Phytonutrient Protection: Maximizing Overall Health with a Highly Bioavailable, Antioxidant-Rich Green Drink Mix

5th Dec 2006

Robert Watson, VRP President/CEO

An abundance of research supports the fact that diets high in fruits and vegetables are essential for overall health. High consumption of fruits and vegetables has been linked to weight loss and reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, cataracts, macular degeneration, osteoporosis, arthritis – even wrinkles. A review of the scientific literature from 1999 to 2001 states “the current evidence collectively demonstrates that fruit and vegetable intake is associated with improved health, reduced risk of major diseases, and possibly delayed onset of age-related factors.”

Yet, despite our awareness of this growing body of evidence that connects fruit and vegetable consumption with optimal health, our fast-paced lifestyle often prohibits us from eating as healthy as possible. In addition, our absorption of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables can often be impaired by factors such as age or poor digestion or other nutrient-blocking factors in the foods we eat. Consequently, finding ways to supplement our fruit and vegetable intake is crucial.

Vitamin Research Products has offered three popular drink formulas – Vital Veggies, Primary Greens and Protective Fruits – which provided a way to ensure we all receive our fair share of phytonutrients. In an effort to offer a simpler more affordable option we are discontinuing these formulas and introducing one complete, cost effective, great tasting green drink called Primary Greens. A high quality, bioavailable option, Primary Greens offers an even wider array of phytonutrients than the original formulas did combined.

The latest 2005 USDA dietary guidelines now recommend a wide variety of 7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily for “average” women and 9 per day for “average” men. As calorie requirements increase, recommendations go as high as 13 servings for those larger and more active than average. In fact, the National Cancer Society admits that the “5-A-Day” gospel was just the bare minimum.

Despite the well-known benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption, current adherence to the USDA guidelines is low in the US. Indeed these new USDA 2005 guidelines recommend a 50 percent increase in vegetable intake, a 150 percent increase in fruits, a 250 percent increase in orange colored fruits and vegetables, and a 350 percent increase in dark greens!

The low adherence to the USDA fruit and vegetable consumption guidelines is particularly disturbing since science has found those who eat 7 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day suffer from a much lower incidence of the common chronic degenerative diseases of aging as compared to those who eat only 2 or 3 servings per day.

Other studies also have found that compliance when it comes to eating the correct amount of fruits and vegetables is very poor. It is routinely reported that only 1 in 5 adults follow the USDA’s old minimum “5-A-Day” advice and even less children do. (Some reports say 2 in 5 adults attain the minimum, but that was before the potato was moved from a vegetable to a grain, so French fries are no longer counted.)

In addition, it has recently been reported that only 3 percent of males report consuming the now recommended 9 servings per day. In fact, men on average eat only four servings per day. Yet only 25 percent of men believe they need to eat more! According to The Products for Better Health State of the Plate Report, “No other food commodity (fruits and vegetables) – especially one with such importance to disease prevention – has a gap this large between recommended and actual intake.”

Another eye-opening report is the Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals. After gathering evidence from 1994-2004, the report concluded, “A significant gap in the variety of fruit and vegetable intake was also found, which does not allow for an optimal or even near-optimal intake of antioxidant (and other) nutrients needed to protect against... ‘killer’ diseases.”

This finding is also very disturbing since research shows that four out of the five leading causes of death are related in part to inadequate fruit and vegetable intake.

Phytonutrient Protection

We know that people are busy. They don’t always have time to prepare fresh, whole foods. In creating Primary Greens, our goal was to help people get “back to basics” by helping them find a life-long, convenient way to ensure they consume plenty of phytonutrients, including greens and fruits and vegetables of all the colors. Phytonutrients have emerged as one of the most beneficial anti-aging components of the plant foods we enjoy. Various kinds of phytonutrients have been shown to:

Facilitate cell-to-cell communication,

Modify cellular receptor uptake of hormones,

Repair DNA damage from toxic exposure,

Detoxify carcinogens through the activation of the cytochrome P450 and Phase II liver enzyme systems, and

Serve as antioxidants, thereby helping to reduce the risk of cancer and caus-ing apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells, enhancing immune response, and supporting cardiovascular, bone and eye health.

One other goal is our desire to include only the highest quality ingredients in order to make it the most efficacious, yet still highly affordable, formula available. Most green drinks use tomato powder, which is poor in lycopene, and costs as little as $6 - $11 a kilogram (2.2 lbs.).

Primary Greens Supplement Facts

Primary Greens uses a rich lycopene tomato powder at a cost of $350-$500 a kilo. Quercetin in green drinks is usually 17 percent bioavailable, but the Isoquercitin/Rutin in Primary Greens is 300 percent more bioavailable. It’s also 25 percent more costly to us, but we have been able to use it while keeping the cost of our green drink affordable. Raspberry powder is relatively inexpensive, but is devoid of some of the most beneficial components. By contrast, Primary Greens contains a 20 percent ellagic acid raspberry powder, a powerful source of nutrients.

Organic barley usually has bacterial counts from 200,000 to 2,000,000, a level which many other companies consider acceptable. Ionizing radiation is often used to kill these bacteria. On the other hand, the high quality, organic barley used in our Primary Greens has naturally low bacterial counts and negative pathogen counts due to strict extraction, processing, and storage guidelines. Furthermore, none of the ingredients in Primary Greens are subjected to ionizing radiation, nor do we use any solvents for extracting teas and herbs, as many companies do. All ingredients in our green drink formula are water extracted. To further ensure quality, we conduct quality assurance tests (micros, heavy metals, and antioxidant capacity) of every batch made. We also employ quality control personnel and strict operating procedures to ensure that every serving is equally efficacious.

In addition to green algae such as chlorella and spirulina, Primary Greens contains a variety of fruits and vegetables. However, there also are a number of ingredients not usually found in green drinks such as quinoa sprouts. Quinoa is a protein-rich food originally grown in the high plains of the Andes Mountains in South America. Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”) is the seed of a leafy plant distantly related to spinach. As a “grass” seed sprout, it is extraordinarily rich in nutrients, notably the B vitamins, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, essential fatty acids, saponins, beta glucans and enzymes. Quinoa contains up to 50 percent more protein than the true grains barley and wheat, and unlike them is rich in the essential amino acid lysine. The World Health Organization has rated the quality of protein in quinoa at least equivalent to that in milk.

Primary Greens also is a rich source of resveratrol. By now, most nutritionally minded people know that resveratrol is abundant in red grapes and wine. In actuality, however, it is most abundant in polygonum cuspidatum, an Asian plant used for centuries to maintain heart and liver health. Studies have shown that resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant that may improve cardiovascular health and reduce clotting. During in vitro and animal studies, resveratrol also has inhibited cancer cells.

Aloe leaf powder is another potent phytonutrient contained in Primary Greens. It is known as a “general tonic” that supports the immune system and tissue healing, and improves digestion and gastric health. In addition, Primary Greens is a rich source of beta-glucans, which are known for their immune-boosting effects.

Cinnamon also was included in the new green drink formula. Instead of simply using cinnamon extract, we included Cinnulin-PF®, a water-soluble cinnamon extract that is both insulin-mimetic and highly synergistic with insulin. Cinnulin-PF is preferable to other types of cinnamon extracts because it is water-soluble. The lipid soluble fraction of cinnamon, on the other hand, contains the phytochemicals most likely to be toxic at higher doses, or with chronic cinnamon ingestion. In vitro, cinnamon kills many unfriendly bacteria and fungi that would like to inhabit our intestines. Human and animal studies also indicate cinnamon extracts may be helpful in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.

Rich Source of Phytonutrients

Of course, many of the effects associated with the nutrients included in the formula are due to an exceptionally high phytonutrient content. Many of the Primary Greens components have a rich carotenoid content. Marigolds are a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, the only carotenoids identified in the macula of the eye. There they help filter blue light from the retina and inhibit the oxidative damage that can lead to macular degeneration. The kale and spinach found in the drink also offer a rich source of these carotenoids while a special tomato extract is a source of lycopene, another carotenoid.

Another powerful phytonutrient in the green drink is limonoids, found in Acerola cherries, lemon peels and other citrus fruits. Limonoids may be specifically directed toward protection of the lungs. The effects of D-limonene and citrus fruit oils such as lemon oil on induced neoplasia of the lungs and forestomach of female mice inhibited pulmonary adenoma formation and the occurrence of forestomach tumors.

Other phytonutrients in Primary Greens include the three major classes of phenols: anthocyanins from berries, pine bark, and grape seeds, flavonoids from fruits and vegetables, and catechins from green and white tea. Phenols are well known for their ability to:

Protect the vascular system by strengthening, maintaining and repairing capillaries,

Support the health of individuals with allergies,

Reduce inflammation,

Fight free radicals,

Reduce platelet aggregation,

Help heal ulcers,

Help remove liver toxins, and

Increase immunity.

Another interesting aspect of flavonoids is their ability to interfere with the enzymes that produce estrogen, which may reduce the risk of estrogen-induced cancers.

Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, are also included in the drink as sources of indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and its metabolite diindolymethane (DIM). A recent case-controlled study reported that cruciferous consumption of 1-2 servings per day (150–220 gm) reduced breast cancer risk by 40 to 50 percent in post-menopausal women.

Primary Greens also has a high antioxidant content. The antioxidant capacity of a substance is measured through two tests known as ORAC and HORAC. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity and HORAC is a test for Hydroxyl Radical Absorbance Capacity. The higher the ORAC and HORAC values, the greater a substance’s ability to “quench” harmful oxidants known as free radicals. Other popular phytonutrient drinks have published, per serving ORAC values that ranges from 96 to 1245 and HORAC values that range from 6 to 104. Primary Greens has an ORAC value of 6,996 and a HORAC value of 424.8 per serving!

This high antioxidant content is most likely responsible for Primary Greens’ ability to inhibit LDL oxidation. A recent, unpublished animal study conducted on Primary Greens showed that consumption of the green drink increased levels of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase in rat livers by 31.25 percent and 69.6 percent in three weeks and six weeks, respectively. After three weeks, glutathione peroxidase (a marker of antioxidant activity) also increased 112 percent in the rodents’ livers, total triglycerides dropped 21.3 percent, and the time it took for LDL cholesterol and VLDL cholesterol to oxidize increased by 62.7 percent.

Enhanced Bioavailability

Primary Greens is made with a special technology called NanoFusion™. The NanoFusion technology that we included in Primary Greens is a patented nano-technology delivery system proven to significantly enhance bioavailability. This is a crucial aspect of Primary Greens because maximizing bioavailability of phytonutrients, which are often poorly absorbed, is as important as demonstrating quality, potency and purity.

Primary Greens patented Nano-Fusion technology utilizes nanosized vesicles, less than 1/5 of a micron in size, so small they can only be seen with an electron microscope. Nano-sizing itself greatly increases surface area and facilitates solubility, thereby enhancing bio-availability. Furthermore, NanoFusion spontaneously encapsulates phytonutrients in its patented phospholipid/lipid ester organic membrane to maximize availability for absorption by the small intestine. And NanoFusion, which mimics the body’s own liposome strategy for digestion, has been proven safe and non-toxic.

Conclusion

In a fast-paced world where most individuals are depriving themselves of optimal health by not consuming enough fruits and vegetables, virtually everyone who is not eating 7-13 servings of a wide variety of fruits and veggies every day will benefit from consuming the vitally important array of phytonutrients contained in this product. In addition, by the year 2050, nearly one-third of the U.S. population is expected to be over age 65. This aging sector of the population may be able to experience greater health, longevity and vitality simply by adding high-antioxidant, phytonutrient-rich foods – including high potency, great tasting green drinks made with certified organic ingredients – to their diet.

The information in this article is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a medical professional, and has not been approved by the U.S. FDA.

Copyright by Vitamin Research Products, Inc. The Vitamin Research News is intended solely for individual, non-commercial use. All other uses are prohibited without written permission from VRP.

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Primary Greens - 360 grams

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