Can You Eat Silica? | Eater
"An upscale California grocery is selling a new $22 “Scandi Summer Blueberry Cobbler” smoothie, created in partnership with model Elsa Hosk and MALK and launching August 15, with proceeds benefiting the Birthday Party Project. The drink combines trendy wellness ingredients—colostrum, blue spirulina powder, probiotics—and lists “Eidon Ionic Minerals Silica” as an additive. Although the FDA considers silicon dioxide acceptable for use in food and the familiar “DO NOT EAT” label on silica gel mainly warns of a choking hazard, scientific evidence for ingestible silica supplements is limited: a 2016 NIH review found few well-designed, long-term studies showing clear benefits for hair, nails, joints, or collagen. As a result, many view the silica and other novel additives as wellness signifiers rather than proven nutritional boosters, and occasional consumption of this premium-priced smoothie is unlikely to deliver the measurable benefits claimed by some supplement proponents." - Jaya Saxena
