Products with good bacteria get popular

Products with good bacteria get popular
By Lindsey Tanner, AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO — Bugs in baby food? Microbes in your milkshake? Relax, this is not the latest tainted food scare -- it's a growing trend in foods designed to boost health, not make you sick.

These products contain probiotics, or "friendly" bacteria similar to those found in the human digestive system.

There are supplement pills, yogurts, smoothies, snack bars and cereals, even baby formula and chocolate. Sold by major names like Dannon and Kraft, they're spreading like germs on grocery store shelves and in supermarket dairy cases.

And they come with vague health claims of "regulating your digestive health" or "strengthening your body's defenses."

Experts say probiotics are generally safe, and in some cases might be helpful. More research is needed, and it's a hot new area, reflecting a growing understanding of the role that naturally occurring intestinal bacteria play in health. This week, the National Institutes of Health is hosting a conference where top scientists will discuss recent advances.

In the meantime, the market is ahead of the science. It's all part of a burgeoning effort to capitalize on an obsession with health foods. Probiotics are already popular in Europe, Asia and South America.

And there are "prebiotics," too, which contain fiber and other nutrients that feed probiotic bacteria.

So far this year, more than 150 probiotic and prebiotic commercial food products have been introduced in the U.S., compared with about 100 last year and just 40 in 2005, said Tom Vierhile of Datamonitor, a market research firm.

"It is definitely a growing trend," Vierhile said.

Holly Maloney, a nutrition instructor at Chicago's Kendall College, eats new probiotic nutrition bars that claim to help digestion and the immune system. She's also a longtime fan of yogurt and kefir, a probiotic-containing fermented milk drink.

"It just makes me feel good," Maloney, 32, said of the products. "If I have a few days where I don't have it, I don't feel right."

While many probiotic products haven't been put to a rigorous scientific test, there is emerging evidence that in huge amounts, some kinds of "friendly" bacteria can be helpful.

Small studies have suggested that certain probiotics might help treat or prevent some types of gastroenteritis, diarrhea and allergic skin reactions, and the bugs are being investigated for many other ailments.

The NIH has declared the study of gastrointestinal bacteria and probiotics a major research initiative. The agency's upcoming meeting will highlight current science so it can identify research gaps and determine the direction of future research, said Crystal McDade-Ngutter, who heads an NIH working group on the topic.

"The fact that there are a number of health implications and a lack of understanding associated with the use of pre- and probiotics makes this a very interesting subject to study," she said.

The bugs are being put under the microscope around the globe.

For example:

_A Canadian study published last month suggested that fermented milk containing Lactobacillus acidophilus and Lactobacillus caseii could help prevent antibiotic-related diarrhea.

_A study from Finland published this year found that an oat drink containing Bifidobacterium lactis bacteria helped bowel function in nursing home residents.

_Scientists in Argentina are investigating whether milk fermented with lactic acid bacteria might reduce amounts of cancer-causing substances in the intestine.

_University of California at Los Angeles researchers are looking at whether probiotic supplements can treat allergy-induced skin rashes in babies.

_Israeli scientists are studying whether these supplements can improve complications in liver disease.

Even without all the answers from science, probiotics are a multibillion-dollar global industry. In the United States alone, retail sales of probiotic-containing foods and supplements totaled an estimated at $764 million in 2005 and are projected to reach $1 billion in 2010, according to market research firm BCC Research.

Dannon's Activia yogurt, introduced last year, is among the best known U.S. products. Its first-year U.S. sales totaled more than $100 million. General Mills introduced its competitor, Yo-Plus, under the Yoplait yogurt brand this year.

Other 2007 products include: Kraft Foods Inc.'s LiveActive prebiotic cottage cheese and probiotic cheddar cheese; Nestle's probiotic Good Start Natural Cultures baby formula; Beech-Nut Nutrition Corp.'s Good Evening prebiotic baby food; and the Swiss firm Barry Callebaut's probiotic chocolate.

University of Michigan researcher Gary Huffnagle calls probiotics "a new essential food group" in his new book, "The Probiotics Revolution."

The concept, however, is not new.

Yogurt, made from milk fermented by bacteria, dates back centuries and has been said to have cured a 16th century French king's intestinal illness and to explain longevity in rural Bulgaria.

But there's an emerging shift in how scientists view probiotic bacteria and their role in health.

Millions of good bacteria live in the intestinal tract, helping keep bad, illness-causing bacteria at bay. Scientists increasingly believe that illness arises when that balance gets out of whack and bad bugs start to take over.

This overgrowth has been implicated in many common digestive problems including inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, said Dr. Sri Komanduri, a gastrointestinal specialist at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center.

This line of thinking "has prompted not only the medical industry and obviously the food industry to try to create things to shift the balance back toward that good bacteria," he said.

Komanduri prescribes medical-strength probiotic pills containing 450 billion live lactic acid bacteria for inflammatory bowel disease and bacterial overgrowth in the gut.

But he doesn't recommend them for patients without specific complaints, and doesn't recommend probiotic foods because he said there's no evidence that they are as effective.

Patients who use them and report benefits are likely experiencing a placebo effect, Komanduri said.

Commercial products containing probiotics fall under Food and Drug Administration regulations. They are not supposed to make drug-like claims about curing or treating specific illnesses, said FDA spokeswoman Kimberly Rawlings.

"As long as they don't cross the line," they can come pretty close, she said.

Huffnagle advised consumers to be wary of probiotic-containing products that don't specify how much or what type of bacteria.

"If a company says something is probiotic, the question is, how much, and what kind," he said.

Evidence suggests the bugs need to be alive and ingested in huge amounts, generally between 5 billion and 10 billion daily, he said.

While some products claim to have more, he said it's uncertain whether more is better.

USANA Health Sciences Announces Partnership with Wasatch Powderbird Guides

SALT LAKE CITY, (BUSINESS WIRE) --
USANA Health Sciences, Inc. is proud to announce its partnership with Wasatch Powderbird Guides. USANA will be the official supplement, energy drink, and nutritional shake and bar supplier of the Powderbird team.

"USANA's product line is of the highest quality, and our mission to promote a healthy lifestyle aligns with USANA perfectly," said Mike Olsen, Powderbird senior guide and owner. "We are looking forward to a long partnership and friendship with USANA."

Wasatch Powderbird Guides, headquartered at Snowbird Ski and Mountain Resort in Salt Lake City, fly to the remotest reaches of the world, including Greenland, Argentina, Chile and Japan. Powderbird guides are highly trained and highly skilled athletes who focus on safety while offering small-group and private heli-skiing adventures to the world's most spectacular mountain ranges.

"Wasatch Powderbird Guides interact with high-profile individuals focused on healthy living and optimal performance, so this partnership is a natural fit," said Dan Macuga, USANA Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. "USANA is proud to partner with an organization
that shares the same views on health, and we are confident that Powderbird guests will benefit from USANA products."

Investors Find Fat Gains in Nutrition Stocks

By the tickerspy.com Staff

Recent news in the nutrition sector helped select stocks buck the market.

Obesity is a problem in the United States, and with a growing mainstream push for healthy living, a number of U.S.-listed nutrition stocks could see some upside. Today, isolated news is sending shares of select stocks up as much as 8% as the industry closes the gap on the S&P 500.

As a whole, the Nutrition Product Stocks Index is up by 1.6%. It is currently lagging the S&P by -4% over the last month, however a look at the Index's six-month chart shows that it has remained ahead of the benchmark consistently over the longer time horizon.

Excluding a -4% drop by American Oriental Bioengineering (NYSE: AOB - News), whose products range from prescription antivirals to soy-based wellness enhancing drinks and tablets, the sector is largely moving higher for the session.

Mannatech (NASDAQ: MTEX - News) announced a new line of PhytoBurst soft chews - energy boosting nutritional supplements aimed at the on-the-go market. Investors are bidding up shares by 8% on the news, enough to turn positive over the last five sessions.

China Sky One Medical (NASDAQ: CSKI - News) is the sector's top performer over the last week, up by more than 27%. Shares are up by 5% in today's session alone after the company announced better-than-expected Q3 earnings. China Sky One Medical earned 74 cents a share on $43.2 million of revenue, topping EPS consensus by 8 cents and sales estimates by more than 15%.

In the last five trading days, vertically integrated nutritional products manufacturer and retailer NBTY (NYSE: NTY - News), science-based nutritional and personal care company USANA Health Systems (NASDAQ: USNA - News), and weight management and energy supplement player Herbalife (NYSE: HLF - News) are all up by 6% or more.

Online nutritional product retailer Vitacost.com (NASDAQ: VITC - News) is now off by a third since its September IPO. The stock has weighed on the 2009 IPOs Index, which is lagging the S&P 500 by -6% over the last month.

Biotechnology Stocks Index component Vivus (NASDAQ: VVUS - News) has been in focus recently as investors await further developments relating to trials of its obesity treatment Qnexa. The stock is now -35% from its 52-week high.

Evidence of Chronic Nutrient Deficiency

Not merely are we not eating enough of the proper food communities, the foods we do eat can sometimes be woefully brief in crucial nutrients and alarmingly high in calories. Nothing can displace the quality of a delicately balanced diet. Unfortunately, in today’s high-stress world, we face a dearth of beneficial physical action and a stable diet of meals on the run, fast-food restaurants, and processed foods devoid of nutritional value. Today, it is exception, quite than the govern, that kids or adults shall sit down to home-cooked meals with fresh-from-the-garden fruits and vegetables. Even for those fortunate enough to do so, there is no assure that they are receiving all the nutrients they need. Yet, for the final 60 years, commercial farms have been relying largely on chemical fertilizers to team their crops. During the late forties, growers found that three minerals, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, retired across from the post-war armaments industry, resulted fine gazing crops. The later exert of these nutrients rapidly displaced traditional mulching and manuring, and, overtime, the exert of these fertilizers contributed to the depletion of a lot necessary micronutrients from our soils. The long-term consequence of this folly has been a stable erosion in the nutritional medical of our countries and an inexorable boom in the incidence of degenerative disease.

Colgan M. We Have Fouled Our Land. The New Nutrition: Medicine for the Millennium, Vancover, BC: Apple Publishing; 1995. p. 10-1

Are You Getting What You Pay For?

In a recent study, researchers discovered that more than half (54 percent) of the nutritional supplements tested did not disintegrate properly. This study illustrates that disintegration, one basic indicator of product quality, is still a concern for dietary supplements (www.cspscanada.org 9(1):40-49)

Wondering about nutritional supplements? How to choose

Few people, including you, actually get all the nutrients they need from the food they eat - hence the major market for nutritional supplements. But how do you sift through the plethora of information out there to choose the right supplement from the thousands on the market?

Many people probably base their supplement choice on price, popularity and convenience - possibly a recommendation from their doctor or a friend. "There is a better, more sensible way to choose your supplement,"

Consider quality

Key ingredients and lab testing

The trust of those you trust

The right fit for you

USANA Difference

Laboratory tested and carriers unconditional guarantee of purity and potency

Follows the strictest standards for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for dietary supplements.

Contains fully supply of essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other important nutrients.

Contains exclusive active ingredients, such as Poly C, a unique bioflavanoid complex, and patented Olivol olive-fruit extract not available in any other multivitamin product

NutriSearch Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements (4th ed.) continues to give USANA products its highest rating NSF International certified USANA manufacturing practices and select products.

USANA is the official health supplement supplier for Sony Ericsson WTA Tour

IT PAYS TO TAKE YOUR VITAMINS

If you value your health, it only makes sense to take that extra step begin supplementing your diet with a high-quality broad spectrum nutritional supplement, then stay on it every day for the rest of your life. Supplementation is your personal health insurance plan that will help you to age gracefully. It is not just there to assist you when you fall ill’ it is there to keep you healthy in the first place.

USANA’s BiOmega Fish Oil Supplement Approved by ConsumerLab.com

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: USNA), today announced that its BiOmega™ fish oil supplement was evaluated and approved by ConsumerLab.com, LLC. A leading provider of independent product test results and information, ConsumerLab.com helps consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health and wellness products.

ConsumerLab.com reviewed BiOmega as part of a larger evaluation of dietary supplements sold in the United States that claim to contain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Products were tested for their omega-3 levels; mercury, lead and PCB contamination; and signs of decomposition. BiOmega received an approved rating in all three testing categories. The review can be found on the company’s web site at www.consumerlab.com.

ConsumerLab.com stated in its product review that the quality of fish oil and other omega-3 supplements is an important issue because supplement levels vary depending on the source and method of processing. Fish also can have accumulated toxins that could potentially contaminate a supplement. USANA uses a double molecular distillation process to manufacture its BiOmega supplement, ensuring the highest possible purity from mercury, PCBs, pesticides and other heavy metals.

“We are happy to see the results from the ConsumerLab.com trial, but we are not surprised,” said Dr. Tim Wood, USANA executive vice president of research and development. “These results confirm our extensive in-house testing. USANA is committed to only the highest quality manufacturing and analytical testing systems and practices. We are very pleased to receive independent confirmation of the quality and purity of BiOmega from this test.”

Child Food Allergies on the Rise in U.S.

(HealthDay News) — Pediatric food allergies, which can sometimes be life-threatening, are increasing at a dramatic rate in the United States, new research shows.

But the study authors aren’t sure if the rise in reports of food allergies reflects an increase in actual prevalence or if better awareness has led more people to seek treatment for their symptoms.

Whatever the cause, it’s clear that the number of children with food allergies has gone up 18 percent and the number seeking treatment for food allergy at emergency departments or hospitals has tripled since 1993.

“People are more aware of food allergies today, and that could have something to do with it,” said study author, Amy Branum, a health statistician for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But, when we looked at health-care surveys filled out by parents and those from the health-care sector, we saw the increase across the surveys so this may be more than just increased awareness.”

Results of the study were published online Nov. 16 and will appear in the December print issue of Pediatrics.

Although many people think of allergies as more of a nuisance than a serious health issue, food allergy in particular can be very serious, even life-threatening. The most common foods that people are allergic to include peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy, shellfish, fish and wheat, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network.

Symptoms often appear minutes after people eat a food that they’re allergic to, but it can sometimes take several hours before a reaction begins, according to the network. Typical symptoms of a food allergy include a tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the tongue or throat, trouble breathing, hives, stomach cramping, vomiting or diarrhea.

In the current study, the researchers used information from four different national data sources to assess the current rate of food allergies in the United States. The surveys included information from parents and from health-care providers, according to Branum.

The researchers found that between 1997 and 2007, the incidence of food allergy went up by 18 percent. Parents of almost 4 percent of U.S. children reported a food or digestive allergy in their child, the study authors noted.

There was also an increase in the rates of parent-reported skin allergy (eczema) during the same time period. Approximately 8.9 percent of U.S. children had experienced skin allergy in 2007, compared with 7.9 percent in 1997.

Health-care providers, on the other hand, reported that the number of children being treated for food allergies had tripled, the study found. Data from health-care providers was from 1993 to 2006.

Data included testing for immunoglobulin E, or IgE, antibodies in the blood for various foodstuffs, which can indicate an allergy. The percentage of children who tested positive for IgE antibodies for peanut allergy was 9 percent; for egg allergy, 7 percent; milk, 12 percent; and shrimp, 5 percent, the study found.

Though IgE antibodies can indicate a potential food allergy, the test is often better at ruling out who does not have an allergy, Branum said. A positive test doesn’t mean that someone definitely has a food allergy, but suggests that the potential is there.

The researchers also noted that Hispanic children had the lowest overall prevalence of food allergy but the greatest increases over time of parent-reported incidences of food allergy.

“People should be aware that food allergy may really be increasing,” Branum said. “If small children have symptoms when they eat a particular food, have that child checked out, particularly if they have co-occurring conditions like asthma and eczema.”

“Food allergies are real,” said Dr. Jennifer Appleyard, chief of allergy and immunology at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit. “And it appears that the prevalence is rising.”

This will present various challenges, she noted. One is that there’s already a shortage of allergy specialists in many areas, Appleyard said. Another is that schools will have to gear up to take care of additional children with food allergy to ensure their safety during the school day and on field trips, she said.

Parents who suspect their child has a food allergy should first talk with the child’s primary care physician about symptoms. The problem could be a food intolerance rather than an allergy, she said, but the child might need to be tested by an allergy specialist to get a definitive diagnosis.

Two USANA Essentials Receive Approval by ConsumerLab.com

SALT LAKE CITY--(Business Wire)--
USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: USNA) announced today that its USANA Essentials Chelated Mineral and Mega Antioxidant have been evaluated and approved by ConsumerLab.com, LLC. A leading provider of independent product test results and information, ConsumerLab.com helps consumers and healthcare
professionals evaluate health and wellness products.

In a recent study, ConsumerLab.com evaluated USANA`s Chelated Mineral and Mega Antioxidant, as well as multivitamin products from various nutritional supplement manufacturers, to determine whether they contained the amounts of the compounds as is stated on their labels. Upon completion, ConsumerLab.com announced that both of USANA's Essentials met their label claims. The review can be found on the company's Web site at www.consumerlab.com.

"Receiving approval from ConsumerLab.com yet again illustrates USANA`s commitment to quality and safety," said USANA Executive Vice President of Research & Development Tim Wood. "A reputable organization, ConsumerLab.com provides consumers with trusted research to make safe decisions. USANA is proud to have the Essentials approved and is proud to be providing people with nutritionals they can trust."

According to its Web site, ConsumerLab.com receives more than 3 million visits per year. Since the organization`s inception in 1999, ConsumerLab.com has tested more than 2,100 products, representing hundreds of different brands and nearly every type of popular supplement.

In recent years, ConsumerLab.com has also approved USANA`s Coquinone 30, Visionex and BiOmega supplements. For more information about ConsumerLab.com, please visit www.consumerlab.com.

Heart Patients Lacking Vitamin D More Likely to Be Depressed

By Denise Mann (Health.com) — People with heart disease and similar conditions who don’t have enough vitamin D are more likely to be depressed than their counterparts with adequate levels of the “sunshine vitamin,” according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando. This link seems to be even stronger in the winter.

Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin because the human body produces it only when exposed to sunlight—although it takes just 10 to 15 minutes a day to make an adequate amount. Vitamin D, which helps the bones better absorb calcium, is also added to multivitamins and milk, and occurs naturally in fish.

A second study by the same team of researchers found that people age 50 or older who lack vitamin D are at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke, and are more likely to die earlier than people the same age who get adequate amounts of the vitamin.

These studies add to the mounting evidence about the dangers of vitamin D deficiency and may also shed light on the connection between depression and cardiovascular disease (which includes any disease caused by clogged arteries, including heart disease).

Depression and diseases of the arteries—both have been associated with vitamin D deficiency in the past—tend to occur together, says Heidi May, PhD, an epidemiologist with the Intermountain Medical Center at the University of Utah, in Murray, who participated in both studies.

“It is known that during the last century, the prevalence of depression has increased, and, more recently, that vitamin D deficiency has increased,” May says. “It is well-known that depression is associated with cardiovascular disease and events.” This research, she adds, “is trying to elucidate whether vitamin D deficiency is associated with depression and may be contributing to this increase in cardiovascular disease and events.”

In the first study, May and her colleagues measured blood levels of vitamin D in 8,680 people age 50 or older who had been diagnosed with heart disease, stroke, or another type of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D levels above 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/mL) were considered normal, levels between 15 and 30 ng/mL were low, and those 15 ng/mL and below were deemed very low.

Among those with very low levels of vitamin D, 32% were depressed, as were 25% of the people with low levels, and 21% of those with normal levels. This trend was seen even among individuals with no history of depression.

Winter seemed to make the association even more pronounced. Seasonal depression, which typically occurs in winter, may be linked to lack of sunshine.

In the second study, which looked at 27,686 people age 50 or older with no history of cardiovascular disease, May and her colleagues found that, compared to individuals with normal levels of the vitamin, people with very low levels of vitamin D were 77% more likely to die, 45% more likely to develop heart disease, and 78% more likely to have a stroke during the study, which lasted for more than a year. They also had double the risk of heart failure.

These findings didn’t surprise Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD, a professor of medicine, physiology, and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine who has studied the dangers of low vitamin D levels for years.

“It is estimated that many of the genes that regulate cardiovascular health are directly or indirectly regulated by vitamin D,” says Dr. Holick, author of the forthcoming book The Vitamin D Solution. “We know that vitamin D regulates blood pressure, and it is very important for maintaining good heart health.”

Vitamin D is also essential to the brain, which contains receptors for the vitamin, says Dr. Holick. “The new research is confirming previous observations that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of depression,” he explains.

In addition to heart disease and depression, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a host of chronic diseases, including some types of cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and some autoimmune disorders.

Although further research is needed to confirm that a shortage of vitamin D in fact links depression to heart disease and stroke, May says that more aggressive monitoring of vitamin D levels could help improve disease outcomes in the meantime.

“Even a moderate deficiency of vitamin D is associated with cardiovascular disease and death; therefore, screening and treatment is very important,” says May. “Since both are simple and relatively inexpensive, prevention of vitamin D deficiency should be cost-effective and may ultimately be able to save more lives.”

Likewise, she adds, “patients with depression may need to be more aggressively screened and treated for vitamin D deficiency since they are at higher risk for cardiovascular events.”

These studies come as the Institute of Medicine (IOM), an independent organization that advises the U.S. government on health and medical matters, is considering new recommendations for vitamin D intake. Currently, the dietary reference intake for vitamin D is 200 international units per day (IU/day) for adults ages 14 to 50, 400 IU/day for adults 50 to 71, and 600 IU/day for those older than 71.

Dr. Holick says the IOM should raise the limit on the amount of vitamin D currently deemed safe, or tolerable, which now stands at 2,000 IU/day for adults.

“If we raise it, more food can be fortified with vitamin D and fortified at a higher level,” he says. “We think [2,000 IU/day] is the baseline of what we need to take, not the upper safe limit.”

Dr. Holick advocates raising the daily limit to 10,000 IU. Many researchers agree and have suggested that the toxic level of vitamin D is closer to 10,000 IU/day.

Unlike May, however, Dr. Holick does not think that screening for vitamin D deficiency is necessary.

“We should all be taking supplements of vitamin D,” he says. “There’s no downside to increasing vitamin D intake, and if it does turn out that there is a benefit, you’re ahead of the game.”

Usana Gets Thumbs Up From ConsumerLab.com CoQuinone(R) 30

Usana Gets Thumbs Up From ConsumerLab.com
(merchantcircle.com)

SALT LAKE CITY – USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: USNA) announced today that its supplement CoQuinone® 30 has been evaluated and approved by ConsumerLab.com, LLC. A leading provider of independent product test results and information, ConsumerLab.com helps consumers and healthcare professionals evaluate health and wellness products.

In a recent study, ConsumerLab.com evaluated coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and ubiquinol products from various nutritional supplement manufacturers to determine whether they contained the amounts of the compounds as stated on their labels. Upon completion, ConsumerLab.com announced that USANA's Coquinone® 30 was "found to contain their labeled amounts of CoQ10 and/or ubiquinol." The review can be found on the company's Web site at www.consumerlab.com.

"ConsumerLab.com is a well-respected organization focused on providing consumers with objective and accurate reviews of the nutritional products available in today's marketplace," said USANA Executive Vice President of Research&Development Tim Wood. "Their approval of CoQuinone® 30 validates USANA's dedication quality, and underscores our commitment to providing nutritionals you can trust.

According to its Web site, ConsumerLab.com receives more than 3 million visits per year. Since the organization's inception in 1999, ConsumerLab.com has tested more than 2,100 products, representing hundreds of different brands and nearly every type of popular supplement.

In recent years, ConsumerLab.com has also approved USANA's Visionex and BiOmega supplements.

USANA Health Sciences Product Receives Approval of ConsumerLab.com. (VISIONEX)

USANA Health Sciences Product Receives Approval of ConsumerLab.com.
Publication: Business Wire

SALT LAKE CITY -- USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: USNA) announced today that its supplement Visionex[TM] has been evaluated and approved by ConsumerLab.com, LLC. A leading provider of independent test results and information, ConsumerLab.com ("CL") helps consumers and healthcare professionals
evaluate health, wellness, and nutritional products.

In a recent blind study, CL purchased and evaluated lutein and zeaxanthin products from various nutritional supplement manufacturers to determine whether they contained the amounts of the compounds as stated on their labels. Upon completion, CL announced that USANA's Visionex had "met [its] label claim and ConsumerLab.com's standards for lutein and zeaxanthin products."

"ConsumerLab.com is an organization at the forefront of research in the arenas of nutrition and health," said USANA's Executive Vice President of Research & Development Tim Wood. "USANA takes great pride in the quality systems and manufacturing practices we have established, and we are honored to have obtained this qualification from a company as reputable and highly regarded as CL."

According to its Web site, CL publishes results of its tests at www.consumerlab.com, which receives more than 3 million visits per year, as well as in its acclaimed book, ConsumerLab.com's Guide to Buying Vitamins & Supplements, and in special technical reports. In the past eight years, CL has tested more than 1,900 products, representing hundreds of different brands and nearly every type of popular supplement. Its research is cited frequently in the media, in books, and at medical meetings.

USANA Health Sciences Announces Partnership with Kathy Kaehler

Press Release Source: USANA Health Sciences, Inc. On Monday January 4, 2010, 1:32 pm EST

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--USANA Health Sciences, Inc. is proud to announce its partnership with fitness expert and celebrity trainer Kathy Kaehler.

“I am delighted to announce my new partnership with USANA,” said Kaehler. “As a fitness professional for most of my life, I know how important it is to maintain your health. Exercise and proper nutrition is key, but that alone is not enough. USANA is the answer to making sure your body is getting exactly what it needs every day. USANA’s extraordinary standards take nutritional supplements to another level, not to be compared.”

Kathy Kaehler, author and celebrity fitness trainer, has devoted her life to helping people live happy and healthy lives. For 13 years, Kaehler appeared on the Today show as the fitness correspondent while training such celebrities as Julia Roberts, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cindy Crawford, Jennifer Aniston and many more. Kaehler will share her top-notch fitness solutions and star-shaping secrets along with healthy diet tips and recipes that feature USANA nutritional food products and supplements.

“We are thrilled to announce Kathy Kaehler as the newest member of the USANA family,” said Dan Macuga, USANA Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. “Kathy will be a great asset to our world-class product offerings, and I think USANA customers and Associates will find great value in her expert health and fitness tips.”

USANA Health Sciences Becomes Official Supplement Provider of the Utah Grizzlies

Press Release Source: USANA Health Sciences, Inc. On Wednesday December 16, 2009, 6:57 pm EST

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:USNA - News) is proud to announce its partnership with the Utah Grizzlies as the team’s official nutritional supplement provider.

“USANA products are recognized as the best and safest in the world, and I am truly excited about our association with such an outstanding organization,” said Utah Grizzlies CEO Kevin Bruder. “Not only will USANA vitamins and supplements permit our players to perform at maximum levels and put us closer to achieving our goal of winning the Kelly Cup championship, but the company’s strict adherence to the purity requirements established by the World Anti-Doping Agency means they will be safe for our players.”

USANA manufactures a wide variety of nutritional products that are trusted by some of the world’s best athletes, including U.S. Speedskating, Speed Skating Canada, Biathlon Canada, the elite athletes of the WTA Sony Ericsson Tour and a myriad of other professional athletes worldwide. Athletes know they can trust their health to USANA because the company voluntarily follows current Good Manufacturing Practices based on pharmaceutical models for its quality assurance program, meaning its nutritional supplements are treated with the same care that goes into manufacturing pharmaceutical products.

“We understand how important it is for athletes to know they can trust the products they use. USANA is committed to providing athletes and consumers alike with safe, high-quality nutritional supplements,” said Dan Macuga, USANA Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations. “We are thrilled to partner with such a tremendous team and are happy to provide the elite athletes of The Utah Grizzlies with our nutritional products. We wish them all the best in their games this season.”

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How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

How to Keep Your New Year's Resolutions: Advice from the Experts
By Maia Szalavitz Friday, Jan. 01, 2010

About half of all American adults (48%, according to a Marist poll taken in December) say they are at least somewhat likely to make a New Year's resolution this year. Their top vows: to lose weight (19%), quit smoking (12%) and exercise more (10%). Sound familiar?

The Marist poll also found that while 65% of people who made a resolution in 2008 kept their promise for at least part of the year, 35% never even made it out of the gate. Indeed, when you wake bleary-eyed on the first day of a new year — or decade — resolutions to "cut back" and "moderate" seem both an excellent idea and an impossibly hazy dream. (See TIME's special report on health and happiness.)

But consider this: if hard-core addicts can break bad habits — some by moderating, not just quitting — there's still hope for you. Whether your goal for 2010 is to get fit or tame your drinking, experts say there's a lot you can learn from people who have successfully moderated their habits to help keep you off the resolution merry-go-round.

1. Don't Kid Yourself

"The most important thing is to be honest with yourself," says Howard Josepher, a former heroin addict and president of Exponents Inc., an organization that provides support and educational services to people with substance-misuse issues. "You need to know the difference between enjoying yourself and self-medicating. It's not that self-medicating is necessarily bad — but you should give yourself parameters. If you are adhering to them, O.K. If not, you need to check yourself." (See the 2009 year in health.)

Successful moderators decide in advance how much is too much — and stick to their limit, no matter what. Have a cookie a day if that's what you've deemed acceptable. But if you cheat by having "just one more," know that you are only cheating yourself and exacerbating the problem, experts say. The point is to learn how to hold yourself accountable.

For those who are concerned in particular about drinking, a free, research-based online tool called Drinker's Checkup can help you determine whether you are drinking at unhealthy levels, and what to do if you are.

2. Quit Cold Turkey — Temporarily

"Theoretically, there are very good reasons to take a break from a behavior, totally," says Reid Hester, director of research at Behavior Therapy Associates, explaining that an initial period of complete abstinence can make it easier for people to moderate behavior by eliminating the habitual, automatic aspect of the unwanted activity. (See America's health checkup.)

Take a cue from the self-help group Moderation Management (MM), which advises problem drinkers to abstain completely for a month before attempting moderate drinking. If you can't achieve a month of abstinence, the thinking goes, successful moderation is unlikely.

The best way to stay on course is frequent self-monitoring; use as many behavior-modification tools, support groups and programs as you can. In October, Hester and colleagues published a randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment comparing heavy drinkers who used MM's website to help them quit with those who used the MM site plus another online tool that teaches behavior-control tactics and helps chart drinking. While both groups significantly reduced their drinking and alcohol-related problems, the group that used the additional tool had more days abstinent and drank less when they drank.

3. Do What the Dalai Lama Would Do

Alan Marlatt, director of the Addictive Behaviors Research Center at the University of Washington, studies "mindfulness-based relapse prevention," which uses meditation and other ideas from Buddhist teachings to help people break bad habits. (Read "Battling Addiction: Are 12 Steps Too Many?")

"Between stimulus and response, there's a space, and in that space is our power to choose our response, and in our response lies our growth and freedom," says Marlatt, quoting author and Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl. Marlatt says, "Mindfulness gets you into that space."

Being mindful may involve traditional meditation, in which you sit quietly and observe your thoughts and breathing without judgment. But here, it is also used to focus awareness on thoughts and feelings that lead to unwanted behavior. Simply recognizing the triggers to relapse can help you choose not to give into them. "When there's a fork in the road, craving is pulling you one way. Well, what's the other way? You have to look down the other road and see where it takes you. Then you have a choice, instead of being on autopilot," says Marlatt.

One tactic he recommends for resisting those cravings is called "urge-surfing." It involves being mindful of the fact that craving is like a wave — it rises to a peak, then falls. This happens whether you yield to the urge or not, though most people erroneously think their craving will escalate endlessly unless they give in. In fact, succumbing to cravings only reinforces them — resisting, in contrast, reinforces resistance. Marlatt advises watching your urge, noting its peak and "surfing" it, rather than allowing it to wipe you out.

Another trick is to recognize that willpower is like a muscle — it gets stronger with appropriate use but ultimately weakens if overloaded. That's why Hester recommends setting short-term goals that are "moderately difficult, realistic, concrete and measurable." As with weight-lifting, starting at a level that is challenging but not overwhelming can provide a sense of achievement and success — which can give you the drive to take on bigger challenges.

4. Don't Try to Scare Yourself Straight

Research shows that in the long term, the pleasure of victory is a better incentive than the agony of defeat. "Punishment is a poor motivator," says Hester. "It sets people up for failure. If all you do is punish yourself for failure, you won't stay motivated to change for very long."

Instead, reward yourself for sticking to your limits and focus on the benefits of changing. For instance, if your goal is to drink less or lose weight, treat yourself to something you want — a new book or DVD, say — each time you successfully resist a tempting dessert or achieve a goal, like a month of abstinence. Success tends to beget greater success. If you do slip back into old patterns, avoid recriminations. "Don't say, 'I can't do it,' " says Marlatt. "People make mistakes. If you keep working at it, you will get better over time. That's what the research shows."

For some people, trying to moderate bad habits is not achievable or takes more effort than abstaining altogether — as the philosopher St. Augustine put it, "Complete abstinence is easier than perfect moderation." Recognizing this by trying and failing can also be a critical step toward behavior change.

5. Get Better Friends

Consciously and unconsciously, people tend to imitate those around them. That's why the latest research shows that things like happiness, smoking cessation and obesity can spread like a contagion through social networks. So surround yourself with friends who can also be role models. "Make sure that people you hang out with are people who look and act the way you would like to. Social imitation is the easiest form not only of flattery but of self-improvement," says Stanton Peele, author of Seven Tools to Beat Addiction. (Read "In Old Age, Friends Can Keep You Young. Really.")

Social support is critical to changing all kinds of behavior. Good friends can not only help you through slip-ups but also help keep your New Year's resolutions from taking over your life. Rather than obsessing about what you shouldn't be doing, think about things you should, experts say. The distraction will help you curb bad habits. "Focus on your higher goals and positive activities, things that both sustain you and fill your life," says Peele. If you regularly engage in meaningful activities that give you pleasure — whether it's visiting friends, picking up a hobby, taking a class or doing volunteer work (one of the most overlooked sources of personal joy and meaning is helping others) — you'll simply have less time to crave or engage in the behavior that you want to reduce.