Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Adequate vitamin D may prevent tooth loss

Periodontal disease is a common chronic inflammatory disease and a major risk factor for tooth loss. Research indicates that vitamin D may reduce the inflammatory response that leads to periodontal disease.

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrates a link between low blood levels of vitamin D and the incidence of gum disease. The study group included over 11,000 adults over the age of twenty. Eighty percent of those studied had inadequate vitamin D levels, and the lower their vitamin D serum levels, the greater the risk of tooth loss.

Among the men and women aged 50 and older, those with the lowest vitamin D levels had more than 25 percent more tooth loss than those in the highest range. The researchers suspect that vitamin D may cut down on the inflammatory response that leads to periodontal disease. Given the high prevalence of periodontal disease and vitamin D deficiency, these findings suggest important oral health implications related to vitamin D intake.


Tuesday, August 25, 2009

USANA-Supported Clinical Study Results Published in the Journal Obesity and Weight Management

USANA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: USNA) announced today that results of a large, third-party clinical study involving USANA products, conducted at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD), have been published in the August 2009 edition of the journal Obesity and Weight Management.

The recently completed study confirms that lifestyle change can significantly improve outcomes in subjects with metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a pre-diabetic state that involves multiple symptoms including central obesity, insulin resistance, elevated blood lipids, elevated blood glucose, and high blood pressure. The 12-week-long study was conducted with 60 people diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Subjects followed an Internet-based lifestyle modification program that included USANA's nutritional supplements, moderate exercise and a low-glycemic diet including USANA's nutritional shakes and bars.

Over the 12-week program, subjects in the study lost an average of 12 pounds and experienced significant improvements in measures of glycemic control, cardiovascular risk factors, inflammation and antioxidant status. Importantly, by the end of the trial, one-third of the subjects no longer met the criteria for metabolic syndrome.

Holly Wyatt, a physician and faculty member of the University of Colorado's Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, oversaw the study.

"This is a very promising program that produced some very positive changes in the cardiovascular risk factors associated with the metabolic syndrome," Dr. Wyatt said. "The shifts in dietary habits to calorically restricted low-glycemic meals and the modest increases in physical activity were not only effective but also are realistic behavioral changes many people can make."

“We are thrilled with the results of this clinical study and are excited to see it published in Obesity and Weight Management,” said Tim Wood, USANA’s Executive Vice President of Research and Development. “It is gratifying to have independent confirmation that our products and approaches to healthy lifestyle management work.”

Source: Successful Internet-Based Lifestyle Change Program on Body Weight and Markers of Metabolic Health, Wyatt et al, Obesity and Weight Management, August 2009

Source: Usana Health Sciences