Copper is an essential nutrient for all known plants and animals. Some animals use copper as part of their oxygen transport system, with hemocyanin (a copper-based protein) taking the place of hemoglobin (the iron-based protein humans and most vertebrates use). In these creatures, oxygenated blood is blue instead of red.

In humans, copper plays a key role in a number of essential metabolic reactions. Copper indirectly functions as an antioxidant through its essential role in the superoxide dismutase (SOD) class of enzymes. Other biological roles for copper include oxidizing ferrous iron to ferric iron (a reaction needed for hemoglobin synthesis), and the formation of lysyl oxidase, a copper-requiring enzyme with roles in collagen synthesis and wound healing.

Copper is also needed in reactions related to respiration and the release of energy. Recent research indicates a potential role for dietary copper in addressing heart disease, perhaps by undermining the composition and progression of atherosclerotic lesions.

Absorption of copper is relatively high in humans, with general bioavailbility between 55% and 75% except at very high intakes (where it can fall to less than 10%). The best food sources include oysters and shellfish, nuts, grains, and legumes, while the copper content of vegetables, fruits, and meats varies considerably.

Copper is relatively nontoxic to most mammals, including humans. An FAO/WHO Expert Committee specified intakes of 0.5mg per kg body weight as safe, or ~25mg per day for a typical adult.

Boron is a non-metallic mineral present in the human body in trace amounts. Dietary boron influences the activity of many metabolic enzymes, certain hormones, and the metabolism of several micronutrients, including calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D. However, the biological function of boron in humans has not yet been clearly established.

Boron may play a role in osteoporosis prevention by reducing calcium excretion and increasing deposition of calcium in the bone.

Studies with animals and humans indicate that some ninety percent of boron is absorbed in the normal intake range. Most dietary boron is hydrolyzed within the gut to yield B(OH)3 which, as a neutral compound, is easily absorbed.

The best dietary sources of boron are fruit-based beverages and products, tubers, legumes, nuts, dried fruits, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables.

No data are available on adverse health effects from ingestion of large amounts of boron from food and water. The tolerable upper intake level (UL) has been set at 20 mg per day for adults.

Tocotrienols are structurally and functionally similar to vitamin E and other tocopherols. Like tocopherols, several forms of tocotrienols are known (alpha-, beta-, delta-, and gamma-tocotrienols). Tocotrienols have much less vitamin activity than tocopherols, but are generally better antioxidants in vitro. For example, alpha-tocotrienol is 6.5-60x more effective than alpha-tocopherol as an antioxidant.
Similar to vitamin E, tocotrienols also protect against lipid peroxidation (the damaging of fats by oxidation).
The primary sources of tocotrienols in the average diet are vegetable oils, including palm and rice bran oil.

Carotenoids comprise a diverse class of antioxidant molecules that help protect the body from oxidative damage. Approximately 700 natural carotenoids have been isolated and characterized. Most are derived from plants, where they serve multiple functions: photosynthetic pigments, photoprotectants, and free radical scavengers. Some 50-60 carotenoids are present in a typical diet with the major sources being fruits and vegetables.

Beta-carotene is one of the best known carotenoids, likely because: (1) it is one of the most abundant in a typical adult diet, and (2) it provides two nutritional functions – in addition to its role as an antioxidant, the human body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A.

Other members of the antioxidant carotenoid family include alpha-carotene, cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, lutein, and lycopene. Unlike beta-carotene, most of these nutrients are not converted to vitamin A in significant amounts.

Beta carotene’s role as an antioxidant is based on its extensive system of conjugated double bonds which, upon reacting with an oxygen atom, absorb and diffuse that oxygen’s potentially destructive energy. The oxygen atom returns to a lower energy state, and beta carotene dissipates the absorbed energy harmlessly (as heat). Similar mechanisms are involved in quenching the oxidative potential of hydroxyl radicals and other free radical compounds.

As provitamin A, beta carotene contributes to an entirely different set of functions by supplying a portion of the body’s requirement for retinol (vitamin A). In fact, a single molecule of beta-carotene can be cleaved in the body to produce two molecules of vitamin A. Other carotenoids (including alpha-carotene, gamma-carotene, and cryptoxanthin) provide provitamin A activity, but yield only one molecule of vitamin A when metabolized.

Retinol (vitamin A) is an essential nutrient associated with three important functions, the best-defined of which involves human vision. Retinol is a functional constituent of rhodopsin, a protein located in the retina of the eye that absorbs light and triggers a series of biochemical reactions that ultimately initiate nerve impulses, resulting in sight.

Secondly, vitamin A is involved in the activation of gene expression and the control of cell differentiation. It is through this function that vitamin A affects immune function, taste, hearing, appetite, skin renewal, bone development, and growth.
Vitamin A’s third role involves control of embryonic development. Here it is thought that retinoic acid modulates the expression of certain genes that govern patterns of sequential development of various tissues and organs in the body.

Vitamin A deficiency is a major public health issue, particularly in developing countries. It has been estimated that 500,000 preschool-age children worldwide become blind each year as a result of vitamin A deficiency. Millions of others suffer from night blindness, a common clinical sign of inadequate vitamin A intake. Further estimates suggest that more than 100 million children worldwide suffer from vitamin A inadequacy without showing clinical signs of acute deficiency. Beta-carotene is known to be an effective dietary cure for vitamin A deficiency and an effective remedy for symptoms of this disorder.

Epidemiological studies support long-term beneficial effects of beta-carotene intake on a number of degenerative diseases. For example, the relationship between beta-carotene intake and cancer has received considerable attention in recent years. Epidemiological evidence suggests that long-term intake of dietary beta-carotene may reduce the risk of several types of cancer. Similar findings pertain to heart disease and immune health.

Dietary sources rich in beta carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids include carrots, broccoli, yellow squash, corn, tomatoes, papayas, oranges, and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale and Chinese cabbage. Beta-carotene is heat stable, so it is not degraded during prolonged boiling or microwaving.

Although ingestion of too much preformed vitamin A (retinol) can be toxic, excessive intake of beta-carotene is not known to induce vitamin A toxicity. Negative feedback mechanisms in the body prevent the over-conversion of beta-carotene to retinol. However, high levels of beta-carotene in the diet can induce hypercarotenosis, a benign condition characterized by a jaundice-like yellowing of the skin. Symptoms are reversed when dietary intake is reduced.

Unfortunately, dietary intake is often ignored when it comes to calcium recommendations. It is important to remember that when a particular amount of calcium is recommended (typically 1,000 mg, 1,200 mg, or 1,500 mg), that recommendation is for total calcium intake – not just calcium from supplements.

Average dietary calcium intake in females is 744 mg/day. The average intake among males is 975 mg/day. Even without adding Active Calcium, the CellSentials will supplement a typical American diet to provide over 1,000 mg/day of calcium for females (the RDA for normally healthy adult females is 1,000 mg/day), and over 1,250 mg/day for males. For those at higher risk or those with below-average dietary calcium intakes, Active Calcium provides another 200 mg per tablet.

Correctly considering normal dietary calcium amounts means that the recommended dosage of Active Calcium and the CellSentials provides most everyone with at least 1,500 mg of calcium per day. Since most people do not need an additional 1,200+ mg of supplemental calcium added to their diet, the amounts of calcium and magnesium in the CellSentials and Active Calcium are adequate for nearly every human being.

Palm oil is used as a “functional oil” in several applications. It is used because it is solid at room temperature. It is solid largely because of the amount of saturated fat. It is a component of the chocolate and peanut butter chips and coatings. With other oils, with higher melting points, the chips and coating melt at lower temperatures, and as such are impossible to ship. In the past, people used hydrogenated fats to produce a solid material that could be used in baking and other applications. However, the hydrogenation process also generated trans fats. Plant based saturated fats such as palm are the best alternatives. At the present time there are few other good alternatives. As such, in some applications we have no choice but to use palm oil. So it is our policy to continue to use palm oil where necessary, but only if that oil is harvested sustainably. Our suppliers have given us a statement that this is the case, and we will continue to require them to use palm oil that is harvested in this way. As other healthy alternatives come on-line we will shift to those.

USANA does not add artificial preservatives to any of its products.

Inulin, a soluble fiber produced by plants, is also a prebiotic that promotes healthy digestive function by stimulating the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria.

Dry labbing is when supplement companies produce products that they claim to analyze for contents, but the analyses are actually being fabricated. That is, the products were “tested” in reference labs that use a process called dry lab analysis. These labs did no actual laboratory work at all, but rather just produced a certificate of analysis, or a piece of paper with amounts listed. The amounts fit exactly what the manufacturer wanted to list on their label. This is a process that no supplement manufacturer should ever use. It is both illegal and dangerous.
At USANA we are so concerned about the quality, potency and purity of our products that we don’t trust our analysis to contract labs. We established our own analytical laboratory in-house, in the same building where we make our supplements. We use this lab to test all of our incoming raw materials and finished products, ensuring that what’s listed on the label is in the bottle. We also take this a step further and test for unwanted contaminants, such as toxic heavy metals and microbial contaminants.
We designed our quality assurance program to follow the same practices as the pharmaceutical industry. We control our process from start to finish in our own state of the art manufacturing facility, using validated analytical methods in our own labs. In addition, we also have validated and certified our products through independent 3rd parties. Our manufacturing facility is certified to follow Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) by NSF International. Further, our products have also been tested and certified to meet label clams by NSF – further proof that we meet the highest standards in the industry.
Another related issue is the practice of hiding illegal ingredients in supplements. This “spiking” of a supplement with athletically banned substances, such as steroids, stimulants and the like, is an abhorrent practice that should be eliminated by prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. USANA has never spiked or adulterated any product with these substances. In fact, USANA was the first and only company that was so confident of its manufacturing, Quality Control protocols, and analytical testing capabilities, that we established a Million Dollar Guarantee for elite athletes who compete under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules. With this guarantee, USANA promises that, during the term of the agreement, should the athlete test positive for a banned substance included in the WADA list of banned substances, as a result of taking USANA® nutritional products, USANA will compensate the athlete up to two times his or her current annual earnings (with a maximum of $1 million).
USANA also pioneered the relationship with testing facilities in the United States and Europe to ensure the absence of all WADA banned substances in its products, and was one of the first supplement manufacturers to test and certify products through Informed-Choice/Informed-Sport and the NSF Certified for Sport programs, helping to lead the industry towards more effective and safer products.

No USANA products contain significant quantities of salycilates, and USANA does not add any salicylates to its supplements. Any salicylate amounts potentially occurring in the tablets would be incidental and inconsequential.

(Incidental salicylate amounts in the tablets would be hundreds to thousands of times smaller than normal dietary amounts from fruits, vegetables, and berries.)