Nutrition Question:

It depends. Some excipients, binders or fillers are bad, because they can contribute to unwanted reactions in some people. Others are neutral (meaning they are neither digested nor absorbed), but they improve tablet function by ensuring it breaks down when it supposed to. The highest quality ingredients in a nutritional supplement could be useless if the tablet doesn't disintegrate properly, or crumbles in the bottle. It is also important to remember that excipients can be made of natural, vegetable materials that are unlikely to contribute to any health problems of the patient, or they can be made from other chemicals that may cause problems for some people. Artificial colors, dyes, preservatives or coating agents have been implicated for years as possible concerns. A reputable company producing high quality nutritional supplements will exercise great care in the selection of tableting agents to ensure consistent quality throughout the product, not just in the raw material selection.