Many of you have been taking Extra Nutrients for years – for its additional antioxidant support* – beyond the high-quality vitamins and minerals contained in the Basic Nutrients suite of Thorne multis.

Extra Nutrients was recently reformulated – with a significant focus on adding nutrients and botanicals that contribute to healthy aging.*

New additions to Extra Nutrients include:

In addition to these new ingredients, we have upgraded several of the basic vitamin and mineral offerings in Extra Nutrients. These are some of the changes you will see:

  • We have doubled the amount of vitamin D
  • We have added vitamin K – as K1 and K2 (MK7)
  • Vitamin E is now mixed tocopherols instead of just d-alpha-tocopherol
  • We have added more calcium and magnesium
  • The minerals are the well-researched and well-absorbed Albion mineral chelates

Who can benefit from Extra Nutrients?

  • Aging baby boomers
  • Athletes – who will benefit from the additional antioxidant and energy support*
  • Anyone living in a particularly toxic environment
  • Anyone needing extra antioxidant support – individuals with chronic health issues, for example*

How do these additional nutrients support healthy aging?*

It begins with the care and feeding of the mitochondria. At the center of all cellular metabolic activity are the mitochondria, which, when properly fed and stimulated, direct their metabolic activity toward the use of nutrients as fuel.

Natural compounds that increase the activity of the sirtuin enzymes (SIRT 1 and SIRT 3), by improving mitochondrial function, promote and help maintain blood sugar balance, insulin sensitivity, liver function, healthy blood pressure, and vascular health.* The best researched of these compounds, resveratrol and quercetin, both demonstrate potent activation of these healthy-aging sirtuin enzymes.*1,2

Resveratrol mimics the effect of calorie restriction and has shown promise in clinical studies by modulating the effects of several age-related conditions.*

Resveratrol appears to work by activating specific genes that up-regulate the healthy-aging sirtuins, which in turn act as cellular switches that support mitochondrial function and increase the number of mitochondria in each cell.*1,2

An increase in cellular mitochondria results in more efficient energy production within the cell and possibly relates to more efficient fat metabolism and increased longevity.*

Resveratrol might support healthy cardiovascular aging.* Resveratrol is considered by some researchers to be the molecule in red wine that explains the “French Paradox,” an epidemiological observation that the French, who eat more saturated fat and consume more alcohol than citizens of many other countries, have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Resveratrol’s support of the body’s normal inflammatory response and its health-promoting effects in blood vessels might partly explain this phenomenon.*

Like resveratrol, quercetin also enhance SIRT1 activity.*1,2 In addition, quercetin has a positive effect on resveratrol metabolism.* Research has shown quercetin not only slows the breakdown of resveratrol in the body, it also acts as a potent antioxidant and is synergistic with the activities of resveratrol.*3-5

The quercetin in Extra Nutients is provided in phytosome form – it’s bound to a phospholipid – to enhance its absorption.*

What about NAD+? Although the importance of sirtuins cannot be over-emphasized, adequate amounts of intracellular NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) must be present for the sirtuins to function optimally.

Therefore, increasing gene transcription, and thus the activity, of the sirtuin enzymes can only help to a certain degree without adequate levels of NAD+ – a coenzyme found in all living cells. The amount of NAD+ in the body declines naturally with aging, with a corresponding decrease in certain enzymatic activities.6

What can increase NAD levels?

Enter nicotinamide riboside (NR), a naturally-occurring vitamin B3 analog, which directly stimulates NAD+ production for use by the sirtuins and other en­zymes, as well as for mitochondrial energy (ATP) production.*

NR supports multiple functions of the mitochondria, helping to regulate cellular aging and energy production, and providing positive support for metabolic syndrome.*

A just-published study found that NR supplementation for six weeks in healthy older adults significantly increased NAD+ levels.* Beyond that, NR supplementation increased the cellular energy currency ATP.*7

Bilberry has a long history of use for ocular support.* The anthocyanoside flavonoids in bilberry have a particular affinity for the connective tissues in the eye, providing support for the integrity of the retina and cornea.*8 Research also supports bilberry use for dry eye issues.9

And then there are lutein and zeaxanthin – important carotenoids from the marigold flower. But did you know they are also important pigments found in the macula – the yellow spot in the retina?10 A significant body of research suggests the importance of these pigments in supporting the macula.* While the ocular benefits of lutein and zeaxanthin have long been known, recent research points to the potential for these important pigments to also benefit brain health and cognition in the elderly.*11

Astaxanthin – a carotenoid with strong antioxidant potential* – is a reddish-orange pigment found in algae that gives salmon and cooked shellfish, who feed on the algae, their red-orange color. Astaxanthin has been shown to have a positive effect on the health of aging skin.*12

Lycopene – not to be outdone by astaxanthin – it provides the characteristic red-orange color of tomatoes, which is the primary natural source for this antioxidant carotenoid.* Lycopene has been studied for its potential support of both cardiovascular and prostate health.*13

References

  1. Howitz K, Bitterman K, Cohen H, et al. Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan. Nature 2003;425:191-196.
  2. Ji G, Wang Y, Deng Y, et al. Resveratrol . . . in methionine/choline-deficient diet-induced steatohepatitis through regulating autophagy. Lipids Health Dis 2015;14:134.
  3. Walle T, Hsieh F, DeLegge M, et al. High absorption but very low bioavailability of oral resveratrol in humans. Drug Metab Dispos 2004;32:1377-1382.
  4. De Santi C, Pietrabissa A, Mosca F, Pacifici G. Glucuronidation of resveratrol, a natural product in grape and wine, in the human liver. Xenobiotica 2000;30:1047-1054.
  5. Costa L, Garrick J, Roquè P, Pellacani C. Mechanisms of neuroprotection by quercetin: counteracting oxidative stress and more. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2016;2016:2986796. doi: 10.1155/2016/2986796. Epub 2016 Jan 24.
  6. Imai S, Guarente L. NAD+ and sirtuins in aging. . . . Trends Cell Biol 2014;24(8):464-471.
  7. Martens C, Denman B, Mazzo M, et al. Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nat Commun 2018 Mar 29;9(1):1286. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-03421-7.
  8. Kim J, Kim C, Lee Y, et al. Vaccinium myrtillus extract [and] blood-retinal barrier breakdown. Int J Food Sci Nutr 2015;66(2):236-242.
  9. Riva A, Togni S, Franceschi F, et al. The effect of a natural, standardized bilberry extract (Mirtoselect®) in dry eye: a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2017;21(10):2518-2525.
  10. Landrum J, Bone R. Lutein, zeaxanthin, and the macular pigment. Arch Biochem Biophys 2001;385(1):28-40.
  11. Mewborn C, Lindbergh C, Robinson T, et al. Lutein and zeaxanthin are positively associated with visual-spatial functioning in older adults: An fMRI study. Nutrients 2018 Apr 7;10(4). pii: E458. doi: 10.3390/nu10040458
  12. Chalyk N, Klochkov V, Bandaletova T, et al. Continuous astaxanthin intake reduces oxidative stress and reverses age-related morphological changes of residual skin surface components in middle-aged volunteers. Nutr Res 2017;48:40-48.
  13. Weisburger J. Lycopene and tomato products in health promotion. Exp Biol Med (Maywood)  2002;227(10):924-927.