Research Highlights

UC-II Relieves Pain in Arthritic Dogs
A new study has shown that InterHealth Nutraceuticals’ UC-II, an undenatured or intact form of type II collagen found in the cartilage of bone joints, is more than twice as effective in decreasing pain in osteoarthritic dogs than glucosamine and chondroitin alone. UC-II in combination with glucosamine and chondroitin was also more than twice as effective in reducing pain and increasing joint flexibility and activity than glucosamine and chondroitin alone.
UC-II has previously been shown to improve joint flexibility and reduce arthritic symptoms in humans. This new study, conducted on osteoarthritic dogs at Murray State University in Kentucky, and presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Toxicology in March in San Diego, showed that UC-II taken alone reduced overall pain by 62%, while painful limb movement and lameness decreased by 91% and 78%, respectively. UC-II plus glucosamine and chondroitin reduced overall pain in the subjects by 57%, and pain with limb movement and lameness each by 53%, compared to only 24%, 29% and 39%, respectively, in dogs taking the glucosamine and chondroitin combination without UC-II. No adverse effects or changes in liver, heart or kidney functions were observed in any of the animals included in the study.
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Grape Seed Extract May Be Effective in Reducing Blood Pressure
A human clinical trial carried out at UC Davis, School of Medicine, found that grape seed extract may help lower blood pressure. The one-month study was conducted on 24 male and female patients with metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of factors that add up to high risk for heart disease, including elevated blood pressure, excess abdominal body weight, high blood cholesterol fats and high blood sugar. The patients were divided into three groups of eight. The first group received a placebo, while the second and third groups received 150 mgs and 300 mgs, respectively, of a new grape seed extract, MegaNatural BP, developed by Polyphenolics. All participants’ blood pressure was automatically measured and recorded for 12 hours after ingestion.
“Participants in the two groups receiving grape seed extract experienced an equal degree of reduced blood pressure. The average drop in systolic pressure was 12 mm. The average drop in diastolic pressure was 8 mm,” said the study’s lead researcher Dr. C. Tissa Kappagoda, professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine) and director of the Preventive Cardiology Program at UC Davis. Dr. Kappagoda added that the group taking 300 mg of grape seed extract also had reduced serum oxidized LDL cholesterol levels.
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Probiotics Shown to Enhance Immune Function
University researchers at the North American Research Conference on Complementary and Integrative Medicine in Edmonton presented the results on Immunobiotix probiotic tablets from Nutraceutix, Inc., which were shown to enhance phagocytosis by monocytes and neutrophils in a healthy adult human population. The tablets involved in the study contained a proprietary blend of natural, nonGMO probiotic organisms, which incorporated Nutraceutix’s patent-pending BIO-tract technology, which delivers live organisms past harsh stomach acids to the intestinal tract. The uniquely formulated Immunobiotix tablets allowed researchers to identify and confirm specific immune system changes that can result from consuming a high-viability, properly