Silica: Benefits, Side Effects, Best Time to Take It & More

Silica

(Silicon Dioxide)

Evidence: Low
Possible Benefits: Reasonable
Safety: Reasonable

What is silica?

Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is a supplemental form of silicon, a non-essential mineral often used for improving bone health, skin health, and more. It is most often extracted from bamboo and is sometimes called bamboo extract. Unfortunately, silica is one of the least studied supplements with little to no proven health benefits. This article is about the main benefits of oral silica supplements, their potential side effects, the best time to take them, and more.

What does silica do for the body?

Silicon is a non-essential mineral and we do not know if it has any noteworthy function in the human body. There is some evidence it might have a role in forming collagen.

Possible benefits

Improved skin, hair, and nail quality – In theory, silica could improve collagen levels. This would possibly lead to improvements in hair thickness, tensile strength, elasticity, break load, skin smoothness, firmness, hydration, and nail health. However, none of these benefits have been found in humans and are unlikely to occur.

Possible side effects

These side effects are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.

Silicon toxicity – Even though the supplement appears safe, there are not enough human studies to know for sure. Taking high amounts of silicon dioxide could lead to chronic toxicity over time. Inhaling silicon dioxide dust may lead to silicosis but this doesn’t seem to be the case for oral supplements at normal doses.
Contamination – Contaminated supplements are uncommon in the USA and other well-regulated countries. However, if you wish to buy products from China, India, or other countries without strict regulations, beware that the supplements may be contaminated. Either way, you need to choose the brand you order from wisely. It is highly recommended to check the certificates or read through some reviews for the specific product before you buy it. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has the power to regulate dietary supplements but can only do so after they have been on the market for a while. That’s because supplement companies are not obligated to announce to the FDA when releasing a new product on the market. The FDA has to discover the product and test it for potential impurities, which can take a lot of time. During that time, the supplement can be sold on the market even if it’s impure. Also, supplement companies can change their manufacturers without announcing it to the FDA.

Who should not take silica?

You should probably avoid taking the supplement if you:

already consume enough silicon dioxide from food and water (which nearly everyone does)
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement
are on a supplement budget (since there are more cost-effective supplements on the market for most people)

Who will benefit the most?

Since the supplement doesn’t seem to have any benefits, no one is likely to notice any positive change unrelated to the placebo effect.

How much silica should you take?

Since there isn’t any proven benefit of taking silicon dioxide, no amount above 0 mg would be a good recommendation.

The upper safety limit is not well-established. To stay on the safe side, don’t take more than 1000 mg daily unless you have a great reason to do so. Higher amounts may cause problems if you take the supplement for a prolonged period.

Food sources of silicon dioxide

Every diet should provide more than enough silicon dioxide. Since we don’t even know if silica has any biological function in our bodies, do not base your diet choices around this mineral.

Silicon dioxide is also found in water. This mineral is most abundant in glacial streams.

Best time to take silica

The nutrient is water-soluble, so you don’t have to take it with food to absorb it well. Taking the supplement with food is better if it causes stomach upset when you take it on an empty stomach.

Whether you take the supplement in the morning or the evening doesn’t matter. It does not interrupt your sleep in any way.

Where to buy silica

Amazon is the best option for ordering silica supplements in most countries. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the Internet.

Beware some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.

FAQ

You can take the supplement daily and do not need to cycle it. However, it is certainly not a problem if you don’t take it daily. Not taking the supplement every once in a while could lead to better absorption.

All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes some time that can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they often contain bovine gelatine, which rarely comes from an ethical source.

Yes. The nutrient doesn’t impact your sleep in any negative way in the short term.

The supplements should not become harmful once they exceed the expiration date, but they can lose potency over time.

Keep the supplements in a cold, dark, and dry place, and they should remain just as potent for many months or even years.

The supplement has never been shown to reduce acne, at least when taken orally.

Unfortunately, we do not know much about the safety of taking silicon dioxide orally. While toxicity is rare, too much silicon in the system can cause some health problems. Inhaling silicon dioxide dust may lead to silicosis but this doesn’t seem to be the case for oral supplements at normal doses. It is best to stay below 1000 mg a day to be safe.

In the long term, it typically takes about 2-4 weeks of taking the supplement to begin noticing the benefits.

Most if not all silica supplements on the market are vegan-friendly but always check the label to be sure. If you buy the mineral in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatine. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.

Silicon dioxide is water-soluble, so you don’t have to take it with food to absorb it well.

No, it doesn’t. The supplement does not interfere with fasting in any significant way.

References

Most of the information provided in this guide is supported by scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything said in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.

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