14 hours ago

david 4.4k

@david_fe

Many of us are seeking to avoid magnesium stearates (and the related stearic acid, vegetable stearate, etc.) in our dietary supplements.

However, maltodextrin is also commonly found in dietary supplements, and there's reason for concern about it too. Many botanical extracts, including fruit and vegetable powders used in supplements, are more than 50% maltodextrin. In fact, some common ingredients in supplements are over 90% maltodextrin! (I have personally seen many examples of supplements using ingredients I know to contain high amounts of maltodextrin without it being listed on the supplement label.)

Maltodextrin is a white powder made from corn, rice, potato starch, or wheat. Maltodextrins are closely related to corn syrup solids. Maltodextrin has a high glycemic index (GI) value, which means it can cause a spike in your blood sugar.

Maltodextrin is considered an ultra-processed food ingredient according to the NOVA food classification system. It is specifically identified as a food substance of exclusive or almost exclusive industrial use that serves as a marker of ultra-processing.[11][12]

Maltodextrin is listed among industrial substances "not usually found in domestic kitchens" that characterize ultra-processed foods.[12] When maltodextrin appears on a product's ingredient list, it identifies that product as ultra-processed according to NOVA criteria.[11]

Ultra-processed foods containing maltodextrin are associated with increased risks across multiple cardiometabolic, gastrointestinal, and inflammatory outcomes, with evidence ranging from moderate to highly suggestive quality depending on the specific endpoint.

Metabolic Outcomes

Higher UPF consumption shows convincing evidence for increased type 2 diabetes risk.[1][2] Meta-analyses also demonstrate associations with obesity, metabolic syndrome, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.[1][2] Mechanistic studies reveal that 12% of the diabetes association is mediated by dietary factors including refined starch and added sugar intake, while dysglycaemia and dyslipidaemia explain portions of other metabolic disease associations.[3]

Gastrointestinal and Inflammatory Outcomes

Convincing evidence links UPF consumption to increased Crohn's disease risk, while associations with ulcerative colitis remain weaker or inconsistent.[3][4] Among individuals with established IBD, greater UPF consumption correlates with higher disease activity and relapse rates.[4] Preclinical studies specifically demonstrate that maltodextrin (along with emulsifiers, carrageenan, and microparticles) can disrupt epithelial barrier integrity, alter gut microbiota, and activate immune pathways.[4]

Inflammation emerges as a key pathophysiological mechanism, with biomarkers of inflammation explaining 20-30% of associations between UPF intake and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.[3] A study of a common emulsifier found it altered the human gastrointestinal microbiome and metabolome, potentially contributing to chronic inflammatory diseases.[5]

Broader Health Impacts

Beyond these specific outcomes, meta-analyses show convincing evidence for cardiovascular disease mortality and highly suggestive evidence for all-cause mortality.[1]

How To Protect Yourself

The best solution is to buy only supplements that you know are free of all harmful additives. The "other ingredients" list should not contain stearates or maltodextrin -- and ideally, nothing but the capsule itself.

Under the current regulations, if maltodextrin is listed in the "other ingredients" section, you cannot know if it makes up 1% of the supplement or over 90%. So it is best to avoid it entirely in your supplements.

References

1. Ultra-Processed Food Exposure and Adverse Health Outcomes: Umbrella Review of Epidemiological Meta-Analyses. Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, et al. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.). 2024;384:e077310. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-077310.
2. Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Human Health: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews With Meta-Analyses. Barbaresko J, Bröder J, Conrad J, et al. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2025;65(11):1999-2007. doi:10.1080/10408398.2024.2317877.
3. Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health: The Main Thesis and the Evidence. Monteiro CA, Louzada ML, Steele-Martinez E, et al. Lancet (London, England). 2025;406(10520):2667-2684. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01565-X.
4. Ultra-Processed Foods and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Narrative Review of Epidemiology, Mechanisms, and Dietary Implications. Choi SY, Moon W. Nutrients. 2025;17(24):3852. doi:10.3390/nu17243852.
5. Ultraprocessed Foods and Cardiometabolic Health—New Report on a “Growing Public Health Challenge”. Anderer S. JAMA. 2025;:2839048. doi:10.1001/jama.2025.15322.
6. Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health: The Main Thesis and the Evidence. Monteiro CA, Louzada ML, Steele-Martinez E, et al. Lancet (London, England). 2025;406(10520):2667-2684. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01565-X.
7. Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health: From Epidemiological Evidence to Mechanistic Insights. Srour B, Kordahi MC, Bonazzi E, et al. The Lancet. Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 2022;7(12):1128-1140. doi:10.1016/S2468-1253(22)00169-8.
8. Ultra-Processed Foods: What They Are and How to Identify Them. Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, et al. Public Health Nutrition. 2019;22(5):936-941. doi:10.1017/S1368980018003762.

14 hours ago

david 4.4k

@david_fe

A FitEyes member asked (via the mailing list):

Does rice flour or rice powder in capsules have maltodextrin in it? 

Yes, it can!

When a dietary supplement label lists “rice flour” or “rice powder” under Other Ingredients, it usually means some form of milled rice used as an excipient (diluent, carrier, or processing aid). In practice, that one line can correspond to many common “real-world” materials.

Most common possibilities behind “rice flour / rice powder”

1. Plain milled rice (white rice flour or brown rice flour)

   • Literally ground rice.
   • Used as a filler/diluent (adds bulk) and sometimes improves flow in capsule filling.

2. Pregelatinized rice flour

   • Rice flour that’s been heat/steam treated so it binds better.
   • Used as a binder (helps tablets hold together) and can change dissolution/texture.

3. Rice starch (native)

   • More “purified starch” than whole flour (less protein/fat).
   • Used as a disintegrant (helps tablets break apart) and filler.

4. Modified rice starch

   • Chemically/physically modified for specific performance (flow, binding, disintegration).
   • Often still declared generically (naming varies), but functionally it’s a tablet/capsule performance excipient.

5. Rice-derived carrier for spray-dried ingredients

   • Many botanical extracts, probiotics, enzymes, and flavors are spray-dried “onto” a carrier.
   • That carrier may be described on labels as “rice flour/powder” even if it’s effectively acting as a standardization carrier.

6. Rice maltodextrin / rice syrup solids / rice dextrins (less often labeled as “rice flour,” but more commonly as “rice powder” or “rice extract”)

   • A rice-derived carbohydrate used as a bulking agent and spray-dry carrier.
   • Labels may choose broader wording (“rice powder”) depending on the supplier’s documentation and the brand’s label conventions.

7. Rice bran / rice bran fiber (sometimes)

   • Higher fiber and some natural oils/minerals compared to white rice flour.
   • Used as bulking and sometimes for a “food-based” positioning; can affect flow and stability.

8. Rice hull material / rice hull fiber / “rice hull concentrate”

   • Insoluble fiber fraction; often used for flow/anti-caking or as part of a carrier system.
   • Note: if it’s serving mainly as a silica source, it’s more commonly declared as silica (or “rice hull concentrate”), but you will often see rice-hull-derived materials generalized as “rice powder.” In fact, one excipient manufacturer promotes their anti-caking agent on the basis of being able to list it on supplement labels as rice powder, rice hull concentrate, etc.

Why one term can cover multiple “actual” materials

• Labeling often follows what the brand wants you to think... You can end up with “rice flour/powder” on the label even when the functional component is mostly starch or even a highly processed ingredient like maltodextrin.
• “Other Ingredients” should include carriers embedded inside proprietary raw materials (e.g., an herbal extract) but many supplement brands fail to disclose these embedded excipients.

References

1. Exploring Starch-Based Excipients in Pharmaceutical Formulations: Versatile Applications and Future Perspectives. Kapoor DU, Pareek A, Sharma M, et al. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics : Official Journal of Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fur Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V. 2025;212:114727. doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2025.114727.
2. Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Modified KJ CMU-107 Rice Starches as Pharmaceutical Excipients. Kittipongpatana OS, Kittipongpatana N. Polymers. 2022;14(7):1298. doi:10.3390/polym14071298.
3. Recent Advances of Starch-Based Excipients Used in Extended-Release Tablets: A Review. Hong Y, Liu G, Gu Z. Drug Delivery. 2016;23(1):12-20. doi:10.3109/10717544.2014.913324.
4. Formulation Study of a Co-Processed, Rice Starch-Based, All-in-One Excipient for Direct Compression Using the SeDeM-ODT Expert System. Trisopon K, Kittipongpatana N, Wattanaarsakit P, Kittipongpatana OS. Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland). 2021;14(10):1047. doi:10.3390/ph14101047.
5. A Spray-Dried, Co-Processed Rice Starch as a Multifunctional Excipient for Direct Compression. Trisopon K, Kittipongpatana N, Kittipongpatana OS. Pharmaceutics. 2020;12(6):E518. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics12060518.
6. Current Regulatory Guidelines and Resources to Support Research of Dietary Supplements in the United States. Bailey RL. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2020;60(2):298-309. doi:10.1080/10408398.2018.1524364.
7. Complementary and Alternative Medicines in the Management of Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Chow SL, Bozkurt B, Baker WL, et al. Circulation. 2023;147(2):e4-e30. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001110.
8. Integrating Complementary Medicine Into Cardiovascular Medicine. A Report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation Task Force on Clinical Expert Consensus Documents (Writing Committee to Develop an Expert Consensus Document on Complementary and Integrative Medicine). Vogel JH, Bolling SF, Costello RB, et al. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2005;46(1):184-221. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2005.05.031.
9. Food and Dietary Supplement Package Labeling-Guidance From FDA’s Warning Letters and Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Brody T. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2016;15(1):92-129. doi:10.1111/1541-4337.12172.
10. Characteristics and Challenges of Dietary Supplement Databases Derived From Label Information. Saldanha LG, Dwyer JT, Bailen RA, et al. The Journal of Nutrition. 2018;148(suppl_2):1422S-1427S. doi:10.1093/jn/nxy103.
11. Emergency Department Visits for Adverse Events Related to Dietary Supplements. Geller AI, Shehab N, Weidle NJ, et al. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2015;373(16):1531-40. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1504267.
12. FDA Regulation of Dietary Supplements and Requirements Regarding Adverse Event Reporting. Frankos VH, Street DA, O’Neill RK. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2010;87(2):239-44. doi:10.1038/clpt.2009.263.