I am taking zeolite- What Are The Possible Side Effects?

Zeolite is a nutritional supplement being used more and more for detoxification of heavy metals. Of course, when taking any type of medicine or nutritional supplement, people want to know, what are the potential side effects.

Side effects are described as – "A secondary, typically undesirable effect of a drug or medical treatment."

Chelation Side Effects

Because zeolite removes heavy metals and toxins, people wonder if the side effects are the same as typical chelation agents. Chelation drugs that are prescribed by your doctor  have a number of known risks. The most common side effects are as a result of losing calcium, iron and other essential minerals. This is because chelating agents such as EDTA can not differentiate between the heavy metals that you are trying to get rid of, and the minerals your body needs to survive. 

Does Zeolite Remove Iron?

Zeolite does not remove iron. In fact , in several animal studies where zeolite was given in feed, the animals who took zeolite actually had an increase in their iron levels. 

In this study, giving zeolite to sows actually increase the  nutritional status as seen in the excerpt below. 

The study was conducted to evaluate, under field conditions, the effect of the long-term dietary use of a natural zeolite (clinoptilolite, CLI) and antibacterials (chlortetracycline, CTC) on the concentrations of certain vitamins (vitamin A and vitamin E) and minerals potassium, sodium, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, copper and zinc (K, Na, P, Ca, Mg, Cu and Zn) in blood and body tissues of the sow.

The important difference then, between zeolite and traditional chelating drugs like EDTA, is that EDTA removes some of the minerals that you need while it removes heavy metals, and zeolite actually increases the nutritional status of the person taking it. 

So What Are The Zeolite Side Effects?

This was a bit of a long way around describing that zeolite does not in fact have side effects that relate to removing things it should not remove. So does zeolite have side effects, and if so, what are they?

The only known side effect of zeolite that seems to have presented itself so far is a potential for dehydration. Zeolite does not just remove mercury and other metals. It also soaks up water. This means that when you take zeolite powder it is going to absorb some of the fluid in your intestines and blood. You need to drink extra water in order to balance the effects of the zeolite. 

Some of the signs and symptoms of dehydration are:

• constipation
• dry mouth
• vertigo and/or dizziness especially when standing from a sitting or lying position
• tiredness
• mild headaches

The solution is simple. Drink more water when you take zeolite. 

Other that that, we are not aware of any other side effects when taking zeolite.

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Shelley Penney (17 Posts)

I am a retired registered nurse with a passion for understanding how the body works, and how to achieve optimal health. Sharing that information with others fulfills my personal mission to make a difference in the lives of others.