Titanium Dioxide, is a widely used food colourant additive that is found in food, food supplements and medicines. It is used as a whitening agent, in capsule shells and tablets. It also gives a uniform colour to a range of foods and consumer products eg. icing, coffee creamer, toothpaste, sunscreen and more. Titanium Dioxide has no nutritional value - and is therefore completely unnecessary.
Titanium Dioxide is also known under other names: titanium white, E171, Pigment White 6 or CI77891, when in food or food supplements. It is estimated that an average adult woman could consume over 4,000mg of Titanium Dioxide (E171) every year based on a daily intake of 0.17mg per kg of body weight.
On 6th May 2021, the European Food Standards Authority (EFSA) announced that E171 is no longer considered safe when used as a food additive. The decision is a result of an assessment of safety that cannot rule out Titanium Dioxide - induced genotoxicity. Prof Maged Younes, Chair of EFSA's expert panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) said "Taking into account all available scientific studies and data, the Panel concluded that Titanium Dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive. A critical element in reaching this conclusion is that we could not exclude genotoxicity concerns after consumption of Titanium Dioxide particles. After oral ingestion, the absorption of Titanium Dioxide particles is low, however they can accumulate in the body".
The production of Titanium Dioxide is also shrouded in controversy which includes ecological destruction to Madagascar (the home of the largest titanium mining operation in the world).
So in summary, Titanium Dioxide is just one of the nasty additives that can be found in some supplements, so when buying your supplements always read and check the ingredients list. Always try to purchase health food supplements, that have no additives, binders, fillers and bulking agents. Your body will thank you for it!
The production of Titanium Dioxide is shrouded in controversy which includes ecological destruction to Madagascar (the home of the largest titanium mining operation in the world).