Gelatin by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Gelatin is a colorless or slightly yellow, nearly tasteless and odorless substance obtained by boiling the skin, tendons, and ligaments of animals. As a result, it contains protein, collagen (a primary component of joints, cartilage, and nails), and various amino acids. It has long been a key ingredient for providing support for "jelled" desserts, salads, frozen drinks. Gelatin (also gelatine)  has many uses in food, medicine, and manufacturing. Substances that contain or resemble gelatin are called gelatinous. Gelatin is a common substance used in capsules for vitamins and herbs and is harmless, basically providing some protein and amino acids.

The gelatin used in capsules most often comes from beef or pork.

Gelatin and Gelatin Capsule questions

Q. They say that vitamins, herbs, medicines are only as good as the capsule they come in, that if the capsule doesn't dissolve with in an hour or something like that, that you won't get the benifits of the contents because it will go right through you with out getting absorbed, my question is how do I know that I am buying a product that the capsule (when applicable) will dissolve?

   A. Most of the vitamin products are in gelatin capsules that dissolve within minutes in the stomach, so there is no concern with this. If you really wish to take the herbs without the capsule, they can easily be opened by pulling on each side and emptying the contents.

Q. I see these in a capsule for different herbs and supplements: Other ingredients: Gelatin, microcrystalline cellulose, stearic acid and magnesium stearate. What are they for?
   A. These ingredients are necessary to allow the herb or nutrient not to coalesce and clump, they are used in most capsules.

Q. I get a vitamin catalog and saw a product called Gelatin 10 gr. capsules - supports the beauty of nails. Does this gelatin capsule product work to improve the health of nails. The vitamin catalog add says, "An active lifestyle, harsh detergents, on-the-run nutrition all can have an effect on the health of your nails. Gelatin is one of the raw materials for collagen, the building block for strong, healthy nails."
   A. I seriously doubt taking these collagen pills will help your nails, unless for some reason you have a diet severly deficient in protein which is quite uncommon in Western countries.

Q. I have a daughter who is on a low protein diet due to a metabolic disorder (OTC). We use size 000 gelatin capsules to give her one of the supplements she takes due to the bad taste. I can't find any information on protein count on empty 000 gelatin capsules. She takes about 27-28 capsules each day.
   A. 1 cap 00 weighs 120 mg, of which 80% is gelatin. Therefore, one capsule contains about 100 mg of protein. Each gram of protein is 4 calories. One gram equals 1000 mg.

Q. Can you explain why some of the supplements use gelatin capsules instead of veggiecaps? As a vegan I am excluded from using some of the products you formulate. |
   A. Some supplement products can cost as much as 50 cents or a dollar more when veggie caps are used instead of gelatin. Since fewer than one or two percent of users are strict vegans, the additional cost does not justify it. Some people are fine with opening a gelatin capsule by pulling on each side and using the contents without the gelatin.

Q. Hi could you please tell me if the gelatin capsules for CoQ 10 and l=Carnitine products are made from a porcine (pork) source - or not? Thanks, I want to eat kosher.
   A. The gelatin capsule can vary between batches and sometimes it is pork, other times bovine, other times mixed with both porcine and bovine. If you adhere to strict kosher guidelines, you may with to avoid these products.

Q. I like to know what kind of gelatin use to make capsule. Or is their any other gelatin in the ingredients to make Passion Rx.
   A. Gelatin is usually from beef. Gelatin is the capsule. The contents do not have gelatin, so if you pull on each end of the capsule and just use the contents, you will not get any gelatin.

Q. I am a Muslim consumer. I would like to know from what source has the gelatin capsule is derived from. Animal or plant. If animal, what sort of animal would that be. And the capsule gelatin is source from which country?
   A. The gelatin capsule for most supplement products comes from animals such as cattle or pork from the USA.

Q. I am interested in purchasing Advance Physician Formula products. I would like to know what the source of gelatin is. If it is animal, then is it pork or beef, mixed or something else?
   A. It is not possible to know for sure since the manufacturer sometimes uses bovine, sometimes porcine sources of gelatin, sometimes both, and each batch may be different. One option is to pull on each end of the gelatin capsules and empty the contents in water or juice, this way you would not be ingesting any of the gelatin.