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Product References
Here are several key references on many of our great products! Unlike
most supplement websites, where their information is based upon
anecdotes, here I want you to see the real information - packed scientific
references which support these fine products. In addition, the
quality is unmatched because these supplements are produced by an
FDA approved manufacturing plant where the quality control exceeds
national standards.
It's a good idea to utilize supplements that have superb quality as
well as the science to back them. I have hundreds of references which I can send you upon request. The references below are objective summary articles. For more information just place the general name of the product in my search engine box located on the upper right of this page.
Our Product-Eskimo Pur EFA
Fish Oil Reference
Article; Pharmacist's Letter; July 2005; Vol: 21
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Scientists are now taking omega-3 fatty acids more seriously.
The American Heart Association recommends that most people eat fish at least twice a week to reduce the risk of heart disease. Eating fish at least once a week cuts sudden cardiac death by half.
They also recommend 1 g/day of fish oils from diet or supplements for patients who already have heart disease. This amount has been shown to decrease the risk of cardiac events by 15%.
Higher doses of fish oils can lower triglycerides... 2 to 4 g/day can lower very high triglycerides up to 45%.
Recommend fatty fish...salmon, tuna, halibut, herring, etc.
Suggest fish oil supplements for people who don't eat fish...or need higher doses than they can get in their diet.
Supplements might also be less contaminated. The manufacturing process seems to lower levels of PCBs and other toxins.
Omacor will be the first PRESCRIPTION drug that contains omega-3 fatty acids found in fish.
It's approved to lower triglycerides. The manufacturer is also trying to get it approved to prevent recurrent heart attacks.
Fish oils have antiplatelet and anti-inflammatory properties... and mild blood pressure-lowering effects.
Flaxseed and some nuts contain alpha-linolenic acid...but this is a different omega-3 fatty acid than the ones found in fish.
Alpha-linolenic acid MIGHT also help decrease heart disease and atherosclerosis...but it doesn't lower triglycerides.
Suggest eating a handful daily of walnuts, almonds, or pecans... 1 to 2 tablespoons/day of GROUND flaxseed so it can be digested...or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon/day of flaxseed oil.
Our UBQH
Coenzyme Q10 Reference
Article; Pharmacist's Letter; July 2004; Vol: 20
Vitamins/Supplements
Coenzyme Q10 is beneficial for some conditions...but not others.
Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is in virtually every cell. It plays a crucial role in energy production in the mitochondria. It's also an antioxidant and has membrane-stabilizing properties.
People take CoQ10 supplements for a variety of uses...
Aging. CoQ10 levels decline with age...but supplements haven't been proven to increase longevity.
Performance enhancement. CoQ10 is in many sports supplements...but there's no proof that it enhances performance.
Statin myopathy. Statins reduce the synthesis of CoQ10. But there's NO proof that CoQ10 supplements prevent myopathy caused by statins. Don't encourage it for this use.
Heart disease. CoQ10 might be useful when used with other drugs for heart failure. Some physicians use it to reduce vascular damage during bypass surgery. But some studies show no benefit.
Migraines. CoQ10 100 mg TID seems to reduce migraine attacks by about a third. It IS worth a try for frequent migraines.
Parkinson's disease. CoQ10 300 to 1200 mg/day appears to slow the progression of early Parkinson's. But this is preliminary and the high dose is expensive.
Mitochondrial disorders. CoQ10 (ubiquinone) is an orphan drug for rare mitochondrial disorders.
CoQ10 is safe, but it's chemically similar to vitamin K. Suggest keeping an eye on INRs in patients taking warfarin.
Our Green Tea Elite
Green tea Reference
Article; Pharmacist's Letter; November 2006; Vol: 22
Natural Products
People are asking about the benefits of green tea.
Lots of green tea drinks are hitting the market...plus a new population study suggests that green tea decreases mortality.
Green tea is high in polyphenols...substances which act as free-radical scavengers and antioxidants.
So far, most of the attention has been on green tea. But black and oolong tea also contain similar amounts of polyphenols.
Polyphenols are also found in virgin olive oil...chocolate... red wine...and other foods thought to have extra health benefits.
Cardiovascular. Epidemiologic studies suggest that people who drink green tea have a lower risk of hypertension and heart disease.
Now an observational study from Japan suggests that people who drink green tea are less likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
But this is seen in people who drink 3 to 5 cups/day or more... and it doesn't prove that green tea is responsible for the benefit.
Cancer. Numerous studies show an association between consuming green tea and a decrease in different types of cancer.
But tell patients there's no proof that green tea prevents cancer.
Weight loss. A new green tea soft drink called Enviga is being introduced by Coca-Cola. They claim it helps burn calories... about 20 to 33 calories per 12-ounce can.
Enviga also contains 100 mg caffeine... 3 times as much as Coke.
Green tea and caffeine can help boost metabolism. But tell people not to count on Enviga for significant weight loss.
Diabetes. People who drink a lot of green tea or coffee seem to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Coffee also contains polyphenols...or the caffeine might play a role.
Tell people it's too soon to tell if tea has any long-term benefits. Advise them not to get carried away and consume too much caffeine.
Our Resveratrol Ultra
Article; Pharmacist's Letter; January 2007; Vol: 23
Supplements
There is a lot of buzz about the "wine pill," resveratrol.
People are rushing out to buy resveratrol supplements ever since the news that it can boost endurance and prolong life...in mice.
Resveratrol is one of the substances that are thought to give red wine some of its health benefits.
We used to think of it as just an antioxidant.
Now it's thought that resveratrol activates "sirtuins"...enzymes that regulate glucose and fat metabolism and increase cell survival.
Tell people this is all very preliminary.
Explain that the health benefits of resveratrol have only been seen in mice...NOT humans. And the doses are equivalent to hundreds of glasses of red wine or dozens of resveratrol supplements a day.
Our Glucosamine Sulfate
Glucosamine Reference
Article; Pharmacist's Letter; January 2006; Vol: 22
Arthritis
People are asking about glucosamine and chondroitin for osteoarthritis now that the big NIH study is making news.
But the study merely adds to the debate.
Proponents are using this study to say that glucosamine and chondroitin are effective for osteoarthritis of the knee.
Opponents say these supplements are a waste of time and money.
These two camps are citing different outcomes.
The NIH study didn't show improved knee pain...except in a small group of patients who had moderate to severe pain.
The study design also leaves other issues unresolved.
For example, the NIH used glucosamine HYDROCHLORIDE 500 mg TID. But most studies showing benefit used glucosamine SULFATE 1500 mg daily.
The different salts or dosing regimens MIGHT make a difference.
There's also still no answer on whether combining glucosamine and chondroitin works any better than either one alone. The new study doesn't compare the combo to the single ingredients.
For now, tell people that these supplements are worth a try.
Suggest starting with glucosamine ALONE...preferably glucosamine SULFATE if available. The combo with chondroitin is okay to try.
Tell patients it can take up to 8 weeks to see an improvement. But if it doesn't help by then, to stop it and save their money
Our Vitamin D3
Vitamin D Reference
Article; Pharmacist's Letter; June 2008; Vol: 24
Geriatrics
Vitamin D is being used more in the elderly to PREVENT falls.
About 30% of patients over 65 have a fall each year. About 10% of these cause fractures, head injury, or death.
Falls can be reduced by exercising to improve strength and balance...removing tripping hazards...correcting vision...eliminating drugs that cause dizziness, drowsiness...etc.
Vitamin D also seems to help...probably by improving muscle strength. Studies suggest that one fall can be prevented for every 15 older adults treated with vitamin D.
Elderly people often have low vitamin D levels. They get less sun...and even when they do, their skin can't produce as much vitamin D. They can also have trouble activating vitamin D in their kidneys.
Recommend at least 800 IU per day of vitamin D...lower doses don't seem effective for preventing falls.
Some prescribers are giving 50,000 IU vitamin D ONCE per month... especially for nursing home residents...but this dose hasn't been studied for preventing falls..
Continue to identify medications that might also increase the risk of falls. Watch out for drugs that cause sedation, dizziness, impaired balance, etc.
Article; Pharmacist's Letter; May 2009; Vol: 25
Vitamin D
You'll see a bigger push for people to get more vitamin D.
Most of us don't get enough...from food or sun exposure.
Most multivits don't contain enough, either. The current recommended intakes are set high enough to prevent rickets...but not enough for most people to maintain healthy levels.
Adequate vitamin D can reduce muscle and bone pain, falls, and fractures. Higher levels are also associated with a lower incidence of some cancers, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
Help patients, especially seniors, realize that aging bodies lose the ability to use sunlight to make vitamin D.
Dose. Current gov't recommendations are 200 IU/day for kids...and 400 to 600 IU/day for adults. But many experts now recommend 1000 IU/day for kids and 1000 to 2000 IU/day for adults.
Our Probiotic Pearls
Probiotic Reference
Article; Pharmacist's Letter; September 2009; Vol: 25
Probiotics (used for irritable bowel, diarrhea due to antibiotics and constipation)
A growing number of products with probiotics are being promoted to improve GI function and immunity.
Probiotics contain strains of "friendly" gut microbes...Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces, and others.
The idea is to recolonize the gut with good microbes and crowd out harmful ones. They might also stimulate the immune system.
Suggest products that have some evidence of a benefit.
Irritable bowel syndrome. Suggest trying Align (Bifidobacterium infantis) for abdominal pain and bloating due to IBS...or VSL#3 (Bifidobacterium/Lactobacillus/Strep thermophilus) for bloating with diarrhea-predominant IBS.
Ulcerative colitis. Suggest trying VSL#3 to help maintain remission of ulcerative colitis.
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Suggest Culturelle (Lactobacillus GG), DanActive (Lactobacillus/Strep thermophilus), or Florastor (Saccharomyces boulardii) to help prevent diarrhea from antibiotics.
Advise patients to take the probiotic during antibiotic treatment and up to a week afterwards.
Tell them to take the probiotic 2 hours AFTER each antibiotic dose...so the probiotic is more likely to survive.
Constipation. Activia (Bifidobacterium) seems to decrease gut transit time and Yakult (Lactobacillus casei) might help soften stools...but they're not proven to prevent constipation.
Respiratory tract infections. Preliminary evidence suggests a specific combo of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (Howaru Protect) decreases respiratory symptoms and antibiotic use in preschoolers.
But explain this combo product won't be available until 2010.
Probiotics are usually safe and well tolerated. But advise immunocompromised patients to play it safe and avoid them.
Tell patients not to confuse PRObiotics with PREbiotics. Explain that prebiotics are sugars or carbohydrates that encourage the growth of good microbes in the gut.
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