USANA® Procosa® Helps You Move Free for a Life You Love*

USANA® Procosa®

Keep moving with the blend of vegetarian glucosamine and Meriva® bioavailable curcumin in the InCelligence Joint-Support Complex.

Your life is not meant to be lived sitting on the sidelines. And, keeping your body fit is essential to staying in the action. Maintaining your mobility throughout your lifetime takes strong, flexible joints. USANA® Procosa® can help you take care of them. This unique supplement is designed to provide nutrients that will maintain and protect your joint health. So, nothing will hold you back from doing the activities you love.*

Procosa is unique because it combines the InCelligence Joint-Support Complex—made of vegetarian glucosamine and Meriva® Bioavailable Curcumin—with vitamin C. These ingredients provide benefits you can feel and see:

  • Broad support for joint health, function, and comfort*
  • Skin health, firmness, and hydration*

No matter the game plan you have for your life, maintaining an active, independent lifestyle is the way to win. Procosa can help you live without limits, so you can achieve your version of victory.*

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Preserving Healthy Joints Hinges on Your Lifestyle

It’s pretty easy to take your joints for granted. But life would be really difficult without them, because they allow you to move freely. That’s why it’s so important to take care of healthy joints.

Your body has a few different types of joints. The most common is what’s known as a synovial joint. This is the type that has the greatest range of motion, allowing your bones to move together. You can thank these joints for your ability to run, climb, dance, wave at a friend, or hug a loved one.

Normal synovial joint anatomy. Healthy joint detailed illustration.

Synovial joints are unique, because they’re the only type of joint that has a narrow space between your bones—the joint cavity. These spaces are filled with synovial fluid, which consists mostly of hyaluronic acid. This fluid lubricates and provides nutrients to the cartilage that caps the end of your bones. It also acts like a shock absorber to cushion the joints. The entire joint is enclosed by a capsule made of connective tissue along with ligaments and tendons that help keep the joint stable.

Articular cartilage is the type of cartilage that caps the ends of your bones. It’s made of highly specialized joint cells (chondrocytes) that are suspended in a gel-like environment called the extracellular matrix. The chondrocytes are responsible for producing the substances that make up that environment. Within the matrix, you’ll find water, collagen, and other non-collagen proteins. It also contains proteoglycans, which are sugars linked to proteins that bind the water needed to lubricate the joint.*

Joint lubrication doesn’t just come from water. Synovial fluid is a thick liquid created by a membrane that lines the joint cavity. The fluid is made primarily of hyaluronic acid, which is another type of sugar—a glycosaminoglycan.

Your body uses the amino sugar glucosamine to support the production of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans.

Keeping your joints healthy will allow the bones to continue moving together comfortably, helping you stay fit and active.

So, what can you do to preserve the health of your joints?

Try to stay safe out there. Obviously, nobody sets out to get hurt. But injuries can take a toll on your joints.

Otherwise, the most common lifestyle factors that impact your joint health and function are age, genetics, weight, and activity-induced wear and tear. You can’t stop the clock or change your genes. But you can help preserve healthy, flexible joints to keep your body moving in a few key ways:

  • Manage your weight to avoid the excessive pressure that could change the structure of your joints.
  • Get enough moderate exercise to keep your body fit, because your joints need the support of strong bones and muscles for stability. Plus, staying active will help maintain healthy articular cartilage, which requires regular joint movement and dynamic, load-bearing pressure for proper function.
  • Eat a varied, healthy diet and give your joints the nutrients that will help them stay healthy every day.

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Comprehensive Joint Support with Procosa Helps You Keep Moving Forward*

Once the cartilage that caps your bones is gone, it’s gone. This is why it’s important to focus on preserving what you have. Procosa can help by providing essential building blocks for compounds needed to support stable, flexible, and strong joints.*

  • Vitamin C is critical to the production of collagen to support the strength and stability of your connective tissues.*
  • Manganese helps give collagen its strength. It also plays a role in the production of synovial fluid.*
  • Glucosamine encourages the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid to help lubricate and maintain the healthy function of your joints.*

Glucosamine is naturally formed by the body, but it can also come from a supplement. Three tablets of Procosa a day provides 1,500 mg of glucosamine hydrochloride (HCl). This will help ensure your body has a supply available when needed to produce the fluids that lubricate your joints. This becomes especially important as you age, because the levels of hydration in your joints will naturally decline.*

Research backs up the benefits of glucosamine supplementation. Many knee studies have shown joint health benefits associated with taking glucosamine. This includes demonstrating that joint space can be better maintained with supplementation.*

Most supplements provide a form of glucosamine derived from shellfish. USANA offers a vegetarian formula by using a high-quality glucosamine HCl instead. By blending the HCl form of glucosamine with potassium and magnesium sulfate, Procosa provides the same benefits of glucosamine sulfate without using animal-based ingredients.

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Protect and Renew Your Joint Health with InCelligence Technology®

Procosa is not your typical joint supplement. Many deliver glucosamine with chondroitin sulfate. However, an observational study showed that using glucosamine along with Meriva® Bioavailable Curcumin Complex is more effective than the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. This enhanced effectiveness is why you will find the two ingredients in Procosa’s unique InCelligence Joint-Support Complex.

You’ve already read about the glucosamine in Procosa. But what is the Meriva Bioavailable Curcumin Complex?

Curcumin (Curcuma longa L.) is the yellow compound that comes from turmeric. It’s well-known for its antioxidant properties. However, traditionally, you’d have to use a lot of this phytonutrient to get the benefits, because it’s poorly absorbed. Meriva® is an innovative phytosome that combines the curcumin with a phospholipid (a type of fat from soy lecithin). This helps the curcumin pass through cell membranes more easily.*

You may see some products on the market labeled as curcumin liposomes. While both liposomes and phytosomes help improve the bioavailability of curcumin, they are structurally different. Liposomes encapsulate curcumin in the middle of a group of lipid molecules, rather than fully integrating the curcumin within each lipid molecule. In other words, phytosomes create a chemical bond between the curcumin and the lipid rather than acting as a package for it. This means more of the active ingredient is contained in each phytosome molecule. So, a smaller dose can provide the desired results. The phytosome structure has been shown to be a better delivery system.

Research has shown that the curcumin-lipid complex in Meriva is nearly 30 times more bioavailable than standard curcumin preparations. So, you get the benefits of curcumin, but at a significantly lower dose.

And Meriva offers benefits you can feel. The phytosome has been shown to support many measures of joint health, including treadmill walking and subjective assessments of joint function and performance.*

Curcumin and glucosamine aren’t your average nutrients. They do more than nourish cells. They also can help turn on processes that your body naturally uses to support joint cells. These processes may have slowed down because of age or other lifestyle factors.*

The InCelligence Joint-Support Complex is designed to promote three important activities:

  • Cartilage cells (chondrocytes) maintain healthy function through a natural quality-control process called autophagy. This renews optimal joint-cell function to help preserve healthy articular cartilage and support healthy joint aging.*
  • Exercise can stimulate the immune system and result in temporary inflammation, which  is part of the body’s natural recovery mechanisms. Proactively promoting a healthy immune and inflammatory response after exercise helps restore normal structure and function to joints and tendons.*
  • Excessive oxidative stress can damage the structure of your joint cells and tissues; cartilage is especially vulnerable. Curcumin (along with the vitamin C in Procosa) provides antioxidant activity and encourages the production of your body’s natural antioxidant enzymes, like glutathione, for powerful protection against oxidative damage.*

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Procosa Could Help You Look as Great as Your Joints Feel

Some words may have seemed familiar as you’ve read about how Procosa supports your joints: hyaluronic acid and collagen. You often hear these words in a different context—skin health.*

By promoting the production of these important compounds, Procosa may also offer benefits for your skin’s appearance.

  • Glucosamine has been shown to have positive effects on the health of skin cells and hydration by aiding the production of hyaluronic acid—a key molecule for your skin’s moisture.*
  • Vitamin C supports the skin’s firmness and elasticity because it’s essentials to the production of collagen—one of the main structural proteins in the epidermis.*

Supplementation with both glucosamine and vitamin C has been associated with maintaining a youthful appearance. So, taking Procosa may also help keep you looking as great as your joints feel.*

Give your skin and body even more of what it needs to stay healthy and vibrant, inside and out. Try using Celavive Skincare products to support a radiant appearance. And help keep your body fit by maintaining healthy bones and muscles, as well as flexible joints. You can do that by including the CellSentials, BiOmega, and MagneCal D in your daily supplement routine.*

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Key Ingredients

  • Glucosamine HCl
  • Meriva Bioavailable Curcumin**
  • Vitamin C

See complete list of ingredients

**Meriva is a registered trademark of Indena S.p.A.

Usage

Adults take three (3) tablets daily, preferably with meals.

Ideal For

  • Healthy adults

Frequently Asked Questions About Procosa

Individuals who are allergic to sulfa drugs may mistake sulfa and sulfur as being the same substance. Sulfa is an abbreviated name for a specific type of antibiotics called sulfonamides.

Sulfur, on the other hand, is an essential mineral found in nearly all proteins, vitamin B1, and multiple amino acids. It is not possible to be allergic to sulfur because the body cannot function properly without it.

Sulfate is simply a combination of the elements sulfur and oxygen and is naturally present in relatively high concentrations in human blood.

No USANA product—including Procosa—contains sulfa drugs (sulfonamides).

Glucosamine, an active ingredient in Procosa, is chemically classified as an “amino sugar.” This is not the same as the sugars glucose, sucrose, fructose, etc., which provide energy in the form of calories.

Glucosamine contains no calories and will not generally affect blood glucose levels.

Procosa is generally appropriate for those with diabetes. However, it is always advisable to check with a physician or pharmacist before starting any new diet or supplement regimen.

Because articular cartilage does not contain any blood vessels, it receives nutrients more slowly by absorbing them from its surroundings. Research has shown that glucosamine plus exercise can demonstrate differences for some people between four and 12 weeks. Your results may vary.

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USANA® Active Calcium™ Chewable

Active Calcium Chewable is a carefully formulated, comprehensive bone health supplement in a chewable form.

The Benefits Of Active Calcium Chewable

USANA’s Active Calcium Chewable provides the same benefits as the tableted form of Active Calcium. It, too, can help ensure you get sufficient amounts of calcium every day to help in the maintenance of your bones and teeth. The chewable tablet is ideal for teens or those who dislike swallowing tablets.*

Because the teenage years are a critical stage in development, USANA formulated this chewable calcium supplement to make it easier for those 12 and over to get enough calcium in their diet to keep bones healthy and strong. Preadolescent girls who take a calcium supplement experience greater gains in bone mineral content than those who do not.

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The Science Of Active Calcium Chewable

Our entire skeletal structure is not static. It constantly remodels itself and, every 10 years, we have an entirely new skeleton. This remodeling process requires sufficient amounts of calcium and vitamin D to form the bones properly. And, if there isn’t enough calcium or vitamin D available from the diet, it can result in bone loss and, possibly, osteoporosis. Adequate calcium and vitamin D as part of a healthful diet, along with physical activity, may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life.*

Vitamin D enhances both calcium absorption in the small intestine and calcium utilization in bone formation. Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. It also influences the utilization of phosphorus, another mineral that is important for the bone remodeling process.*

An essential nutrient that plays a key role in the bone remodeling process, magnesium helps in the development and maintenance of bones and teeth. Approximately 60–70 percent of the magnesium in the body is found in the skeleton, and higher intakes have been associated with higher levels of bone mineral density. Supplementing is especially important for middle-aged or older adults who are not receiving sufficient amounts of magnesium from their diet.*

The USANA Difference

Active Calcium Chewable combines two forms of highly absorbable, elemental calcium with additional bone-supporting ingredients in a chewable form. The ingredients complement each other to provide support for healthy bones.*

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Key Ingredients

  • Vitamin D
  • Calcium
  • Magnesium

See full list of ingredients

Usage

As a calcium supplement, chew 4 tablets, preferably with meals spread evenly throughout the day.

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Ginkgo-PS™ is a Brilliant Blend to Help Maintain Your Brain

USANA® Ginkgo-PS™

Banish brain fade and support healthy cognitive function with a unique blend of Ginkgo biloba plus phosphatidylserine.*

Your daily life requires you to be at your mental best. Sometimes you need to remember where you left your car keys, memorize a new friend’s name, or learn skills for your career. No matter what, your brain is involved. And unfortunately, the modern world doesn’t really help it out. Along with constant distractions and demands on your attention, your body encounters environmental, emotional, and physical stresses that can make it harder to think straight. Not to mention the normal challenges of healthy aging. Help protect your cognitive health, so you can stay sharp every day, with USANA Ginkgo-PS™.*

Ginkgo-PS is a potent combination of Ginkgo biloba—an herb used for centuries to support mental acuity—with phosphatidylserine (PS)—a lipid (fat) that’s vital for keeping your brain cells fluid and healthy. Together, these ingredients provide these important brain benefits to you:

  • Support for mental performance, memory, and general cognitive function*
  • Support for the structure and function of neurons (brain cells)*
  • Help for maintaining healthy circulation throughout the body and to the brain*

USANA’s distinctive formula combines a high-quality Ginkgo biloba extract with PS from soy lecithin into a single product. When used together, these ingredients provide you with excellent effectiveness for supporting memory and mental performance during your daily tasks.*

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Make Your Brain the Center of Your Attention

Your brain is the control center of your life. It’s a complex organ made of specialized areas that each play a particular role. The brain keeps your body breathing, moving, and functioning on autopilot. It’s the source of your emotions and experiences of pleasure and pain. And, of course, learning, memory, intellect, imagination, and reasoning all stem from your brain.

Your brain manages all of these important activities by sending and receiving messages through specialized cells called neurons. These neural signals help control your movements, thoughts, sensations, and memories. Keeping your neurons healthy is essential for maintaining strong signals, so your brain can function quickly and automatically.

But age and different types of stresses could be impacting the health of your neurons.

Neurons are the longest living cells in your body. But the number of neurons you have steadily declines over the years, as part of normal aging. The speed at which neurons can communicate also tends to decrease over time. This is because the level of important lipids that are needed to send and receive messages gradually declines.

Exposure to sources of excessive free radicals, like pollution, unhealthy foods, and stress, can also damage your cells, including those in your brain.

But there’s good news. If maintaining sound cognitive function is on your mind, you can support your gray matter with some simple lifestyle practices:

  • Feed your brain a calorie-conscious, healthy diet
  • Stay active—mentally and physically
  • Get plenty of sleep
  • Exercise
  • Stay connected with friends

Supplements can also help provide advanced levels of nutrients necessary to fuel your brain. Make a quality multivitamin and source of omega-3 fatty acids part of your daily routine, like the CellSentials and BiOmega. You can also add a boost of targeted brain support with the nutrients specifically selected to help preserve the health of your cognitive function in USANA Ginkgo-PS.*

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Reinforce Your Recall with Ginkgo-PS

Does this sound familiar? A new acquaintance tells you their name. But 30 minutes later you draw a complete blank. These small daily memory tasks could be helped by the neuroprotective support of Ginkgo biloba in Ginkgo-PS.*

Extracts from the leaves of the ginkgo tree have played a longstanding role for supporting mental acuity in many traditional cultures. And scientists have examined the extract to determine its active phytonutrients. They found that the leaves of this ancient tree contain a complex mixture of flavonoid glycosides, terpenes, and other naturally occurring compounds that are beneficial for the body.*

Many studies have evaluated the effects that the compounds in Ginkgo biloba may have on cognitive function. Results have been mixed. But there is evidence that the herb can help maintain the health of your brain. In fact, Ginkgo biloba has come to be known in some circles as an effective “nootropic,” which is a substance that can support mental performance. There’s 100 mg in a daily dose of Ginkgo-PS to provide you with this support in two key ways: *

  • Act as an antioxidant to fight free-radical damage and protect the health and function of cells, including your neurons.*
  • Facilitate vascular health and blood circulation throughout the body to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the brain.*

Brain cells can be quite vulnerable to oxidative damage. Your master organ requires a great deal of oxygen, glucose, and fatty acids to function. And all of these compounds are susceptible to attacks and damage from free radicals. So, inhibiting or neutralizing the effects of free radicals using antioxidants, including those in Ginkgo-PS, becomes an important part of maintaining cognitive function.*

Maintaining healthy circulation, which helps support blood flow to the brain, is also critical. Your brain gets the substances it needs, including oxygen and nutrients, from blood that comes through your circulatory system. And carbon dioxide and waste products are also moved out and away from your brain in your blood.*

By protecting your brain cells and supporting healthy blood flow, Ginkgo-PS can have positive results for concentration, short-term recall, and general cognitive function.*

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Ginkgo-PS Gives Your Neurons a Much-Needed Nutrient

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is another nutrient in Ginkgo-PS that can protect your brain. It’s even useful in offsetting some of the mind-muddling effects of stress. Supplementation with PS has been associated with a more relaxed state and balanced cortisol response during mental stress. So, Ginkgo-PS could help you think clearly when the pressure’s on.*

The main brain benefits of the soybean-derived phosphatidylserine in Ginkgo-PS stem from its main function in the body. PS is one of the predominant phospholipids (fats) in nerve cell membranes. It concentrates in brain cell membranes more than anywhere else in your body. And, it’s an essential part of the cells that keep your brain functioning properly.

A daily dose of Ginkgo-PS provides your body with a generous amount of PS to help maintain the level needed in your brain to support healthy cells.*

Giving your brain more PS can help preserve the healthy function of your long-lived neurons. That’s because maintaining the fluidity of membranes can help your brain cells survive and thrive by allowing nutrients to pass the blood-brain barrier easily. This is how healthy neurons can efficiently consume glucose for fueling all of your mental functions.

Lipid-rich membranes are also important because it helps your brain cells effectively send and receive messages. This communication between neurons is how different areas of the brain coordinate to support learning and memory, making it the foundation of maintaining mental sharpness.*

To be at your best every day, even as you age, it’s important to do all you can to maintain peak cognitive abilities. No matter how old you are, your brain power could benefit from daily use of Ginkgo-PS. Supplementing with PS has been shown to affect cognitive function in a number of clinical studies. And measurable effects related to memory, attention, and learning ability have been seen in healthy adults and seniors.*

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Key Ingredients

  • Ginkgo biloba
  • Phosphatidylserine

See full list of ingredients

Usage

Adults, take four (4) tablets daily, preferably with food.

Keep out of reach of children. Consult your physician if you are pregnant, nursing, taking a prescription drug or have a medical condition.

Ideal For

  • Healthy adults

Frequently Asked Questions About Ginkgo-PS

USANA’s Ginkgo-PS product contains 25 mg of Ginkgo biloba extract per tablet, standardized to 6 mg ginkgo flavonglycosides and 1.5 mg of terpenelactones (the active ingredients). Each Ginkgo-PS tablet also contains 125 mg of phosphatidylserine (PS)-enriched lecithin, which provides approximately 25 mg of PS per tablet.

Brain Basics: Know Your Brain & The Life and Death of a Neuron. NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke [Internet] [accessed 6 Sept 2018] Available at https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Know-Your-Brain

Mattson M, Magnus T. 2006. Aging and Neuronal Vulnerability. Nat Rev Neurosci 7(4): 278-294.

Julson E. 2018. The 14 Best Nootropics and Smart Drugs Reviewed. Healthline [Internet] [accessed 6 Sept 2018] Available at https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/nootropics

Kennedy DO, Haskell CF, Mauri PL, Scholey AB. Acute cognitive effects of standardised Ginkgo biloba extract complexed with phosphatidylserine. 2007. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental 22(4):199-210.

Pietri S, Maurelli E, Drieu K, Culcasi M. Cardioprotective and Antioxidant Effects of Ginkgo Biloba Extract. 1997. J Mol Cell Cardiol 29(2):733-42.

Smith PF, Maclennan K, Darlington CL. The neuroprotective properties of the Ginkgo biloba leaf:a review of the possible relationship to platelet-activating factor (PAF). 1996. J Ethnopharmacol 50(3):131-9.

Mix JA, Crews Jr. WD. 2002.  A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 in a sample of cognitively intact older adults: neuropsychological findings. Hum Psycopharmacol 17 (6): 267-77.

Santos RF, et al. 2003. Cognitive performance, SPECT, and blood viscosity in elderly non-demented people using Ginkgo biloba. Pharmacopsychiatry 36(4): 127-33.

Sastre J, Pallardó FV, Viña J. 2000. Mitochondrial oxidative stress plays a key role in aging and apoptosis. IUBMB Life 49(5): 427-35.

Jezova D, et al. 2002. Reduction of rise in blood pressure and cortisol release during stress by Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) in healthy volunteers. J Physiol Pharmacol 53(3): 337-48.

Brown LA, Riby LM, Reay JL. 2010. Supplementing cognitive aging: a selective review of the effects of ginkgo biloba and a number of everyday nutritional substances. Exp Aging Res 36(1): 105-22.

Chen JS, et al. 2011. Nrf-2 mediated heme oxygenase-1 expression, an antioxidant-independent mechanism, contributes to anti-atherogenesis and vascular protective effects of Ginkgo biloba extract. Atherosclerosis 214(2): 301-9.

Ou HC, et al. 2009. Ginkgo biloba extract attenuates oxLDL-induced oxidative functional damages in endothelial cells. J Appl Physiol 106(5): 1674-85.

Kinman T, Weatherspoon D. 2016. Cerebral circulation. Healthline [Internet] [accessed 6 Sept 2018] Available at https://www.healthline.com/health/cerebral-circulation

Bryan RM Jr. 1990. Cerebral blood flow and energy metabolism during stress. Am J Physiol 259(2 Pt. 2): H269-80.

Dikanovic M, et al. 2011. Effect of elevated catecholamine levels on cerebral hemodynamics in patients with chronic post-traumatic stress disorder. Coll Antropol 35(2): 471-5.

Davies J, et al. 2017. The Oxygen Paradox, the French Paradox, and age-related diseases. GeroScience 39(5-6): 499-550.

Bernstein R. 2016. The Mind and Mental Health: How Stress Affects the Brain. Touro University Worldwide. [Internet] [accessed 7 Sept 2018] Available at http://www.tuw.edu/content/health/how-stress-affects-the-brain/

Stress effects on the body. Am Psyc Assoc [Internet] [accessed 7 Sept 2018] Available at http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx

Baumeister J, Barthel T, Geiss KR, Weiss M. Influence of phosphatidylserine on cognitive performance and cortical activity after induced stress. 2008. Nutritional Neuroscience 11(3):103-10.

Monteleone P, et al. 1990. Effects of phosphatidylserine on the neuroendocrine response to physical stress in humans. Neuroendocrinology 52(3): 243-8.

Crook TH, Tinklenberg J, Yesavage J, Petrie W, Nunzi MG, Massari DC. Effects of phosphatidylserine in age-associated memory impairment. 1991. Neurology 41(5):644-9.

Kim H, Huang B, Spector A. 2015. Phosphatidylserine in the Brain: Metabolism and Function. Prog Lipid Res 0:1-18.

Kato-Kataoka A, et al. 2010. Soybean-derived phosphatidylserine improves memory function of the elderly Japanese subjects with memory complaints. J Clin Biochem Nutr 47(3): 246-55.

Field BH, Vadnal R. 1998. Ginkgo biloba and memory: an overview. Nutr Neurosci 1(4): 255-67.

12 Ways to Keep Your Brain Young. Harvard Health Publishing. [Internet] [accessed 17 October 2018] Available at https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/12-ways-to-keep-your-brain-young

Roche B. 2014. 10 Ways to improve your brain health. Psychology Today. [Internet] [accessed 17 October 2018] Available at https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/iq-boot-camp/201407/10-ways-improve-your-brain-health

Gómez-Pinilla F. 2008. Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function. Nat Rev Neurosci 9(7): 568-578.

Protect Your Brain from Stress. Harvard Health Publishing. [Internet] [accessed 7 November 2018] Available at https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/protect-your-brain-from-stress

Zhang X, Chen X, Zhang X. 2018. The impact of exposure to air pollution on cognitive performance. PNAS 115(37): 9193-9197.

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USANA® Proflavanol®C 100 | Proflavanol C200: Two Powerful Antioxidants for One-of-a-Kind Health Support

USANA Proflavanol® C100
 Proflavanol C200

Grape-seed extract and vitamin C unite to deliver powerful support for cardiovascular, immune, skin health, and more.*

Health trends may come and go. But the original “superfruit” still stands the test of time. Grapes have long been a source of health-protecting bioflavonoids—a powerful, beneficial type of plant compound. The seeds inside contain concentrated antioxidants that work to protect your health in many different ways. And when combined with vitamin C, the biological benefits of grape seed are enhanced for even better effectiveness.*

Get a boost of bioflavonoid power with USANA® Proflavanol® C. This one-of-a-kind supplement is made with USANA Nutritional Hybrid Technology. So, you get a combination of two potent antioxidants in one, two-layer tablet. Together, these nutrients will help you maintain good health in a number of ways:

  • Neutralizes free radicals that, over time, could cause excessive oxidative stress that damages cells*
  • Supports cardiovascular and circulatory health by helping to retain healthy, normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels, provided they are already in the normal range*
  • Helps maintain strong veins, blood vessels, and capillaries*
  • Supports balanced immune function*
  • Helps maintain joint, muscle, and skin health*

Proflavanol C100 delivers 100 mg of the highest quality grape-seed extract and 300 mg of USANA’s unique Poly® C vitamin C blend in one, two-layer tablet. Or, choose Proflavanol C200 to get twice the amount of grape-seed extract in one tablet.

When you add Proflavanol C to your daily routine, you won’t just feel good about the many health benefits. A tasty grape-flavored coating on each Proflavanol C tablet makes taking your supplements even more satisfying.*

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Extracting the Difference of USANA Proflavanol C

Before hitting the health benefits, let’s look a little closer at the two active ingredients in Proflavanol C. First, grape seed.

Bioflavonoids (also called flavonoids) are a diverse family of phytonutrients (nutrients from plants). They are responsible for the vibrant colors in fruits and vegetables.

The flavonoids extracted from blue or purple berries and grape seeds are called proanthocyanidins. They are also referred to as “OPCs” for oligomeric procyanidins or “PCOs” for procyanidolic oligomers.

OPCs are known to have limited absorption through the gut. That’s due to their high molecular weight and variable chemical structure. The bioavailability of the grape-seed extract (Vitis vinifera L.) in Proflavanol C has been enhanced in two ways:

  1. Using concentrated, smaller OPC molecules, which can be absorbed better than larger molecules found in many other extracts
  2. Delivering a consistent, uniquely balanced chemical composition verified to have at least 90 percent active OPCs

This premium grape-seed extract is combined with another ingredient that goes beyond what you might find in other supplements.

USANA’s Poly C combines ascorbic acid (a common form of vitamin C) with mineral salts. An in-house study found that this blend effectively raises levels of vitamin C in the body for a longer period of time than equal amounts of ascorbic acid alone. (Ascorbic acid is often the only form of vitamin C used in supplements.) The mineral forms of vitamin C are also thought to be friendlier to sensitive stomachs.*

These two uniquely powerful ingredients work together for better effectiveness than you would get with either nutrient alone. They’re what make Proflavanol C an excellent choice for supporting your health.*

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Free Radicals Fear Proflavanol C

Many benefits of Proflavanol C stem from its incredible power as an antioxidant, thanks to its two main ingredients:*

  • OPCs from grape seeds have antioxidant activity that rivals, or even surpasses, vitamin C and E. Plus, grape-seed extract can support cell signaling associated with your body’s natural ability to generate antioxidants for even greater defense.*
  • Vitamin C has long been considered the “master antioxidant.” It actively neutralizes free radicals and helps regenerate other antioxidants, such as vitamin E.*

So, what’s the big deal about antioxidants, anyway?

Your body is naturally equipped to respond to the formation of free radicals generated through the activity of living. Everything from breathing to metabolizing your food can generate free radicals in your body.

Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that have an unpaired electron (an odd number of electrons). Nature really likes balance. So, that molecule will steal an electron from another molecule to regain stability. Generally, this process is a good thing. This activity prompts your body to initiate health-protecting responses. You need a certain amount of free radicals in your body to stay healthy.

But in today’s world, you’re bombarded with things that generate even more free radicals including:

  • Unhealthy foods
  • Stress
  • Pollution
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • UV exposure
  • Smoking
  • Sleep deprivation

When there are more free radicals in your body than it can handle naturally, it can cause an imbalance in oxidative stress. And if that stress sticks around too long, it leads to oxidative damage.*

Over time, oxidative stress can begin a cascade of irreparable oxidative damage to your cells, DNA, proteins, and lipids. This damage can impact proper structure and function of almost every part of your body. Everything from respiratory function to brain and cardiovascular function can be impacted by chronic oxidative stress. It’s also thought to be a significant contributor to premature aging.*

Maintaining a balance between free radicals and antioxidants is necessary for proper physiological function to support good health. Antioxidants can give you a first line of defense in protecting cells against damaging oxidative stress.*

Working together in Proflavanol C, vitamin C and grape-seed bioflavonoids provide powerful antioxidant protection to help you maintain good health.*

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Get Unbeatable Cardiovascular Support with Proflavanol C

If helping your cardiovascular system stay healthy is important to you, Proflavanol C should be at the heart of your supplement regimen. Most people don’t meet the standards for a healthy heart set by American Heart Association.*

Your cardiovascular system, also called your circulatory system, consists of your heart, lungs, and blood vessels—which include arteries, capillaries, and veins. This system is responsible for moving oxygen, nutrients, waste products, and other compounds through your body in your blood. Your heart is the muscular pump. The vessels are the “superhighway” through which your blood circulates.

Keeping this system flowing smoothly means maintaining the health of your blood vessels. Proflavanol C helps support vascular function. This will aid your efforts to maintain normal, healthy blood pressure levels—provided they are healthy to begin with.*

The cardiovascular advantages of Proflavanol C come from the unique combination of antioxidants.*

Proanthocyanidins from grapes are also present in red wine. They are believed to be one of the factors that contribute to the “French Paradox”—the fact that the French maintain good heart health despite a diet high in saturated fat. And vitamin C has been associated with markers of heart health, including supporting healthy blood flow.*

The combination of grape-seed extract and vitamin C in Proflavanol C helps maintain your cardiovascular health in a couple key ways.*

First, these nutrients help defend against low-density lipoprotein oxidation (bad cholesterol). This means Proflavanol C helps maintain lipids and proteins in cholesterol from changing into unhealthy end products.*

Proflavanol C also supports or maintains healthy circulation and blood flow by protecting endothelial cells from excessive oxidative stress. These cells line the interior surface of your blood vessels and arteries. One of their many functions is making nitric oxide. This substance signals for vasodilation (a fancy word for relaxing—or dilating—your blood vessels). That allows your blood to flow through your vascular system more easily.*

Nitric oxide function can be inhibited by excessive free radical damage. By protecting endothelial cells’ ability to produce nitric oxide, Proflavanol C supports healthy circulation.*

It even supports circulation in your tiniest blood vessels—including the peripheral arteries in your fingertips. A study conducted at Boston University School of Medicine found that combining grape-seed extract with vitamin C helped retain healthy micro-vascular function. Interestingly, this only occurred when epicatechin, another of the bioflavonoids in grape-seed extract, was also present in the blood.*

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The Collagen Connection: Heart, Skin, and More

Another key part of cardiovascular health is supporting the strength of your heart muscle and blood vessels. Both require collagen for structure and support. This means both require adequate amounts of vitamin C. (You also need other nutrients, like calcium and coenzyme Q10.) Because human bodies are incapable of manufacturing vitamin C, you must rely on your diet to satisfy daily requirements.*

Your body uses vitamin C to make many different types of collagen. These structural proteins are abundant throughout your body. Because they are needed to form healthy tissue.*

Here are a few of the most common types of collagen and where you’ll find them:

Type I: Fibers found in connective tissues of bone, teeth, tendons, and ligaments.
Type II: Found in cartilage.
Type III: Makes up connective tissues that give shape and strength to organs, such as the heart, liver, kidneys, etc.
Type IV: Found in the layers of cells in the blood vessels, muscles, and eye.

By supporting collagen production, Proflavanol C can help maintain a hardy heart, plus strong blood vessels, veins, and capillaries. But, as you can see, collagen is truly essential for an overall healthy body.*

Your appearance, too, can be affected by collagen. It‘s integral to skin’s elasticity and firmness. But collagen tends to start breaking down as you get older. So, taking vitamin C can help support production of this important protein.*

Your skin can also maintain health from within, with the help of the antioxidant activity provided by Proflavanol C. Defending against the oxidative effects of sun exposure may help protect against visible signs of aging. Of course, make sure to use smart sun safety measures to preserve your skin’s youthful appearance, too.*

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Help Your Body Produce Immune Cells with Proflavanol C

Your immune system is an incredibly complex protective mechanism designed to shield your body. And when your shield is weakened, your body is at risk. Exposure to potentially harmful microorganisms, along with stress or even intense exercise, can temporarily tax your immune system.

Grape-seed extract works with vitamin C to support two vital aspects of your natural immunity:

  1. Grape-seed bioflavonoids can help support your cells’ ability to communicate with each other for healthy immune responses.*
  2. Vitamin C plays a role in the normal production and function of white blood cells and antibodies. You need to keep those abundant if you want a strong immune system.*

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Key Ingredients

  • Poly C
  • Grape-Seed Extract

See full list of ingredients
Proflavanol C100

Proflavanol C200 (28 count)

Usage

Adults, take two (2) to four (4) tablets daily, preferably with food.

Frequently Asked Questions About Proflavanol C

Proflavanol C100 and Proflavanol C200 both provide high-quality grape seed extract and vitamin C.

Each Proflavanol C100 tablet contains 100 mg of grape seed extract and 300 mg of vitamin C.
Each Proflavanol C200 tablet contains 200 mg of grape seed extract and 300 mg of vitamin C.

The coating of Proflavanol C is sweetened with stevia and natural grape flavor.

Ariga T. 2004. The antioxidative function, preventive action on disease and utilization of proanthocyanidins. Biofactors 21(1-4):197-201.

Bagchi D, et al. 2000. Free radicals and grape seed proanthocyanidin extract: importance in human health and disease prevention. Toxicology 148(2-3):187-97.

Bagchi D, et al. 1997. Oxygen free radical scavenging abilities of vitamins C and E, and a grape seed proanthocyanidin extract in vitro. Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol 95(2): 179-89.

Carr AC, Frei B. 1999. Toward a new recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C based on antioxidant and health effects in humans. Am J Clin Nutr 69(6):1086-1107.

Cos P, et al. 2004. Proanthocyanidins in health care: current and new trends. Curr Med Chem 11(10):1345-59.

da Silva Porto PA, Laranjinha JA, de Freitas VA. 2003. Antioxidant protection of low density lipoprotein by procyanidins: structure/activity relationships. Biochem Pharmacol 66(6):947-54.

Meyer AS, et al. 1997. Inhibition of Human Low-Density Lipoprotein Oxidation in Relation to Composition of Phenolic Antioxidants in Grapes. J Agric Food Chem 45:1638-1643.

Murad S, et al. 1981. Regulation of collagen synthesis by ascorbic acid. Proc Natl Acad Sci 78(5):2879-82.

Natella F, et al. 2002. Grape Seed Proanthocyanidins Prevent Plasma Postprandial Oxidative Stress in Humans. J Agric Food Chem 50(26):7720-5.

Nuttall SL, Kendall MJ, Bombardelli E, Morazzoni P. 1998. An evaluation of the antioxidant activity of a standardized grape seed extract, Leucoselect. J Clin Pharm Ther 23(5):385-9.

Osganian SK, Stampfer MJ, Rimm E, et al. 2003 Vitamin C and risk of coronary heart disease in women. J Am Coll Cardiol 42(2):246-252.

Rabovsky A, Cuomo J. 2000. Pharmacokinetics of Poly C versus Ascorbic Acid. USANA Clinical Research Bulletin.

Yoshida M, et al. 2007. Prospective study showing that dietary vitamin C reduced the risk of age-related cataracts in a middle-aged Japanese population. Eur J Nutr 46(2):118-124.

Ngamukote S, et al. 2011. Cholesterol-lowering activity of the major polyphenols in grape seed. Molecules 16: 5054-5061.

Sapwarobol S, et al. 2012. Postprandial blood glucose response to grape seed extract in healthy participants: A pilot study. Pharmacogn Mag 8(31): 192-196.

Figueroa-Méndez R, Rivas-Arancibia S. 2015. Vitamin C in Health and Disease: Its Role in the Metabolism of Cells and Redox State in the Brain. Front Physiol 6: 397.

Cires MJ, Wong X, Carrasco-Pozo C, Gotteland M. 2017. The Gastrointestinal Tract as a Key Target Organ for the Health-Promoting Effects of Dietary Proanthocyanidins. Front Nutr [Internet] [accessed 13 April 2018] Available at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2016.00057/full

Chen S, et al. 2015. Grape Seed Proanthocyanidin Extract Ameliorates Diabetic Bladder Dysfunction via the Activation of the Nrf2 Pathway. PLoS One 10(5) [Internet] [accessed 18 April 2018] Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25974036

Lobo V, Patil A, Phatak A, Chandra N. 2010. Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. Pharmacogn Rev 4(8): 118-126.

Segiev PV, Dontsova OA, Berezkin GV. 2015. Theories of aging: an ever-evolving field. 7(1): 9-18.

Padayatty S, Levine M. 2008. Fruit and vegetables: think variety, go ahead, eat! Am Jour Clin Nutr 87(1): 5-7.

May J, Harrison F. 2013. Role of vitamin C in the function of the vascular endothelium. Antioxid Redox Signal 19(17): 2068-2083.

Pandey K, Rizvi S. 2009. Plant polyphenols as dietary antioxidants in human health and disease. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2(5): 270-278.

Fujii H, et al. 2006. Protective effect of grape seed polyphenols against high glucose-induced oxidative stress. Biosci, Biotech, Biochem 70(9): 2104-2011.

Juraschek SP, Miller ER 3rd, Gelber AC. 2011. Effect of oral vitamin C supplementation on serum uric acid: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 63(9): 1295-306.

English J, Cass H. 2013. The Collagen Connection. Nutrition Review [Internet] [accessed 17 April 2018] Available at https://nutritionreview.org/2013/04/collagen-connection/

Cosgrove M, et al. 2007. Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American women. Am Jour Clin Nutr 86(4): 1225-1231.

Other resources

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/grapeseed/ataglance.htm

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Usanimals™: Start Right with Advanced Kids’ Nutrition

Usanimals™

An advanced kids’ nutrition chewable for jumpstarting a lifetime of health.

Take care of the kid they are now and the adult they’ll grow into with Usanimals™. USANA’s advanced kids’ nutrition supplement has the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support the rapid development of childhood. At the same time, they’re laying the foundation for a lifetime of optimal health.

Usanimals are carefully formulated to deliver the nutritional support your growing child—ages 2–12—needs. They provide a wide-spectrum of benefits:

  • Supports healthy immune function*
  • Provides B vitamins plus choline to support healthy brain development and function*
  • Supports strong bones and teeth with calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D*
  • Includes iron, thiamin, and B12 to support energy*
  • Provides cellular protection with fruit powders in the Antioxidant Phytonutrient Complex*

And each naturally sweetened Usanimals chewable is stamped with fun animal shapes. This makes it easy and entertaining to get your little one the serious nutritional support they need.

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Optimal Health Starts Early with Usanimals

Nutrition is a necessity throughout life. But it’s never more important than the period of incredible growth and development that happens during childhood.

Pound for pound, children require more nutrition than adults. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense. Your child’s body is developing the systems that support a lifetime of health. It’s a key time for their immune system, their bones, and especially their brains.

At this crucial time, when demands are highest, a child’s nutritional supply is likely lacking. Many studies show that most children don’t receive the nutrition they need from their diets. Less than 25 percent eat the recommended five servings or more of fruits and vegetables each day. And adequate amounts of key nutrients—like zinc, vitamin B6, magnesium, and calcium—are missing from their diets. Vitamins C and D are also often deficient.

This highlights the need for an advanced nutritional supplement designed for kids. One that’s formulated with a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. If you have a picky eater or want to make sure to fill any gaps in your child’s nutrition, Usanimals can help supply optimal nutrition to support healthy growth and development.*

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A Variety of Very Important Vitamins

 

Essential vitamins are literally essential for your health. And they’re especially important for kids. Vitamins support all the systems of the human body. They help start cellular reactions that your kids rely on for energy, growth, and good overall health.*

Here are the vitamins in Usanimals and what they do to help your kid now—and in the future:

Vitamin A (as Beta-carotene): Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body as needed. So, your child gets all the benefits of vitamin A. And there are a lot. Vitamin A helps in the maintenance of eyes, skin, and the proper function of the immune system. It also provides antioxidant protection.*

B vitamins: Usanimals contains a carefully proportioned complex of B vitamins. This combination of essential vitamins supports healthy energy metabolism. The B vitamins also support normal growth and development.*

You’ll find vitamins B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B6, B7 (Biotin), B9 (Folate), and B12.

Vitamin C: This essential vitamin is also an antioxidant critical to maintaining good health. It supports many important functions and is vital for the synthesis of collagen—a type of connective tissue. Collagen is the most abundant structural protein in the body and is essential for healthy skin, muscles, teeth, bones, and blood vessels.*

There’s also scientific evidence linking vitamin C to healthy immune function. That’s because it helps support the production of important immune-strengthening white blood cells.*

Vitamin D: Even though the body can make vitamin D—with help from the sun—kids likely don’t get enough. And the sunshine vitamin is important for several critical body systems.

It plays an important role in supporting bone health and maintaining healthy immune function. Vitamin D also helps your body absorb and use calcium and phosphorus—two essential minerals.*

Vitamin E: This powerful antioxidant vitamin helps protect against free-radical damage. That’s key to cellular health—a key component of good health. It also helps out with immunity by supporting healthy immune function.*

Kids’ eye health also depends on adequate amounts of vitamin E, along with A and C. *

Vitamin K: Bones are growing quickly during childhood. Vitamin K helps promote healthy bones. It also supports normal blood clotting and calcium binding throughout the body.*

All of the essential vitamins are also available at levels shown by science to provide the kind of benefits listed above. That means your kids are getting the right amount of the vitamins they need to help them grow up healthy and strong.*

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The Many Minerals Your Child Needs—in One Supplement

Vitamins are the rockstars of the nutritional world. Minerals may not get the spotlight, but they play a big role—one that’s just as important for your growing child. Minerals are often cofactors, helping out enzymes that are central to healthy development.*

Take a look at the benefits of the minerals and trace minerals you’ll find in Usanimals:

Calcium: Growing bones need calcium. It’s the most plentiful mineral in the body that’s stored in bones. And it’s tightly regulated by the human body. That makes a healthy diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D—along with regular physical activity—so necessary. The combination helps in the healthy development of strong bones and teeth.*

Calcium is plentiful in the diet, but milk calcium is included in Usanimals because it’s so critical for your kids’ skeletal health.*

Iodine: You hear about iodine as an additive to table salt. But this essential trace mineral is crucial to one of your child’s most important glands—the thyroid.*

Iodine supports normal growth and development by helping the thyroid gland do its job. That means releasing hormones important for healthy brain development, protein synthesis, metabolic function, and enzymatic activity.*

Iron: Oxygen travels through the body with the help of hemoglobin. This protein in blood helps supply tissues with oxygen. That’s an important role. And that’s why most of the iron in the body is found in hemoglobin.*

But that isn’t all iron—an essential trace mineral—does for your developing child. It also plays a role in cellular growth.*

Magnesium: This essential mineral is a cofactor (a helper) in more than 300 enzyme systems. So, magnesium helps support good health throughout the body.* It supports several important aspects of children’s health:

  • A healthy metabolism and energy
  • The normal development of bones and teeth
  • Tissue formation
  • Muscle and nerve function*

Zinc: It may be last in the mineral alphabet, but zinc isn’t last in health benefits. It supports your child’s growth and whole-body health in many ways. It’s a necessary element for normal growth and development. Zinc is also central for supporting healthy eyes, metabolism, skin, and connective tissue formation.*

The essential trace mineral also supports immune function, DNA formation, and DNA repair. Like magnesium, it is a cofactor for over 300 enzymes.*

Your kid will also get a bedrock of other essential trace minerals (selenium, copper, manganese, chromium, and molybdenum) with Usanimals. All these mighty minerals work with the vitamins and fruit-based phytonutrients to build the foundation of nutrition and good health that supports growth and development. And they set your child on the path of health—one they can follow for a lifetime.*

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Complete Kids Nutrition Can Be Fun

Nutrition is a serious topic. Vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients don’t sound fun to kids. But animal shapes do. That’s why Usanimals is serious nutrition that’s also seriously fun for your kids.*

Each tablet is formulated with advanced nutritional support. And it’s stamped with a monkey, dolphin, elephant, or tiger. Usanimals are also chewable, with a yummy wild berry flavor. So, your kids will be excited to take this easy-to-eat supplement. And each Usanimals tablet is made without artificial flavors or sweeteners—so you’ll be excited to give it to them, too.*

Serious, advanced nutrition can be fun. Get important nutrients your growing kids need in a product that they’ll love with Usanimals.*

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Key Ingredients

  • Vitamins A, C, D, E, and K
  • B-Vitamin Complex
  • Calcium, iron, iodine, magnesium, and zinc
  • Antioxidant Phytonutrient Complex

See full list of ingredients

Usage

For children 24-47 months, chew one (1) tablet per day. For children four years and older, chew two (2) tablets per day. Preferably with a meal.

Warning: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

Ideal For

  • Children 2–12 years old
  • Choking hazard—not for infants/toddlers less than 2 years old

Frequently Asked Questions About Usanimals

Yes, adults who have difficulty swallowing tablets can take the Usanimals as an alternative to the CellSentials or BodyRox. There is not an equivalent dosage to the CellSentials, since the Usanimals are very different formula. The dosage for an adult would be two tablets per day.

The Usanimals were designed to be an optimal nutritional supplement for children. While developing the Usanimals formula, our scientists conducted extensive taste-testing panels to develop the best flavor profile possible.

Unfortunately, it is just not possible to make a multivitamin supplement that every child will like. Some children are more sensitive to taste than others. In addition, Usanimals provide additional nutrients not generally found in common store-brand children’s vitamin supplements. Because of the advanced levels of vitamins and minerals contained in Usanimals, there will always be a certain amount of vitamin/mineral aftertaste as some of the vitamins and most of the minerals have flavors that are very difficult to mask.

When it comes to getting children to actually consume the tablets, there are several simple solutions. We suggest giving your child a glass of juice or having them eat almost any food (applesauce, yogurt, oatmeal, crackers or some other snack) right after chewing a Usanimals tablet. This will immediately erase any unpleasant aftertaste and help your child have a great experience with the Usanimals. Or, you can simply crush the tablet and add it to foods such as applesauce, yogurt, or a fruit smoothie.

In addition, please encourage your child(ren) to take Usanimals with a complete meal to better enhance the bioavailability of the nutrients.

The Usanimals are sweetened with fructose, evaporated cane syrup, natural wild berry syrup, xylitol and stevia. This chewable multivitamin/mineral children’s product contains numerous ingredients, including many trace minerals.  Some of these raw materials have a very unpleasant taste that must be masked to make them more palatable. Since we do not use artificial sweeteners, the lowest level of a combination of sweeteners and flavors is used to help make them pleasant to eat for children. The total sugar content of one tablet is less than one gram (about 3 calories)  from fructose, evaporated cane juice, and xylitol (there is a small amount of stevia as well, but it doesn’t provide any calories). This is a very insignificant amount in the context of an overall diet, even in one that is limiting sugars.

Iron deficiency is common in toddlers (RDA for this group is 7-10 mg). The included 2 mg of iron per tablet will help boost the total daily intake to help reduce the possibility of iron deficiency. Iron deficiencies can significantly affect normal development and hinder mental and physical performance.

The bottle has a child proof cap for safety. In children, toxicity and harm has occurred from ingesting at least 200 mg of iron in a single dose. Even if a child ate the entire bottle (probably impossible) he/she would only receive 112 mg of iron.

Phillips CL, Combs SB, Pinnell SR. 1994. Effects of ascorbic acid on proliferation and collagen synthesis in relation to the donor age of human dermal fibroblasts. J Invest Dermatol 103(2): 228-32.

Zhang R, Naughton DP. 2010. Vitamin D in health and disease: current perspectives. Nutr J 9:65.

Dietary reference intakes for calcium and vitamin D. [Internet] [accessed 24 April 2018] Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK56061/

Cockell K. 2017. Mineral nutrients. Ency Canc [Internet] [accessed 24 April 2018] Available at https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-3-642-16483-5_3752

Clapham DE. 2007. Calcium signaling. Cell 131(6): 1047-1058.

Glycogen metabolism. Biochemistry 5th ed. [Internet] [accessed 24 April 2018] Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21190/

Song Y, et al. 2006. Effects of oral magnesium supplementation on glycaemic control in Type 2 diabetes: a meta‐analysis of randomized double‐blind controlled trials. Diabet Med 23(10): 1050-6.

Other Resources

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

USANA® Body Rox™

Complete daily vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant supplement for teenagers.

The Body Rox™ supplement is specially formulated to help fill the gap in a poor diet and help meet certain nutritional needs for growing adolescents.

The Benefits of Body Rox

Establishing healthy dietary habits that will last for a lifetime and getting optimal nutrition are especially important during adolescence and teenage years of growth, development, and physical maturation. And while there is no substitute for a balanced diet, Body Rox is a convenient way to ensure that your teen is getting the nutrients he or she needs to perform at his or her mental and physical best every day.

Additionally, healthy lifestyle habits and maintaining optimal levels of essential vitamins and minerals in the body help maintain overall health and keep the body’s immune system working as it should. Body Rox powers health with advanced levels of antioxidant vitamins A, E, and C, as well as a full complement of B vitamins, vitamin D, zinc, and selenium.

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Teenagers Young Team Together Cheerful Concept

The Science of Body Rox

Proper nutrition is the key to staying energized throughout the entire day. Body Rox is an exceptional formula to ensure teens are fulfilling their daily nutrient requirements. The B vitamins—especially B12, thiamin, and niacin—are essential for energy production because they help turn the foods we eat into useable fuel. Magnesium, copper, and zinc also help the body get the energy it needs by supporting nutrient metabolism.

The ingredients in Body Rox also support the needs of young athletes. Antioxidants are helpful for handling increased free-radical production caused by intense exercise, and strong bones, proper muscle function, and a healthy heart all depend on calcium and many other minerals. Calcium assimilation, supported by vitamin K, during the developing years is also essential for bone health later in life. Vitamins C, D, and E play a role in respiratory and cardiovascular function. Protein metabolism—supported by riboflavin, folic acid, B6 and B12, and molybdenum—is essential for muscle tissue development. Vitamin C also plays a key role in synthesizing collagen—a structural protein that is a major component of connective tissue and muscle.

In addition to helping the body, providing the brain with consistent levels of optimal nutrition will also keep it working at its best. Many B vitamins, including biotin, niacin, thiamin, and folate, are essential to healthy brain activity. A number of minerals, including manganese, are also needed to influence neural activity. Choline is involved in memory function. Some studies also suggest multivitamin/mineral supplementation has been beneficial for improvements in “mental tiredness” after complex tasks as well as in mood regulation, which is also controlled in the brain.

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Beta carotene (provitamin A) and carotenoids, such as lutein and lycopene, along with vitamins C and E, are all crucial for skin health. Zinc and copper play a role in protein structure, which can impact skin appearance.

The USANA Difference

In three tablets a day, USANA’s Body Rox provides nutrients that adolescents and teens need to be their best every day. Only Body Rox offers USANA’s exclusive Antioxidant Phytonutrient Complex, which includes a special blend of antioxidant-rich phytonutrients, including our unique Olivol® olive-fruit extract, that defend the body’s cells from oxidative damage caused by pollution, stress, poor diets, and sunlight. It also contains a generous amount of vitamin D, which helps with the utilization of calcium in the bones. And a tasty fruit-flavored coating helps make swallowing each tablet just a little bit easier.

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Key Ingredients

  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin D
  • B Vitamins
  • Magnesium
  • Iodine
  • L-Cysteine
  • Antioxidant Complex

See full list of ingredients

Usage

Take one (1) tablet three times daily, preferably with food.

Ideal For

  • All generally healthy teens ages 12-18

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Barringer TA, Kirk JK, Santaniello AC, Foley KL, Michielutte R. Effect of a multivitamin and mineral supplement on infection and quality of life. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 2003. Ann Intern Med 138(5):365-71.

Munoz KA, Krebs-Smith SM, Ballard-Barbash R, Cleveland LE. Food intakes of US children and adolescents compared with recommendations. 1997. Pediatrics 100(3 Pt 1):323-9.

Packer L. Oxidants, antioxidant nutrients and the athlete. 1997. J Sports Sci 15(3):353-63.

Zhang J, Stanley RA, Adaim A, Melton LD, Skinner MA. Free radical scavenging and cytoprotective activities of phenolic antioxidants. 2006. Mol Nutr Food Res 50:996-1005.

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Get the Best Nutrition for Your Busy Lifestyle in USANA® HealthPak™

USANA® HealthPak™

A powerful combination of comprehensive nutrition—plus advanced formulas for healthy aging—will help you live well, every day.

It’s easy to get the micronutrients you need morning and night with USANA HealthPak. The 28-day supply of core supplements in convenient daily packets delivers advanced nutrition when and where you want it.*

HealthPak includes the USANA® CellSentials™ plus MagneCal D™ and the exclusive CellSentials Booster.

This expertly formulated combination provides a comprehensive nutritional foundation for your cells. Plus, the innovative formulas made with USANA InCelligence Technology® give you powerful support for looking and feeling good today and aging healthfully in the future.*

Each packet contains the following:

  • Two Vita Antioxidant tablets
  • Two Core Minerals tablets
  • One MagneCal D tablet
  • One CellSentials Booster

Made with the highest quality, bioavailable nutrients, HealthPak delivers the total health support your body needs to help you keep up with your busy lifestyle.*

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Busy, Modern Lifestyles Need Better Nutrition

One of the most important aspects of achieving vibrant health is maintaining consistent, optimal levels of nutrients in your body. But when you’re on the go, a balanced diet and good lifestyle habits are often the first thing to suffer.*

In a world of fast food and pre-packaged meals, an advanced nutritional supplement can help fill the gaps. And by taking those supplements twice a day, you can help ensure your cells are nourished all day, every day. With convenient AM and PM packets of supplements, HealthPak makes it easy for you to get the right nutrition your cells need to thrive.*

Great overall health starts from a foundation of great nutrition. The CellSentials have you covered with a broad range of vitamins and minerals, from A-to-Z. And the added phytonutrients, InCelligence Complex, and other vital nutrients make Vita Antioxidant and Core Minerals the cornerstone of any daily supplement routine.*

Magnesium, calcium, and vitamin D are three nutrients you may not get enough of. If you limit your dairy intake or don’t eat many leafy greens, it is likely you can benefit from a supplement that delivers more. HealthPak includes one tablet of MagneCal D in each packet to deliver added support for your cellular health, strong bones, muscle function, and energy metabolism.*

With HealthPak, you get even more.

The CellSentials and MagneCal D provide you with the basic nutrition you need if you lead a generally healthy lifestyle. But the effects of stress and poor diet—plus growing levels of pollution, chemicals, and toxins in the modern world—may increase your body’s demands for active cellular defense. That’s because all of those things cause oxidative challenges that can increasingly overwhelm your body’s natural defenses.*

The result? You may start feeling older than your years, as your cells and DNA suffer increasing damage from free radicals.*

Your cells and DNA can use a boost of targeted nutrients to help keep them healthy and restore normal, youthful function. The InCelligence Complex in Vita Antioxidant contains some of these aging fighters at levels you would get in a generally healthy diet. But the CellSentials Booster, available only in the HealthPak, delivers a concentrated dose of powerful cell-defending ingredients.*

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Your Cellular Super Protector–the CellSentials Booster

The CellSentials Booster is a unique supplement formulated entirely with USANA InCelligence Technology. This means all of the ingredients were carefully selected because they can influence distinct cell signaling pathways that help fight the cellular aging effects of the modern world.*

It includes four cell activating ingredients:

Olivol® Olive-Fruit Extract

Get the benefits of the Mediterranean diet with USANA’s unique Olivol ingredient. The extract contains phenolic compounds (a type of antioxidants) from olive fruit and by-products of olive-oil production that aren’t found anywhere else in nature. The CellSentials Booster combined with the InCelligence Complex delivers a total of 50 mg of Olivol’s powerful cellular protection per day.*

Pterocarpus marsupium
(Containing Pterostilbene)

Pterostilbene is a premium ingredient that is chemically similar to resveratrol but with significantly higher activity in the body. Each CellSentials Booster tablet contains 50 mg Pterocarpus marsupium (which contains 5 mg of pterostilbene) from the heartwood and bark of Indian Kino, a large tree that commonly grows in India and Sri Lanka.*

Pterostilbene belongs to a group of phytonutrients known as stilbenoids. Plants make stilbenoids in response to stresses to protect themselves. The natural extract contains several polyphenolic compounds (a type of antioxidants). And, because of its concentrated activity, pterostilbene is a superior modulator of the cell signaling pathways targeted by the CellSentials Booster.*

Alpha Lipoic Acid

Alpha lipoic acid is a medium-chain fatty acid naturally made in the body by breaking down linoleic acid. It‘s considered one of the most effective antioxidants. Not only is it a precursor to glutathione, it also helps regenerate other antioxidants. Plus, it’s water- and fat-soluble, which means it works in all cells and tissues throughout the body.*

Most foods are very low in alpha lipoic acid, so supplementing is the best way to increase levels in the body. The CellSentials Booster contains more than twice the amount of alpha lipoic acid as the InCelligence Complex to give you a total of 250 mg per day.

Quercetin

There is nearly twice as much quercetin in the CellSentials Booster as is found in the InCelligence Complex. That’s because it’s a highly effective signaling compound. This plant flavonoid is found in many fruits and vegetables, including onions, grapes, and apples.*

Quercetin has been linked to many health benefits. It also interacts with other nutrients to maximize activity. The CellSentials Booster and the InCelligence Complex are both made with quercetin dihydrate, which has the best bioavailability. When taken together, you get a total of 180 mg of quercetin per day.*

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Feel Healthier, Longer with Advanced Cellular Protection

You can actively help reset your cells to their normal, youthful state and protect against premature aging with the exclusive CellSentials Booster. It does this by targeting a broad network of cell-signaling pathways.*

Its four powerful nutrients build on the protection and renewal activity targeted by the InCelligence Complex in the CellSentials:*

  • Sparking mitochondrial renewal. It targets the cell-signaling pathway that initiates mitophagy, which breaks down and removes damaged mitochondria (the part of your cell that produces energy) left behind after the production of cellular energy. This helps preserve cellular efficiency for optimum cellular-energy production.*
  • Stimulating cells’ production of their own antioxidants, such as glutathione and superoxide dismutase. Endogenous antioxidants (those made in your body) are a powerful defense mechanism against oxidative damage, which can protect the health and longevity of cellular function.*

The ingredients in the CellSentials Booster have demonstrated effects on additional signaling pathways. And with the advanced levels of active ingredients, in addition to those in the InCelligence Complex, you could experience significantly greater benefit.*

The CellSentials Booster targets a cell signaling pathway that supports a normal, healthy response to stress. It also helps keep some cell signaling pathways clear. This is important so that molecular messages are sent and received to maintain healthy, normal cellular function.*

Perhaps the most important pathway influenced by the CellSentials Booster is one associated with regulating the cell’s lifecycle.*

In very simple terms, cells maintain something called homeostasis, which basically means they maintain a balanced, steady state. They are constantly monitoring the environment and responding or reacting to maintain that balance. As proteins are made, other proteins are degraded. When one cell dies, another cell is made. It’s a very complex process that is tightly regulated by the body.*

The goal is to maintain this normal, steady balance. When you’re young and healthy, it’s normal for your cells to maintain this balance. As you age, preserving this function is vital, so when healthy cells divide into new cells, those new cells are healthy.*

There is a transcription factor (a protein that binds to DNA to start or stop a cellular function) that acts like a cellular monitor. It oversees the cell lifecycle. Its job is regulating the normal expression of genes and other messenger molecules that affect many important healthy cellular processes. However, with age this transcription factor can lose its ability to function optimally.*

The CellSentials Booster targets the pathway for this cell-monitoring function to help ensure it stays healthy. So your cells, genes, and DNA will keep acting youthful and remain normal.*

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Redefining Aging with the CellSentials Booster

Using InCelligence Technology to affect the signaling pathways mentioned above (and likely many others still to be revealed) can help redefine some of the declines normally associated with aging. The CellSentials Booster helps your body adapt to stress and protect long-term healthy cellular function. That’s how it offers benefits to many aspects of your health, including the following*:

Brain and Nerve Health

There’s no need to think twice about the importance of protecting your brain health! Protecting your brain cells, especially as you age, is important for memory, behavior, mood, and mental sharpness. The ingredients in the CellSentials Booster have been shown to protect normal brain and nerve function. *

Supporting healthy blood flow and mitochondrial health with the CellSentials Booster is also important for delivering blood, nutrients, and cellular energy to your brain to help power cognitive function. Maintaining healthy nerves is essential for sending and receiving messages from the brain throughout the body.*

Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health

Give your heart the love it deserves. The CellSentials Booster is full of ingredients that have repeatedly been shown to support healthy, normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels—as long as they’re already in the healthy range.*

Healthy circulation, or blood flow, is also an important aspect of cardiovascular health. Oxidative stress can decrease the bioavailability of nitric oxide in vessels. Nitric oxide is produced by the endothelium—cells that line your blood vessels. When it is released, nitric oxide tells the blood vessels to relax, so that blood can flow through easily. The ingredients in the CellSentials Booster help protect endothelial cells from oxidative damage.*

Maintaining healthy blood glucose is also important for protecting the long-term health of your nerves and blood vessels. And you can help keep it level with the CellSentials Booster. A number of the ingredients in this powerful supplement have been shown to help maintain healthy blood glucose levels, already in the normal range.*

Skin Health

Be beautiful inside and out. Your outer appearance is influenced by your environment, the products you use on your skin, and the nutrition you put in your body. The CellSentials in HealthPak provide the essential nutrients you need to support the health of your skin cells. And the cellular antioxidants produced within your body can also help defend your skin cells from the damaging effects that lifestyle or environmental challenges may have on your appearance.*

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Key Ingredients

See full list of ingredients

Usage

Take one (1) packet in the morning and one (1) packet in the evening, preferably with food.

Keep out of reach of children. Consult your physician if you are pregnant, nursing, taking a prescription drug, or have a medical condition.

Ideal For

  • All generally healthy adults over age 18
  • Certified Kosher (U.S. formula)

Frequently Asked Questions About USANA HealthPak

Is there a difference between the AM and PM packets in a HealthPak?

Ames BN. DNA damage from micronutrient deficiencies is likely to… 2001. Mutat Res 475(1-2):7-20.

Barringer TA, Kirk JK, Santaniello AC, Foley KL, Michielutte R. Effect of a multivitamin and mineral supplement on infection and quality of life. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 2003. Ann Intern Med 138(5):365-71.

Cosgrove MC, Franco OH, Granger SP, Murray PG, Mayes AE. Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American women. 2007. AJCN 86(4):1224-31.

Esker S, Banerjee A, Simone T, Gallati C, Mousa S. Resveratrol as a Supplemental Therapeutic in Cardiovascular and Metabolic Syndromes: A Critical Review. 2009. Current Nutrition & Food Science 5(1):1-8.

Fairfield KM, Fletcher RH. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: scientific review. 2002. JAMA 287(23):3116-3126.

Fletcher RH, Fairfield KM. Vitamins for chronic disease prevention in adults: clinical applications. 2002. JAMA 287(23):3127-9.

Otten JJ, Hellwig JP, Meyers LD. Dietary Reference Intakes: The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. 2006. The National Academies Press, Washington D.C.

Alpha Lipoic Acid. The Cleveland Clinic. [Internet][accessed 14 Feb 18] Available at http://www.clevelandclinicwellness.com/employerprograms/documents/png/alphaLipoicAcid.pdf

Yang C, Jiang Q. 2016. Resveratrol and pterostilbene inhibit TNF-α stimulated activation of NF-kB and its upstream TAK1 in macrophages via modulation of sphingolipids. FASEB Jour 30(1 supplement).

Chang J, et al. 2012. Low-dose pterostilbene, but not resveratrol, is a potent neuromodulator in aging… Neurobiol Aging 33(9): 2062-71.

McCormack D, McFadden D. 2013. A Review of Pterostilbene Antioxidant Activity and Disease Modification. Oxid Med Cell Longev.

Reed S, Quelle D. 2015. p53 Acetylation: Regulation and Consequences. 7(1): 30-69.

Li K, et al. 2013. Pterostilbene acts through… PLoS One. 8(3):e57542.

Srivastava S, et al. 2016. Quercetin, a Natural Flavonoid Interacts with DNA, Arrests Cell Cycle and… Scientific Reports 6:24049.

Li Y, Li S, Lin C. 2017. Effect of resveratrol and pterostilbene on aging and longevity. BioFactors 44(1): 69-82.

Tanigawa S, Fujii M, Hou D. 2008. Stabilization of p53 Is Involved in Quercetin-Induced Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis in HepG2 Cells. Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem. 72(3): 797-804.

Wang B, et al. 2016. Neuroprotective effects of pterostilbene against oxidative stress injury: Involvement of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 pathway. Brain Res 1643: 70-9.

Poulose S, Thangthaeng N, Miller M, Shukitt-Hale B. 2015. Effects of pterostilbene and resveratrol on brain and behavior. Neurochem Int 89: 227-233.

Frombaum M, Le Clanche S, Bonnefont-Rousselot D, Borderie D. 2012. Antioxidant effects of resveratrol and other stilbene derivatives on oxidative stress and NO bioavailability: Potential benefits… Biochim 94(2): 269-276.

Cannon R. 1998. Role of nitric oxide in cardiovascular… Clinical Chemistry 44(8).

Feddi F, et al. 2011. Abstract 4239: Pterostilbene, a natural polyphenol, elicits full protection against ultraviolet B radiation-induced… Can Res 71(8 supplement).

Gegotek A, Skrzdlewska E. 2015. The role of transcription factor Nrf2 in skin cells metabolism. Arch Dermatol Res 307(5): 385-96.

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Why Do I Need Nutritional Supplements?

Evidence supporting nutritional supplements is solid and growing daily, and more health care professionals than ever are now siding with these conclusions.

Read More

Sources of Antioxidants

Antioxidants can be vitamins, minerals, enzymes, or plant-derived nutrients called phytonutrients.

Read More

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The USANA Prenatal CellSentials Deliver Excellent Nutrition for All the Stages of Your Pregnancy

USANA® Prenatal CellSentials™

Get the nutrition you need to stay healthy during pregnancy. Also support the growth and development of your baby with Prenatal Vita Antioxidant and Prenatal Core Minerals.

If you’re expecting—or hope to be soon—it’s more important than ever to focus on your nutrition. You’re going to need a big boost of nutritional fuel to help you stay healthy and energized throughout your pregnancy. And your little bundle of joy needs a lot of support for healthy growth and development. In addition to eating a balanced diet, a prenatal supplement can help support a healthy pregnancy and birth.*

The USANA® Prenatal CellSentials™ give you and your baby the essentials plus an exceptional range of additional micronutrients that may help keep you both healthy. And you get it all in two high-quality supplement formulas.*

Together, Prenatal Core Minerals and Prenatal Vita Antioxidant provide essential vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other vital nutrients. Meeting your increased nutritional demands with the Prenatal CellSentials can help ensure you get any nutrients you’re missing. That’s because the right nutrition is crucial for you and for all the stages of your baby’s life—from before conception until you finish nursing.*

The Prenatal CellSentials deliver some important benefits:

  • Supports your overall good health, energy levels, and immunity during pregnancy*
  • Aids healthy fetal growth and development from the first trimester through birth*
  • Helps ensure essential nutrients are delivered to your baby while breastfeeding*

The Prenatal CellSentials aren’t some stripped-down prenatal supplement. You’ll find ample folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin D. And you also get advanced amounts of nutrients like iodine, magnesium, and choline. Plus, there’s additional antioxidant protection and added defense for healthy cells with lutein, lycopene, coenzyme Q10, the InCelligence Complex.*

Prenatal Vita Antioxidant and Prenatal Core Minerals are carefully formulated by a team of experts in nutritional science. They contain the purest ingredients. They are also made using manufacturing processes modeled after those used in the pharmaceutical industry. So, you can trust the Prenatal CellSentials have excellent potency and quality. And, because no supplement is effective if your body can’t use the nutrients, the Prenatal CellSentials are made with forms of nutrients that can be better absorbed by your cells.*

Before taking a prenatal vitamin supplement or any other type of vitamin or supplement, consult with your doctor. (If you’d like to take the supplement facts for the Prenatal CellSentials to your doctor, please download them under the Key Ingredients link below.)

Note: The Prenatal CellSentials are also a great option for women who need to add more iron to their diet.*

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A Quality Supplement Gives Your Baby a Good Start

A healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables will go a long way in providing the nutrition you and your baby need. Also taking a prenatal supplement can help ensure you get any essential nutrients you might miss.

So, when should a mother-to-be start taking a prenatal supplement?

Most experts agree you need the right amount of key nutrients in your body at least three months before conception. Starting a supplement with folic acid several weeks before you get pregnant will help ensure you have enough folate for baby from the very beginning.*

Folic acid from fortified food or supplements converts to folate in the body. It’s urgently important for a woman to have plenty of folate in her body immediately when her baby starts to develop. It is needed for closure of the neural tube in the very first weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman even realizes she’s pregnant.*

Neural tube closure is critical for proper development of the brain and spinal cord.* Consuming healthful diets with adequate folate throughout childbearing years may reduce the risk of having a child with a birth defect of the brain or spinal cord. Sources of folate include fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, fortified cereals, and dietary supplements.

Some research has shown benefits for folic-acid supplementation as long as a year before pregnancy. That’s why women of childbearing age should always consume at least 400 mcg of folic acid a day—even if they aren’t planning to get pregnant. A daily multivitamin and mineral supplement is a good way to help ensure you won’t be missing this key nutrient when it matters most.*

A woman can switch to a prenatal formulation when she starts trying to conceive. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women take a specially formulated prenatal vitamin supplement to meet the advanced nutritional needs of mother and baby.*

Continuing to use a quality prenatal supplement throughout every trimester of the pregnancy has been shown to support healthy birth outcomes.*

Your body’s nutritional demands don’t decline after you’ve given birth. In fact, when you’re nursing, you may have even greater nutritional needs than you did while pregnant. That’s why, when you’re lactating, it’s recommended that you keep using a prenatal until you stop breastfeeding. A quality supplement will help you get the nutrients you need to stay healthy and pass essential vitamins and minerals to your baby through breast milk.*

The food you eat and nutrition your baby receives during its earliest, most formative time of development could have impacts far into its future. Prenatal supplements can’t guarantee a healthy child. But a balanced diet coupled with a quality supplement to fill any gaps is one of the best things you can do to set your baby up for a healthy, happy life.*

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Healthy Moms Choose the USANA Prenatal CellSentials to Support Healthy Babies

When it comes to choosing a daily supplement, you have a choice. Do you want a product that will help you avoid deficiency? Or do you want a supplement that will promote great health? If your goal is vibrant health every day, then research has often shown that you will likely need higher amounts of many key nutrients than are recommended by the US DRIs (Dietary Reference Intakes).*

Giving your cells the micronutrients they need to support optimal health is the guiding principle behind USANA’s CellSentials. And USANA carries that idea through to the Prenatal CellSentials.*

It makes sense.

Pregnancy increases your nutritional needs. Your body is working harder than ever. And a fetus requires a wide range of nutrients to support healthy growth and development. But, most people already struggle to get proper nutrition through the diet alone. And between morning sickness, cravings, and food aversions, it can be even tougher during pregnancy. So, taking a lower-dose, one-a-day multivitamin and mineral prenatal supplement simply isn’t enough.*

Science supports this idea. For example, observational studies have suggested that higher intakes of antioxidant vitamins, zinc, and selenium during pregnancy and early childhood may play a role in future respiratory and skin health.*

You and your baby deserve more. That’s why the Prenatal CellSentials meet or exceed adequate intakes for most nutrients recommended for pregnant or lactating women by the Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine. (See the tables for vitamins and minerals.)

Together, Prenatal Vita Antioxidant and Prenatal Core Minerals deliver safe and effective levels of the highest quality essential vitamins and minerals. You also get antioxidants and other vital nutrients that might be lacking in your diet. Plus, the unique InCelligence Complex provides powerful protection for healthy cells.*

When added to a balanced diet, Prenatal Vita Antioxidant and Prenatal Core Minerals will help you get the comprehensive nutritional support you need for the health of your future family.*

Expect More

Taken in the morning and evening, a daily dose of the Prenatal CellSentials delivers:

  • 600 mcg folic acid (1000 mcg dietary folate equivalents)
  • 25 mcg of vitamin D3 (1000 IU)
  • 225 mg calcium
  • 1000 mg vitamin C
  • 30 mg thiamine
  • 30 mg riboflavin
  • 40 mg niacin equivalents
  • 200 mcg vitamin B12
  • 134 mg vitamin E
  • 20 mg zinc
  • 28 mg iron
  • 240 mcg iodine

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A Perfect Pair: Prenatal Vita Antioxidant and Prenatal Core Minerals

The Prenatal CellSentials are two products designed to work together to deliver the best daily nutrition for you and your developing baby. Prenatal Vita Antioxidant and Core Minerals provide important vitamins and minerals recommended for a healthy pregnancy by the American Pregnancy Association. You also will get added nutrition to help you maintain your energy level, support your immune system, and keep your body healthy to support a healthy delivery.*

The short story: You and your baby need a full range of micronutrients to support good health as well as normal growth and development from head to toe.* Below are some of the specific benefits you get from the individual nutrients in the Prenatal CellSentials:

Vitamin A/Beta Carotene 

Vita Antioxidant provides 9000 mcg (3,000 retinol activity equivalents [RAE]) of beta carotene and mixed carotenoids per day. The beta carotene form of vitamin A is a safe, non-retinoid form of this essential nutrient that poses no toxicity risk. The right balance of Vitamin A is important throughout the stages of fetal development. It supports the healthy formation of the heart and circulatory system, organs, skin, eyes, ears, limbs, as well as bones and teeth.*

You can get vitamin A from supplements in a couple different forms. Beta carotene or other carotenoids are considered the provitamin form, which means they must be converted to vitamin A in the body as needed. They are dietary precursors to retinal or retinol. However, sources like retinyl acetate are preformed vitamin A, which means they don’t need to be converted by the body. These preformed sources are much more potent. The standard of measure for vitamin A is retinol activity equivalents (RAE), which reflects vitamin A activity as retinol after conversion. Twelve mcg of beta carotene is equal to 1 mcg of retinol. Other carotenoids have a higher conversion ratio.

Vitamin C 

Vitamin C is essential for helping the body make collagen. This protein is a building block for cartilage, tendons, bones, and healthy skin. Vitamin C also helps your body absorb iron properly and supports your immune system. The vitamin C in Prenatal Vita Antioxidant is USANA’s proprietary Poly C® blend.*

Vitamin D

Vitamin D does more than help develop strong bones and teeth (which it does by aiding calcium and phosphorus absorption). Recent studies have also shown a positive correlation between maternal vitamin D status and healthy neonatal outcomes. This includes healthy birth weight and brain development. Daily intakes as high as 100 mcg (4,000 IU) during pregnancy have demonstrated a number of benefits for both mother and baby, including strong immunity. And continued vitamin D supplementation at 50 mcg (2,000 IU) per day has also shown to help reduce risk of infant deficiency during breastfeeding.*

Folic Acid/Folate

Prenatal Vita Antioxidant is an excellent source of 1,000 mcg of dietary folate equivalents (DFE) as folic acid. This equates to 600 mcg of folic acid—an amount that meets the recommendation by nutritional experts.*

Folic acid is one nutrient that is especially important to take prior to conception for normal neurological development.* Healthful diets with adequate folate may reduce a woman’s risk of having a child with a brain or spinal cord birth defect.

Additional benefits for folic acid/folate include healthy birth size and weight, as well as healthy heart development. It has also been linked to maintaining healthy homocysteine levels, which is important for a healthy pregnancy.*

Folic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin that converts to folate in the body. The NIH Food and Nutrition Board developed DFEs listed on supplement facts labels to reflect the higher bioavailability of folic acid than that of folate from food. One microgram DFE is equal to .6 mcg of folic acid from a supplement consumed with food.

Other B Vitamins

Biotin: Prenatal Vita Antioxidant is an excellent source of biotin. The rapidly dividing cells of the developing fetus require biotin to aid in regulating healthy cellular responses.

Many women—pregnant or not—turn to prenatal vitamins in hopes of getting their hair to grow. Biotin is the nutrient often associated with benefits for hair. However, data to back this up is lacking. Nevertheless, the health and volume of your hair is related to your overall nutritional status. Hormone status during pregnancy is also a factor, which can cause fluctuations in the amount of hair lost during and after pregnancy. So, taking a well-balanced multi—in addition to a balanced, healthy diet—may help you avoid the risk of deficiencies, which can include hair loss. It will not, however, reduce any hair loss associated with a normal pregnancy.*

Pantothenic acid: This B vitamin plays a role in tissue formation as well as metabolism, which is necessary for you to get energy from the foods you eat. It also supports muscle function and relaxation, which is important for supporting your body during pregnancy and birth.*

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin[e]): Thiamin helps maintain your energy levels. It supports fetal cellular health and brain development.*

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Riboflavin supports energy levels, good eyesight, and healthy skin.*

Vitamin B3 (Niacin): Niacin helps promote healthy digestion, skin, and brain and nervous system development.*

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine): Pyridoxine helps support the normal brain and nerve development, as well as formation of red blood cells. It may also help relieve morning sickness.*

Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin): Vitamin B12 supports development of the brain and nervous system. It also is needed for energy metabolism and red-blood-cell formation.*

Vitamin E 

Chances are good you need more vitamin E. It is estimated that 90 percent of people don’t consume enough. So, supplementing can help you avoid deficiency. This essential, fat-soluble vitamin will help your body make red blood cells. It also supports muscle and nerve development, vascular health, and cellular fluidity. Vitamin E helps your body use vitamin K properly.*

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is useful for ensuring proper use of calcium in the body. It’s also required for normal blood clotting.*

Choline

Demand for choline during pregnancy and lactation is high. It must be consumed in the diet and most women typically don’t get enough. But, it is often overlooked in prenatal formulations. At 102 mg per day, the Prenatal CellSentials delivers one of the most effective doses you can find.*

Choline plays a role in energy metabolism, liver health, and maintaining normal homocysteine levels. Most importantly, it provide building blocks for several important compounds needed for fetal development, particularly the brain.* 

Iron

Maternal blood volume increases by nearly 50 percent during pregnancy. So, iron supplementation beginning by the second trimester is important for supporting the healthy production of red blood cells. These cells help transport oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. Maternal iron is also needed during pregnancy and lactation to provide the infant with sufficient iron stores to last through the first four to six months of life. After that period, supplementary feeding is usually recommended. Prenatal Core Minerals is an excellent source of iron. *

Calcium

Calcium is important for a healthy pregnancy and maintaining the mother’s bone density. The mother’s calcium status is also important for the baby. Calcium is transferred from the mother to the baby to help support the healthy development of bones, teeth, tissues, and muscles. On average, in the last trimester of pregnancy, 300 mg of calcium is transmitted to the fetus daily.*

Iodine

A woman’s need for iodine increases considerably during pregnancy and while nursing. It’s needed to support metabolism and maternal thyroid hormone production, which plays a role in healthy fetal growth. Some estimates state that iodine uptake by the thyroid gland increases by as much as 45 percent in pregnancy. Adequate iodine during pregnancy is absolutely vital for supporting healthy development of cognitive function in babies and children. It also helps build the skeleton. The Prenatal Core Minerals supplement delivers 240 mg of iodine per day—more than is provided by most other prenatals on the market.*

Magnesium

Another important nutrient that’s often under-delivered by other prenatal supplements is magnesium. And most pregnant women don’t get enough. Magnesium is needed to support healthy fetal growth. It supports calcium absorption for strong bones and teeth. And it’s involved with glucose regulation and cardiovascular health, including supporting healthy circulation and blood pressure (that’s already normal).*

Copper

When taking iron, it’s important to maintain a good balance with copper to support normal brain and nervous system development. Copper also supports healthy development of connective tissues and the central nervous system. This element aids in the production of red blood cells to help meet the mother’s increased needs. Plus, it helps your body make melatonin, so you can get some sleep.*

 Zinc

Having enough zinc in your body, especially during the third trimester until you are finished nursing, is a key part of a healthy pregnancy. Zinc regulates the function of several key processes needed for healthy fetal growth and development. It supports nearly 100 different enzymes function throughout the body. It supports cellular stability and helps folate move across cell membranes. It supports healthy eyes, kidneys, muscles, skin, and bones. Zinc also serves as a necessary structural component of DNA-binding proteins that affect gene expression. It aids in the manufacture of heme and essential-fatty-acid metabolism.*

Chromium

Chromium is needed to help maintain already normal blood glucose levels.*

Selenium

Selenium intakes during pregnancy have been associated with a normal birth weight. It also supports healthy nervous and immune system development.*

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Powerful Protection for Your Cells Helps a Healthy Pregnancy

There can be considerable oxidative stress generated in the body during pregnancy. If left unchecked, too much oxidative stress can damage cells, proteins, and other vital organic substances that are needed for healthy DNA. This makes antioxidant protection a key part of supporting a healthy pregnancy. Dietary antioxidants support cells’ natural defense systems and can help protect against oxidative stress.*

Some research also indicates that the fetus preserves stores of some antioxidants. That makes these compounds available after birth to help protect cellular health.*

The Prenatal CellSentials help keep your cells healthy during pregnancy with a broad range of antioxidants. Many vitamins and minerals—including selenium, vitamins C and E—plus ingredients like coenzyme Q10, lycopene, and lutein provide antioxidant activity. And the InCelligence Complex supports your body’s natural cellular defenses by encouraging your cells to produce their own antioxidants.*

L-cysteine HCl is another antioxidant found in the Prenatal CellSentials. One study has shown positive pregnancy outcomes when this nutrient is combined with folic acid. It also supports liver health. This is important for helping your body naturally process everything you eat and drink, as well as eliminating any chemicals or toxins.*

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Beyond the Prenatal CellSentials

There are a few additional supplements to consider taking while you are pregnant.

Making sure you eat plenty of dairy products plus your Prenatal CellSentials may help you meet your daily needs for calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D. However, you might consider adding a separate supplement with these nutrients. Calcium is quite large as an ingredient, so a separate supplement is generally required to deliver the advanced amounts most women want. And as mentioned above, doses of up to 100 mcg of vitamin D have been shown to support positive pregnancy outcomes, so you could still safely add another 50 mg on top of the Prenatal Vita Antioxidant.

Check out USANA’s MagneCal D for a product with balanced levels of magnesium and calcium plus more vitamin D.

The American Pregnancy Association recommends pregnant women take at least 300 mg of DHA per day. Adequate omega-3 fatty acid intake during pregnancy has shown benefits for both mother and baby. For example, omega-3s help support a normal mood after you deliver. And passing DHA to baby has shown significant benefits for eye, lung, and cognitive function in childhood.*

USANA’s BiOmega supplement provides healthy levels of omega-3s from purified fish oil sourced from sustainable resources. It also provides an additional boost of vitamin D.*

Some women also find Digestive Enzyme helps support healthy digestion during pregnancy.

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Key Ingredients

See full list of ingredients:
Prenatal Core Minerals
Prenatal Vita Antioxidant

Usage

Adults take two (2) tablets twice daily, preferably with food.

Keep out of reach of children. Consult your physician if you are pregnant, nursing, taking a prescription drug, or have a medical condition.

Ideal For

  • Women of childbearing age
  • Women who are pregnant or lactating
  • Women who need iron supplementation

Frequently Asked Questions About USANA Prenatal CellSentials

You won’t find potassium (or phosphorus, sodium, or chloride) in the Prenatal CellSentials because most women get plenty from their diet.

Patelarou E, et al. 2011. Association between biomarker-quantified antioxidant status during pregnancy and infancy and allergic disease during early childhood: a systematic review.  Nut Rev 69(11): 627-641.

Bath S, Steer C, Golding J, Emmett P, Rayman MP. Maternal iodine status during pregnancy and the impact on cognitive outcomes in the offspring. 2011. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 70(OCE6): E386.

Zimmermann MB. The adverse effects of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency during pregnancy and childhood: a review. Thyroid 2007;17 (9): 829–35.

Zimmermann MB. The effects of iodine deficiency in pregnancy and infancy. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol. 2012 Jul;26 Suppl 1:108-17.

Yip R. Signi cance of an abnormally low or high hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy: special consideration of iron nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. Jul 2000;72(1 Suppl):272S-279S.

Mori R, Ota E, Middleton P, Tobe-Gai R, Mahomed K, Bhutta ZA. Zinc supplementation for improving pregnancy and infant outcome. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Jul 11;7.

Mannion CA, Lindop RJ. Vitamin/mineral supplements and calcium-based antacids increase maternal calcium intake. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Aug;28(4):362-8.

Institute of Medicine. Nutrition during pregnancy: weight gain and nutrient supplements. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1990.

Hibbard BM (August 1964). “The role of folic acid in pregnancy”. An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 71 (4): 529–42.

Khayat S, Fanaei H, Ghanbarzehi A. 2017. Minerals in Pregnancy and Lactation: A Review Article. J Clin Diagn Res 11(9): QE01-05.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Spina bifida and anencephaly before and after folic acid mandate–United States, 1995-1996 and 1999-2000. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. May 2004;53(17):362-5.


U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Ann Intern Med. 2009 May 5;150(9):626-31.

Evans MI, Llurba E, Landsberger EJ, et al. Impact of folic acid fortification in the United States: markedly diminished high maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein values. Obstet Gynecol. Mar 2004;103(3):474-9.

Ladipo OA. Nutrition in pregnancy: mineral and vitamin supplements. Am J Clin Nutr. Jul 2000;72(1 Suppl):280S-290S.


Mock DM, Stadler DD, Stratton SL, Mock NI. Biotin status assessed longitudinally in pregnant women. J Nutr. 1997 May;127(5):710-6.


Grune T, Ross AC, Stahl W, Tang G, Thurnham D, Yin SA, Biesalski HK. Beta-carotene is an important vitamin A source for humans. J Nutr. 2010 Dec;140(12):2268S-2285S.


Shah PS, Ohlsson A, Knowledge Synthesis Group on Determinants of Low Birth Weight and Preterm Births. Effects of prenatal multimicronutrient supplementation on pregnancy outcomes: a meta-analysis. CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal 2009; 180(12): E99-E108.

Kovacs CS. Vitamin D in pregnancy and lactation: maternal, fetal, and neonatal outcomes from human and animal studies. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Aug;88(2):520S-528S.

Mock DM, Quirk JG, Mock NI. Marginal biotin deficiency during normal pregnancy. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002 Feb;75(2):295-9.

Morales E, et al. Circulating 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 in Pregnancy and Infant Neuropsychological Development. Pediatrics 2012;130: e913-e920

Maden M. Vitamin A and the developing embryo. Postgrad Med J 2001;77:489-491.

Zile MH. Function of vitamin A in vertebrate embryonic development. J Nutr. 2001 Mar;131(3):705-8.

Smith SM, Dickman ED, Power SC, Lancman J. Retinoids and their receptors in vertebrate embryogenesis. J Nutr. 1998 Feb;128(2 Suppl):467S-470S.

Zile MH. Vitamin A and embryonic development: an overview. J Nutr. 1998 Feb;128(2 Suppl):455S-458S.

Gernand AD, Simhan HN, Klebanoff MA, Bodnar LM. Maternal serum 25-hydroxyvitamin d and measures of newborn and placental weight in a U.S. Multicenter cohort study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2013 Jan;98(1):398-404.

Thompson L, Al-Hasan Y. 2012. Impact of Oxidative Stress in Fetal Programming. Journal of Pregnancy 2012 [Internet [accessed 2 Mar 2018] Available at https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jp/2012/582748/

Duhig K, Chappell LC, Shennan AH. 2016. Oxidative stress in pregnancy and reproduction. Obstet Med 9(3): 113-6.

Mokhtari V, et al. 2017. A Review on Various Uses of N-Acetyl Cysteine. Cell J 19(1): 11-17.

Sharma JB, et al. 2006. Oxidative stress markers and antioxidant levels in normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia. Int Jour Gyn Obst 94(1): 23-27.

Herrera E, et al. 2003. Relationship between plasma fatty acid profile and antioxidant vitamins during normal pregnancy. Eur Jour Clin Nut [Internet] [accessed 7 Mar 2018] Available at https://www.nature.com/articles/1601954

Amin AF, Shaaban OM, Bediawy MA. 2008. N-acetyl cysteine for treatment of recurrent… Reprod Biomed Online 17(5): 722-6.

Hollis B, et al. 2011. Vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy: double-blind, randomized clinical trial of safety and effectiveness. Jour Bone Min Res 26(10): 2341-2357.

Mossin MH, Aaby JB, Dalgård C, Lykkedegn S, Christesen HT, Bilenberg N. Inverse associations between cord vitamin D and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms: A child cohort study. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2016.

Morales E, Julvez J, Torrent M, et al. Vitamin D in Pregnancy and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-like Symptoms in Childhood. Epidemiology. 2015;26(4):458-65.

March KM, Chen NN, Karakochuk CD, et al. Maternal vitamin D₃ supplementation at 50 μg/d protects against low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in infants at 8 wk of age: a randomized controlled trial of 3 doses of vitamin D beginning in gestation and continued in lactation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;102(2):402-10.

Javaid MK, et al. 2006. Maternal vitamin D status during pregnancy and childhood bone mass at age 9 years: a longitudinal study. Lancet 367(9504): 36-43.

Trüeb R. 2016. Serum biotin levels in women complaining of hair loss. Int J Trich 8(2): 73-77.

Bukowski R, et al. 2009. Preconceptional folate supplementation and the risk of spontaneous preterm birth: a cohort study. PLoS Med 6(5) [Internet] [accessed 7 Mar 18] Available at http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1000061

Kloss O, Eskin M, Suh M. 2017. Thiamin deficiency on fetal brain development with and without prenatal alcohol exposure. Biochem Cell Biol [Internet] [accessed 7 Mar 18] Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28915355

Surén P, Roth C, Bresnahan M, et al. Association between maternal use of folic acid supplements and risk of… JAMA. 2013 Feb 13;309(6):570-7.

El-Heis S, Crozier SR, Robinson SM, Harvey NC, Cooper C, Inskip HM. Higher maternal serum concentrations of nicotinamide and related metabolites in late pregnancy are associated with a lower risk of offspring atopic eczema at age 12 months. Clin Exp Allergy. 2016 Oct;46(10):1337-43.

Miese-Looy G, Rollings-Scattergood J, Yeung A. 2008. Long-term health consequences of poor nutrition during pregnancy. Studies by Undergraduate Researchers at Guelph 1(2) [Internet] [accessed 7 Mar 18] Available at  https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/surg/article/view/421/666

Zeisel S, da Costa K. 2009. Choline: an essential nutrient for public health. Nut Rev 67(11): 615-623.

Caudill MA. 2010. Pre- and postnatal health: evidence of increased choline needs. J Am Diet Assoc 110(8): 1198-206.

Leung AM, Pearce EN, Braverman LE. Iodine content of prenatal multivitamins in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2009;360(9):939-40.

Asemi Z, Karamali M, Jamilian M, et al. Magnesium supplementation affects metabolic status and pregnancy outcomes in gestational diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;102(1):222-9.

Lee S, et al. 2015. Essential role for zinc transporter 2 (ZnT2)-mediated zinc transport in mammary gland development and function during lactation. J Biol Chem

Markhus MW, Skotheim S, Graff IE, et al. Low omega-3 index in pregnancy is a possible biological risk factor for postpartum depression. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(7):e67617.

Yelland LN, Gajewski BJ, Colombo J, Gibson RA, Makrides M, Carlson SE. Predicting the effect of maternal docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation to reduce early preterm birth in Australia and the United States using results of within country randomized controlled trials. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2016;112:44-9.

Innis S. 2008. Essential n−3 fatty acids in pregnant women and early visual acuity maturation in term infants. Am J Clin Nut 87(3): 548-557.

Olsen S, et al. 2008. Fish oil intake compared with olive oil intake in late pregnancy and asthma in the offspring: 16 y of registry-based follow-up from a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nut 88(1): 167-175.

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Intestines Sketch with Guts Bacteria

microbiome

If you think the word gut is gross, prepare yourself for the next sentence. Your gastrointestinal tract is a hotel for trillions of little critters.

These bacteria, yeast, fungi, and more are pretty amazing. They increase your ability to metabolize a variety of substances you couldn’t without the enzymes they provide. So they work for you.

And you’re somewhat in control of your gut microbes. With some effort and dietary diligence, you can change things up. Diet, lifestyle, exercise, stress, and your environment can all impact the composition of your gut microbiome.

Dietary fiber’s complex structures play a role in diversifying your gut’s microbes. Research has shown eating a variety of fiber-rich foods diversifies your microbiome. And people with a diverse array of gut microbes are better at responding to environmental challenges.

But why does dietary fiber play such a big role?

microbiome in intestines

Maintaining a healthy gut barrier is a big one. Your gut helps facilitate the absorption of beneficial nutrients into the body. It also helps keep harmful substances from being absorbed. Dietary fiber has been shown to help support the natural protection and healthy absorption in your gut.

And a lack of fiber may negatively impact the natural intestinal barrier system. But increased protection can come when there are adequate amounts of fermentable dietary fiber. This fermentation process has been shown to help maintain intestinal health in two ways. The first is increased cell proliferation (increase of the number of cells). The second is increased cellular specialization (when cells change to perform a specific job).

Dietary fiber also impacts your gut’s immune function. That’s important. The gut contains up to 80 percent of your body’s immune cells. And feeding the growth of beneficial microbes with dietary fiber also supports healthy endocrine (hormone) response, nitrogen metabolism, and signaling between the gut, liver, and kidneys.

You can see that keeping your microbial buddies healthy and happy is important for maintaining good health. And a great way to support a lush, diverse community of gut microbes is to eat a variety of fiber-rich foods.

grains and fiber

dietary fiber

In your gut, you really are what you eat. Food is a big factor in determining your microbiome. That’s the collection of bacteria, fungi, yeast, and other microbes living in your digestive tract.

But the impact of your food choices spreads beyond your microscopic friends.

A new article in Advances in Nutrition tackles the way dietary fiber—a variety of indigestible carbohydrates—can influence your liver and kidneys. It’s well-known that dietary fiber benefits human health. But the review of over 150 studies summarizes fiber’s influence on your detoxification organs.

How Dietary Fiber Makes an Impact

The process starts with dietary fiber feeding the growth of beneficial microbes. Then the microbes contribute to:

  • Gut barrier function
  • Immune function in your digestive tract
  • Endocrine (hormone) response
  • Nitrogen metabolism
  • Signaling between the gut, liver, and kidneys

These consequences in the gut are good for the liver and kidneys, too. Which makes total sense. Your gut supplies blood to these organs through the portal vein. So shifts in microbe activity and diet impact the liver and kidneys.

For example, enhanced gut-barrier function protects your key detox organs from the spread of bacteria that stimulate inflammation. That allows your liver and kidneys to focus on metabolism and detoxification.

More Good News for Your Liver

Dietary fiber has been shown to increase the activity of antioxidant and detox enzymes in your liver. It can alter bile acid pools. These pools are involved in liver metabolism and the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. Dietary fiber also supports the microbiota that help generate secondary bile acids.

A surprising finding also links dietary fiber and the body’s fat-burning state (ketosis). This is accomplished by altering patterns of gene expression and the products of metabolism. The new patterns look like those found during the body’s fasting state. That’s when your body is burning energy from fat storage.

Don’t Forget Your Kidneys

Nitrogen is central to the findings about the kidneys and dietary fiber.

When you feed your gut microbes dietary fiber, you increase your gut’s ability to contain more nitrogen. In the gut, nitrogen acts as a fertilizer for the microbes. So the microbiome uses more of the nitrogen produced. That keeps too much nitrogen gas from escaping through the portal vein to your detox organs. Reducing your kidneys’ nitrogen burden is important.

Dietary fiber also helps insulate your kidneys from other potential stresses. Not having enough fiber fermenting in your colon allows other substances to undergo fermentation. When things like amino acids ferment, they can produce harmful products that stress your kidneys. So keep your colon stocked with dietary fiber—for your kidneys’ sake.

Feed Them Fiber

Dietary fiber plays a significant role in supporting good health. And it’s clear most people don’t get enough of it. In fact, the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee made fiber a nutrient of concern.

This decline in fiber intake isn’t new, though. It’s been sliding since the Industrial Revolution. And what follows is decreased microbial diversity in our guts.

Dietary fiber probably won’t ever be cool or hip. But it’s not just for old people. Everyone could do their detox organs a favor. The research shows you can help protect your liver and kidney health, and support the important detox work these organs do. All it takes is getting your guts’ microbial tenants some dietary fiber.

Kieffer DA, Martin RJ, Adams SH. Impact of Dietary Fibers on Nutrient Management and Detoxification Organs: Gut, Liver, and Kidneys. Adv Nutr. 2016;7(6):1111-1121.