Category Archives: Food Supplements

A dietary supplement study has revealed that long-term dietary supplement usage is consistently associated with the lowering risk of heart and brain-related diseases, cancer, as well as diabetes.

From the study, it was found that multiple dietary supplement users had:

11% lower cholesterol ratios and 33% lower levels triglyce-rides

36% lower levels of homocysteine

59% lower levels of C-reactive protein

Conducted by the University of Berkeley in the United States, the cross-sectional study involved 1,056 participants across three sample groups long term non-dietary supplement users, single supplement users and multiple supplement users.

The study was designed to observe dietary supplement usage patterns, health and nutritional status among dietary supplement users, with 50% of the multiple supplement users, on average, consuming supplements such as multivitamins, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, carotenoids, calcium with vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, flavonoids, glucosamine, probiotics supplement (for women) and soy protein supplements (for men), for over 20 years.

Long-term multiple dietary supplement users who consumed high bioavailability dietary supplements were also found to have improved health.

Bioavailability is a term used to describe the proportion of a nutrient that is absorbed from the diet and is used for regular body functions.

These users were more likely to have lower concentrations of chronic disease-related biomarkers including serum homocysteine, C-reactive protein, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as more likely to have optimal blood nutrient concentrations including folate, vitamin C, alpha and beta carotene, and vitamin E.

Based on the findings of the study, the prevalence for general and chronic diseases were found to be lower in multiple dietary supplement users compared to the non-dietary supplement and single-dietary supplement users.

At the Reality Check: Do Supplements Work? roundtable session held recently in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Shaklee Corp chief science officer and Research & Development senior vice-president Dr Bruce Daggy said, It is important to know the efficacy of the dietary supplements we take, to ensure that we are absorbing the fullest of the focused nutrients.

The dietary study gives us a clear snapshot of how important dietary supplements are in our daily life, and that it plays an equally important role in providing quality nutrients together with a balanced diet. The key take-away is that we should always supplement wisely.

Also present at the expert roundtable discussion was Malaysian Wellness Society president Datuk Dr Rajbans Singh, who discussed the holistic approach to leading a healthier lifestyle.

Holistic health is not the absence of sickness. That is why it is important that Malaysians understand the key components to leading a healthy lifestyle.

Leading a healthy lifestyle starts with making smart choices from every food group and emphasising on key nutrient benefits that your body requires. While we live by the term everything in moderation, we must ensure that a balanced nutrition is not compromised, he stressed.

The 2015 National Health & Morbidity Survey (NHMS)revealed that half the Malaysian population is either obese or overweight, making losing weight a crucial step to improving ones health for Malaysians.

A sedentary lifestyle leads to weight gain and obesity, which would then increase the risk of various chronic diseases.

Sunway Medical Centre Dietetics manager Celeste Lau Wai Hong said, Unhealthy eating and sedentary lifestyles are the main drivers towards obesity.

While optimal weight is key to reducing risks of diseases, an active lifestyle should be a priority for all and not just the obese.

Malaysians need to undertake healthy eating habits and they can start by cutting down sugar or foods thatre high in fats.

While the studys findings indicate that dietary supplements play a positive role as an important source of nutrients and lowering disease prevalence, it is fundamental that Malaysians are aware of the three key components to leading a healthy lifestyle eating healthy, staying active and wise supplementation if necessary.

At the event, Shaklee Malaysia president Helen Lam said, We have been championing wellness and encouraging Malaysians to take charge of their health.

We have put in place health and wellness-focused programmes to educate the public. We hope that many more Malaysians will be empowered to start by making small changes in their diet and lifestyle towards a longer and healthy life.

The expert roundtable marked the beginning of Shaklee Malaysias wellness education campaign, Live Well, Be Well.

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Supplemental living - Star2.com

By Daniel H. Chong, ND

Americans are now spending more than $17 billion a year on supplements for health and wellness. Strangely enough, the rates of some forms of chronic disease have not changed, while the rates of others have actually increased. There are a number of reasons for these poor statistics and many things remain a mystery.

One thing seems fairly clear, however. Most supplements aren't helping very much.

I'm not saying there are no helpful supplements out there. There certainly are. What is becoming more apparent, however, is supplements will not help much if one does not first address the necessary basics of health and healing.

What is also clear is that not all supplements are created equal. The basics of health and healing were discussed in another of my articles, The Six Foundations of Healing. I believe these areas must be addressed for true healing to occur in any chronic disease. In this article, I will discuss some things you should consider if you need to or want to take some supplements. Specifically, I will address the differences between whole foods versus synthetic or isolated nutritional supplements.

Whole Food Nutrients Vs. Synthetic, Isolated Nutrients

Most people who read the eHealthy News You Can Use newsletter are at least somewhat familiar with the idea that whole foods are better for you than refined foods. Although there are numerous viewpoints on what kind of foods we should or should not be eating, as well as the ideal ratio of these foods, everyone from all corners of the diet and nutrition world seems to agree on one thing: No matter which foods we choose and in what ratios we eat them, whole foods are better for you than refined foods.

This fact has never really been argued. Everyone agrees raw honey is better for you than white sugar or that brown rice is better for you than white rice. Why should it be any different for vitamins?

Often, I have been puzzled by the average naturopath or nutritionist who goes on and on about the value of whole foods and how refined foods -- having been robbed of all the extra nutrients they naturally come with -- are not healthy for you. Then, they go on to prescribe a shopping bag full of isolated, refined vitamins for you to take!

Just like refined foods, these refined vitamins have been robbed of all of the extra accessory nutrients that they naturally come with as well. In turn, like refined foods, they can create numerous problems and imbalances in your body if taken at high levels for long periods of time. They can also act more like drugs in your body, forcing themselves down one pathway or another. At the very least, they won't help you as much as high quality food and food-based supplements.

Whole Food Supplements

Whole food supplements are what their name suggests: Supplements made from concentrated whole foods. The vitamins found within these supplements are not isolated. They are highly complex structures that combine a variety of enzymes, coenzymes, antioxidants, trace elements, activators and many other unknown or undiscovered factors all working together synergistically, to enable this vitamin complex to do its job in your body.

Nutrients from within this complex cannot be taken apart or isolated from the whole, and then be expected to do the same job in the body as the whole complex is designed to do.

The perfect example of this difference can be seen in an automobile. An automobile is a wonderfully designed complex machine that needs all of its parts to be present and in place to function properly. Wheels are certainly an important part of the whole, but you could never isolate them from the rest of the car, call them a car or expect them to function like a car. They need the engine, body and everything else.

The same analogy applies to the vitamin C (ascorbic acid) or vitamin E (delta tocopherol) you can find on most health food store shelves. They are parts of an entire complex that serve a purpose when part of the whole. However, they cannot do the job of the entire complex by themselves.

With similar logic in place, one can analyze what a typical multivitamin truly is. The automobile equivalent of creating a multivitamin would be going to a junk yard, finding all of the separate parts you would need to make up an entire automobile, throwing them together in a heap (or capsule in terms of the multivitamin) and expecting that heap to drive like a car!

Obviously, there is a difference. Science cannot create life. Only life can create life.

Synthetic or Isolated Nutritional Supplements

Isolated nutrients or synthetic nutrients are not natural, in that they are never found by themselves in nature. Taking these isolated nutrients, especially at the ultra-high doses found in formulas today, is more like taking a drug. Studies show the body treats these isolated and synthetic nutrients like xenobiotics (foreign substances).

By the same token, food-based supplements are never treated like this by your body. For example, your urine will never turn florescent yellow, no matter how much meat (a good source of B vitamins) you eat. This sort of rapid excretion happens only with foreign substances in your body.

Not only are isolated nutrients treated like drugs or other chemicals by your body. Like drugs, they can create problems for you too. Nature does not produce any nutrient in an isolated form. The nutrients in foods are blended together in a specific way and work best in that format. For an isolated nutrient to work properly in the body, it needs all the other parts that are naturally present in the food too.

If the parts are not all there from the start, they are taken from the body's stored supply. This is why isolated nutrients often work for a little while, then seem to stop working. Once your body's store of the extra nutrients is used up, the isolated nutrient you're taking doesn't work as well anymore. Worse yet, a deficiency in these extra nutrients can be created in your body.

And, because most nutrients are isolated from the foods they come in -- using a wide array of potentially nasty solvents and other chemicals -- taking high amounts of these products can also expose you to these potentially toxic chemicals, if care is not taken to remove them. With the burden we are already facing from the high number of chemicals in our environment, why would anyone want to add more?

Synergy and Potency

The various parts of a natural vitamin complex work together in a synergistic manner. Synergy means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Nutritionist Judith DeCava puts it best: "Separating the group of compounds (in a vitamin complex) converts it from a physiological, biochemical, active micronutrient into a disabled, debilitated chemical of little or no value to living cells. The synergy is gone."

In other words, the automobile, in its original form, will drive better than a pile of its individual parts. Most people don't follow this logic when examining a nutritional supplement.

Supplement makers typically try to stuff as much as possible in a capsule, telling us that the more we take, the better it is for us. This is simply not the case. As you now know, it is not necessarily the amount of a nutrient you ingest that is important, but its form and how much is bioavailable that counts the most. In fact, remembering that ingesting single nutrients can actually create imbalances in the body, logic would dictate the higher the level of a single nutrient that you take in, the quicker this imbalance will occur.

What all of this means: The potency of a supplement has much more to do with synergy than with actual nutrient levels. It is a combined effect of all the parts of the food, rather than the chemical effect of a single part, that is most important.

Don't Forget the Basics

I fear all of this talk of supplements -- food-based, isolated or synthetic -- has detracted from the most important part of health and healing. The basics of proper diet, exercise, detoxification, structure, mental/emotional and spiritual health must all be in order for true healing to occur. No supplement will work on its own if these foundations are not in place.

However, even when these foundations are in place, or if the situation is acute enough to necessitate a more immediate treatment response, supplement support may still be needed for a while. You may also want to take one or more food-based supplements to ensure you are getting an adequate array of nutrients in your diet. When these situations arise, I strongly recommend food-based supplements be your first choice.

Keys to a Good Nutritional Supplement

How do you tell whether or not a supplement you're looking at is a good choice? For starters, make sure it has the following characteristics:

Dr. Daniel Chong is a licensed naturopathic physician practicing in Portland, Ore. His practice focuses on chronic disease and pain management. Contact him at:

Chiropractic and Naturopathic Physicians Clinic 12195 SW Allen Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005 (503) 646-0697 http://www.drdanielchong.com

Resources

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Real or Synthetic: The Truth Behind Whole-Food Supplements

PRAIRIE DU SAC, Wis. (WISC) -- A business that had been steadily growing over the years has seen a spike in sales after a recent dog show.

The Doctors Choice Supplements is the provider of a dog food supplement for Rumor, the winner of this years Westminster Dog Show.

Probably 20 to 25 percent busier, and I think this is just the tip of the iceberg, says Karen Duhr, warehouse and office manager for Doctors Choice Supplements.

The company has been providing Fido-Vite supplements to Kenlyn Kennels for several years. Kenlyn, an Edgerton kennel, is the owner of Rumor, a female German shepherd.

When it got down to the finals, I was thinking she cant lose, she cant lose. Then, all of a sudden when she won, Im like, I cant believe she won, says Jon Sawle, a part owner of Doctors Choice Supplements.

While the employees of the Prairie du Sac company celebrated Rumors win, they realize they are just one part of what went into the success.

You know, were just one brick in the wall, but you know youve got to have all those bricks to make the wall, says Sawle.

The Fido-VIte supplements provide a probiotic and enzyme that improves the health and appearance of a dog.

It helps the food work better, helps the overall digestion and then they absorb more nutrients from their dog food, says Sawle.

While the increase in sales is welcomed at Doctors Choice Supplements, they joke it has made for more work for the UPS drivers.

Yeah, especially on Mondays, I feel a little sorry for the UPS man, says Sawle.

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Dog show win is a win for food supplement company - WSAW

Amazon has quietly added a new product to its private label, Amazon Elements, which previously only carried Amazons own brand of baby wipes, after pulling its diaper line from the label in 2015. Now Elements is movingbeyond baby products, having introduced its own line of vitamins and supplements under the brand.

Launched on February 21st, 2017, this is the first addition to the Elements brand in years.

The label, which first arrived in 2014, had grown fairly stagnant following its exit from diapers the following year. And with last years rumors that Amazon was considering rolling out diapers again, this time under its newer, now baby food-focused brand Mama Bear, it wouldnt have beenall that surprising to see Amazon shutter the Elements brand entirely by movingthe wipes tothe Mama Bear label.

But thats not the case, as it turns out.

Instead, the brand has expanded to include a small selection of new vitamins and supplements products. Listed on the site currently is Amazon Elements Vitamin D2, Turmeric Root Extract, Calcium Complex, and Vitamin K2. Thats a small, and interesting, selection to kick off the launch but one thats likely informed by Amazons customer shopping data.

The products are branded on the site as premium and of transparent origins.

Highlighting the origins of its products is something Amazon has put more emphasis on with several of its private labels. Mama Bears baby food, for example, touts its organic nature, with no GMOs, pesticides, artificial flavoring or chemicals; while the Elements baby wipes product pagelets you click through a large slideshow that shows where and how theyre made from the water to the extracts used, and even the supplier details.

Theres alsoan Amazon mobile appyou can use to scan a transparency barcode on your item to learn about its origins and authenticity.

The transparency focus is emerging as consumers have grown more concerned about how products are sourced, made and what chemicals they contain.

Amazon today faces competition from newer e-commerce players like Jessica Albas The Honest Company, which wasin acquisition talks with Unilever last fall, but didnt sell. (Unilever bought Seventh Generation instead.) The Honest Companys baby, household and beauty products claim to avoid using the harsh chemicals found in rivals lines, and despite some missteps, have grown popular with consumers to the tune of $300 million in sales in annual sales.

With Amazon Elements vitamins and supplements, each product gets a big, splashy marketing page that details the itemsorigins and contents. Product descriptions say things like does not contain allergens, artificial colors and flavors, chemical preservatives, or gluten, and states the product was made in a Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility in the USA.

Amazon also verifies the potency, purity and integrity of the ingredients, and shares its test results on the site a move designed to gain consumer trust in a fairly shady industry.

The supplement markettoday is rife with fraud. Many brands even top sellers have been found to sell products that were contaminated or didnt even contain the ingredients on their label.

Amazon basically guarantees thats not the case with its own products, by stating that the product is tested both by the supplement maker ( Arizona Nutritional Supplements) and ISO accredited third-party labs.

Also worth noting is that Amazon Elements vitamins and supplements are not available to all Amazon shoppers you have to be a Prime member to order them, for starters.

But even more oddly, you have to request an invitation to buy the product at this time. According to the site, those who register their interest in shopping these products will be notified by email in the coming week when the products become available.

According to early testers, none have received their email invite yet. However, some Amazon Vine reviewers have received samples, we understand.

Amazon has been highly focused on expanding its private labels in recent months, with moves into consumables, food / consumer packaged goods, baby food, fashion, and more.

According to retail analytics firmOne Click Retail, Amazon has launched over 50 products in the past three months,with varying degrees of success. Happy Belly and Wickedly Prime sales are still small and show only mild growth, One Click Retail said, with less than 1 percent of thecategory share.

But Amazon Elements wipes have doubled sales year-over-year, and have a 12 percent share of their category.

When the new Elements products golive, expect themto be heavily promoted on the site, One Click Retail says.

We expect to see Gateway placements, Sponsored search, and Fly out banner ads if they follow the same pattern they did with other Amazon Private brands, notedSpencer Millerberg, One Click RetailCEO.

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Amazon's private label Elements expands for first time in years with invite-only vitamins and supplements - TechCrunch

Salmonella in soup and broths was among the unappetising discoveries in a record number of Irish food alerts last year. Photograph: Getty Images

Salmonella in soup, broths and condiments, pieces of plastic in confectionery and food supplements with an amphetamine-like substance were among the unappetising discoveries in a record number of Irish food alerts last year.

Ireland experienced the highest rate of such incidents in a decade during 2016.

These tend to follow the identification of pathogens like bugs or chemicals and can lead to products being taken off shelves or even withdrawn from the Irish market altogether.

Other grim discoveries included listeria monocytogenes, the bug that leads to Listeriosis, in prepared food dishes, snacks and milk products, and one case of insufficient product sterilisation.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), which issues warnings, said there were 39 food alerts last year compared to 31 in 2015.

There were also 28 food allergen alerts where certain products did not have specific ingredients listed correctly.

In total the FSAI responded to 554 food incidents last year.

In the EU there are 14 categories of allergens that must be labeled. Last year in Ireland milk, soybeans, eggs and nuts were the most common of those incorrectly included in food packaging and prompting a number of such public alerts.

Three in every 100 people in Ireland have a food allergy and the seriousness of these occurrences can result in the loss of life to an individual in its most extreme form and can also result in urgent medical treatment and serve allergic reactions, the FSAI said when publishing 2016 data on Wednesday.

Inaccurate labelling can occur when an allergen is unknowingly incorporated in a product; when the ingredients are not listed in English; or when the wrong product is placed in the wrong packaging.

The identification of a food incident can follow inspections, complaints from consumers, a business informing the FSAI that they have a problem, laboratory results, or from notifications from other EU member states.

Issuing food alerts and food allergen alerts is a reflection of the seriousness of food incidents, some of which have the potential to cause serious harm to consumers, said Dr Pamela Byrne FSAI chief executive.

The increase in recent years of food allergen alerts and food alerts is indicative of the need for food businesses to not only ensure the food they place on the market is safe, but that it is also labeled correctly, especially in the case of allergens.

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'Amphetamine-like substance' in supplements among 2016 food alerts - Irish Times

Medical researchers in the United Kingdom have discovered that some common, over-the-counter herbal supplements contain significant amounts of pharmaceutical ingredients.

The group is led by Duncan Burns, Emeritus Professor at the Institute for Global Food Security, located at the Queens University in Belfast. Declan Naughton, a professor from Kingston University and Dr. Michael Walker of the Government Chemist Programme, LGC are also part of the team. The team of experts conducted research on the detection of contaminated ingredients in herbal food supplements. The team is currently collaborating on a paper to be submitted for peer review. Analyzed Supplements Reveal Illegal Ingredients

During their research, Dr. Burns team examined the ingredients of supplements used to treat obesity and erectile dysfunction. The labels of these products list natural, herbal ingredients. However, when analyzed, chemists discovered that many of the products contained significant amounts of pharmaceutical drugs. Sibutramine

One of the drugs was identified as Sibutramine. It was sold as a weight loss supplement, and marketed under the name brand Reductil. Sibutramine was pulled from markets in 2010, when its usage was linked to an increase in strokes and heart attacks. This drug is known to interact with MAOIs, a common class of prescription drugs. Taking Sibutramine with these, opioids, or certain drugs used to treat migraines increase the risk of serotonin syndrome, a rare but severe condition. Tadalfil and Sulfoaildenafil

The supplements meant to treat erectile dysfunction contained large amounts of the drugs Tadalfil and Sulfoaildenafil. These popular drugs are commonly prescribed under the name brands Cialis and Viagra. These drugs are known to lower blood pressure, which can be a life-threatening side effect for those with certain medical conditions. Angina patients are cautioned against taking organic nitrates to relieve pain within 48 hours of consuming these drugs. Taking these drugs together can cause a severe drop in blood pressure, which can lead to heart attack. Consumer Danger of Drug Interactions

Dr. Burns argues that these supplements are dangerous for people who suffer from conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. These conditions are commonly treated with medications containing nitrates. Patients often do not report the use of over-the-counter herbal remedies and supplements to their doctors. Without full disclosure of ingredients, doctors cannot warn patients against potentially harmful drug interactions.

Professor Naughton concluded that more research, and the use of techniques like datamining, is needed. The information will help food and drug regulators protect the public safety, and responsible supplement manufacturers, by helping them track contamination issues.

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Supplement Pitfalls Revealed by Experts - Anti Aging News

Washington D.C. The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, is announcing its continued partnership with the American Conference Institute (ACI) on the Fifth Annual Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Forum on Dietary Supplements, which WholeFoods Magazine is a sponsor of, taking place in New York City at the Intercontinental New York Times Square on June 26 and 27, with additional workshops on June 28.

This must-attend event for dietary supplements and functional food industry legal and regulatory executives is teaming with a high level of quality speakers. The conference is reputable for its respected cohort of attendees ready to engage in discussions that will help shape the dietary supplement industrys agenda. Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN, and Scott Bass, partner, Sidley Austin LLP, will co-chair the conference.

CRN is pleased to partner with ACI again to present the Dietary Supplements forum in New York, Mister said. The focused sessions promise to be especially valuable during this transformative time for our industry.

CRN and ACI are developing programs with authoritative speakers on topics relevant to long-term business strategies and industry growth as they relate to regulation and compliance. This includes the impact of the new administration on the dietary supplement industry, the latest industry self-regulation efforts, enforcement action from state and federal authorities, new class action threats, novel questions on claims substantiation, and the federal GMO law and Prop 65 reforms.

For more information, please visit http://www.crnusa.org/ACI. The agenda is currently under development and will be updated as the event approaches. Registration is now open and CRN members may use the discount code provided on the website for 10 percent off registration fees. Early booking is encouraged as the event has sold out in recent years.

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CRN and ACI Partner for Dietary Supplements Conference - WholeFoods Magazine

Grammy Award winner Adele says she gets some of her sparkle from an infusion of vitamins delivered through an IV. Intravenous vitamins are a relatively new twist in America's love affair with nutritional supplements, but are they any different from those that come in a bottle?

Probably not, some health experts are saying, and others say we don't need supplements at all. But that's not stopping Adele and other celebrities from submitting to the needle, turning IV vitamins into the latest wellness trend by their glittering example.

The appeal of IV vitamins is that of other supplements: the promise of beauty, health and zest, delivered faster than food, absorbed more fully than a pill.

In recent years, however, the Food and Drug Administration has warned that a vitamin C solution administered by IV is not a high-tech vitamin, but an unapproved drug that can be dangerous. And it's definitely not for children. Here's what you and your family should know about the craze.

A drip of wellness?

Adele accepts the award for album of the year at the 59th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 12, 2017, in Los Angeles. Adele says she gets some of her sparkle from an infusion of vitamins delivered through an IV. | Matt Sayles, Invision

The Hollywood Reporter says that Adele, the British singer who swept the Grammy Awards in February, goes to a wellness spa in Los Angeles that charges $220 for an IV energy infusion called "Limitless." The spa Drip Doctors and others that offer vitamin infusions say that 95 percent of liquid vitamins injected into a vein are absorbed into the body, compared to 20 percent of vitamins taken orally.

There's something to this reasoning, but for increased absorption, you don't have to use an IV. Taking vitamins or medicine in liquid form makes them available to the body faster than taking a pill, which has to be broken down by the body.

A person who gets vitamins by IV, however, risks complications ranging from dizziness, nausea or death if the dosing is wrong, Kathryn Romeyn wrote for The Hollywood Reporter, which is why it's important that the drip be administered by a doctor. Even in hospitals, one in five patients hooked to an IV suffered complications or died because of "inappropriate administration," a 2013 British study concluded.

Dr. Svetlana Kogan, a New York physician, told Romeyn that she recommends intravenous vitamins only for people who have an ongoing medical problem such as chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia, or if they are frequently sick or need to boost their immune system before traveling.

"People should not be using IV therapy frivolously," Kogan said.

Two board-certified anesthesiologists are part of the staff at The Vitamin Bar, an intravenous vitamin spa with offices in Salt Lake City and Park City. Its website promises 100 percent absorption and says vitamin therapy will leave you with an "overall feeling of health and wellness."

The business recommends that clients have two to four "drips" each month, and offers special formulas for hangovers, jet lag and altitude sickness, as well as pregnancy, skin hydration, memory and hair and nail health. Clients must be 18 or older.

Other than being more expensive, are intravenous vitamins any different from those that come in a bottle? | Adobe Stock

"At the end of a drip, most of our clients say they feel invigorated, full of life, and ready to tackle the rest of their day," The Vitamin Bar website says.

Treatments that cost $139 include "The Hippocrates," for people recovering from "a paper cut or major surgery," and "The Centennial," for people who want to live past 100.

Getting life-boosting fluids from IV lines, despite the current craze, is nothing new. As early as the 1600s, doctors knew that medicine could be injected into the vein, and an Oxford scientist of that time period created an intravenous device using a pig bladder and a quill, and he practiced on a dog that was given opium, according to an article in the British Journal of Anaesthesia.

Today, the IV is the most common procedure done in emergency rooms, with one-quarter of patients receiving IV fluids, according to the CDC. And commercial IV clinics for hydration have been around for several years; one opened in Chicago in 2012, and it was soon followed by at-home IV hydration and mobile IV hydration offered to runners at road races. Runner's World magazine examined the service, and while the article quoted runners who said they felt "amazing" after getting fluid intravenously, the writer cited studies that said the difference between getting an IV and drinking fluid was "negligible."

The company mentioned in the Runner's World article, Onus IV Hydration, is based in Denver, and it credits the late Dr. John Myers, a Baltimore physician, with inventing a nutritious IV cocktail of magnesium, calcium and B and C vitamins 30 years ago. Its treatments range from $65 for simple saline hydration to $145 for Myers' original concoction, said to "supercharge the system and enhance overall wellness."

The treatment can be delivered to your home or office by a nurse with a duffel bag, or, at larger events, in a Mercedes Sprinter van, and the procedure takes 30-45 minutes, with effects felt within an hour. A doctor is not usually present, but is available by phone for questions, the company's website says.

In search of evidence

Critics of nutritional IVs are not just people who raise questions about the risks of the procedures, but those who doubt vitamins and other supplements are useful at all. In an article in STAT, Megan Thielking skeptically examined the Manhattan IV clinic run by Dr. Erika Schwartz and said there isnt any "robust evidence" that shows infusions have any effect beyond that of a placebo.

Thielking quoted Dr. Pete Miller, a clinician and nutrition researcher at Johns Hopkins, who said, "Supplements dont fix anything and they dont prevent anything. Its simple."

The American Academy of Pediatrics says healthy children who eat a "normal, well-balanced diet" do not need vitamin supplementation and that megadoses can be toxic.

Vitamin D tablets are displayed on Nov. 9, 2016, in New York. | Mark Lennihan, Associated Press

There are exceptions: For example, most newborns receive a vitamin K injection, and doctors often recommend that breastfed babies be given vitamin D.

If children are finicky eaters, doctors often recommend a multivitamin, and certain health conditions might require supplements for example, a new study from the University of Massachusetts Medical School recommends vitamin D supplementation for children with irritable bowel syndrome.

For adults, the advice is similar. In its dietary guidelines, the U.S. Department of Agriculture urges people to get their vitamins through food and beverages, but the Food and Drug Administration says that people may need them if they have health problems, eat a vegetarian or vegan diet, or are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Most spas, however, market IV vitamins not to sick people, but to people seeking extreme health.

Schwartz, the author of "Don't Let Your Doctor Kill You," treats celebrities and jet-setters who pay from $325 to $875 for a treatment at her clinic, Evolved Science. Results, the website says, include increased energy, improved mood, diminished jet lag and improved athletic performance.

We put together the ideal combination for them to obtain the results they want: clearer skin, clearer mind, better hair, better nails, Schwartz told Thielking.

Another clinic, this one in Los Angeles, offered a special infusion for Valentine's Day, touting its aphrodisiac effects.

For people who don't like shots and needles, or sitting around for a half-hour or more to take their vitamins, there are always gummies, capsules or pills. And an Arizona company has developed vitamins you spray in your mouth.

Or, you could just eat things. As the celebrated food writer Michael Pollan says, for optimal health, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Water helps, too.

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What your family needs to know about IV vitamins - Deseret News

Non-GMO Project Verified

St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) February 28, 2017

Leading ingredient supplier RIBUS, has earned the Non-GMO Project Verified status for its rice-based natural and organic alternatives to synthetic ingredients. Its products - Nu-BAKE, Nu-FLAC, Nu-FLOW, and Nu-RICE, - are widely used to replace synthetic ingredients such as silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate in the food, beverage, pet, and dietary supplements sectors. While all US rice is non-GMO, the growing consumer interest in non-GMO products plus the number of companies requesting the seal to avoid international prohibitions on GMO ingredients made the Non-GMO Project Verified certification a natural choice.

Use of RIBUS ingredients enable companies to remove chemistry lab-sounding words and provide clean label terms such as rice extract to consumers, while enabling the same functionality and quality, says Steve Peirce, RIBUS president. Gaining the Non-GMO Project Verified seal serves as an additional stamp of approval that best practices for GMO avoidance are used whether for our natural or organic ingredients.

Nu-MAG is the newest addition to the RIBUS portfolio. Last fall, the company launched the ingredient which can replace magnesium stearate and stearic acid, synthetic ingredients previously considered vital in making dietary supplements, but prohibited in organic products. Nu-MAG provides tablet and capsule manufacturers the required lubrication, while also enabling clean label statements. The ingredient is being tested by companies in the US and around the world, and is in the process of gaining the Non-GMO Project Verified certification.

RIBUS saw continued double-digit growth company-wide in 2016, with particularly rapid growth in the dietary supplements sector. To accommodate that growth, the company hired Steve Dybdal as RIBUS Supply Chain Manager. Dybdal has over 15 years of dietary supplement experience in production, formulations, and operations management with a leading nutraceutical contract manufacturer.

The RIBUS team is attending both the March 8 SCIFTS Suppliers Night Expo (booth 1311) in Anaheim, CA, as well as Engredea(booth 530) March 8-12. In addition, Steve Peirce will present on the Natural Products ExpoWest panel, "Innovation in Clean Label Formulations," Wednesday, March 8, at 11:45 a.m. in the Marriott Grand Salon G.

RIBUS will also be speaking and/or exhibiting at the following events in 2017: 1.Petfood Forum in Kansas City, MO. April 3-5 2.VitaFoods Europe Geneva, Switzerland. May 9-11 3.IFT Las Vegas, NV. June 26-28 4.Supply Side West Las Vegas, NV. September 27-28 5.Food Ingredients Europe Frankfurt, Germany. November 28-30

About RIBUS: St. Louis, MO-based RIBUS is the global leader in natural and organic rice-based alternatives to synthetic ingredients. The company produces non-GMO, natural, organic, vegan, and gluten-free ingredients, and its team of brokers and distributors includes over 100 sales representatives around the world. RIBUS is a member of the Organic Trade Associations Organic Supplements Council.

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RIBUS Earns Non-GMO Project Verification for Bev, Food, Pet ... - PR Web (press release)

The second entrepreneurs into the Shark Tank this week presented their business Ora Organic and were seeking $375k in exchange for 5% of the business. They have developed a line of all-natural supplements that can be taken or used in cooking. They also talked about their plans to start selling pre-made food that uses their supplements.

As for their numbers, they saw over $400k worth of sales in under 10 months. They have also taken a $150k note at a $2.2Mill valuation.

When the Sharks started to weigh-in it started off well, but then went downhill pretty fast. They liked the samples and food that the entrepreneurs gave them, but all started giving their reasons for dropping out pretty quickly. Robert said its just not the product for him, Daymond said that their valuation was insane, Lori did not like the branding on their packaging, and Mark said that he thought they were selling food made from the supplements and isnt interested since theyre not.

Kevin did want to make them an offer though. He started at $375k in exchange for 20%, but after a few counters he came down to 17%. This was still not the valuation that the entrepreneurs were looking for, so they decided to walk without a deal.

I can actually agree with some of the Sharks thoughts on this product. First of all, there is a lot of competition in this space, so that makes it a fairly risky investment. With that in mind, putting their value at $7.5Mill this early on is a bit optimistic and doesnt ease the worries that the Sharks might have about the risk. As well, still on the topic of competition, I can definitely understand Loris worry about the packaging. It was minimalistic and clean, but thats not what you want on the shelves of a store when youre probably one of twenty different brands sitting there. Im not advocating big, bold, and tacky branding, but there are ways to better design that packaging to draw a persons eye to their product.

Beyond simply responding to the Sharks thoughts though, I dont have much more to add on this one. I have never been interested in supplements of any kind and I dont know much about them at all. I mentioned in a previous article that I have tried Nootropics before, but other than that my experience is limited.

Anyway, good luck to Ora Organic! Im excited to see what kind of food you guys start selling alongside the supplements! I think that will be an excellent vehicle for growth in the business.

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All Natural Supplements Pitched on Shark Tank - Ora Organic - Huffington Post