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The Immunity Challenge

by Shari Barbanel | September 1, 2011

Not just a problem in the cold winter months, maintaining a healthy immune system is a year-long battle.

The immune system is the body’s natural defense from infection and illness.Made up of a network of cells, organs and tissues that work together to protect the body, the immune system acts as an internal army, fighting off anything that is a threat to allowing the body to function normally. Therefore, it is vitally important to keep the immune system healthy. An unhealthy immune system allows disease and infections to attack the body, leaving it defenseless.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the body is an ideal habitat for numerous types of microbes. It is the immune system’s job to keep them out, or seek them out and destroy them. If the immune system cannot do its job properly, something like the common cold can produce severe, and sometimes even fatal results.

“Your immune system is your interface with the environment,” Andrew Weil, MD, wrote in his book, Natural Health, Natural Medicine: The Complete Guide to Wellness and Self- Care for Optimum Health. “If it is healthy and doing its job right, you can interact with germs and not get infections, with allergens and not have allergic reactions, with carcinogens and not get cancer. A healthy immune system is the cornerstone of good general health.”

Preventative Measures

The market for immune support is strong. Immunity problems can affect anyone from infants to seniors and everyone in between. Parents do not want their child to constantly miss school, those in the workforce would rather use a vacation day for just that, and seniors understand that as they age, their immune systems become weaker. “The market has grown significantly as consumer awareness about the importance of immune health has steadily increased over the years,” said Dan Lifton, COO for Quality of Life Labs (QOL, Purchase, NY). “Consumers are becoming aware of the fact that many health conditions are caused by immune deficiency.”

Consumers want to live healthy lives, but with the way most Americans eat and their lack of exercise, many look to supplements to help balance their immune systems. Further, as health care costs continue to rise, Americans are looking toward preventative care to keep themselves healthy in order to avoid an excessive amount of trips to the doctor’s office.

“Because of concern over the economy and the skyrocketing cost of health care, consumers are looking for accessible and affordable ways to maintain their health at home,” said Jay Levy, director of sales for Wakunaga of America (Mission Viejo, CA). “We are seeing people, especially seniors and parents, take a more proactive approach by looking for natural ways to stay healthy and maintain a balanced immune system.”

Debra Lemerond, owner, CEO and president of Terry Naturally Health Food Store and Caffe Naturally (Green Bay, WI), understands the importance of promoting a healthy immune system to her customers. The store carries 10 products that specifically deal with immune support and many other products that also help promote a healthy immune system. “We carry a variety of items in different formulations and at different price points, so that anyone coming into the store will be able to find a solution that works for them, and have it be something they can afford to use, too,” she said.

Confusion

Many Americans think that it is important to keep their immune systems healthy in the winter to fend off a cold or the flu, but a healthy immune system is important year-round.

“Immune concerns don’t really go away from one season to the next, they just change the way they manifest themselves,” said Cheryl Myers, head of education and scientific affairs for EuroPharma USA (Green Bay, WI).“Consider that in winter, we’re mostly worried about colds and flus, but in the spring, summer and fall, there are a lot of respiratory and allergy challenges that are definitely top-of-mind. Plus, anyone who travels a lot for work really needs to keep their immune system in top form.”

Jean Macris and Anqelique Saffle, owners of Nature’s Marketplace (North Bend, WA), try to make it as easy as possible for customers who are always on the go. “Travelers need support, and we have a lot of requests for immune boosting items for air travel,” said Macris. “We have items like Oxylent and other handy travel size items by the register so they can easily pack them for travel.”

While colds and flus are the most recognizable to consumers, many other conditions are in need of immune support.According to MedlinePlus, other immune system disorders include allergies, asthma, viruses, immune deficiency Diseases and certain autoimmune conditions. A person receiving cancer treatment may also have a low-functioning immune system that leaves a person vulnerable to opportunistic infections.

Lemerond said she believes that consumers need to zone in on what they are really looking for. “In general, people simply need to understand more about what kind of immune support they’re looking for. For instance, they need to distinguish whether they’re dealing with a virus—a short-term ‘bug’—or whether they need longer term immune support. That’s really one of the main goals of my staff: to engage our customers, listen carefully to their health concerns and guide them to the right match for their needs.”

The Crowded Market

As consumers realize the importance of maintaining a healthy immune system, supplement companies are introducing new products with the latest and greatest ingredients and science, which is crowding store shelves. “In addition to mainstays like vitamin C, echinacea and astragalus, which have a long history of use for the prevention and treatment of colds, there has also been a proliferation of new patented immune-boosting compounds,” said Lifton. “The space is getting significantly more competitive and consumers are facing a broader choice of products, so it becomes really important for brand manufacturers to differentiate their products.”

Research has shown that probiotics have been gaining popularity in the market, as consumers are finally beginning to embrace their benefits. Seventy percent of the immune system is located in the digestive tract, therefore linking digestive and immune health together.Antioxidants, which help the body fight against free radicals and function better, are also gaining popularity in the immune support segment of the market.

Wakunaga of America offers a number of products that help support the immune system. The company recently introduced Kyo-Red® Antioxidant Superfruit Blend and Kyo-Dophilus® 9. Kyo-Red, a combination of natural superfruits, vegetables and fiber, is an antioxidant-rich, powdered drink mix. It contains essential polyphenols and anthocyanins, and is rich in vitamin C. Dophilus 9 contains three lactobacilli strains and six bifidobacteria strains. The blend of nine probiotics contains specially cultured human strains of friendly bacteria are carefully processed to retain viability at room temperature, and helps maintain a balanced intestinal flora and promote healthy intestinal and immune function.

The EuroPharma product line includes a plethora of immune products including Immune Defender™, which supports the immune system and intestinal tract health. It includes zinc, an immune supporting trace mineral;Lactoferrin, selenium and elderberry with the probiotic, lactobacillus sporogones.

Lemerond said that Immune Defender is one of the store’s top-selling immune support products.

Bos-Cur®, however, is EuroPharma’s top-selling immune support product.According to the company, it is very helpful for people with asthma or other lung issues, or inflammatory gastrointestinal problems because it reduces chronic inflammation. Bos-Cur provides BosPure® boswellia (with the beta-boswellic acid reduced to less than five percent for greater efficacy) and BCM-95® curcumin, which is up to 10 times better absorbed and retained by the body than standard curcumin extracts.Together, these ingredients support a healthy inflammation response in the lungs, respiratory system and intestinal tract, according to the company.

Looking to the Past

With all of the innovation and new products on the market, some companies are looking to the past. Many herbs such as curcumin have been used for thousand of years in traditional medicine.“Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, is widely recognized as an anti-inflammatory agent, making it a top choice for immune health and joint health formulations,” said Vijaya Nair, MD, MS, CEO of JIVAEssence of Life LLC (Mount Kisco, NY).

JIVA offers curcumin in capsule and beverage forms.JIVA Curcumin and fermented soy energy plus capsules contain antioxidant properties to support and maintain healthy immune and inflammatory response, and JIVA Fermented soy and curcumin nutritional beverage boosts energy and the immune system.JIVA products are an innovative, patent-pending, proprietary formulation combining organically grown, non-GMO fermented soy with patented curcumin, bioperine and other proprietary ingredients to provide synergetic, science-based supplements.

Ayush Herbs, Inc. (Redmond, WA) is another manufacturer that looks to traditional medicine when Formulating its products.“There has been demand for products that boost immunity and, due to our toxic environment, it will only increase,” said Pam Nixon, sales representative for Ayush. “These products appeal to consumers who want to take control of their health and well-being. We offer products that are potent antioxidants and boost immunity.”

Amla Plus and Flucomune are the company’s best-selling products for immune support. Amla Plus is a sweet and spicy jam that can be used as a spread or taken directly. Following an ancient ayurvedic recipe known as “chavanprash,” it contains 38 ingredients, known to preserve vitality and youthfulness.
Flucomune is a proprietary blend of seven herbs with immune supportive, mucous-thinning, expectorant and general detoxifying properties. It includes amla fruit, one of the richest sources of bioflavonoids and vitamin C, revered in ayurveda for its antioxidant and immune-supportive properties.Flucomune is a top-seller at Nature’s Marketplace, according to Saffle.

The Science Behind It

Consumers are now taking a much more proactive role in researching the products that they buy. In today’s economy, consumers want to make sure that they are spending their money on a safe, quality product that has the research to back up the claims made on the box.

“The main market trend we see today is the growing threat of government regulation, which could potentially affect many manufacturers,”

Said J.L. Paes-Leme, founder and CEO of NaturaNectar LLC (Sunrise, FL).“Some of these threats are related to the need for scientific evidence to back up claims. Although we do not agree with the government trying to over-regulate the industry, we do not have any great concerns about our company and products.” Paes-Leme said that NaturaNectar only launches products that are backed by sound research that has clear scientific meaning for their customers.

This summer, the company launched four new immune support products— NaturaNectar Immune Guardian™, NaturaNectar™ Red Bee Propolis, NaturaNectar™ Green Bee Propolis and NaturaNectar Bee Propolis Trio™—to provide a reliable source of premium Brazilian bee propolis, which has many health support properties including immune support, for U.S. consumers.NaturaNectar Immune Guardian uses only the company’s exclusive FLAV-M extract in a formula/dosage that has been used in Scandinavia and Europe for over two decades.

NaturaNectar Bee Propolis Trio, combines our FLAV-M extract with phenolic acids freeze dried extract of premium Brazilian propolis blend for those clients wishing to get all the therapeutical properties of the best bee propolis without the impurities and beeswax that normally accompany bee propolis.

QOL’s best-selling product is Kinoko Gold® AHCC®. AHCC is an acetylated alpha-glucan-rich compound made from Japanese medicinal mushrooms fermented in rice bran that, according to the company, supports normal immune function and may improve the number and functions of immune system cells.Lifton explained that QOL focuses on the quality and quantity of the research, and noted the fact that there are 30 studies on AHCC in PubMed-referenced journals. “Consumers want a clinically proven product backed by reputable research,” said Lifton. “So we spend a lot of time educating retailers and consumers that not all ‘research’ is the same, and that you need well-designed studies published in reputable journals to know that the product has significant clinical proof behind it.”

Educating the Consumer

Because the consumer may need assistance finding exactly what they are looking for, it is up to retailers to educate them. Manufacturers have literature, training sessions and other events to help retailers pass this knowledge on to the customer. Retailers may also want to look into holding classes, events or workshops, and invite guest speakers from the local community.

“We have to address concerns by our retailers and consumers,” said JIVA’s Nair.
“Consumers are trying to justify the added cost of a value-added product and they are definitely taking delivery of promised health benefits into consideration as they assess whether the benefits delivered are worth the price paid. We value repeat purchase and word-of-mouth referrals and are prepared to go the extra mile. Our consumers are open to information, but need to be educated about new ingredients with which he or she is not familiar.”

As customers navigate the aisles, their local retailers will be there to remind them the importance of a healthy immune system. “We need to make it a top priority to pay attention to our diet, exercise, stress management, healthy sleep regimen, etc.,” said Saffle. “Ultimately, our health is our own responsibility. It takes effort, but the benefits are lifelong.”

“Our immune system could be considered Our body’s version of a city police force—it helps us respond to challenges and threats, and is extremely important,” concluded Terry Naturally’s Lemerond. “But that also means that our immune system occasionally over responds or under-responds when it isn’t healthy and in balance. And the thing is, no drug can really keep it in order.
Drugs can suppress the immune system, like after transplant surgery for example, but so far, they can’t really keep our immune defenses running properly. Only natural products can do that, and that’s why they’re so important.”

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