Multivitamins Reformulated Based on Compelling Research

By VRP Staff

We pride ourselves on our ability to keep up with the latest nutritional research and will consistently offer new products and update older products to keep up with new science. Consequently, we have reformulated our multivitamins to correspond to the most up-to-date research available.

TABLE 1: Multinutrient Updates
In all the formulas below, vitamin D3 dosage was increased, folic acid was replaced with Active Folate, trace minerals are now soy-free Albion® process chelates, with excellent absorption profiles, selenium was replaced with methylselenocysteine, and beta carotene levels were reduced. Here in this table is a breakdown of the other ways in which we updated our multivitamins according to the latest research.
Extend One	Now with Green Tea Extract.
Extend Core	Added Vitamin K2; increased levels of choline, NAC, and gamma oryzanol, and added new vegetarian digestive enzyme blend for enhanced nutrient uptake.
Extend Plus	Now with vitamin K2 (MK-4 and MK-7); increased levels of Vitamin B12 as methylcobalamin, more N-acetyl cysteine; formula now includes resveratrol, green tea extract, benfotiamine, acetyl L-carnitine, and vegetarian digestive enzymes for enhanced absorption.
Extend Ultra	Now with vitamin K2 (MK-4 and MK-7); increased levels of green tea extract; now featuring R-lipoic acid, benfotiamine, acetyl L-carnitine, resveratrol, calcium d-glucarate, astaxanthin, HMR Lignan® and vinpocetine.
Optimum D	Vitamin K2 (as MK-4 and MK-7), increased levels of vitamin B12, chromium, alpha lipoic acid and cinnamon extract, added green tea and benfotiamine.
Optimum Silver	Vitamin K2 (as MK-4 and MK-7), increased levels of biotin, chromium, molybdenum, alpha lipoic acid and DMAE. Now with added acetyl l-carnitine resveratrol and vegetarian enzyme blend for enhanced digestibility.
Women’s Essentials	Vitamin K2 (as MK-4 and MK-7), increased levels of pantothenic acid, iron (as non-irritating bis-glycinate); vegetarian enzyme blend for digestibility, Graminex G-60™ flower pollen and HMR Lignan® for hormone support and breast health, pomegranate extract and astaxanthin for beautiful skin from within.

Among other changes to our multivitamins, you will find:

• We have replaced folic acid with MTHF (5-methyltetrahydrofolate), the “active” form of folate that has recently become available as a supplement. MTHF is the most biologically active form of folate and is the molecule to which folic acid must be converted in the body to be utilized.¹ For many years, well ahead of other multivitamins in the marketplace, we have also used a superior form of vitamin B12 (methylcobalamin) in our multivitamins.

• Increased dosage of Vitamin D3. Over the last five years, an increasing amount of evidence indicates the levels of vitamin D3 needed for optimal health are far above the RDA. Vitamin D3 has been shown to be important in virtually every aspect of health including immunity, bone and heart health.^2-3

• Green Tea has been added to many of the multinutrient formulas due to an abundance of new research showing green tea’s wide-reaching role in health. This phytonutrient has been shown to have a number of interesting properties, including antiviral and antibacterial effects,⁴ the ability to reverse vascular dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease,⁵ inhibit solar-induced skin tumor development in mice,⁶ promote weight loss,⁷ and improve breast and prostate health.^8-9

• Selenium is now present in our multi formulas as methylselenocysteine. MSC is a naturally occurring form of selenium that is readily absorbed and that enhances the body’s production of detoxifying compounds such as glutathione peroxidase. This form of selenium is one of the most well-studied in its ability to promote colon, prostate and breast health.^10-12

• Researchers have recently taken a strong interest in trans-resveratrol due to its possible role as a longevity enhancer, its ability to improve heart health, and possible antimutagenic actions as demonstrated in a number of in vitro studies using cancer cells from the breast, cervix, esophagus, prostate, lung, melanoma (a highly virulent form of skin cancer), and leukemia.^13-14 It’s antimutagenic potential also has been explored in animal studies.¹⁵ Due to a wide array of compelling research that has continued to be published, trans-resveratrol has now been added to many of our multivitamin formulas.

• Flower pollen extract, which helps to neutralize free radicals, has been shown to possess potent anti-inflammatory activity,¹⁶ to promote liver health, improve lipid profiles and decrease atherosclerotic plaque formation.^17-18 In patients with rheumatoid arthritis flower pollen improved gastrointestinal and liver health and reduced the clinical manifestations and course of RA.¹⁹ Graminex G-60™ flower pollen extract, which does not trigger seasonal allergy reactions, has been added to Women’s Essentials along with pomegranate extract and astaxanthin known for their ability to protect the skin from damage. Women’s Essentials also now has increased levels of iron bis-glycinate.

• HMR Lignan® is another important ingredient added to Women’s Essentials and Extend Ultra. Isolated from the knots of spruce, HMR Lignan possesses strong antioxidant activity and is important for breast, prostate and uterine health.^20-22

• Many of VRP’s multis now include two powerful forms of vitamin K2 (MK-4 and MK-7). MK-7 has been associated with reductions in the incidence of coronary heart disease and with positively affecting bone health.^23-24

Other important changes to many of the formulas include the addition of a digestive enzyme blend to ensure the most effective nutrient uptake, increased levels of N-acetyl cysteine in Extend Core and Extend Plus, reduced levels of beta carotene in all the formulas and the addition of benfotiamine, known for its AGE-blocking effects, to Optimum D, Extend Plus, and Extend Ultra.

References

1. Meletis CD. Active Folate: New More Bioavailable Form Addresses A Common Nutrient Deficiency. Vitamin Research News. Available at www.vrp.com.

2. Gorham ED, Garland CF, Garland FC, Grant WB, Mohr SB, Lipkin M, Newmark HL, Giovannucci E, Wei M, Holick MF. Optimal Vitamin D status for colorectal cancer prevention: a quantitative meta analysis. Am J Prev Med. 2007 Mar;32(3):210-6.

3. Hathcock JN, Shao A, Vieth R, Heaney R. Risk assessment for Vitamin D. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jan;85(1):6-18.

4. Kassem MA, Fanaki NH, Fawzi MA, Dabbous FSE. Influence of green tea on the antimicrobial activity of some antibiotics against multiresistant clinical isolates. Presented at the Society for General Microbiology”s 162nd meeting, March 31, 2008, Edinburgh, Scotland.

5. Widlansky ME, Hamburg NM, Anter E, Holbrook M, Kahn DF, Elliott JG, Keaney JF Jr, Vita JA. Acute EGCG Supplementation Reverses Endothelial Dysfunction in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease. J Am Coll Nutr. 2007 Apr 26 (2):95-102.

6. Suchitra Kativar, Craig A Elmets, Santosh K Katiyar. Green tea and skin cancer: photoimmunology, angiogenesis and DNA repair. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2007 May 18 (5):287-296.

7. Zheng G, Sayama K, Okubo T, Juneja LR, Oguni I. Anti-obesity effects of three major components of green tea, catechins, caffeine and theanine, in mice. In Vivo. 2004 Jan-Feb;18(1):55-62.

8. Gu JW, Young E, Covington J, Johnson JW, Tan W. Oral Administration of EGCG, an Antioxidant Found in Green Tea, Inhibits Tumor Angiogenesis and Growth of Breast Cancer in Female Mice. Presented at the 121st Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society, part of the Experimental Biology 2008 scientific conference, San Diego, April 2008.

9. Harper CE, Patel BB, Wang J, Eltoum IA, Lamartiniere CA. Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate suppresses early stage, but not late stage prostate cancer in TRAMP mice: mechanisms of action. Prostate. 2007 Oct 1;67(14):1576-89.

10. Bhattacharya A, Tóth K, Sen A, Seshadri M, Cao S, Durrani FA, Faber E, Repasky EA, Rustum YM. Inhibition of colon cancer growth by methylselenocysteine-induced angiogenic chemomodulation is influenced by histologic characteristics of the tumor. Clin Colorectal Cancer. 2009 Jul;8(3):155-62.

11. Wang L, Bonorden MJ, Li GX, Lee HJ, Hu H, Zhang Y, Liao JD, Cleary MP, Lü J. Methyl-selenium compounds inhibit prostate carcinogenesis in the transgenic adenocarcinoma of mouse prostate model with survival benefit. Cancer Prev Res (Phila Pa). 2009 May;2(5):484-95.

12. Zhang X, Zarbl H. Chemopreventive doses of methylselenocysteine alter circadian rhythm in rat mammary tissue. Cancer Prev Res (Phila Pa). 2008 Jul;1(2):119-27.

13. Dean W. Resveratrol: Clinical and Anti-Aging Benefits. Anti-Aging Nutrient Review and Update Part 6. Vitamin Research News. Available at www.vrp.com.

14. VRP Staff. Resveratrol: Remarkable Longevity Enhancer and Heart Protector. Vitamin Research News. Available at www.vrp.com.

15. Sengottuvelan M, Deeptha K, Nalini N. Resveratrol ameliorates DNA damage, prooxidant and antioxidant imbalance in 1,2-dimethylhydrazine induced rat colon carcinogenesis. Chem Biol Interact. 2009 Jun 10. Published Online Ahead of Print.

16. Loschen G, Ebeling L. [Inhibition of arachidonic acid cascade by extract of rye pollen] Arzneimittelforschung 1991 Feb;41(2):162-7.

17. Wójcicki J, Samochowiec L, Bartlomowicz B, Hinek A, Jaworska M, Gawronska-Szklarz B. Effect of pollen extract on the development of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits. Atherosclerosis. 1986 Oct;62(1):39-45.

18. Wójcicki J, Samochowiec L, Hinek A. The effect of Cernitins on galactosamine-induced hepatic injury in rat. Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz). 1985;33(2):361-70.

19. Voloshyn OI, Pishak OV, Seniuk BP, Cherniavs’ka NB. [The efficacy of flower pollen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and concomitant diseases of the gastroduodenal and hepatobiliary systems] [Article in Ukrainian]. Lik Sprava. 1998 Jun;(4):151-4.

20. Boccardo F, Lunardi GL, Petti AR, Rubagotti A. Enterolactone in breast cyst fluid: correlation with EGF and breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2003 May;79(1):17-23.

21. Bylund A, Saarinen N, Zhang JX, Bergh A, Widmark A, Johansson A, Lundin E, Adlercreutz H, Hallmans G, Stattin P, Makela S. Anticancer Effects of a plant lignan 7- hydroxymatairesinol on a prostate cancer model in vivo. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2005 Mar;230(3):217-23.

22. Katsuda S, Yoshida M, Saarinen N, Smeds A, Nakae D, Santti R, Maekawa A. Chemopreventive effects of hydroxymatairesinol on uterine carcinogenesis in Donryu rats. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2004 May;229(5):417-24.

23. Gast GC, de Roos NM, Sluijs I, Bots ML, Beulens JW, Geleijnse JM, Witteman JC, Grobbee DE, Peeters PH, van der Schouw YT. A high menaquinone intake reduces the incidence of coronary heart disease. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Sep;19(7):504-10.

24. Katsuyama H, Saijoh K, Otsuki T, Tomita M, Fukunaga M, Sunami S. Menaquinone-7 regulates gene expression in osteoblastic MC3T3E1 cells. Int J Mol Med. 2007 Feb;19(2):279-84.

25. van Summeren MJ, Braam LA, Lilien MR, Schurgers LJ, Kuis W, Vermeer C. The effect of menaquinone-7 (vitamin K2) supplementation on osteocalcin carboxylation in healthy prepubertal children. Br J Nutr. 2009 May 19:1-8. Published online ahead of print.