SUPPLEMENT MARKETING TRENDS - THE USANA ADVANTAGE 
by
William Thomas

VITAMIN POLL
In 2007, an online poll conducted for the Council for Responsible Nutrition revealed that more than one in two American adults identify themselves as “regular users” of dietary supplements, with 68% saying that they take supplements. Though cheap, over-the-shelf products remain suspect in quality - as evidenced by their slow growth in sales - most respondents (84%) said they are confident in the safety, quality and effectiveness of these products.

Interestingly, a nationwide telephone survey found only 31% of participating adults saying that they regularly take dietary supplements, of which they remained 67% confident.

"The psychographics of the online respondents may reflect that Internet users in general take a more active role in seeking out information about their healthcare, and consequently are more confident in the products they use," says Council for Responsible Nutrition vice president of communications, Judy Blatman. “Internet surveys may draw on respondents who are more likely to make fully informed decisions regarding their health.”

The problem, notes infoshop, is that “consumers are still confused with the often contradictory information. A large body of credible scientific research can help reassure consumers.”

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: With more than 16 years of research, product and customer growth in hand, USANA stands alone in offering the best science and consumer acceptance to back up claims extensively and clearly documented on its website, training aids and brochures. Associate distributors can also access a direct line to the company for complete answers to any questions concerning USANA science, products or business.

This is what consumers reading about imported “tainted food” want to hear.

Loren Israelsen suggests that the supplement supply chain will change in the U.S. market. “There is a widespread feeling that the day of the laptop broker is coming to an end. As more American companies become more sophisticated in the way they do business with the Chinese and other suppliers, they have replaced brokers,” Israelsen says. “When prices are going up, you would be unwise, if not foolish, to trust someone with whom you have no ongoing business relationship who wants to sell you a product at a really good price. This trend to 'know your suppliers' will drive out substandard producers, too.

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: Because of the company's insistence on meeting the highest possible certification for the quality of its products and processes, this trend away from suspect brands leaves USANA perfectly positioned to gain even more confident customers in the months and years ahead.

Speaking of suppliers, Nutraceuticals World also reports: “Of 84 publicly traded dietary supplement companies, only eight have 100% of their sales derived from nutritional health.”

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: Guess which company has one of the most experienced and consistently top-rated research labs and in-house production facilities among supplements suppliers? (Answer: See photo above) 

Even as cheap imported multivitamins sold in “big box” bargain stores fade into a well-deserved twilight - home distributors of quality health products are flourishing. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, total vitamin sales increased again in 2007, with the top six vitamins purchased in descending order: multivitamins, B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamins D and H (biotin), vitamin E and vitamin A/carotenoids.

Mineral sales were also up slightly that year, to nearly $2 billion. Top mineral sales in 2006 were in descending order: calcium, magnesium, iron, chromium, potassium, zinc and selenium.

Herb and botanical sales were also up slightly during 2007, to $4.5 billion. Top herbal supplements included in descending order: noni juice, garlic, mangosteen juice, green tea, saw palmetto, echinacea, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, milk thistle and psyllium.

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: An excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of fiber, research shows that the antioxidants found in TenX Antioxidant Blast have many positive benefits, including: eliminating free radicals to reduce oxidative cellular stress, supporting a healthy cardiovascular system, assisting our natural immune function to maintain health, and supporting collagen synthesis to promote healthy skin. Ounce per ounce, with its exclusive blend of apples, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries - along with USANA's unique bioflavonoid complex, which includes quercetin; rutin; grape-seed, green-tea, and cinnamon extracts; and USANA's patented Olivol olive-fruit extract - TenX Antioxidant Blast has 10-times the antioxidant power of most juice products currently on the market. (Based on certified measurements provided by Brunswick Labs.) Like all USANA products, this unique formulation contains no saturated fat, trans fat or cholesterol, and is free from artificial flavors, artificially added colors and preservatives. It does provide a low-glycemic index of 31.

Designed to support the liver, Hepasil DTX contains several ingredients including milk-thistle extract and broccoli extract which aid the enzymes in the liver that break down chemicals in food and drinks. Hepasil DTX also contains a number of antioxidants including green-tea extract, Olivol, turmeric extract, and alpha lipoic acid, which may help to protect the liver from oxidative stress.

With prostate cancer now as much concern to men as breast cancer is to women, USANA's Palmetto Plus provides a comprehensive formulation of clinically proven saw palmetto, plus lycopene and soy isoflavones to maintain prostate health. As in all USANA health science products, is all-natural, standardized botanical components are guaranteed for potency

As shown in rising sales of ginkgo biloba, mental functioning is another well-founded concern of an aging population. The brain requires proper amounts of oxygen and nutrients to function properly. But as we get older, our gastrointestinal system is not as efficient in absorbing nutrients from our food, and our circulatory system becomes similarly less effective in delivering oxygen to the tissues. Both factors potentially slow brain activity. Ginkgo-PS combines powerfully acting ginkgo biloba and phosphatidylserine (PS) improve blood circulation in the brain. PS is clinically proven to reduce age-related short-term memory loss. Other benefits include optimal mental performance, memory and general cognitive function.

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: Top-rated USANA Essentials for adults contain all of the vitamins and minerals listed above, in optimized proportions of the purest, pharmaceutical grade ingredients. You can't do better than choosing - or offering - North America's “Number One” supplements. Also available: Usanimals for children and BodyRox for teens.

A 2007 Health & Wellness Trends Survey carried out by the Pennsylvania-based Natural Marketing Institute also found that meal replacement supplements are climbing vertically past $2.4 billion. With half of young adults skipping breakfast, and one-in-four missing lunch - and 60% of Americans consuming about 20% of their calories from snacks - these statistics were reassuring. Not that so many Americans are missing meals. But that a growing number are eating lighter, and not “junking out”.

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: Available in several natural flavors, USANA's Nutrimeal offers a complete liquid meal on-the-go for those wishing to fast, lose weight, or save time in preparing a cooked meal. As both a customer and distributor, you will find these powdered health supplements one of your most consistent orders after the daily Essentials.

The 2007 NMI survey also found sports nutrition supplement sales pole-vaulting over $2.3 billion. Top specialties, in descending order, were: glucosamine and/or chondroitin, homeopathics, fish or animal oils, CoQ10, probiotics, plant oils, digestive enzymes, MSM and SAMe.

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: For more than 15 years, athletes from around the globe have trusted USANA nutritional supplements to increase their energy and performance levels, and maintain their health. Proven safe and effective - and certified free of contaminants by the “anti-doping” sports federation - USANA's health science products have been selected as official nutritional supplement for Sony Ericsson Women's Professional Tennis Tour. They are also used by U.S. Speedskating, Speed Skating Canada, Biathlon Canada, elite athletes of the WTA Sony Ericsson Women's Tennis Tour - as well as many more professional athletes around the globe who trust their health to USANA.

Now, 69-year-old USANA distributor Werner Berger has become the oldest North American to climb Mount Everest. With previous summitings of Mt. McKinley in the United States, Mt. Aconcagua in South America, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa, Mt. Elbrus in Europe, the Vinson Massif in Antarctica and Mt. Kosciuzsko in Australia, Berger is the oldest person on Earth to have climbed the seven highest mountains on all seven continents. Praising USANA, Berger says, “These tremendous products have helped make that journey and today's accomplishment possible.”

Lack of vitality is a real drag. Our energy derives from our cells, where a bodily-synthesized “fuel” called ATP is burned. CoQ10 is an essential part of the electron transport chain used to make ATP. Studied for years in the U.S., Europe and Japan for its role in producing cellular energy and re-energizing the heart and other muscles, it placed just behind newfound demand for fish oils in the NMI survey. Once of the first supplement companies to offer CoQ10, USANA addresses this renewed interest with CoQuinone 30 - an improved formulation containing advanced levels of CoQ10 to maintain cellular energy in the heart, as well as other cells where energy demands are highest.

EATING YOUR WAY TO MALNUTRITION
“Americans have become more aware of what they eat, and how it might affect their health. Concerns about the safety of the food supply are on the rise, and increasing nutritional awareness has led to an increase in vegetarian, organic, and health-food options in supermarkets. But much of the American diet is still lacking in nutritional quality, despite consumer demand for healthier options,” points out Nutraceuticals World.

“The average American eats one and one-half servings of vegetables and one serving of fruit per day… Many adult women fail to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for calcium, vitamin E, vitamin B6, magnesium, and zinc. Adult men fall short on vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc. All age groups above age two exceed the recommended intake of fat and saturated fat.” [nutraceuticalsworld.com]

Cutting out fast-foods, junk foods, beef and factory-raised fish and chickens will prolong lives and the quality of those lives. As holistic health practitioner Carol Ohneslorge observes, “The rising demand for heirloom produce, organic produce and free-range meats absent of hormones and antibiotics supports the notion that many Americans have made the connection between diet and illness.”

But eating fruit and vegetables to RDA levels is not nearly enough to provide adequate nutrition. Even for the motivated and informed, there are two big blocks to eating healthier. First and foremost, our foods are nutritionally lacking. According to Dr. Michael Colgan: “Until the 1940's, farmers returned essential nutrients to the soil by mulching, manuring and crop rotation. At the end of World War II drug conglomerates making nitrates and phosphates for weapons were left with few buyers for their stockpiles of chemicals. They had to find new markets for their products. [So] war chemical manufacturers began selling nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to farmers.”

Waging chemical warfare on once-fertile soils leached them of their own mineral nutrients, which were not replaced by just nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. An avalanche of pesticides and herbicides hasn't helped. And now, plants genetically modified to tolerate mega-doses of pesticide poisons are entering human bodies whose immune system is honed to oppose such unrecognizable “foreign” foods.

And don't forget pollution. It's loaded with free radicals much more dangerous than some distant terrorist. Inhaling cigarette, power plant and automotive emissions takes in more cell-damaging molecules, on top of the free radicals we've just eaten in food garnished with pesticides and preservatives. Just burning this food for fuel, “creates a sort of cellular 'exhaust' called free radicals,” Robert Allen explains. “Alcohol is loaded with free radicals. Even exercise creates excess free radicals.”

Yikes!

Geneticist Bruce Ames of the University of California at Berkeley has found that each of our cells sustains up to 100,000 free radical hits every day. “Most of this damage is repaired, but about a thousand new wounds every day go unrepaired, and this damage accumulates relentlessly,” Allen writes. If some of these wounds damage your cell DNA and are not naturally repaired, Bad Things can result.

Including the Big C.

The good news is our immune system creates natural substances called anti-oxidants “Think of cellular PAC-men gobbling up these free radical terrorists,” Robert Allen suggests. “In addition, many foods you eat also contain antioxidants, like vitamin C and vitamin E. When you eat foods high in antioxidants, you help your cells to neutralize free radical activity your body.”

The bad news is, unchecked water, air and soil pollution combined with poor eating habits, excessive alcohol intake, and the stress that drinking often serves to mask - are overwhelming our body's defenses with unremitting mass assaults.

"So by the time you're old, we find a few million oxygen lesions per cell. It is this accumulation of cellular damage,” Ames continues, “that fuels the aging process, pushing up your odds of disease and death."

In a feedback loop as dangerous as sunlight-reflective ice sheets melting into sunlight-absorbing seawater, our aging process accelerated by free radical damage coincides with the diminishment of our body's natural antioxidant system as we age.

The best news is: We can “supplement” our anti-oxidant forces with clinically proven anti-oxidants as potent as vitamins C and E, and grape-seed extract.

Dr. Robert Willix, optimistic author of Healthy at 100, calls anti-oxidant daily supplements, "The most important medical discovery of the last half century.”

Why?

“Free radicals have been linked to (at last count) about 60 diseases. And we now have evidence that antioxidants can protect against, stop, and (in some instances) even reverse the damage done by free radicals,” Dr. Willix writes. “These discoveries make clear that the most important single thing you can do if you want to live long enough to dance the polka at your great-great-grandson's wedding is to start an immediate regimen to make sure you get all the antioxidants you need - both through diet and through the use of nutrients and dietary supplements. I urge you... to start taking antioxidant supplements now. You will see almost immediate; visible; tangible evidence that these substances are working to protect you from free radical damage. Patients who take this advice report increased energy, positive changes in skin texture; and even loss of wrinkles - within a few weeks." [Healthy at 100]

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: Every day, free radicals from environmental pollution, cigarette smoke, fatty diets, and normal cellular metabolism assault our cells in an oxidation process similar to rust, or the rapid browning of a half-eaten apple. Proflavanol 90, with its triple-strength 90 mg dose of grape-seed extract in each tablet and a powerful dose of USANA's exclusive Poly C formulation, supports the body in scrubbing free-radical oxidation before they can do damage.

What about protecting and rejuvenating skin damaged by pollution and UV rays? CLICK HERE

RIDICULOUS DAILY ALLOWANCES (RDA) 
The second stumbling block to dining room nutrition is the dangerously inadequate list of nutritional standards known as the Recommended Dietary Allowance. Established in 1941, these minimal daily dietary requirements were based on inadequate studies and established only nutrient levels so low, Ohneslorge writes, “the RDA guidelines are likened by the researchers to minimum wage rates since they barely sustain life let alone contribute in any meaningful way to improving life quality.”

As a result, she continues, “It is estimated that at least one chronic disease such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes or a degenerative disease of the bone or eye, will afflict 80% of the American population over the age of sixty. This wide-spread suffering of chronic disease in the aging may be evidence that the RDAs do not provide the levels of nutrients needed to maintain high quality health over a lifetime.”

Maintaining our health for 70 years or longer, requires the daily intake of nutrients “at varying levels relating to conditions such as illness, habits and stage of life,” Ohneslorge emphasizes. “Several studies have shown that behaviors such as regular consumption of alcohol, following special diets, and habitual smoking will lower blood levels of various nutrients.”

But if our soils are depleted of nutrients, “and an increasing percentage of our food sources are hybridized, genetically modified, and contaminated with hormones, antibiotics and pesticides - how do we ensure ourselves a healthy diet?” she asks.

The answer: Daily supplementation.

But if the RDA is inadequate, what levels are best?

Thankfully, two doctors at the University of Alabama School of Medicine - MDs Cheraskin and Ringsdorf - have spent 15 years looking at 13,500 persons across every region of the United States to find out what healthy people are doing to stay well. Among those "symptom-free of suffering," they found, for example, that the daily intake of vitamin C of people with the fewest colds, heart disease, cataracts and cancer was nearly 9-times the RDA guideline level.

Not surprisingly, their long study proved that the healthiest people were those who had taken supplements and who had eaten a nutrient-rich diet. Calculating the average amount of each vitamin consumed by the healthiest participants, PhD Alex Schauss developed the Suggested Optimal Nutrient Allowances.

The SONA guidelines “simply reflect what nutrient levels were consumed daily by healthy participants in the study and thus suggest that a diet including these nutrient levels each day is part of a healthy lifestyle,” Carol Ohneslorge explains. “Analyzing the study data by age and gender determined SONA recommendations of 400mg of vitamin C for men and women aged 25-50, and 800-1000mg of vitamin C for men and women aged 51 and older… Such low levels of nutrients could not be considered toxic.”

              RDA                                                                                       SONA

Zinc: RDA 8-11mg                                               17-20mg free-range poultry (vs. 11 factory chicken bosoms)

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, author of The Antioxidant Revolution, takes what he calls a daily “antioxidant cocktail.” This multivitamin combination includes 400 IU of vitamin B, 1000 mg of vitamin C and 25,000 IU of beta carotene. “Furthermore,” he adds, “when I am scheduled for a heavy physical workout or for some other situation that I know will produce oxidative stress, I increase those amounts accordingly. The latest research shows that to build strong protection against free radicals, you need to take in far larger amounts of antioxidants than the official Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) provides." [knowledgeofhealth.com]

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: Having kept original laboratory cell cultures alive for decades, USANA's precise vitamin-mineral formulations exceed RDA minimums and are proven by extensive research to provide optimum levels of daily cellular nutrition. Rated “Number One” among North American supplement suppliers by the authoritative Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements, USANA Essentials and also can be “tweaked” with additional Optimizers to meet the specific demands of athletics, aging or other health concerns.

MAY YOU LIVE LONG AND PROSPER
Proper daily nutrition is the basis of health. So chronic deficiencies in the vitamins, minerals and activating micro-nutrient “co-factors” not only leads to a loss in vitality but directly contribute to an onslaught of painful and life-terminating illnesses. And the ability of our body to produce essential vitamins and hormones declines as we get older.

Consequently, as clinical trials demonstrating the efficacy of vitamins in warding off illness receive widening press coverage, aging “baby boomers” are looking not just to “supplement” the vitamins and minerals they aren't getting in their meals. We are now taking high-quality supplements to prevent such chronic diseases as macular degeneration in the eyes, heart disease and cancer.

After experiencing these products for yourself, If you are considering becoming a USANA distributor - look at the numbers. With the percentage of people 45 to 64 years old who take supplements increasing by almost 50% between 1998 and 2001, the trend toward quality supplementation is clearly in your favor. In 2001, Americans spent more than $4 billion alone on herbs and other botanical remedies. [Boston University School of Public Health]

CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS DRIVE SUPPLEMENT SALES
“As companies look to expand the market for dietary supplements, positioning products to target specific demographic segments is vital,” infoshop observes. “Countries with a significant percentage of its general population over the age of 60 are expected to see higher incidence of degenerative disease and susceptibility to infection. And aging consumers are adapting a healthier lifestyle and their desire to improve the quality of life makes them a profitable segment for supplement providers.” [the-infoshop.com]

Reflecting this trend, the 2007 NMI survey revealed that today's top health categories for people taking supplements are weight loss, heart problems, digestion, arthritis or joint pain, seasonal allergies, vision and eye health and diabetes.

THE USANA ADVANTAGE: The high-quality nutritionals, personal care, and weight management products developed and manufacture by USANA are sold directly to Preferred Customers and Associates throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Now wonder USANA'S customer-driven growth has set records for 4 1/2 consecutive years! USANA celebrated its best year ever in 2007, paying out more than $800 million to date in commissions to its network marketing associates.

Would you like to be one of them?

USANA'S TOP-RATED SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES

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THE USANA ADVANTAGE: As well as its top-rated vitamin-mineral formulations for optimal daily supplementation, USANA “Optimizers" are formulated to address specific concerns related to aging - including:

Osteoporosis: Both the Active and Chewable Calcium C contain a balanced formula of calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, boron, silicon, and vitamin D to provide complete nutritional support for optimal bone development and maintenance throughout all stages of life.

Arthritis: Procosa II is a powerful fast-acting formula that help lubricate joints. Working together to provide lasting support and maintenance of healthy cartilage and collagen, USANA's advanced amount of glucosamine sulfate and turmeric cannot be found in any other joint formula products.

Menstrual Cramps and Menopause: Formulated from five different natural sources, PhytoEstrin provides guaranteed levels of soy isoflavones to address women's health issues relating to hormone changes and hormone release patterns.

Blindness: Macular degeneration is the number one cause of adult blindness. USANA's CL-certified Visionex formulation is specifically designed to maintain long-term eye health with two of the most powerful free-radical fighting antioxidants available: lutein and zeaxanthin. Because our eyes are constantly exposed to harsh air pollution, dryness and oxidative damage from rising levels of ultraviolet sunlight, extra health maintenance is provided by vitamin C, bilberry extract, and zinc. [usana.com; consumerlab.com]

GO GLOBAL
Reporting for Nutraceuticals World, Charles Thurston writes: “The growth of the top performing products in the estimated $24-25 billion U.S. dietary supplement market is rising at double-digit rates thanks to increased consumer focus on health, better industry regulation, and trends geared toward greater globalization.”

In 2007, the U.S. represented 32% - or about $21 billion - of total sales in the global market. Together, the U.S., the EU and Japan represented about 86% of the global market in 2007.

The companies that will survive the ongoing consolidation in the dietary supplement industry will be more global, suggests Jeremy Zhou, a senior analyst and director of healthcare at market research firm Revere Data in San Francisco. “Sales for a successful company will have to be geographically diversified,” he said. [nutraceuticalsworld.com]