Joanna Cosgrove10.14.10
According to the American Heart Association, an estimated 102 million adults in the U.S. qualify as having high blood cholesterol. From a supplement standpoint, fiber, phytosterols and fish oil are the most go-to natural products for cholesterol support, though traditional therapy typically includes extra attention to diet and exercise in combination with aspirin or statin therapy.
For the last two years, Scottsdale, AZ-based Health Enhancement Products, Inc. (HEPI) has been studying the cholesterol-lowering effectiveness of its naturally-derived ingredient called ProAlgazyme and has so far enjoyed very promising results.
ProAlgaZyme Algae infusion (PAX) is a liquid product produced from algae grown in 100% distilled water. The liquid in which the algae are grown is drawn off, filtered, tested and bottled as ProAlgaZyme. The product is made from algae but does not contain algae. According to HEPI, PAX has demonstrated the ability to support heart health, immune defense, blood sugar maintenance, weight management and healthy inflammation response.
But it’s been the product’s ability to lower LDL cholesterol that has garnered the most noteworthy attention. In 2009, researchers at Wayne State University’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science put the product through clinical paces and found it had the capacity to lower LDL cholesterol while raising HDL cholesterol in animal subjects.
Specifically, results indicated that test subjects demonstrated a “31% decrease in LDL cholesterol” with “no significant impact on triglycerides,” as well as a “3% decrease in total cholesterol”—all without any observed adverse effects.
Buoyed by the positive findings, HEPI set out to identify and isolate the active cholesterol agents, which were intermingled with thousands of biological components, including numerous proteins. Earlier this year, HEPI announced that its work was successful, and subsequently filed a protective patent application.
In a HEPI Power Point presentation encapsulating ProAlgazyme, Dr. Fazlul H. Sarkar, professor of Pathology at Wayne State University School of Medicine’s Karmanos Cancer Institute, stated that ProAlgazyme and Platelet factor-4 (PF4), an amino acid protein, “significantly and beneficially change the rate of synthesis of key proteins involved in lipoprotein metabolism.” He further added that “Oral administration of ProAlgaZyme & PF4 is highly effective, and well-suited as a nutritional supplement or as the foundation for development of novel drugs.”
HEPI is optimistic that ProAlgazyme is poised for success in the realm of products that provide support for healthy cholesterol. The company said its product is in a unique position because its efficacy has already been proven not just in animals but also in humans.
At present, the product is sold as a functional beverage. One 32-oz. bottle retails for $24.95. The goal is to offer the product in much the same way Super Citri-Max is positioned: both as a standalone product and as an ingredient that can be formulated into other branded food and beverage products.
To further cement the confidence in ProAlgazyme, HEPI has also prepared a GRAS panel review for submission to FDA, and has not ruled out pursuing the FDA’s Qualified Health Claims. The company also hasn’t ruled out the idea that the ProAlgazyme’s active cholesterol-regulating agent could be a suitable pharmaceutical candidate, however the financing and research involved in that type of endeavor is a weight task that the company is not yet ready to pursue.
“We are approaching the food ingredient and nutraceutical markets with a truly unique offering—a portfolio of bioactive compounds well-suited as ingredients or supplements, tailored to desired health attributes,” the company said. “On the horizon are other applications, ranging from pre-surgical treatments to medicinal foods and the promise of unique health and wellness therapies.”
