Vitamin Information Center

As applications for the 2009 Inc. 500 | 5000 arrive, we thought it would be worthwhile to shine a spotlight on some of the companies that are vying to appear on our ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. (For more information and to apply, go to http://www.inc5000apply.com.) One that caught our eye was South Jordan, Utah-based MonaVie.

If you’ve been on the internet at all, then you’ve probably seen countless acai berry ads. The supplement, said to help joint pain, high cholesterol, and weight loss, has been riding a wave of popularity. MonaVie’s line acai berry-based juices are coming along for the ride.

“The acai berry is very high in antioxidants, and has observable health benefits,” says MonaVie CFO Devin Thorpe. “Most people who drink the juice love how it makes them feel. In today’s society where proper nutrition has taken a backseat to fast food and convenience, our bodies really thank us when we give it something healthful and nutritious.”

The company, which was founded in 2005, sells the juices in eight countries and the United States through direct selling, much like Avon or Mary Kay. They’re also launching a new energy drink, Emv, this month.

“It also includes the acai berry and 80 percent real fruit juice, so instead of being sugar water, it’s real, carbonated fruit juice with a blend of energizing herbs and natural sources of caffeine, so it gives people the boost of energy they’re looking for from healthy calories and a healthy source of caffeine,” explains Thorpe.

But what Thorpe is most proud of is the company’s commitment to the communities they harvest from in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. By giving the acai berry economic value, he explains, they’ve helped to create economic incentive to preserve the rainforest rather than burn it for grazing land. The company also runs after-school programs for local kids and provides housing to some of their families.

“It started as a grassroots effort years ago, and we now have a multi-million dollar program that is changing lives down there,” says Thorpe. “We’re excited that we can really make a difference in the communities we’re involved in.”

Taking vitamin supplements does not improve health and may increase the risk of premature death, according to media reports.

A review of 67 randomised trials found that taking the supplements vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene could lead to premature death.

The evidence for vitamin C and selenium suggested that the pills did not increase the risk of death, but there was no benefit in taking the pills compared with a placebo.

The researchers concluded that the current evidence does not support the use of antioxidant supplements in a healthy population.

There is no suggestion from the review, however, that a diet rich in natural sources of antioxidants could be damaging to health, say the papers.

Around 12 million people in Britain are taking vitamin supplements fuelling a £330 million industry.

What is the research?
The reports are based on the findings of a Danish study into the impact of antioxidant supplements on mortality rates.

A search of published literature and other studies held by manufacturers identified 815 trials. But only 67 were considered to be adequately run randomised controlled trials. These included 232,550 people aged an average of 62 years.

Twenty-one of the trials focused on the use of supplements in healthy individuals, while the rest tested patients with a range of diseases. Trials including children, pregnant women or patients with acute conditions, such as cancer, were excluded.

Antioxidant supplements were found to increase the risk of premature death in 47 trials.

Overall, antioxidant supplements were linked to a 4 per cent increased risk of death compared with placebo.

But when antioxidants were assessed separately, the researchers found that vitamin A was linked to a 16 per cent increased risk of premature death. For beta-carotene there was a 7 per cent increased risk of death and for vitamin E a 4 per cent increased risk of death.

The use of vitamin C or selenium did not increase the risk of death but showed no beneficial health effects compared with placebo.

Antioxidant supplements could lead to early death by eliminating too many free radicals, suggest the researchers. This could interfere with some essential defensive mechanisms such as apoptosis and detoxification, they say.

What do the researchers say?
Lead author Dr Christian Gluud, from the centre for clinical intervention research at Copenhagen University, called for better regulation of antioxidant supplements.

‘If a patient can eat a healthy, varied diet, then there is no need to take vitamin supplements. According to our results this may even be harmful.

‘Based on our results, as well as the results from other studies, it seems that these supplements might increase the progression of cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.

‘It seems that the increased mortality comes from an acceleration of disease progression rather than from the development of new diseases.’

The team has not looked at whether a diet rich in natural antioxidants could be harmful to health but it would be good to conduct some large scale trials into this, said Dr Gluud.

What do other experts say?
Anne Sidnell, nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, said: ‘The findings of this study are in line with other studies that have shown that antioxidants have no health benefits when consumed as supplements rather than through food.

‘Our bodies are designed to take in the correct amounts of nutrients from food, but there is a danger of overdosing when using supplements.’

There may be occasions when supplements are needed, such as vitamin D supplements for the elderly or folic acid for pregnant women, but overall a balanced diet is the best way to stay healthy, she added.

But Pamela Mason, nutritionist and spokeswomen for the Health Supplements Information Service, said: ‘Trials using antioxidant supplements have shown inconsistent findings and yet another review or meta-analysis is not going to tell us anything at this stage.

‘Antioxidants, including these noted in the Cochrane review, are essential for health and UK national dietary surveys have shown that some people have poor intakes of such nutrients.’

Antioxidants are not ‘magic bullets’ and were never intended for the prevention of chronic disease and mortality but for health maintenance, she added.

Taking vitamin C or E supplements, either individually or in combination, does not appear to lower the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease in older adults, study findings suggest.”Our study confirms findings from other studies,” lead investigator Dr Shelly L. Gray of the University of Washington, Seattle said. Vitamin E does not prevent memory problems or dementia.

Gray and colleagues followed 2 969 adults, 65 years of age or older, for an average of 5.5 years to determine if the use of vitamin E or C supplements altered the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

How the study was done
At study entry, nearly 33 and 38 percent, respectively, reported using vitamin E and C supplements, and 25 percent of the participants reported taking the vitamin supplements concurrently, the researchers reported the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The participants were an average of 75 years old and had no cognitive impairments. The investigators conducted biennial assessments for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Over the course of the study, 405 participants developed dementia and of these, 289 developed Alzheimer’s disease. As mentioned, the researchers observed no relationship between vitamin supplements and dementia risk.

The current evidence does not support the use of vitamin E or C supplements for the prevention of dementia in older adults, Gray and colleagues conclude.

“Older adults are still encouraged to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables,” Gray said. These foods provide natural sources of vitamins E and C and other substances that may have health benefits. � (ReutersHealth)

Fish oil supplements have certainly been getting a lot of buzz lately. &nbspAnd with good reason - they provide a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids. These essential fatty acids have been found to reduce the risk of heart disease, improve the functioning of the eyes and brain, keep a healthy immune system, and even help relieve your diabetes symptoms. &nbspOily fish, such as mackerel and salmon have been found to be one of the best natural sources of these essential fatty acids, however there is a lot of controversy surrounding the quality of the fish we buy today.
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