Nutritional Science

I NEWS ITEMS IN NUTRITION SCIENCE

The 2020+ Campaign is one division of the Celebration of Sight Initiative. The immediate priority for the 2020+ Campaign is to make today's prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) a rarity.

Commonsense dictates that flossing and tooth brushing is of little value once the pain of dental abscess arrives. Unlike dental abscess, retinal damage does not trigger pain. Human beings are unaware that any problem exists until they experience visual disruption, which is oftentimes permanent and progressive.

Identifying risk factors such as, a positive family history, poor lifestyle choices or anomalous bio-genetic markers are important in hedging against the onset of ARMD. Whatever the root cause, people over fifty years of age are especially vulnerable, and should be encouraged to protect themselves by taking simple steps to fortify the natural defence systems within the eye before damage sets in. Success here requires that patients remain vigilant, complying with their doctor’s instructions, not only in the treatment of active disease, but also in maintaining preventive measures to prevail upon preventable vision loss.

In this effort, the first company to receive the endorsement of the 2020+ Campaign is Ventura Health Care Corporation (Ventura), a Canadian product development company that specializes in nutritional science. Leveraging its connection with experts in medicine, vision science and food science, Ventura integrates specific needs of the visual system with those of other complex physiological systems.

Ventura presently offers two products that fortify the eye's defence against ARMD.

The first of these is Macular Protection Plus. It is an easy-to-swallow soft-gel capsule that provides an optimal balance of ingredients that work in unison to support every cell type found along the visual pathway; from the retina through to the visual cortex at the back of the brain. Macular Protection Plus is the “go -to” product to delay and/or prevent the arrival of ARMD; however, what is equally important is its ability to activate the production of essential enzymes that have been shown to delay and/or prevent the onset of dementia and other neuro-degenerative diseases.

The second product, AREDS 2 Plus is a small, easy-to-swallow tablet that can be pulverized and then mixed with liquids in a food blender, for those who find swallowing tablets problematic. AREDS 2 Plus is a fully AREDS 2 compliant formulation with selenium and Vitamin D3 added to improve upon cellular function, and to reduce the potential risk of zinc over-supplementation. AREDS 2 Plus is the preferred choice for the treatment of advanced ARMD.

A third product, Dry Eye Formulation, is a simple yet foundational pre-requisite for the rehabilitation of epithelial cells on the front surface of the eye. Disruption to these cells, or the tear film that bathes them, causes dry eye symptoms to appear. The Dry Eye Formulation provides a systemic resolve for this process, but among other things, it fortifies the body's first lines of defence against viruses, bacteria and noxious chemicals.

For further in depth information, please read on.

A Rational for Change

The Essential Metallo Triad

Vitamins C and D3, in conjunction with the zinc, copper, selenium triad, have been shown to be effective in revitalizing the immune system, (including thymus and splenic activity), and other highly metabolically active tissues. These micro-nutrients, when available in dosages slightly in excess of their RDAs, mediate literally hundreds of bio-chemical interactions; arguably, the most ubiquitous of these being the glucose-6-phosphate shunt. The glucose-6-phosphate shunt is a complex enzyme that plays a critical role in the process of glycolysis. Energy (ATP) derived from glycolysis converts glutathione, which is dependent upon the availability of selenium, into its high energy state.

In humans, zinc and copper are required to produce superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that converts superoxide free radicals (OH-) into hydrogen peroxide. Glutathione, being converted to its high energy state, as described above, converts vitamin C into its high energy state, L-ascorbate. L-ascorbate then converts hydrogen peroxide into O2 and water. Thus, without the availability of selenium, hydrogen peroxide accumulates causing cellular damage, especially within metabolically active tissues such as the retina and the central nervous system.

Within the cell, oxidized glutathione is either converted back to its higher energy state by ATP, or it exits through the cellular membrane to serve as a carrier molecule for the transport of proteins back into the cell. Accordingly, vitamin C is either converted back into its high energy state by reduced glutathione, or it is further oxidized to produce sugar. Within this cycle, vitamin C can be recharged multiple times over, serving as a major deterrent to oxidative damage.

This elegant dynamic is so universally prevalent that the extracellular coefficient of reduced vs oxidized glutathione is used as a marker in quantifying cellular health; lack of reduced glutathione confirms an absence of life.

Zinc supplementation without copper has been demonstrated as a risk factor for aplastic anemia. Zinc and copper supplementation, without selenium, erodes the exquisite life supporting systems described above. Diminished levels of glutathione (lack of selenium) have been irrefutably linked to the progression of degenerative retinal disease, Parkinson’s and dementia. These liabilities are exacerbated by the critical role that selenium plays in the production of thyroxin, which in and of itself, is essential in the maintenance of the immune network and the CNS.

Ocumetics AREDS2 Plus is an AREDS2 compliant product with optimal quantities of selenium and vitamin D3 added.

Vitamins A and D

There are now literally decades of research in respect to vitamins A and D and their importance in maintaining the integrity of the body’s first-lines of defence, and the immune systems. More recently, attention has focused upon epithelial cell tight junctions, particularly in regard to the intestinal tract and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB); retinal choroid and RPE included in this. Spill-over effects and parallels between leaky-gut syndrome, retinal drusen and dementia have been observed. Further investigations have revealed that vitamins A and D work synergistically as cofactors. This synergy is the driving force behind the success of our Dry Eye Formulation; it has been found that vitamins A and D work more effectively when accompanied by vitamin C, zinc, copper and selenium.

Vitamin A palmitate has been identified as the most effective form of vitamin A in slowing the progression of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in adults and various genetic subtypes in children. Adherence to published RDA guidelines for adults (2000 IU per day) provides a safe balance for prolonged use.

Cellular Repair and Regeneration

Ocumetics Macular Protection Plus Ultra is our flagship product. For over a decade, its original format, Macular Protection Plus, has been used as the product of choice in the management of early stage ARMD – up to and including stage 2. It provides an optimal blend of nutrients that are based upon the AREDS2 formula, but with olive oil, selenium and vitamins A and D3 added to support every cell type of the visual pathway, from the retina and its support structures, to the visual cortex.

Olive Oil has been selected as the replacement for fish oil that was used in the original Macular Protection Plus format for the following reasons:

- Eco-friendly plant-based formula

- No intolerance of fish oil

- Economical

- Sirtuin activation

Sirtuin activation, in connection with chromatin remodeling, DMR/RNA repair and mitochondrial activation have arrived as the central focus for activation of both somatic and stem cell-types in humans. ULTRA Macular Protection Plus provides basic support for the CNS and the entire retinal architecture; more importantly it bridges the connection between micro-nutrients and the next mega-trend in nutritional therapy, namely, cellular regeneration.

The time for change has arrived