The Comparative Guide is written by Lyle MacWilliam and is not a USANA publication. Any questions regarding its content should be directed to Mr. MacWilliam. His website should provide contact information: https://www.nutrisearch.ca
USANA and Sanoviv are separate and distinct entities. (Although Dr. Wentz founded Sanoviv, it is not part of USANA Health Sciences.)
You will need to contact Sanoviv directly for information regarding their programs and recommendations. Their contact information is available here: http://www.sanoviv.com
µg = mcg = microgram = 1/1,000 of a milligram = 1/1,000,000 of a gram
“µ” is the Greek letter ‘mu’ which is the scientific symbol used to abbreviate the word micro. A microgram is 1/1,000 of a milligram or 1/1,000,000 of a gram. Sometimes the letters mcg will also be used as an abbreviation for microgram.
The glycemic index (GI) is a way of measuring the rate at which carbohydrates are broken down and appear in the blood as simple sugars. In general, the more refined and processed the food, the faster the food is broken down and the higher the GI.
High GI foods act rapidly to influence blood sugar, providing quick energy. However, this energy is usually short lived and hunger soon returns, potentially leading to overeating and weight gain. Low GI foods affect blood sugar more slowly and steadily. These foods provide greater satiety and longer lasting, more consistent energy, making eating less (and maintaining weight) easier.
Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) is a laboratory analysis that provides an overall measure of a food’s antioxidant activity. The test works by challenging a food product with an oxidizing agent, and then measuring the overall capacity of that food to resist oxidation. The higher the ORAC score, the greater is the food’s antioxidant capacity. Several such measures of “total” antioxidant activity have been developed. None are definitive, but ORAC has gained the widest acceptance in commercial circles.
ORAC tests are often used to compare the antioxidant activities of different foods (fruits, vegetables, juices, wines, etc.). Such comparisons can be valuable, but they do carry limitations. First, ORAC analyses are not extremely precise. When a given food product is tested multiple times in a given laboratory, variation in ORAC score from one sample to the next is often on the order of 10-15%. Second, different laboratories conduct ORAC testing in different ways, and often produce markedly different results. Third, different orange juices, for example, that were manufactured and diluted in different ways and stored under different conditions, can actually have very different antioxidant activities such that it is difficult to assign a meaningful ORAC score to orange juice in general.
Nevertheless, comparisons based on ORAC testing can be meaningful when similar products are compared, when all ORAC analyses are conducted in a single, qualified laboratory using the same analytical methods, and importantly when the ORAC values reported pertain to equal amounts of product (for example, all the ORAC values are presented on a per ounce or per 100 gram basis). Under these circumstances, large differences in ORAC score (particularly differences on the order of 3-10 fold) can indicate meaningful differences in true antioxidant activity.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a mathematical formula used to measure your height/weight ratio. BMI equals a person’s weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared (BMI = kg/m2).
BMI can be a useful tool for estimating overall body fat in adult men and women. It is not an appropriate tool for determining body fat in children.
When you look at a food label, you might be confused at the variety of different measurements used to indicate how much of each vitamin is in that food. You’ll find terms like mg, mcg, IU and more. Why are there a variety of different terms used, and how do you convert between these different units?
International Units (IU) are one of the standardized units used to calculate or measure vitamin potency and biological effectiveness. IUs are preferred rather than weight for many vitamins, because different vitamin forms can have different levels of potency. IUs provide a standardized way to calculate a vitamin’s potency across different vitamin forms.
IU, mcg, and Other Label Unit Abbreviations
IU = international unit
RAE = retinal activity equivalents
DFE = dietary folate equivalent
NE = niacin equivalent
mg = milligram
mcg = μg = microgram
Vitamin Unit Conversions and Calculations
The information below provides an approximate vitamin conversion from standardized units (IU, RAE, DFE, NE) to milligrams or micrograms.
Vitamin A
1 IU = 0.3 mcg retinol
1 mcg RAE = 1 mcg retinol
1 mcg RAE = 2 mcg supplemental beta-carotene
1 mcg RAE = 12 mcg beta-carotene
1 mcg RAE = 24 mcg alpha-carotene
1 mcg RAE = 24 mcg beta-cryptoxanthin
Vitamin B
Folate
1 mcg DFE = 1 mcg food folate
1 mcg DFE = 0.6 mcg folic acid
Niacin
1 mg NE = 1 mg niacinamide
1 mg NE = 1 mg inositol hexanicotinate
1 mg NE = 1 mg niacin
1 mg NE = 60 mg tryptophan
Vitamin D
1 IU = 0.025 mcg ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2)
1 IU = 0.025 mcg cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3)
Vitamin E
1 IU = 0.67 mg d-alpha tocopherol (natural)
1 IU = 0.45 mg dl-alpha tocopheryl (synthetic)
“Vitamin B17” (also known as laetrile or amygdalin) is not a vitamin and does not play any known beneficial role in human health. Not only can amygdalin be potentially dangerous, but it has repeatedly proven ineffective when put through proper scientific testing and methodology.
If you ever come across an ingredient labeled as a vitamin and it is not in the CellSentials, it is not a true vitamin. USANA’s CellSentials contain all 13 known vitamins as well as choline (dubbed an “essential nutrient”).
At present, no USANA Nutritionals contain conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
Preliminary research has examined possible roles of CLA in weight loss and muscle retention. However, current CLA research in humans is lacking (nearly all research involving CLA has been conducted in animals). If future CLA research demonstrates significant nutritional benefits for the general population, USANA scientists will reassess a potential role for it in appropriate USANA products.
At present, no USANA products contain creatine.
