What are Zeolites and What Are Their Health Benefits?

Have you ever heard of zeolites? If the answer to that is no, then you’re definitely not alone, as it’s not a common household name.

Zeolites are a type of volcanic mineral that form as a result of molten lava from a volcano, meeting salty seawater. They’re commonly used in various industries for their ability to remove toxins, and it’s for this reason that we’re interested in them in terms of detoxing the body and the skin.

So here’s the lowdown on these amazing natural substances and how they could be beneficial for you.

What Are Zeolites?

Zeolites (plural, as there are many different types of them) are a type of mineral of volcanic origin that got its name in 1756 by a Swedish mineralogist named Axel Fredrik Cronstedt.

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The word zeolite literally means “to boil stone” which might sound a little uneventful, but was born out of a chemistry experiment that involved, well, boiling stone. A type of stone called a stilbite to be precise, itself a type of tectosilicate mineral, which means a mineral that forms rock, is made up of silicates and makes up around 90% of the earth's crust.

Chemistry lesson over. (Check out Wikipedia if you’d like to learn more about these natural materials!)

How Zeolites Absorb Toxins

Zeolites have a naturally occurring microporous structure, meaning that they have thousands of tiny channels within them through which large quantities of toxins and heavy metals that are harmful to our health can become trapped. These super absorbent minerals contain both silicon and aluminium, and take between 50 and 50,000 years to form. Scientists have come up with ways to synthetically manufacture them, which speeds up this process significantly, but we’re more interested in the natural versions.

Are Zeolites Safe for Human Consumption As a Detoxifying Agent?

The most common zeolite available has the rather complex name clinoptilolite, and it has featured in various animal and human studies.

It’s generally accepted to be safe to take internally. Clinoptilolite is used primarily for its detoxification effect as well as it’s antioxidant nature and ability to donate trace elements to the body and support the gut microbiota, or ‘good bacteria’.

Studies such as this one published in Frontiers in Pharmacology in 2018, show that clinoptilolite has “highly positive effects” and “proves useful in the elimination of a variety of contaminants from the body”.

The same study concluded that although the mechanisms by which it benefits the body in terms of detoxification are still not completely understood, the authors think it’s probably down to its ability to restore the delicate balance of the human body, called homeostasis.

So, let’s look a little deeper into exactly how zeolites like clinoptilolite can benefit the human body.

How Do Zeolites Work to Provide Their Benefits?

Taking zeolites in supplement form allows these beneficial minerals to pass through the digestive tract, absorbing harmful substances as they go. These harmful substances include everything from toxic heavy metals, artificial chemicals found in certain medicines and processed foods and excess acidity.

Absorb bacteria in the body

Zeolites can also help to absorb bacteria, viruses and fungi, plus the toxins sometimes produced by these microorganisms, as well as fermentation toxins derived from an unhealthy diet and poorly balanced microbial gut flora.

Radionuclides, unstable molecules that have excess nuclear energy that can occur naturally in the environment, don't escape either, as zeolites sweep through, mopping up anything the body is trying to rid itself of.

Replenish trace minerals the body is lacking

So zeolites are absolute scavengers, but that’s not all. At the same time of doing a sweep of all the unwanted toxins, they release their trace minerals that the body might be lacking.

These naturally occurring minerals contain almost all of the elements in the periodic table and therefore, in addition to expelling toxins, they replenish important elements in the human body through a complex system of ion exchange.

Incredibly, zeolites, via this ion exchange, can provide what the body is lacking and removes what it has in excess, therefore offering numerous and significant benefits.

Therefore taking a zeolite supplement helps to detoxify the body, remineralise and restore the natural pH. In turn, this helps to reduce oxidative stress and free radical damage to the cells, alkalise the body and support better physical and emotional health.

In certain parts of the world, zeolites are used as a food additive to help counteract the effects of a poor diet. All whilst being non toxic to humans, with no known side effects.

Remove toxic metabolites

Studies suggest that taking zeolites as a food supplement could be so effective at removing toxic metabolites, they could be used as an adjunct to traditional medical treatments such as chemotherapy and drugs used to manage diabetes and heart disease, in order restore the balance of the body.

They help particularly well when a patient is having chemotherapy or radiotherapy by removing waste and dead cells from the body.

Studies into this area continue, and if you plan to take any supplement alongside other medical treatments, it’s best to check with your doctor or medical specialist first.

The Other Benefits of Zeolites Besides Detoxifying

As well as purifying the body by absorbing toxins, chemicals and heavy metals and expelling them from the body, zeolites have a potent antioxidant ability, helping to neutralise free radicals that can cause damage and disease.

Zeolites can also help the body protect itself from the negative effects caused by smoking, stress, drinking alcohol, eating processed foods and breathing in environmental pollutants such as pesticides and smog.

These toxins can all have a negative effect on our overall health, as well as impairing both male and female fertility.

Support gut health

Zeolite supplements can provide support for the gut, too, by helping to regulate metabolism, support healthy digestion and improve certain gastric complaints such as stomach ulcers and gastritis. They also support the work of the liver in reducing heavy metals and other toxins.

Speed up sports recovery and reduce lactic acid

If you’re an athlete or you train to a high intensity, zeolites can help increase your endurance and speed up your recovery by reducing lactic acid, which builds up when we train, slowing us down.

Supports healthy skin

And finally, zeolites have an extraordinary ability to support healthy skin too! They do this by drawing away impurities that can lead to spots and acne breakouts, and worsen inflammatory conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Zeolites are available in skincare products such as cleansers and masks that help to eliminate toxins and impurities.

The human body doesn’t absorb zeolites, they’re eliminated from the body as a waste product, taking all the nasties we don’t need, with them!

The Use of Zeolites in the Environment

With all this talk of the unique ability of zeolites to absorb environmental toxins, you might naturally think that they could also have a use in mopping up toxins in the environment.

And you’d be right!

In fact, the first use of zeolites in the environment was in 1986, after the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Clinoptilolite has the power to attract and retain positive ions, including heavy metals and radioactive isotopes.

So it was used to decontaminate local water supplies and biscuits and chocolates were prepared using clinoptilolite to feed to children to go some way towards ridding their bodies of radiation poisoning.

It was then also subsequently used in 2011 to treat the water and protect against radiation sickness after the Fukushima nuclear power station disaster following the devastating tsunami.

They're also used in some agricultural fertilisers to protect the earth and in some animal feeds to strengthen the immune system of farm animals. Research shows that the result is healthier animals, with stronger immunity and fertility, with the ability to pass these benefits to their offspring

Which is all pretty supportive of zeolites becoming our new favourite supplement!

This article is not meant to treat or diagnose. Please visit your doctor for advice about any health concerns you may have.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stilbite https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/zeolite https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6277462/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6515299/ https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21658/zeolite-what-it-is-why-it-can-detox-cleanse-your-skin-like-nothing-else.html

https://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/publications/pdf/pub1239_web.pdf https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00223131.2021.1911871

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