd assume sink.
 
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If something like silicon dioxide is in nanometer size won't it stay dissolved just by Brownian motion and other weak effects? It's basically the definition of a colloid...
 

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Is it safe to take supplements with microcrystalline cellulose? Solgar uses it a lot in its supplements which may explain why I don't respond well to them. It may not be as dangerous as silicon dioxide or titanium dioxide, but is it close?
Is it safe to assume that the reaction/effect we get from a supplement is due to the vitamin/mineral/amino acid themselves if they don't have the following:
1- silicon dioxide
2- titanium dioxide
3- microcrystalline cellulose?
 

DaveFoster

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milk_lover said:
post 119086 Is it safe to take supplements with microcrystalline cellulose? Solgar uses it a lot in its supplements which may explain why I don't respond well to them. It may not be as dangerous as silicon dioxide or titanium dioxide, but is it close?
Is it safe to assume that the reaction/effect we get from a supplement is due to the vitamin/mineral/amino acid themselves if they don't have the following:
1- silicon dioxide
2- titanium dioxide
3- microcrystalline cellulose?
That's a safe bet. Glycerin is another one you want to avoid if possible.

Such_Saturation said:
post 119069 If something like silicon dioxide is in nanometer size won't it stay dissolved just by Brownian motion and other weak effects? It's basically the definition of a colloid...
This is a very interesting point. TiO2 is not water-soluble and soluble only in hot concentrated sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid, and alkali solutions. Not in cold water, HCL, nitric acid, dilute sulfuric acid, or organic solvents.

I don't know if the nano-sized particles behave differently.
 
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milk_lover

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DaveFoster said:
post 119092 That's a safe bet. Glycerin is another one you want to avoid if possible.
Crap! really? :lol: I had been taking GNC mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E) that lists soybean oil, gelatin, and glycerin as other ingredients in my high vitamin E experiment and I wasn't getting positive effects. Could glycerin be a reason? Why is it good to avoid it?
 
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haidut

haidut

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Such_Saturation said:
post 119069 If something like silicon dioxide is in nanometer size won't it stay dissolved just by Brownian motion and other weak effects? It's basically the definition of a colloid...

That's a good point. Well, I guess we have to accept that eating glass is unavoidable nowadays:):
 
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