USANA Scientific Method: Legacy and Discovery are Alive at LPI

Inside the lab of a nearly new building. Inside a petri dish and the clear, seemingly non-descript liquid dripped from so many pipettes. Inside the cells composing various in vitro experiments and the DNA that builds life itself. Zoom in close enough on the Linus Pauling Institute, and you can see the mechanics of scientific discovery.

It’s for the discoveries that the new building, the new lab, the petri dishes, the pipettes, and the unquantifiable collection of scientific passion, knowledge, and energy exist. At the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI), it’s all dedicated to discovery—the game-changing kind that helps people live longer, healthier lives.

Observation

The researchers working on the campus of Oregon State University (OSU) in Corvallis are following in the footsteps of the scientific pioneer that lends his name to the institute. Linus Pauling, Ph.D., is the only person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes—Chemistry in 1954 and Peace in 1962. From a 13-year-old chemist in his mother’s basement, Pauling grew into one of the most important scientific figures of the 20^th century, breaking ground in the nature of the chemical bond, and micronutrient research—especially the importance of vitamin C.

In 1973, Pauling co-founded what eventually became LPI. Basing their research on the idea that a balanced and nutritious diet is the key to optimal health, LPI scientists focus on how vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals (chemicals from plants) play a role in human health. Nearly 30 years later, Pauling’s belief that micronutrients are important is still central, uniting the work of the researchers who carry on his legacy.

“I always have to laugh when MDs say, ‘We don’t need this vitamin!’” said Balz Frei, Ph.D., director and endowed chair of LPI and OSU distinguished professor of biochemistry and biophysics. “Wait a minute. Vitamin? ‘Vita’ is Latin for life. These things are essential nutrients. We need them. Without them, you die or suffer from serious disease.”

Driven by the mission to promote optimal health through micronutrient research, the institute has grown in acclaim, becoming one of the first two Centers of Excellence for Research on Complementary and Alternative Medicine designated by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Hypothesis

It’s this mix of mission and excellence that brought USANA and LPI together in 2007, when a 10-year partnership was announced to facilitate the exploration of key nutrients to help people live healthy and productive lives.

“We have very similar interests and very similar mission statements,” Frei said. “Our focus is on health span, not so much life span. Of course, if you eat right and you exercise and you take the right dietary supplements you hopefully live longer, but you also live better…USANA is focusing on health span, too—trying to help people stay healthy up to an old age and help them be productive, and not just free of disease, but also vital and energetic. This makes perfect sense, then, for the LPI to partner with USANA.”

The partnership comes to life in the financial support USANA provides for projects at the institute—scientific- and outreach-related—and intellectual collaboration on mutually beneficial research. It’s a win-win, with LPI getting support for projects that are tough to fund through traditional channels, and USANA staying connected to pioneering research and the advancement of nutritional science.

Experiment

The work most closely associated with Pauling’s is coming out of the Frei lab. Building on a seminal paper he wrote called “Vitamin C is an Outstanding Antioxidant in Human Blood Plasma,” which has been cited over 1,200 times, Frei has continued his vitamin C work, but also explores other compounds and their role in slowing the progression of atherosclerosis—the hardening of arteries caused by plaque build up.

Frei’s research examines the interaction between vitamin C and lipoic acid. Along with fellow LPI researcher, Tory Hagen, Ph.D., Frei is looking at the anti-inflammatory properties of these compounds. Two ongoing clinical trials at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) are looking at the effects of lipoic acid supplementation in overweight subjects and heart disease patients.

The interaction of flavonoids with digestive enzymes is also of interest to the Frei lab. In vitro studies have shown certain flavonoids and extracts, like grape-seed and green tea extract, can inhibit digestive enzymes, slowing starch breakdown into glucose, which lowers the body’s response to this high-glycemic food. They are working to take this from the lab to humans—the goal of all the research at LPI.

Of course, Frei isn’t the only scientist at LPI immersed in interesting research. Visit the office of Emily Ho, Ph. D., and it’s easy to guess one of her lab’s interests. It’s green, stuffed, and sitting in a chair next to her desk.

Broccoli—specifically the sulforaphane found in broccoli sprouts—is one of the two areas Ho’s lab is researching. The LPI principal investigator and associate professor of public health and human sciences also works on zinc projects. Prostate cancer prevention is the thread tying her research together, but she also looks at inflammatory response and immune function, as well.

“You can’t always get a prostate from people, so we study other things, as well,” Ho said with a laugh.

Ho and her collaborators recently ran a controlled feeding study looking at zinc and DNA damage. They found DNA damage increased through the depletion period of the study, and after four weeks receiving adequate zinc—through diet and supplements—subjects’ DNA damage levels returned to normal. There isn’t a good biomarker for zinc status, so one of Ho’s missions is to find a measure that indicates deficiency in this important antioxidant.

Ho has also worked with an LPI colleague to identify a new mechanism for sulforaphane. Now they are running two clinical trials at OHSU in breast cancer patients and men with high risk of prostate cancer. Ho is using epigenetic biomarkers—reversible changes to the genome that occur outside the DNA and alter the way cells behave—to test the impact of sulforaphane.

Each LPI researcher is different. Adrian “Fritz” Gombart, Ph.D., doesn’t have any stuffed effigies in his office, and the LPI principal investigator and associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics prefers to focus on the role vitamin D plays in the innate immune response—the system that signals the presence of a pathogen and prevents it from gaining a foothold in the body.

The research Gombart is doing provides a better understanding of vitamin D’s role in immune function, and could shed light on its ability to regulate an antimicrobial peptide gene called cathelicidin in different immune cells, as well as the response to different infectious diseases. Soon, he is hoping to do human clinical studies examining whether higher vitamin D status leads to higher cathelicidin levels in a large population of healthy people.

Results

Around LPI, Fred Stevens, Ph.D., comes up a lot. The LPI principal investigator and associate professor of medicinal chemistry is working with cutting-edge techniques that could speed up the normally slow process of scientific advancement.

These techniques present a different way of approaching problems and allow for scientific connections to be made more quickly. In a recent study, Stevens and his collaborators used the techniques to make an interesting discovery about vitamin C deficiency. The results suggest vitamin C is critical for maintenance of cellular energy metabolism, and could explain why vitamin C insufficiency causes fatigue.

Another LPI principal investigator, Gerd Bobe, Ph.D., is using Stevens’ techniques to explore the health benefits of various foods. Bobe, an assistant professor in animal sciences, said these techniques give us a better idea of what a drug, supplement, or diet does to a specific person, allowing for more personalized treatments and preventions.

Conclusion

Bobe is also lending his statistics skills to the Healthy Youth Program. This outreach effort is tackling the issues of nutrition and physical education in schools. Since its inception in 2009, the reach of the Healthy Youth Program has grown substantially. It started with a fitness and nutrition study in elementary school children and an assessment of their micronutrient intake. Now, the program runs cooking classes for children and partners with Corvallis High School to develop a garden maintained by students.

The number of Healthy Youth Program employees has grown from one to five, and the impact of the program continues to expand exponentially. USANA has given $250,000 to support the Healthy Youth Program in its efforts to provide education and activity programs for kids and their families.

Through collaboration on cutting-edge research and support for programs providing nutrition education and activities for kids, USANA has found a kindred spirit in LPI. In the future, this partnership will continue to help people find optimal health and live longer, more productive lives.

In the coming weeks, look for more Scientific Method stories with additional in-depth information on USANA’s research partnerships. Next week’s story focuses on the research and relationship between USANA and TOSH.

Learn to Be Successful Part-Time with LifeMasters

Learn to Be Successful Part-Time with LifeMasters

As many Associates already know, taking on a USANA business comes with plenty of highs and lows, and it doesn’t hurt to have a financial back-up plan in the beginning. April’s edition of LifeMasters reinforces this claim by offering a closer look into the lives of four distributorships that chose to avoid a “cookie-cutter” approach when launching their direct-selling businesses. Each one has managed to maintain a primary career while running their USANA businesses on a part-time basis.

Other “part-time” Associates are sure to benefit from the tips offered by Associate Chris Bouch, who’s managed to become a Gold Director while working as a middle-school physical education teacher. He’s found an effective way to mold his USANA work around his teaching schedule, which keeps the two working hand in hand. The same can be said for Ruby Directors Josebel and Dr. Manny Natividad, as they’ve accumulated a firm financial foundation for their retirement from the medical field through their USANA business.

If the fears associated with quitting your current job are keeping you from fully pursuing the USANA opportunity, the stories of these Associates should take away some of the uneasiness. They’ll offer a different approach to the typical ways Associates expand their USANA businesses and help you prepare for the obstacles associated with working USANA part time.

Be sure to soak in the advice of each track as you listen on your iPod, in your car, or through your computer speakers, because regardless of how you listen, our downloadable mp3 files provide a simple way to transfer, share, and enjoy USANA’s LifeMasters series.

New Prospect-Friendly ProPack Usana Associate

USANA was founded on the vision of a world free from pain and suffering. Now you can easily share that vision with the upgraded ProPack (Item #404). This package reflects the idea of true health and true wealth by providing the finest USANA products and perks at an amazing value. This limited-time only, prospect-friendly pack was designed to help boost your retention levels and help your new Associates hit the ground running.

“Sampling is one of the simplest, easiest, and most fun ways to share USANA products,” said Diamond Directors and CIDC Members Germain and Lyne Lafortune. “When new Associates open their ProPack box, they are wowed by both the quantity and variety of products. They are instantly anxious to hand out the samples to friends and family. Our motto is ‘Let the samples do the work!’”

The updated pack contains 31 products, including 14 new items, and is available in both English and French. This pack has everything your business-minded prospects need to start building a solid base. Packed with an even bigger variety of our great products, such as USANA Vitamin D supplement and Usana coQuinone 100, they can quickly get a feel for the company and start sharing their favourite supplements.

The ProPack also includes USANA’s best prospecting tools, including the Health & Freedom Newspaper and Product Catalogue. With the updated ProPack, not only will people be able to read about USANA’s products, but they’ll also be able to share sample products with Usana Nutrimeal™ pouches and Sensé™ Sample Packs.

The new ProPack also includes six event pass vouchers, which can be used at Cross-Regional Conferences and at the upcoming International Convention. And although the price will remain the same, the sale of this pack will generate an amazing 1,250 SVP for your new Associates—enough to activate 3 Business Centres!

Learn more about the products included when you download the new ProPack flyer, which you can find when you go to “Prospecting,” select “Tools” from the drop-down menu, and then click on “USANA Business.”

Don’t miss this incredible value, which ends on June 1, 2012. Share this opportunity with your prospects and watch their businesses—and yours—take off!

USANA Reduces Carbon Footprint through Renewable Energy

Although it is approximately 150 million kilometers away, the sun has a major impact on our planet. It provides us with light, heat, seasons, and even energy. Every year the sun produces 10,000 times the amount of energy currently consumed by humans. It seems only natural to tap into that energy—which is exactly what USANA has done.

In 2007, the USANA Green team met together to develop a plan for going green. But the question remained, where do you begin in reducing your carbon footprint? The team decided to take it one step at a time.

“Energy was one of the first things we wanted to tackle,” said USANA Green Coordinator Jeff Robertson. Rather than just cut back, the team decided on a two-pronged approach: first, find sources of renewable energy; second, reduce the amount of energy used.

USANA started by purchasing wind energy through Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program. Initially, they purchased 75,000-kilowatt hours, enough to offset 10 percent of USANA’s energy usage, but the team continued to look for alternate sources of energy. Naturally, they looked to the sun.

The first set of solar panels was installed in 2008. The panels, which were placed on the warehouse roof of the USANA Home Office, supplied enough electricity to power two to three Utah homes. Another set of panels was added in 2011, this one able to supply power equivalent to that of 22 Utah homes.

The panels span more than 140,000 square feet, covering the roof of the Phase 3 Warehouse with over 700 individual panels, making it the largest private installation of solar panels in the state of Utah. Together, the panel sets prevent 14 metric tons of greenhouse emissions.

USANA then upped the purchase of renewable wind power to seven million kilowatt hours through Renewable Choice Energy. “Through a combination of windmills and solar panels, all of our North American power now comes from renewable energy sources,” said Robertson.

Reducing pollutants is an important endeavor worldwide, but it is especially important around the USANA headquarters. “Renewable energy is essential for our location in particular because of Utah’s unique challenges with air quality,” said Robertson. Frequent winter inversions trap pollutants in Utah’s urban valleys and create toxic buildup in the air, posing a health threat to those exposed.

To help counteract this effect, USANA is partnering with Utah State University to examine the role of supplementation in offsetting the negative health effects of exposure to polluted air. The study focuses on whether a variety of antioxidants found in nutritional supplements can mitigate the inflammatory response in the breathing passages of people exposed to high levels of air pollution.

By tapping into renewable energy USANA has saved approximately 600,000 kilowatt-hours a year—that’s nearly 750 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 900 pounds of nitrogen oxide, and 550,000 pounds of carbon dioxide that have not been released into the atmosphere.

Other changes around the Home Office, such as switching to EPA-approved light bulbs and motion-censored lights, have also helped to reduce energy usage. All of these efforts combined have cut USANA’s emissions by one-third, earning the company the title of Clean Utah Partner and a place in the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partner Leadership Club.

It’s clear USANA’s renewable energy sources are making a major impact as the team’s efforts expand and the carbon footprint diminishes. “USANA is dedicated to being a partner in reducing the impacts to Utah’s air sheds,” Robertson said. “We have a lot more roof space and we have a CEO that is determined to improve the environment.”

Become a Usana Distributor

Thrive As an Entrepreneur By Becoming a Usana Distributor

Becoming a Usana Health Science associate lets you become a partner with one of the world’s leading wellness corporations. Usana produces some of world’s top-rated and highest-quality wellness and nutrition products available. With a highly-developed product range that includes broad spectrum supplements, multivitamins, shakes and low glycemic index foods, Usana Health Science has a product to meet the needs of the health conscious consumer. The company prides itself on producing products that have the correct quantity of nutrients to improve the functioning of the body’s cells, allowing people to be in optimal condition.

Usana Health Science Has Products for People of All Ages

Become a Part of a Well-Respected Company

The Benefits of Becoming an Usana Associate

New Prospect-Friendly ProPack Available for a Limited Time

USANA was founded on the vision of a world free from pain and suffering. But the idea of true health and true wealth can’t be accomplished without your help—that vision is spread as you build your business and share the USANA opportunity with those around you.

Building a solid business, however, can seem daunting for new Associates. Fortunately, USANA has them covered with the upgraded ProPack (Item #404). Available in both English and French, the new prospect-friendly pack was designed to help boost your retention levels and help Associates hit the ground running.

The updated pack contains everything your business-minded prospects will need to start building a solid base. Packed with an even bigger variety of our great products, such as USANA’s Vitamin D supplement and CoQuinone™ 100, they can quickly get a feel for the company and start sharing their favourite supplements.

Great tools, such as the Health & Freedom Newspaper and Product Catalogue, are included to help ease them into prospecting; there’s no better way for new Associates to share USANA than to let people try the products for themselves, which will be easy with Nutrimeal™ pouches and Sensé™ Sample Packs included.

The new ProPack also includes six event pass vouchers, which can be used at Cross-Regional Conferences, as well as the upcoming International Convention. And although the price will remain the same, the sale of this pack will generate an amazing 1,250 SVP for your new Associates—enough to activate 3 Business Centres!

Download the new ProPack flyer, EN / FR which you can find when you go to “Prospecting,” select “Tools” from the drop-down menu, and then click on “USANA Business.”

Don’t miss this incredible offer, available for a limited time only. Share this opportunity with your prospects and watch their businesses take

BECOME A USANA DISTRIBUTOR NOW, Click here!

USANA Green: Steps to Securing a Healthier Future

The cold winter sunrise is draped in pink, orange, and yellow—the morning costume of another hazy day in Salt Lake City. By 9:00 a.m., the pinks and oranges will have receded, leaving a crude yellow-gray shawl to shield the valley from an otherwise clear sky.

In this setting it’s hard to be blind to the buildup of smudgy fingerprints humans are leaving on the environment. And it’s hard to ignore what that means for our health—and the health of future generations.

USANA noticed, and in early 2007—at the behest of CEO Dave Wentz—took action. With Executive Vice President of Research and Development Tim Wood, Ph.D. at the helm, USANA Green was established with a mission in mind.

“We believe, as a corporate entity, in health—the health of people and the health of the environment,” said Jeff Robertson, USANA Green coordinator. “And we believe they are symbiotic. When the environment is healthy, people will generally be healthy, too. When people seek to be healthy on their own, they will also seek to make the environment healthy.”

Working with members of the community and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Wood created an environmental management system (EMS)—a comprehensive document outlining who would be involved in green efforts, what those efforts would be, how they would be controlled, and how success would be measured.

Initially, Robertson said, there was a lot of “low-hanging fruit.” The first crop of green programs included a paper-recycling program, plans for solar panels, and a water-wise landscape makeover.

Another early win came from rethinking how USANA powered its operations. The company quickly found a partner in Rocky Mountain Power, whose Blue Sky program allowed USANA to purchase wind-generated energy. Today, USANA offsets the impact of its energy usage by purchasing 7 million kilowatts of certified wind energy each year—accounting for 100 per cent of their North American energy consumption.

There was also a groundswell of support for these green efforts, with different departments contributing expertise and enthusiasm. The best example was the facilities department’s involvement in the xeriscaping project that is now saving USANA 3.8 million litres of water per year. Their expertise led to a water-wise landscape that was the perfect combination of efficiency and beauty—earning USANA an award from West Valley City.

But the most prominent yardstick for USANA Green’s success came from the Climate Registry. This nonprofit collection of North American government and private entities sets standards for calculating, verifying, and publicly reporting greenhouse gas emissions into a single registry, providing accurate data to help reduce these emissions. USANA joined as one of the earliest reporters.

“A lot of people look at climate change and just wring their hands,” Robertson said. “Or they’ll say, ‘There’s nothing that can be done about this.’ But Climate Registry goes out there and says, ‘There is a way to look at climate change that’s numbers-based and rational.’”

Climate Registry provided a method for measuring and reporting greenhouse-gas emissions, and required a third-party verification of USANA’s emissions portfolio—an important check when developing an effective green program. Working with Climate Registry also allowed USANA to support a broad coalition of groups figuring out how to tackle issues, and provided a focus on hard data instead of empty estimates.

Being a member of the registry puts USANA in good company—members include large universities, government entities, and companies across many industries. At this time, USANA is the only network marketing company reporting to the Climate Registry.

“There is a nexus of social responsibility, environmental responsibility, and responsibility to our shareholders,” Robertson said. “If you’re not pursuing green, you’re kind of foolish because you’ll end up with less of all three.

USANA in the News: Great New Prospecting Tools

Being in the limelight definitely has its advantages. USANA’s products have been featured among professional athletes as well as in media outlets such as Bloomberg, Sports Illustrated, and Good Morning America. All this face-time not only raises awareness for the company, but also boosts our credibility—making it easier for you to prospect.

“Each accolade is a chance for us, as Associates, to show others we have the best founder, the best products, and the best company out there,” said Ruby Director Patti Roney. “Accolades are the outside world recognizing who we are at USANA.”

Third-party recognition is a great tool for prospecting, especially when you use the new “USANA in the News” flyers. Now you can seamlessly transition any conversation and share what others have been saying about our award-winning products.



Here’s a preview of the new “USANA in the News” series:

• USANA & the WTA: A Perfect Match—features our six WTA brand ambassadors, their accolades, and favourite USANA products. Pull this out to ace the conversation at a match or when you meet a big tennis fan.
• Nutritionals in the News—highlights what Sports Illustrated, The CW NBC, KSLTV 5, OK! magazine, and others have said about USANA. Print this out and give it away with your favourite flyer to add another level of validity.

• Team USANA Makes News—features clips of USANA in the media, mentioned in such venues as Bloomberg, Tennis Channel, Sl.com, and The Salt Lake Tribune. This is a great way to share USANA with the athletes in your life.
  
• Media Frenzy over Nutrimeal™—spotlights Nutrimeal’s popularity in the news and among celebrities. Share this flyer with die-hard celebrity fans and other nutrition drink users you meet, and let them see what all the buzz is about. 
• USANA Athletes Spotted in the News—features news clips and coverage of some of the professional athletes of Team USANA and their favourite products. Carry this flyer around to give to team members and other sports fans.
  
• The Taste of USANA’s Rev3 EnergyDrink Turns Heads—highlights the award-winning beverage and its mentions in the media. This versatile flyer can be used at the gym, on a hike, or as a handout when sampling Rev3. It also makes a great addition to your prospecting pack.

Make connections and use these flyers to tailor your prospecting by bringing in people’s real interests. “Once you have a prospect interested in the business, take just a few minutes to show them exactly what others are saying about USANA,” said Ruby Director Jared Crebs, who uses accolades as the icing on the cake. “Know when to use them, and tailor them toward your prospect.”

 
You’ll be amazed how easy it can be. Leave a flyer with your potential clients and see how our spotlight can do the talking for you!

To download these flyers, go to “Prospecting,” select “Tools” from the drop-down menu, and then click on “Celebrities, Athletes & Press.”

A Scientific Approach to Heart Health

USANA scientists recently conducted a study in conjunction with a research team at the Boston University School of Medicine. The study showed that grape-seed extract and vitamin C may be beneficial for people who already have a form of cardiovascular disease called coronary artery disease (CAD).

Here’s a little bit of background: Oxidative stress may impact the heart’s ability to effectively pump blood. Over time, this impaired function has been shown to be an important factor in the progression of CAD.

Grape-seed extract and vitamin C have been shown to significantly protect against oxidative stress, as well as to have positive effects on blood flow. The USANA/BU team suspected that the powerful antioxidants could support healthy blood flow through supplementation of these two key nutrients together.

Researchers gave study participants, who were already diagnosed with CAD, either a placebo or 450 mg of grape-seed extract and 1500 mg of vitamin C. Blood samples were taken four hours after receiving the first dose, then again four weeks after taking the same dosage every day.

Those in the treatment group showed improved antioxidant levels. Blood flow response also showed significant improvement following the 28-day treatment relative to the placebo group.

These results suggest that Grape-seed bioflavonoids and vitamin C, working together, may help improve vascular function in people with CAD, even in tiny peripheral blood vessels. The results of this study were so impressive they were shared at an event sponsored by the American Heart Association. 

Build a Solid Foundation for Your Business with RESET™

The Transform Phase is under way and you are well on your way to meeting your weight-loss goals. Most likely you’ve discovered that the RESET™ weight-management program is not only a good way to manage your weight, but it’s also a great way to build your business. Several successful Associates have built their businesses around RESET, and with a little help you too can build a solid foundation.

Before you begin promoting RESET, however, you must first experience it for yourself. Once you have a solid testimony of the product, it’s time to get the word out. But as with any product, the biggest challenge you face is getting other people interested in what you have to offer.

By following these tips from Silver Director Lindsey Hardy, you will see how easy it is to share RESET and build a healthy foundation for your business:

1. Find Needs and Offer Solutions—You meet people everywhere you go, so start building a lukewarm market. Strike up a conversation and then listen for needs. Once someone has expressed a need, such as a desire to lose weight, you can step in with a solution, like RESET.
2. Share Testimonials—One of the easiest ways to get the word out is by sharing testimonials on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media sites. This will pique people’s interest and show them that RESET really works.
3. Host a RESET Challenge—Losing weight can be a difficult process, but a support group can make all the difference. Host your own RESET Challenge and invite your friends and downline to participate.
4. Establish a Relationship—As you share RESET, be sure to effectively communicate with people and help them succeed. Call or e-mail them to check up and establish a relationship. Be sure to offer help and encouragement during each phase of RESET.

As you follow these steps, you’ll be surprised to see how fast your business will grow. What are you waiting for? Join the RESET team today and build a foundation of true health and true wealth!