VITAMINS CUSTOMIZED FOR YOUR BODY’S NEEDS
Your personal trainer is always telling you to do two more sets, your fitness tracker congratulates you after reaching your goal of 10K steps a day and your nutrition app gives you a complete nutrient breakdown of every bite you eat. In today’s tech savvy world, our health and wellness has become increasingly personalized so why shouldn’t our vitamins also be tailored for our individual nutritional needs?
Vitamins are not one-size-fits-all
This is the exact science and idea behind Vitamin Packs, a company leading the next generation in personalized nutrition through its subscription service of personalized vitamin supplements. “Nutrition is more than a one-size-fits-all approach,” says founder and CEO, Jason Brown, “it’s about understanding how your body works, what fuels it for success and how it interacts with prescription medications.”
Consumer confusion about vitamins
After a career spent in the natural products, health and nutrition industry, Brown could see there was a real and immediate opportunity to disrupt the consumer supplement buying experience. Research proved that when it comes to buying vitamins and supplements, despite being a $37 billion a year industry, consumers are generally confused as to what they need and often make the wrong choices.
A general lack of knowledge coupled with an overwhelming number of products available add up to such a frustrating experience, that most consumers give up on using nutritional supplements long before attaining any health benefits. Brown states, “That’s why personalized nutrition is so important, and that’s why we created VitaminPacks.com. Our supplement recommendations are designed to provide only what your body needs.”
In offering consumers such personalized service, Vitamin Packs’ goal is to provide a seamless shopping experience by providing a level of confidence, convenience and value to their customers that can’t be found in retail stores or on mainstream online shopping sites.
Precision nutrition that sets the standard
Along with co-founders, Tamara Bernadot, SVP of Nutritional Development and CTO Prem Thudia, Brown was first inspired to help people live better after experiencing personal health scares and challenges. Vitamin Packs first developed its intelligent health technology in order to personalize nutrition in 1999.
To create the company, the team formed a brain trust of medical professionals, nutritionists and health experts to leverage data, science and technology to curate customized, daily supplements based on each person’s individual nutritional needs. This kind of “precision nutrition” is what sets VitaminPacks.com apart from other companies.
Now, seen as a leader in the personalized nutrition market, VitaminPacks.com is poised to further disrupt the wellness industry by empowering consumers to take control of their health by customizing supplement choices that fit best with their lifestyle, bodies and goals. “Vitamin Packs is focused on changing how the world buys and take supplements,” said Brown. “Consumer nutrition deficits are real, with real health impacts, and this solution is just better.”
Driven by state of the art health technology
The company offers 70 pharmaceutical grade quality vitamins and nutritional supplements which means they are made from raw ingredients that have been tested for purity, quality and absorption rate. All their products meet FDA guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practices and even their packaging meets hospital packaging standards.
The health technology behind Vitamin Packs’ business is their proprietary algorithm, Sage, which is fueled by the collective information and advice from Vitamin Packs’ nutrition experts, peer-reviewed scientific studies and a science advisory board of medical doctors. Using its algorithm, Sage is able to take the answers from each person’s health questionnaire and produce millions of unique combinations using Vitamin Packs’ list of premium products so customers can receive vitamin packs that are precisely customized for their health needs.
Regulated by science and medicine
The science advisory board monitors and evaluate the latest nutrition and lifestyle scientific research in order to ensure the accuracy of Vitamin Packs’ supplement recommendations. Michael Roizen, M.D., is the original chief wellness officer of the Cleveland Clinic and chairman of Vitamin Packs’ science advisory board. He says, “Vitamin Packs takes the guesswork out of nutrition by being a trusted wellness advisor. I’m honored to provide my medical perspective to help shape holistic health for consumers.”
Ultimately, Sage’s technology is supported by decades of experience, thousands of scientific studies and pieces of data, the latest industry innovations and the expertise of nutritional professionals.
How Vitamin Packs.com works
Customers fill out a simple questionnaire on VitaminPacks.com, answering a series of health and lifestyle questions, including age, height, diet, sleep patterns, medications etc. Vitamin Packs’ proprietary health technology, an algorithm named Sage, takes the answers, identifies each person’s most important health needs and then reviews more than 650 potential medication interactions before recommending supplements that are personalized for each customer.
You then get a price per day cost for all your recommended supplements along with a breakdown of monthly and per day cost for each product. For some, their daily cost can be as low as $1. A 28 day supply, packed in convenient packs for daily consumption, is delivered to each customer’s door within days of ordering and as their health needs change, each shipment can be modified. Subscriptions include free delivery, free returns and unlimited access to nutrition and wellness news, curated by Vitamin Packs’ experts available in the Knowledge Center on the company’s website. Putting their money where their mouth is, the company even offers a full refund within 30 days of the purchase date, no questions asked if customers are not satisfied.
Committed to making communities healthier
As a company committed to promoting health and wellness for all people, Vitamin Packs is donating one percent of their total sales to Vitamin Angels, a non-profit whose mission is to provide vitamins and minerals to at-risk populations in need – specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five. In 2016, Vitamin Angels serviced over 51 million mothers and children in 57 countries worldwide, including the U.S. “At VitaminPacks.com, our mission is to help people live healthier lives, and we put these values to work every day, in everything we do,” said Brown, “That’s why Vitamin Angels is our ideal charity partner.”
To kick off the partnership, VitaminPacks.com made a donation that will provide nutritional support to 40,000 women and children under the age of 5 for one year. In what seems to be only a win-win situation for all, Brown goes on to say, “We look forward to empowering our customers to improve their health – and make the world healthier too. With every purchase, our customers will be well and do well for others.”
Garlic: Kryptonite for Vampires, Good for your Health!
by Vicky Choy, Rejuvenation Therapeutics Science and Editorial Team
Love it or hate it, as a nutritional superstar you can’t beat garlic for its numerous natural medicinal qualities. Garlic is also a superfood that is low in calories but rich in vitamin B6, vitamin C, and manganese. Plus it contains trace amounts of other vital nutrients. Garlic (Allium sativum) is a plant in the onion family and dates back to ancient histories of major civilizations as one of the earliest plants used for a variety of healing purposes. Centuries later, garlic is still used today as a potent natural medicinal ingredient, whether fresh or in supplements, to strengthen immunity, support cardiovascular health and circulatory function, prevent disease and to boost overall wellness.
Garlic’s therapeutic effects come from Allicin, an active ingredient in the bulb that gives garlic its unique smell and taste. Allicin is released when the garlic is chopped or crushed and enters the body through the digestive tract. Researchers have recently found that garlic also has sulfur-containing compounds that may prevent some cancers and help fight heart disease.
It’s important to maintain a nutritious diet in order to achieve healthy aging and garlic is an essential part of any health plan. As delicious as garlic can be, the idea of eating it every day may not be attractive or practical so an organic garlic supplement is a convenient way to get the health benefits of garlic on a daily basis. Keep in mind, those who are taking blood thinning medications or have a bleeding disorder are advised to talk to their doctor before increasing their intake of garlic.
What are the Health Benefits of Garlic?
One of the most important health benefits of garlic is its ability to combat harmful particles called free radicals which build up in our bodies as we age. Free radicals may contribute to chronic diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and heart disease. However, garlic is rich in antioxidants that can fight off these free radicals to reduce or even help prevent their damaging effects.
Some other important health benefits of garlic supplements include:
1-Prevention and reduction of cold and flu symptoms
A study published in the journal, “Advances In Therapy” found that a daily garlic supplement reduced the number of colds by 63% in a study group while the average length of cold symptoms was reduced to 1.5 days compared to 5 days for the group without garlic. As for the flu, a 2012 study found that a high dose of garlic extract reduced the number of sick days by 61%.
2-Reduce total and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol
LDL is known as “bad” cholesterol while HDL is considered the “good” cholesterol. For those with high cholesterol, research has found that garlic supplementation can reduce total and/or LDL cholesterol by about 10-15% but it does not adversely affect HDL.
3-Lower high blood pressure and hypertension
Human studies have shown the active compounds in garlic can reduce high blood pressure, one of the causes of heart attacks and strokes. One report found that over a 24 week period, high doses of garlic (equivalent to about four cloves of garlic per day) was as effective Atenolol, a drug used to reduce blood pressure.
What to Look For in a Garlic Supplement
Before purchasing a garlic supplement, do some research to make sure that you are choosing a high quality product from a reputable company like Rejuvenation Therapeutics whose products are organic, vegan, made without artificial fillers and are rice and gluten-free. The more established the company, the more you can learn about their reputation, philosophy and practices.
Anti-Aging Breakthrough: Scientists’ Vitamin B3 Discovery Turns Back the Clock
by Vicky Choy, Rejuvenation Therapeutics Science and Editorial Team
Recent scientific studies from major universities have discovered that nicotinamide riboside (NR), a unique form of Vitamin B3, can help slow the aging process. How does it do this? It elevates levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), a natural compound found in all living cells. Despite being a mouthful to say, NAD+ is vitally important to our bodies for normal cellular function and generating metabolic energy. Unfortunately, it is also proven to decrease as we get older.
Therefore, taking supplements with NR could aid in combatting NAD+ decline, which leads to aging and chronic diseases. Studies have shown that NR taken daily in the right amount can also enhance cardio and brain health by elevating levels of NAD+ in the blood. The increased levels of NAD+ can promote cells to repair and sustain themselves, thereby slowing down aging.
What Is NR And Its Effects?
NR is a natural biological form of Vitamin B3 and a precursor to NAD+. NR works in the major areas of human cells, including the all-important mitochondria. Supplements with NR are first absorbed by the body, then converted into NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) and then into NAD+. Like NR, NMN is a byproduct of niacin and is a nucleotide made from ribose and nicotinamide.
It was proven in a Harvard Medical School NMN study that humans and other mammals have enzymes that can use NMN to make NAD+. The study reported, “Our data show that 1 week of treatment with a compound that boosts NAD+ levels is sufficient to restore the mitochondrial homeostasis and key biochemical markers of muscle health in a 22-month-old mouse to levels similar to a 6-month-old mouse.”1
In other mice studies, NR has been shown to actually lower cholesterol and even protect cells in the livers of obese and diabetic mice. Not only that, NR supplements also increases NAD+ levels to boost metabolism and protect against health conditions caused by a high-fat diet 2.
Other clinical studies are being conducted to measure the effect of NR on NAD+ synthesis in the brain to explore how NR may have neuroprotective effects that can stimulate the brain and improve cognitive function. 3
Beware of Mega-Dosing
The proverbial phrase, “You can have too much of a good thing” does apply when it comes to taking NR. Scientific research has found that 100mg is an ideal daily dose of NR. Any more of a niacin-based compound can lead to “flushing,” a “prickly heat” sensation usually felt on the face and upper body.
A clinical study discovered that flushing happened 15-30 minutes after test subjects took a large supplemental niacin dose, “At 500 mg of niacin, 33 of 33 participants experienced flushing compared with one out of 35 participants on placebos. In this study, two individuals self-reported flushing at the 300 mg dose but not at the 100 mg or 1,000 mg dose, and two individuals self-reported feeling hot at the 1,000 mg dose but not at lower doses.”
The bottom line is when it comes to mega-doses, it’s best to do some research to discover the correct dosage for a particular supplement since mega-dosing can lead to wasting mega-bucks.
All Supplements Aren’t Created Equal
Because NAD+ is not easily absorbed by our bodies, it’s important to make sure you take a supplement like NIaSun that comes in easy to absorbed, rice-free, vegan capsules. Many companies use rice-based stabilizers and fillers in their capsules so you wind up getting less of the supplement’s potency.
Another reason to use rice-free products is that these fillers run the risk of having trace amounts of arsenic. Read the labels to make sure the manufacturer uses only pure ingredients and the best materials like BPA-free packaging.
A Simple Way To Combat Aging
As new scientific discoveries teach us more and more about age prevention, many experts believe a holistic approach to health is the best way to go. To make sure they meet recommended daily intake, taking supplements from health-centered, science-driven manufacturers like Rejuvenation Therapeutics (the makers of NIaSun) can maximize your overall health benefits.
In today’s world, whole health is more than diet and exercise; a healthy lifestyle also includes physical and emotional wellbeing for longevity and life fulfillment. We are lucky to live in an age in which our lives could potentially be extended with a simple daily dose of a health supplement like NR.
Sources:
- Gomes, Ana P., et al. “Declining NAD+ induces a pseudohypoxic state disrupting nuclear-mitochondrial communication during aging.”Cell7 (2013): 1624-1638.
Yoshino J(1), Mills KF, Yoon MJ, Imai S. “Nicotinamide mononucleotide, a key NAD(+) intermediate, treats the pathophysiology of diet- and age-induced diabetes in mice”. Cell Metab. 2011 Oct 5;14(4):528-36. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2011.08.014.
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