DarkHorse Podcast
Misinformed Consent: The 274th Evolutionary Lens with Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Excipients in pharmaceuticals, often unlisted on labels, raise safety concerns that complicate informed consent for patients.
- The FDA's initiative to phase out synthetic dyes in food is a critical step, yet excipient safety in medications still requires urgent attention.
- Polysorbate 80, a common emulsifier found in various products, poses significant health risks including cytotoxicity and potential neurological effects.
- The emergence of 'informational contaminants' in pharmaceuticals, particularly mRNA vaccines, highlights the need for improved regulatory safety and transparency.
Deep dives
Understanding Excipients in Pharmaceuticals
Excipients are non-active components in pharmaceuticals that serve various roles, such as stabilizers, binders, and emulsifiers. While essential for the efficacy of drugs, these substances raise concerns regarding their safety, as many are poorly understood and can provoke adverse reactions. Patients are often unaware of the presence of these excipients, as they are not always detailed on drug labels, which complicates informed consent. The potential impact of these ingredients on health, particularly in individuals with allergies or sensitivities, underscores the need for better transparency in pharmaceutical formulations.
The Recent FDA Initiative on Synthetic Dyes
The FDA's recent initiative to phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes in food highlights the intertwined nature of food safety and pharmaceutical regulations. These dyes have been linked to health issues and represent an area where regulatory action can lead to immediate health benefits. However, the focus on synthetic dyes should not overshadow ongoing concerns about the safety of excipients in medications, which often remain unregulated. This move raises questions about the adequacy of oversight in both food and pharmaceutical industries, suggesting a need for a more comprehensive approach to consumer protection.
Dangers of Food Additives
Food additives, including synthetic dyes and other excipients, pose health risks that often go unrecognized by consumers. Many of these additives are included without sufficient evidence of their safety and can lead to various health issues, including allergies and chronic diseases. The prevalence of these ingredients reflects a broader trend in the food industry towards cheap and synthetic options, overshadowing traditional and natural foods. As consumers increasingly demand transparency and safety in their food, this situation calls for stricter regulations and clearer labeling practices.
Concerns Over Polysorbate 80
Polysorbate 80 is a common emulsifier found in a variety of foods and pharmaceuticals, raising significant health concerns due to its cytotoxic properties. Research indicates that it can break down cell membranes, potentially leading to issues such as hemolysis and allergic reactions. Its capacity to breach the blood-brain barrier is particularly alarming, as this may predispose individuals to neurological disorders and systemic toxicity. The presence of polysorbate 80 in foods and vaccines calls for a reevaluation of its safety, as many consumers remain unaware of its potential health impacts.
Informational Contaminants in Pharmaceuticals
The term 'informational contaminants' reflects the concern over unintended genetic sequences present in pharmaceutical products, particularly mRNA vaccines. These contaminants could pose unforeseen risks, as they may lead to the production of unintended proteins or affect cellular functions. This issue highlights the inadequacy of the regulatory framework for ensuring the safety and transparency of modern biopharmaceuticals. The presence of such contaminants calls for rigorous testing and reform in the approval processes to protect public health effectively.
Impacts of Synthetic Ingredients on Health
The growing reliance on synthetic ingredients in both food and medicine has raised alarms among health experts and consumers alike. Research suggests that the consumption of synthetic additives can lead to a range of health issues, including chronic inflammation and autoimmunity. Furthermore, many individuals may experience subclinical reactions to these substances, leading to long-term health effects that are not yet fully understood. As awareness of these risks increases, advocates are calling for a return to whole, natural foods and better regulatory oversight of synthetic additives.
The Detriment of Over-Reliance on Big Pharma
Big Pharma's dominance in the drug market often leads to the prioritization of profit over patient safety, particularly in the development of new pharmaceuticals. This has resulted in a lack of transparency regarding excipients and other additives used in medications, putting consumers at risk. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed the vulnerabilities in the pharmaceutical industry, as rushed approvals of treatments have sometimes neglected thorough safety evaluations. Advocates argue that a systemic overhaul is needed to ensure that patient safety is placed above corporate interests in drug development.
What’s in our medicines? There are active ingredients, and there are excipients, which is everything else. From colorants to emulsifiers to adjuvants, excipients hide many horrors, and it’s not even possible to know which ones are in your meds (or foods). Dairy that has been fortified with vitamins A & D also has seed oils and emulsifiers, but those things aren’t on the label. The government database that should have all the information is full of errors. Polysorbate 80, a common emulsifier in food and drugs, is so complex that it hasn’t been fully characterized, and is known to be cytotoxic generally, including being hemolytic—it breaks apart red blood cells. Meanwhile, Moderna’s Covid “vax” has even more contaminants than previously recognized.
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Mentioned in this episode:
FDA to ban petroleum-based dyes: https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/hhs-fda-phase-out-petroleum-based-synthetic-dyes-nations-food-supply
Milk fortified with seed oils and Polysorbate 80: https://x.com/strong_sistas/status/1906085634357236222
Abrantes et al 2016. An overview of pharmaceutical excipients: safe or not safe? Journal of pharmaceutical sciences, 105(7): 2019-2026: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022354916004470
Betty Pezzimenti on DarkHorse, Nov 26, 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qA0wZD0iPw
Kinsella et al 2024. Inconsistent excipient listings in DailyMed: implications for drug safety. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 397(9): 6851-6854: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00210-024-03067-x
RFK on Dr. Phil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZofNzZ8UoPk
On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee: https://amzn.to/3EFZBAj (commission earned)
Sun et al 2017. Component-based biocompatibility and safety evaluation of polysorbate 80. RSC advances, 7(25): 15127-15138: https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2017/ra/c6ra27242h
More contaminants in the Moderna vaccine: https://x.com/kevin_mckernan/status/1917252562442506303
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