Mineral subtrates and what to avoid!
What a mineral is bound to can definitely affect its absorption from your intestine and thus the efficacy of taking it. Dr. Morstein wants to teach patients how to look at minerals and thus be able to better analyze supplements they may buy.
There are three main types of mineral substrates (what it's bound to): a chelated substrate, a bound complex substrate and a salt substrate.
A chelated mineral means that the mineral is totally surrounded by a very easily absorbable substrate--so when the intestine easily sucks in the substrate the mineral comes along. Many chelated minerals end in glycinate or bisglycinate, but they may have a different substrate. The main company doing the absolute best chelation of minerals is called ALBION, and their chelates on a label are listed as TRAACS®. If you see a mineral with that listed on the label, it's very good. Three minerals cannot be chemically chelated: Potassium, Selenium and Boron. If you see a product saying "Chelated Potassium," it's a lie! (see photo below). Not cool!
A bound complex mineral is not fully chelated but is still pretty easy to absorb. These substrates include citrate, malate, aspartate, picolinate, etc. You can trust these substrates and the product they are in.
The worst substrates for absorption are minerals that end in oxide or gluconate. These are unabsorbable salt substrates. If you see on your product label magnesium or zinc oxide, or magnesium or calcium gluconate, that is a cheap, inferior product and you will not be absorbing much of the mineral at all. That should be a "deal-breaker" and you should skip buying the product.
Last, substrates can affect how the mineral helps the systemic body. Here are a few substrates and why Dr. Morstein might wish to use one over another for you:
Glycinate/bisglycinate: this can be calming, soothing as glycine is a neuroinhibitory amino acid, so the brain is settled down by it. Mag glcyinate is a common mineral taken at bedtime to help fall asleep.
Theonate: this is for anxiety, worry and helps relax people
Citrate: at normal dose it's a bound complex and well absorbed. Taking too much can turn it into a laxative.
Malate: mostly seen with Mag Malate, this is used for fibromyalgia patients as malate helps the body make ATP, the energy our mitochondria use to make clean energy. If we do not make enough ATP, we can make energy via lactic acid, which can cause muscles to be sore/stiff, which is what fibromyalgia patients feel all the time.
Carbonate: this substrate can be well absorbed IF you make enough stomach acid. If you do not make enough stomach acid then this mineral will not be well absorbed at all.
Taurate: this is the amino acid taurine as a substrate and is typically paired with magnesium as taurine is good for the heart (and gallbladder and eyes)
Orotate: this is also a magnesium product used for heart health
AVOID TRACE MINERALS!
Dr. Morstein has noticed that a company that sells "72 trace minerals" is more popular again after not being out there for a few years. Please DO NOT buy this product or ANY product that says it has this added. These minerals are toxic!
The human body does not in any way require 72 minerals--there are 13 essential minerals and that's what we need.
When patients want to know if they have toxic metals in them, Dr. Morstein will do a urine analysis through a specialty lab of 20 toxic minerals--FOURTEEN of them are in the list below!
In a specialty lab of 20 toxic minerals--FOURTEEN of them are listed in the ingredient list.
It took Dr. Morstein over an hour of intense Google sleuthing to find the entire ingredients of the Utah salt 72 mineral complex. Do you really feel putting drops of lead (toxin), antimony, cadmium (main toxin in cigarette smoke causing hypertension), gadolinium (imaging contract that may accumulate in the brain), nickle, tin, etc, daily voluntarily into your body or the body of your children is a good idea? It's not! Taking a good mineral product is great! But, do not take "72 trace minerals," please!