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Collodial Minerals
Controversial supplements rake in million for multi-level marketers
By Craig Weatherby for MotherNature.com News

One of the many unfortunate consequences of modern agriculture has been the depletion of minerals from the soil, and a documented decline in mineral intake among Americans. Most people can benefit from taking mineral supplements. You may have heard about a new type called "colloidal minerals," which sprang from the minds of multi-level marketers. Colloidal minerals have generated considerable controversy since their debut in the mid-1990s, because of marketers' unsubstantiated claims of greater absorption and health value.

What are Colloidal Minerals?:
A colloid is a solid of very small size that is suspended-not dissolved-in a liquid. Many colloidal mineral products are obtained from deposits of clay and organic matter in western states-ancient lakebeds in the romantic parlance of the salesmen. The minerals in this material were absorbed into primordial plants that now make up the bulk of the muck, and this is how the minerals became colloidal. The makers of colloidal mineral supplements state that the minerals in their products are more efficiently absorbed (95%) than common mineral salts, or chelated minerals. To date, there is no scientific evidence to support-or refute-their position.

Of Dead Doctors and Fudged Facts:
These products are heavily promoted via a multi-level-marketing organization's freely disseminated audiotape titled "Dead Doctors Don't Lie," which provides some god information about the health risks of mineral deficiencies. Unfortunately, claims made by marketers of colloidal minerals appear unsupported by fact. Their hope is that if listeners are convinced of the value of dietary minerals, they will buy into the value of their particular product. Ask a multi-level marketing salesperson - your Uncle Louie, perhaps - to produce any peer-reviewed evidence of the biological superiority of colloidal mineral supplements, and enjoy the ensuing tap dance.

Colloidal Minerals From Ancient Lake Beds: The Downside:
Compared with standard mineral supplements, colloidal products contain a very wide range of minerals-but not necessarily the best selection in the most desirable proportions. The leading constituents in one popular liquid colloidal mineral product are sulfur, nitrogen, and aluminum (non-essential, and unlikely to be healthful in large amounts), followed by calcium, sodium (ouch!), chlorine (no thanks), carbon (you don't need it), silicon, potassium, iron, manganese, zinc, strontium (no health value), and dozens more, most measured in parts per million or billion.

Buyer Beware:
In the spirit of open inquiry, we encourage an open mind - just not so open that your brains fall out. Look carefully at the ingredient list, the proportions of the minerals, and the price per milligram (mg), compared with standard mineral supplements.

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