In The News

New Research Suggests Link between Ambrotose Preclinical and Clinical Studies

A recent publication^€ has raised interesting possibilities regarding an additional mechanism-of-action for Ambrotose^® powders. For more than 15 years, published research^† conducted by independent experts has been exploring the ability of Ambrotose powders to positively impact human health, particularly immune system health and cognitive function.  Research has consistently indicated that both short- and long-term product intake can improve cognitive function in adults, including those subjected to cognitive stress.*  While one possible mechanism for Ambrotose’s cognitive benefits has been its ability to modify proteins involved in cellular communication in human subjects, Mannatech-funded research has also explored potential mechanisms via the gut. In a pre-clinical prebiotic study conducted by experts at the University of Ghent and ProDigest and published in 2010, Ambrotose was shown to enhance populations of colonic Bacteriodetes, a phylum of bacteria previously associated with healthy weight management.*

Now, a new human clinical study^€ by researchers at the University of Illinois, Urbana and published in the FASEB Journal suggests that there could be a mechanistic link between Ambrotose’s prebiotic and cognitive effects. In this study, researchers showed that women with an increased relative abundance of colonic Bacteriodetes exhibited a greater ability to maintain cognitive tasks when under stress.  The Illinois scientists made it clear that their study just established an intriguing correlation between gut Bacteriodetes and improved cognitive function. More research is needed before a causal relationship (i.e. that increasing gut Bacteriodetes can actually improve cognitive function) can be established.

This research opens up exciting new possibilities for exploring the means by which characteristics of the human gut can affect brain function. The University of Illinois scientists were intrigued with the possibility that dietary manipulation might be able to modify gut bacteria and enhance cognitive function, but noted that there was no correlation between Bacteriodetes and their subject’s dietary fat or fiber intake. Ambrotose is the only dietary supplement that has been shown consistently to improve cognitive function, and it may in part do so by its potential to increase the population of Bacteriodetes in the colon.*

^€This study has no connection with Mannatech and was supported in part by the U.S.D.A. National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project ILLU-668-902 and Hass Avocado Board.

^†Some of these studies were at least partially funded by Mannatech. In some cases, this means that Mannatech donated the product that was studied. In other cases, additional funding was provided.

Mannatech’s Continuing Professional Leadership in Quality and Compliance

Mannatech’s team of QA, Research and Development and Regulatory Affairs professionals work hard to ensure that our products are of the highest quality and meet country-specific regulatory standards. Because regulatory quality standards are complex and subject to change, it’s essential to have an expert in charge. Long-term Mannatech employee Ms. Sharon McNair, a Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) by the American Society for Quality (ASQ), is up to that responsibility.

Devoted to keeping abreast of quality regulations and fostering continuing education in the wider quality community, Ms. McNair was elected Secretary of the Dallas ASQ section in December 2016.  As Secretary, she maintains minutes for monthly Dallas ASQ general and leadership meetings and serves as a voting representative for the Dallas section of the organization’s world quality group.  The 900+ members of the Dallas ASQ section represent a wide-range of industries, including hospital, dietary supplements, foods and drugs, medical devices and the aerospace industry.  The concerns of this group encompass quality systems for all areas of corporate functions, including human resources and business systems.  Given the diversity of this group, Sharon recently established and now chairs a Dallas ASQ Food, Drugs and Cosmetics Special Interest Group (SIG) so that the specific needs of quality professionals in these areas can more easily be met. Meetings will be held at Mannatech’s corporate headquarters.

Most U.S. Parents Admit They Are Not Doing a Good Job Encouraging Their Children to Eat Healthy Foods

While almost all parents agree that eating habits during childhood will have a lifelong impact on their child’s health, a recent national sample poll conducted by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan revealed that only one-third of parents are confident that they are doing a good job in shaping their child’s eating habits. Parents reported a number of challenges.

• 70% said that healthy foods cost too much;
• 60% said their children do not like healthy foods;
• 52% said that healthy foods are not convenient;
• Roughly 50% of parents reported that it is hard to tell which foods are actually healthy; and
• About 25% say that healthy food is not available where they shop.

While most parents recognize the importance of known strategies to promote a healthy diet for their children, roughly 20% say it is somewhat/not important to limit junk food, to limit fast food, and to have children learn to eat different foods; 16%  believe it is somewhat/not important to limit sugary drinks, and 13% say it is somewhat/not important that their child eat fruits and vegetables every day.

Mannatech has long endorsed a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy protein.  For parents who want to provide further assurance that their children’s nutrient intake is optimal every day, Mannatech offers numerous vitamin/mineral and glyconutrient-rich products that are suitable for children:

• Ages 4 and up:  PhytoBURST^® nutritional chews, MannaBOOM™ slimsticks, NutriVerus™ powder
• Ages 9 and up: TruPLENISH™ nutritional supplement shakes

Better Terminology is Needed to Identify Individuals Who Have An Unhealthy Body Composition

A growing number of scientists and healthcare experts have been challenging the paradigm of using body weight or body mass index (BMI) as a measure of an individual’s health status. In brief, at issue is the problem that body weight or BMI can falsely identify individuals who are more muscular as obese and falsely identify people with low muscle mass and excess fat mass as normal. Such classification errors are not just an inconvenience, they can then contribute to false perceptions of health for at-risk individuals and their healthcare providers.

A better measure is body composition, which takes into account an individual’s lean and fat mass.  But, say researchers from Australia and New Zealand in a recent publication in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, better language is also needed to help improve a person’s understanding of their situation. Their suggested terminology is simple:  people are underfat, have normal body fat, or are overfat.  Applying these designations, the authors estimate that a whopping 62-76% of the world’s population (4.5-5.5 billion people) is overfat and only 14-28% have normal body fat.

_{Maffetone PB, Rivera-Dominguez I, Laursen PB. Overfat and Underfat: New Terms and Definitions Long Overdue. Front Public Health 2016;4:279.}

Improving Children’s Diets is Crucial for Their Long-term Cardiovascular Health

According to the American Heart Association’s (AHA) recently published Scientific Statement on metrics needed for children to enjoy cardiovascular health throughout their lives, U.S. children are faring poorly. The AHA focused on seven key metrics that influence lifetime cardiovascular health: diet, exercise, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol, blood pressure, blood glucose and smoking status. While there were concerns with how children are faring today regarding many of these metrics, particularly BMI and smoking, the data on children’s diets was the most alarming. A shocking less than 0.5% of children are consuming a healthy diet rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains and heart-healthy fats, and low in sodium and sugar-laden foods and drinks.  About 91% of U.S. children were classified as having a poor diet. This study should serve as a wake-up call to American parents concerned about the long-term health of their children.

_{Steinberger, J., Daniels, S.R., Hagberg, N., et al. Cardiovascular Health Promotion in Children: Challenges and Opportunities for 2020 and Beyond: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation 2016; 134(12): e236-e255.}

Mannatech Announces Formation of Global Scientific Advisory Board

Mannatech has assembled a group of top-tier, independent scientists from around the world to lead its Global Scientific Advisory Board (GSAB), a group that will support the company’s commitment to providing science-backed nutritional supplements to its worldwide customer base.

Mannatech’s GSAB will provide their insights and expertise to help Mannatech continue to develop outstanding new products or refine existing products to ensure that ingredients and formulations are up to pre-determined standards and are in line with the latest, viable research. GSAB members may also be called upon to provide education and training to consumers on health and wellness topics.

GSAB members include:

• Azita Alavi, BSc(Hons), MPhil, PhD
• Richard J. Bloomer, PhD
• Stephen Boyd, MD, PhD
• Charl Marais, BSc, D Emed
• Francesco Marotta, MD, PhD, MACG
• Erika Nelson, PhD
• Chandan Prasad, BSc(Hons.), MSc, PhD
• Emma Roca, MS, PhD candidate
• William Sanchez, MD

Mannatech’s Senior Global Wellness Director, Dr. Steve Nugent, serves as Chairman of the Global Scientific Advisory Board.  Dr. Rolando Maddela, Mannatech’s Director of Clinical Research and Scientific Affairs serves as the GSAB Executive Secretary and Mr. Tait Switzer, Vice President of Research and Development will provide additional support.

Biographies of GSAB members are provided on the Scientific Board page of this website.

Mannatech Celebrates Publication Citation Milestone

About six years ago Mannatech realized that, to facilitate scientific understanding of the effect of dietary polysaccharides on the immune system, there was a pressing need to consolidate and describe the existing immunologic oral polysaccharide literature. Always ready for a challenge, Mannatech scientists decided to take on the task, and their systematic literature review was published in Nutrition Journal in November of 2010.
This review has indeed been of great interest to researchers around the globe who are striving to better understand these complex and often potent natural molecules derived from plants and fungi. In fact, Mannatech recently celebrated a significant milestone for this literature review: the article has been cited in over 100 research publications!
“We’ve always recognized the need for strong product validation, as evidenced by pre-clinical research and human clinical studies that have documented the benefits of our core products for people,”* commented Tait Switzer, Vice President of Research and Development at Mannatech. “International recognition of the importance of this literature review and rapidly growing interest in oral polysaccharide research further demonstrates that we are truly advancing the scientific understanding of the benefits that can be derived from dietary polysaccharides.”

_{Pictured:  Authors Jane Ramberg, MS (left) and Dr. Erika Nelson.  Not pictured: Dr. Robert Sinnott}

Glyconutritionals Revisited

In honor of the relaunch of our fresh new website, Mannatech’s R&D team decided to offer up a simple, clean serving of glyconutritional education: “Glyconutritionals Revisited”. We’ve come a long way since our first Ambrotose product was launched almost twenty years ago!

Download PDF “Glyconutritionals Revisited”

This two-page article is also posted on all Ambrotose product pages.

Mannatech’s Leadership Role in Quality and Compliance

Mannatech has been steadfast in its commitment to producing the highest quality scientifically validated products that meet country-specific regulatory standards. Working behind the scenes for over 12 years to help make this happen is Ms. Sharon McNair, Mannatech’s Quality Assurance Manager.

An important component of Ms. McNair’s responsibilities is staying abreast of ever-changing Quality regulations. The American Society for Quality (ASQ) is an outstanding resource for Quality professionals serving diverse industries who seek continuing education and productive interactions with industry peers. At the ASQ World Conference on Quality and Improvement in early May 2015, Sharon asked that a Dallas-area regional special interest group (SIG) be formed so that Quality Food, Drug, Supplements and Cosmetics professionals could meet and discuss issues relevant to their industries. Approval was provided in June 2015 and Ms. McNair agreed to serve as the inaugural chair of the SIG. During SIG meetings, held monthly at Mannatech’s corporate headquarters in Coppell, industry members share their knowledge and experiences in implementing Quality procedures that enable them to comply with federal and state regulations. As a Dallas ASQ section team member, Sharon also proctors quality professional’s certification examinations.

“I am an advocate for continuing education and learning new ways to improve my knowledge,” explains Ms. McNair. “I love Quality and I work daily to improve Mannatech’s processes to help ensure our products are of the highest quality, which includes identifying what is perceived as a quality measure for the countries we service. Recent recalls of other company’s products do harm to the entire supplement industry. It is my hope that consumer trust will be bolstered by our SIG working together to implement and adhere to Quality standards.”

More information about Mannatech’s commitment to quality products can be found here.

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