WEIGHT ISSUES
16 October
Day
World Food
SUPPLEMENTING
for wellness
Nutritional supplementation can save South
Africa millions and help
the country avoid the
scourge of obesity and
preventable diseases.
T
his is according to Dr. Guru
Ramanathan, who was the international keynote speaker at the
7th Annual Clicks Healthcare
Conference that took place early
last month Emperors Palace in Johannesburg. He is the Chief Innovation Officer
for US-based General Nutrition Centers
(GNC), the largest global specialty retailer
of health and wellness products. As a
global expert, he spoke on international
trends in supplementation and preventative wellness.
“As wealth increases and the middle
class expands, people become busier and
then commonly reach for convenience/
fast foods which tend to be processed.
w
Did you kno
ts
itional produc
a herbal or trad
constant
In South Afric
grow at a 3%
.
are expected to
al growth rate
pounded annu
value com
e health
d reliable onlin
s
E-commerce an
ring consumer
is also empowe
d wellness
information
an
for their health
to shop wisely
needs.
26 | NOVEMBER 2013 frontShop
Such processed foods are macro-nutrient
dense, but lack in adequate amounts and
types of key micro-nutrients. This causes
all sorts of negative chain reactions and
can lead to malnutrition and obesity,” said
Dr. Ramanathan.
“However, the move towards wellness
in South Africa is very positive
considering South Africa’s
particular public health
concerns. I am not seeing
as many obese people
here as in the US.
However as affluence
grows, people need to
manage their health
to avoid problems like
obesity.
“South Africa
has the opportunity
to leapfrog this
whole experiment
the US went through
with convenience foods.
Scientific research now
backs the efficacy claims of
several complementary
medicines and vitamin and
mineral supplements – which
could be of great benefit to the
South African public,” he said.
Dr. Ramanathan
highlighted a number of
significant, positive research studies into
complementary and alternative medicine:
• Omega 3 fatty acids: Millions of dollars
have been invested in research and over
150 international clinical trials have
demonstrated the benefits of these fats
in various health applications, including
heart, joint, cognitive and eye health.
Omega 3 also assisted cancer patients
to cope better with chemotherapy.
• Multivitamins: In a recent Randomised,
Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled trial
by GNC in the USA, 112 adults were
given a high potency multivitamin blend
or placebo or a traditional low potency
multivitamin for 42 days. Those on the
high potency multivitamin all showed
improved nutritional status, with statistically significant increases in their Lutein
levels in particular, B vitamins status, as
well as decreased inflammatory status
and enhanced quality of life within a few
weeks.
• Heart Health: A recent US study on the
health benefits of grape seed polyphenols indicated significant benefits to
heart health, particularly a lowering of
systolic and diastolic blood pressure in
pre-hypertensive adults.
•
Obesity: A recent US study on
obesity indicated that a daily high
protein and fibre meal replacement helped patients lose approximately 3kgs in 12 weeks,
but more importantly,
significantly reduce their
bad cholesterol levels.
Dr. Ramanathan said
SA was responding
positively to the
trend towards
preventative
wellness with cutting
edge research
into health
conditions
such as heart
disease, diabetes and
cancer, vaccine development
and diagnostics. The
Department of Health also
recognised the need to study
emerging health concerns
associated with
nutritional imbalances.