Many companies are formulating products with vegetable extracts to fill the growing nutritional void in the Standard American Diet.

As kids, we were all told to “eat our vegetables.” And yet even though Americans are aware of the health benefits offered by a balanced diet, so few truly get all of the necessary daily nutrients. A study at Johns Hopkins University that reviewed data from two national surveys including almost 24,000 people revealed that only 11 percent of those people reported eating the recommended two or more servings of fruit, and three or more servings of vegetables in a 24-hour period.

Further, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than a third of American adults reported eating at least two daily servings of fruit a day, and only 27 percent said they ate three or more servings of vegetables. Since many nutrition experts recommend five servings a day, these totals are falling short.

This is why many companies are formulating with vegetable extracts. Californiabased Nature*4*Science, a company that specializes in nutraceutical and pharmaceutical garlic, offers New-Gar, a 100 percent standardized garlic to allicin markers.

According to Nature*4*Science President and CEO Mary Hasrouni AbiFadel, vegetable extracts make it easier for consumers to get their recommended daily intake of nutrients. “Our standardized garlic is based on its allicin potential values—the higher the allicin, the more bioavailable the actives are; thus more health benefits,” she said, noting that allicin, a sulfur component, offers several health benefits ranging from anti-viral to supporting healthy cholesterol levels.

Another company that offers extracts is Massachusetts-based Pure Encapsulations, a company that specializes in hypoallergenic, research-based nutritional supplements. Many Pure Encapsulations products contain proprietary polyphenol blends researched and developed through an ongoing collaboration with the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF), at Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

“Polyphenols are the active constituents of green tea, pine bark, grape seed, pomegranate, turmeric and proanthocyanidins, stilbenes, such as resveratrol, and atypical phenolics such as ellagitannins and curuminoids,” said Nikki Yas, MS, LN, director of marketing at Pure Encapsulations. “Polyphenols are a differ-ent class of nutrients with their own broad-spectrum health-supporting benefits.” 

According to Yas, polyphenols offer a wide range of health benefits, including support for metabolic, cardiovascular, neurological, cognitive health and more. And apart from top-notch antioxidant potency, these compounds also orchestrate healthy cellular communication, signal transduction and gene expression to support nearly every aspect of health, Yas said. “Research is continuing to discover new potential clinical applications for polyphenols,” she added.

From the Source 

Nature*4*Science has partnered with a Chinese grower and processor that exclusively produces the company’s garlic. According to Hasrouni AbiFadel, this eliminates the middleman and makes tailoring the process to the company’s specifications possible, (Nature*4*Science’s proprietary process and production flow chart can be viewed at www.nature4science.com.) 

“New-Gar Garlic has proven to be the top quality nutraceutical garlic in the industry and the most reliable source to top U.S. and foreign nutraceutical and pharmaceutical manufacturers,” said Hasrouni AbiFadel.

As for Pure Encapsulations, the company’s ingredients are sourced through trusted suppliers and then blended into formulation and encapsulated in house at Pure Encapsulations, said Yas.

Formulation 

Working with vegetable extracts poses a unique list of challenges. For example, the moisture content of vegetables can often create problems during processing. “We have developed certain methods and time-of-year production schedules to avoid such a problem,” said Hasrouni AbiFadel. “Mesh size can also present another challenge; however, our garlic is processed in two methods to suit either the tabulation or the encapsulation, thus eliminating any problem.”

Hasrouni AbiFadel suggested that manufacturers use standardized garlic to high allicin 10,000 ppm, and to enteric coat the tablets to stabilize alliin and allinase. This will bypass the stomach acidity so that the compounds will not come together until producing allicin (via the enzymatic reaction) inside the small intestines for better bioavailability and absorption, she said. This form of supplementation will also avoid the development of garlic breath.

Nature*4*Science’s website breaks down the complexity of garlic chemistry. It’s rich in many active components, including 75 different sulfur compounds. Allicin is its most important compound— without allicin, garlic might not have any benefit at all. When crushed or ingested, alliin is converted into allicin by an enzyme called allinase. Once allicin is released, many compounds are formed. These compounds are responsible for most of garlic’s health benefits. However, allicin is highly unstable and is destroyed by stomach acids. For maximum benefit, garlic tablets should be enteric coated.

Nature*4*Science’s New-Gar is made from pure and fresh crop garlic bulbs (Allium sativum) without additives or alcohol. It is then washed and dehydrated with a proprietary method to preserve nutraceutical markers. New-Gar is available in powder, granules, capsules, soft gels and tablets (regular and enteric coated). It is also manufactured under cGMPs (current good manufacturing practices), stored in California warehousing, tested for pesticides and heavy metals, and labcertified complying with current USP (U.S. Pharmacopeial).

Science-backed Benefits 

Pure Encapsulations currently has a few studies underway through the company’s ongoing collaboration with the INAF. The most recent study, “Acute Effects of Polyphenols from Cranberries and Grape Seeds on Endothelial Function and Performance in Elite Athletes,” was published in the 2013 edition of Sports.

This study examined how intake of polyphenols modifies brachial artery flowmediated dilation (FMD) at rest, and cycling anaerobic performance, in elite athletes.1 In the first randomized crossover study, FMD was measured over a three-hour period on two occasions in eight elite male and female athletes after acute consumption of either polyphenols from cranberries and grape seeds (600 mg) or a polyphenol-free placebo drink. According to the study, consumption of the polyphenol-rich drink led to a significant increase in FMD compared to placebo (p = 0.02), with a peak at 60 min.1 

In a second study, 12 elite male and female athletes completed a three-kilometer time trial (TT) on an ergocycle on two occasions in random order, either after consumption of 800 mg of polyphenols or a placebo. According to the study, acute intake of the polyphenol extract had no impact on the three-kilometer time trial completion. However, plasma lactate levels were significantly lower before and after the TT when subjects consumed the polyphenols vs. placebo (p < 0.05). The results suggested that polyphenols from cranberries and grape seeds acutely modify FMD at rest in elite athletes, but this does not translate into enhanced cycling anaerobic performance.

Nature*4*Science has ongoing studies as well. In recent decades, garlic has been the subject of several clinical studies for cardiovascular, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-microbial, aging effects and immunestimulant. According to the company, garlic is currently one of the most researched plant medicines—scientific studies have investigated its medicinal properties, and through these studies, it has been verified as an important natural supplement for the treatment of many health problems.

Garlic has been used for thousands of years for its health benefits, and it is one of the oldest domesticated plants. “Garlic has the scientific name of Allium sativum,” Hasrouni AbiFadel said. “It was used by Egyptians and Chinese many years ago for all their ailments.” 

Nutraceutical garlic also offers other benefits including cancer prevention, cold and flu support, therapy in dentistry for gum infection, vaginal yeast cure, treatment for athlete’s food and other fungal skin infections, and for Helicobacter pylori. It may also contribute to blood pressure control, as well as aid in blooding thinning, heart health, weight loss and more.

Reference: 

1 Labonté, Kim et al. Acute Effects of Polyphenols from Cranberries and Grape Seeds on Endothelial Function and Performance in Elite Athletes. Sports. July 2013.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

■ Nature*4*Science, Inc., (714) 223-0647

■ Pure Encapsulations, (800) 753-2277