Kylie Jenner Adds Fulvic Acid to Her Water Should You? – Everyday Health

Last week, Kylie Jenner gave her 34 million-plus TikTok followers a peek into her daily diet. In the brief video clip, the billionaire entrepreneur and reality star reveals that she takes her coconut water straight out of the shell, eats the same healthy-looking Chinese chicken salad that her older sister, Kim Kardashian, feasts on daily and the tiniest portion of pasta imaginable, and drinks lemon water enhanced with a few droplets of a mysterious black potion.

If youre curious what the 24-year-old beauty mogul is adding to her H2O, blk.water confirmed on Instagram that its one of their most popular products, blk.Drops Concentrated Fulvic Charged, a liquid supplement consisting of fulvic and humic ionic trace minerals, aka soil. The drops retail for $24.99 for a 2-ounce bottle.

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Fulvic acid (FvA) is formed when microbes in the soil break down old plant material, says Robin Foroutan, RDN, an integrative medicine dietitian in Queens, New York, and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Its high in plant-derived minerals, carbon molecules, and antioxidants, says Foroutan. It is often offered in combination with humic acids, such as the drops used by Jenner, as it works as a binder, she explains.

Jackie Newgent, RDN, a plant-forward culinary nutritionist in New York City and author of The Clean & Simple Diabetes Cookbook, adds that the class of naturally occurring compounds can be created from the degradation of animals.

Fulvic acid is historically part of the ayurvedic traditional medicine system, and found in some of its plant medicines mixtures. It is also used by some functional medicine practitioners as a supplement. Many chronic diseases, like diabetes, can potentially be worsened by unhealthy, mineral-deficient diets, so healing the gut through healthy nutrition and supplements like fulvic acid may have promise, as a review published in September 2018 in the Journal of Diabetes Research notes, and may encourage further research in this area. Fulvic acid may help increase the number of good bacteria and restore gut bacteria to healthy levels, those study authors suggest.

In her functional medicine practice, Foroutan recommends fulvic acid to some of her patients, including those who are concerned with an imbalanced gut microbiome, which is the collection of bacteria in the gut, as research published in January 2016 in Current Opinions in Gastroenterology noted. Depending on the specific formulation, these compounds are believed to bind to specific toxins, like endotoxins in the gut or heavy metals in the body, to prevent their reabsorption and aid elimination. Its very gentle and safe for most, Foroutan says.

The brand that Jenner uses claims their fulvic and humic acid drops are effective in replenishing any lost minerals for stamina and strength, and supporting muscles and skin at the cellular level, though there is no specific scientific evidence to support those claims.

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So far, studies on the ingredient including those in the aforementioned Journal of Diabetes Research review have limited and mixed results. In particular, Gary Soffer, MD, an integrative medicine physician at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, points out that almost all studies on fulvic acid have been performed in laboratory settings and not in people.

The review cites research that found fulvic acid may help fend off ulcers by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, but, Newgent says, theres not enough research yet to state that convincingly.

Inflammation is the bodys natural defense system against illness and infection, according to Harvard Medical School. Acute inflammation, such as a swollen cut on your finger, but chronic inflammation can create health problems. Previous research has shown inflammation is directly related to conditions such as asthma, allergies, and eczema, along with many other disorders that are characterized by overactive immune cells.

Meanwhile, oxidative damage, or oxidative stress, refers to an imbalance of antioxidants and free radicals in the body, according to past research. Oxidative stress is associated with chronic health conditions, too.

The aforementioned Journal of Diabetes Research review suggests fulvic acid may support immunity by decreasing proinflammatory markers. Therefore, fulvic acid may be effective in treating health issues associated with inflammation, in addition to diabetes, those researchers have hypothesized.

What is currently known is that in lab studies, but not in people, fulvic acid may both suppress and activate different parts of the immune system by acting on both the immune cells and the chemical signals that cells send to each other, explains Dr. Soffer.

Yet both Newgent and Soffer note that fulvic acid may also have the opposite effect. Since our immune system can work for us, as in the case of infections, or against us, as in the case of autoimmune diseases, it is unclear if this effect from fulvic acid is helpful or harmful to the body, Soffer explains.

Separately, anotherprevious study found that fulvic acid may interfere with tau aggregation, aka the clumping of proteins that can accelerate brain diseases, including Alzheimers. While fulvic acid has been shown to interfere with the aggregation of tau protein, an important player in the development of Alzheimer's disease, this has only been demonstrated in lab settings, explains Soffer. Its also unknown if fulvic acid can cross the very tight barrier between the brain and the blood to alter the trajectory of this disease. What is also unknown is the amount of fulvic acid that would be required to have any meaningful impact, he adds.

Last, a study published in February 2017 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology found that combining probiotics and fulvic acid in capsule form did not show any benefit to those with functional gastrointestinal disorders.

Overall, more rigorous studies on the effects of fulvic acid in humans are needed.

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There arent any major known side effects to using fulvic acid, but there also is a lack of research on them. Simply put, scientists dont know if these supplements are risky.

For instance, due to contradictory findings in terms of inflammation, fulvic acid may not be as beneficial for the immune system or reduction of allergy symptoms as you might think, Newgent explains. There is also some research finding that FvA may increase absorption of toxins and pollutants due to the fact that it may increase drug and nutrient absorption.

Soffer adds that fulvic acid may cause some side effects, as noted in the aforementioned research. These include diarrhea, headache, and sore throat. There are also theoretical risks for autoimmune disorders given the stimulation of B-cells, which play a role in the development of autoimmunity, he says.

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At this time, I would not suggest taking this supplement, says Soffer. There is not enough research available to show its safety or benefits.

Just because FvA is natural or a beautiful celebrity is doing it doesnt mean its safe, effective, or right for you, she says, strongly urging anyone considering fulvic acid to speak with their medical practitioner first.

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Kylie Jenner Adds Fulvic Acid to Her Water Should You? - Everyday Health