In The News

Study Shows Mannatech Products Improve Quality of Life For Retired Football Players

Very few studies have evaluated the impact of dietary supplementation on quality of life in retired football players using well-validated outcome measures. In an open-label, six-month human clinical trial of retired professional football players, intake of Mannatech products resulted in statistically significant general improvements in quality of life, satisfaction with health and physical and mental health.* ^‡ The 15 retired football players who participated in the study, published in the Global Journal of Health Sciences, took Ambrotose^® Complex powder, Omega-3 with Vitamin D3, Ambrotose AO^® capsules, PhytoMatrix^® caplets and PLUS^™ caplets.

Authors of the study include Dr. Robert A. Sinnott, Dr. Rolando L. Maddela, Dr. Sejong Bae and Dr. Talitha Best. Dr. Sinnott is the CEO and Chief Science Officer at Mannatech and Dr. Maddela is the Clinical Research Administration Manager at Mannatech. Dr. Bae is currently a Professor in the Division of Preventive Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Dr. Best is currently a Lecturer in Psychology at the School of Human Health and Social Sciences at Central Queensland University and an Adjunct Research Fellow in the Division of Health Sciences at the University of South Australia.

Link to abstract

University of Ghent Scientists Publish Ambrotose® Product Prebiotic Study

A study that employed state-of-the-art technology to further explore the prebiotic effects of Ambrotose products has been published in the Antonie van Leeuwekhoek Journal of Microbiology (1). The study was conducted by scientists at ProDigest in collaboration with the Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET) at Ghent University, in Belgium.

As The Economist magazine’s recent cover story, “Microbes Maketh Man”, made clear, the bacteria that populate the human body—particularly those in the gut—have an enormous impact on our health. LabMET scientists are leaders in the development of tools to better assess human gut bacterial populations.This is the first study to apply 16sRNA genes-based pyrosequencing in a Simulator of the Human Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SHIME) study. The pyrosequencing technique allowed Belgian scientists to explore more deeply findings from a previous study published by Ghent University scientists, showing that Advanced Ambrotose powder exhibited prebiotic effects along the entire colon (2).

Scientists at ProDigest are devoted to investigating the optimal management of microbial resources, with the goal of developing novel products and processes that can improve the environment or human health in the most sustainable way.

Link to Abstract

Review of the Effects of Polysaccharides on Brain Function is Published. Mechanisms That Might Explain the Cognitive Benefits of Glyconutrients and Other Polysaccharides are Explored.

While there is growing interest in the effect of oral polysaccharide on health, studies assessing their effect on neurologic function have never been consolidated. Now, a comprehensive literature review has been published that brings together this interesting literature. Dr. Erika Nelson, a neuroscientist, and her colleagues limited their review to controlled studies assessing various roles of exogenous saccharide compounds and polysaccharide-rich extracts on brain function, with a significant focus on benefits derived from oral intake. Six randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials were found that indicate that certain oral polysaccharides positively impact well-being, cognitive function and mood in healthy adults. The most promising human clinical research in this area has been conducted on Ambrotose^® complex.* Numerous preclinical studies were also identified that indicate that polysaccharides can modify behavior, enhance synaptic plasticity and provide neuroprotective effects. Dr. Nelson earned her BS in Genetics from the University of Kansas in Lawrence and went on to obtain her PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. She has published a number of papers on neurodevelopmental disorders and brain epigenetics. A candidate for a Masters of Business Administration at the University of Texas at Dallas, Dr. Nelson is also a consultant for Mannatech, Incorporated. Co-authors include Dr. Robert A. Sinnott, CEO and CSO at Mannatech; Dr. Talitha Best, a scientist with dual appointments at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, and Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria, Australia; and Jane Ramberg, Director of Product Substantiation at Mannatech.

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Study Shows Mannatech’s Ambrotose® Complex Improves Well-being in Healthy Adults

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving more than 100 healthy adults, individuals who consumed Ambrotose complex powder reported numerous health and well-being benefits following 12 weeks of intake, compared with subjects taking a placebo. The study was conducted by Dr. Talitha Best, a post-doctoral research fellow at the Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, University of South Australia (UniSA), and the Brain Sciences Institute, Swinburne University of Technology, Associate Professor Eva Kemps, Flinders University, and Dr. Janet Bryan, UniSA (1)^‡. Healthy adults taking Ambrotose complex powder perceived numerous quality-of-life benefits, including some that have been confirmed by formal cognitive testing (2)^‡,(3).^†* Gastrointestinal effects were also among the perceived benefits reported by individuals who consumed Ambrotose complex.”

† Mannatech provided the Ambrotose supplement and placebo used in this study.
‡ Mannatech provided partial funding and provided the Ambrotose supplement and placebo used in this study.

U.K. Scientists Publish Advanced Ambrotose Powder Serum N-glycosylation Study

A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicated that intake of Advanced Ambrotose^® powder resulted in a significant shift towards increased sialylation in the N-glycosylation profile of the serum of healthy adults. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study which has shown that dietary changes can affect serum glycosylation profiles. The lead author was Dr. Azita Alavi, a Research Fellow at the Sir Joseph Hotung Centre for Musculoskeletal Disorders, Division of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, St. George’s University of London, U.K. Co–authors include St. George’s University researchers Professor John Axford, Dr Edward Tarelli and Dr Owen Fraser, and Professor Martin Bland, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, UK.

Alavi A, Fraser O, Tarelli E, Bland M, Axford J. (2011) An open-label dosing study to evaluate the safety and effects of a dietary plant-derived polysaccharide supplement on the N-glycosylation status of serum glycoproteins in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr, 1-9.
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BMC Nutrition Journal Publishes Immunomodulatory Polysaccharide Literature Review

A large body of scientific literature suggests that certain polysaccharides impact immune system function. Scientists interested in their effects following oral intake, however, have been obliged to sift through a vast number of studies, many of questionable relevance—in vitro studies or studies in which polysaccharide products were injected or administered intravenously. For progress to be made in oral polysaccharide research, a topic of particular interest to dietary supplement companies, Mannatech scientists Jane Ramberg, Dr. Erika Nelson and Dr. Robert Sinnott recognized the need for a systematic review of the existing oral immunologic polysaccharide literature. Their findings, published in BMC Nutrition Journal, indicate that numerous dietary polysaccharides can elicit diverse immunomodulatory effects in humans who are healthy or have health conditions. Animal studies indicate that immunologic effects can be detected in the blood, GI tract and spleen. The authors hope that their comprehensive review will provide a foundation that can be used to guide future immunomodulatory polysaccharide research.

Nutrition Journal Publishes Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Study of Ambrotose AO® Capsules

A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled crossover trial investigating the antioxidant effects of Ambrotose AO capsules in healthy, exercise-trained and untrained men and women was published on November 1, 2010, in the Nutrition Journal.^† In this study, scientists from the University of Memphis showed that Ambrotose AO (4 capsules/day for 3 weeks) significantly increased two measures of antioxidant capacity—Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (TEAC)—in the blood of healthy men and women at rest.* Compared to placebo, Ambrotose AO capsules also caused a greater increase in blood ORAC at 30 minutes post exercise.* This study also supports the safety of Mannatech’s Ambrotose AO supplement at a daily dose of 4 capsules, through measurement of complete blood count, metabolic and lipid panel, and supports prior evidence for Ambrotose AO capsules to enhance blood antioxidant capacity in healthy individuals at rest and following exercise.* The trial was led by Dr. Richard J. Bloomer, Associate Professor and Director of the Cardiorespiratory/Metabolic Laboratory in the Department of Health and Sport Sciences at the University of Memphis, Memphis Tennessee, and students Robert E. Canale, Megan M. Blankenship and Kelsey H. Fisher‐Wellman.

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine Publishes Ambrotose AO® Supplement Clinical Study

A study published in BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine demonstrated that Ambrotose AO capsules significantly increased serum oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) in healthy adults by 36.6% [1].* ^† The five-week combined Phase 1 and 2 open label, forced titration dose response study provides additional evidence that Ambrotose AO^® capsules appear to be safe and are most effective at 4 capsules/day. The study was led by Professor Stephen Myers, PhD, BMed, ND, Director of the Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research (ACCMER), a unique joint venture of the University of Queensland and Southern Cross University (SCU) and the NatMed-Research Unit, Research Cluster for Health and Wellbeing (NRU-RCHW), SCU, Lismore, AU. Co-authors included Dr. Lesley Stevenson (ACCM and the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited, Aukland, NZ); Drs. Phillip A. Cheras and Joan O’Connor (ACCM, NRU-RCHW); Dr. Lyndon Brooks (NRU-RCHW and Graduate Research College [GRC], SCU); Margaret Rolfe (GRC, SCU); Paul Connelan (ACCM, and the Centre for Phytochemistry and Pharmacology [CPP], SCU); and Dr. Carol Morris (CPP).

A New Ambrotose^® Products Study Conducted By Scientists From Ghent, Belgium, Is Published

Using state-of-the-art human gastrointestinal tract simulations and microbiological analyses, scientists from Ghent University and ProDigest (a company that specializes in gastrointestinal research) demonstrated that Ambrotose^® complex and Advanced Ambrotose^® powder exerted positive prebiotic effects (1).* ^† Both products exhibited good selective fermentability throughout the entire colon and positive and selective bifidogenic effects. They also demonstrated the possibility of enhancing species belonging to Bacteroidetes, a phylum recently associated with body weight management.* These findings by Drs. Massimo Marzorati and Sam Possemiers (U. of Ghent and ProDigest), A. Verhelst (ProDigest), Profs. Willy Verstraete and T. Van de Wiele (U. of Ghent) and Drs. Robert Sinnott and Gabriela Luta (Mannatech Incorporated) were electronically published online ahead of print in the peer‐reviewed International Journal of Food Microbiology
[http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2010.02.030].

Clinical Study Of Mannatech’s Creatine-Free EM•PACT® Sports Drink Published In The Journal Of The International Society Of Sports Nutrition

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial investigating the effect of creatine-free EM•PACT sports drink on the aerobic performance of 29 healthy college students was published this week in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition [1] (http://www.jissn.com/content/7/1/12). In this study, Dr. Allyn Byars and his colleagues showed that a single serving of creatine-free EM•PACT sports drink significantly improved subjects’ maximal oxygen consumption (VO2_max), time to exhaustion and percentage estimated non-protein fat substrate utilization. This study provides confirmation that the creatine-free EM•PACT product, which meets the compliance standards of various athletic organizations that regulate the use of nutritional supplements, provides benefits comparable to the original EM•PACT product with creatine [2],[3]. Dr. Byars is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Angelo State University in San Angelo, TX. Drs. Susan Keith and Warren Simpson (Angelo State University), Andy Mooneyhan (Arkansas State University in State University, Arkansas) and Dr. Mike Greenwood (Baylor University in Waco, Texas) were co-authors.