Beyond Any Multiple - Taking Multivitamins to a Whole New Level
Most of us are very familiar and comfortable with the idea of taking Multivitamins on a daily basis as a supplement to our diets. Certainly they have been around for a long time - Multivitamin preparations providing more than just Vitamins A and D became available in pharmacies and grocery stores as far back as the mid-1930s. Nowadays, as a safe, affordable, cost effective, easy to use and easy to understand product, Multivitamin supplements form an integral part of achieving a healthy lifestyle. Add to this the wealth of scientific evidence that supports their regular use as a means of helping to reduce the risk of developing certain chronic diseases such as heart disease, and it’s easy to see why Multivitamin products are today among the most popular items to be sold at health food shops worldwide.
But when faced with such an overwhelming range of Multivitamin supplements to choose from, how on earth do you decide which one is the best one for you to take? Fortunately, Beyond Any Multiple makes that choice a whole lot easier - why take any other Multivitamin supplement when you can take Beyond Any Multiple, a Multivitamin supplement that takes such products to a whole new level?
So just what is in Beyond Any Multiple that makes it stand ‘head and shoulders’ above other Vitamin supplements?
One look at the list of ingredients will tell you straight away that Beyond Any Multiple contains all the “usual suspects” that you would expect to find in a high end Multivitamin supplement. But it’s the addition of (1) Tocotrienols, (2) Resveratrol and (3) Vitamin K2 that make Beyond Any Multiple such an exciting product.
Let’s take a look at these three ingredients in more detail and you will begin to see why they are so important to include in a Multivitamin product and why, therefore, they make Beyond Any Multiple such a superior supplement.
1. Tocotrienols
Tocotrienols, together with more commonly known tocopherols, make up the Vitamin E family of Vitamins. Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is known to be a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are natural biochemical substances that help to protect cells (including the heart and blood vessels) against damage from harmful free radicals.
To understand just how free radicals damage cells, we need to take one step back and look at the basic structure of cells. At the very core of all living things are atoms. An atom is a chemical element that consists of a nucleus, neutrons, protons and electrons. The electrons bond atoms together, via chemical reactions, to form molecules. Molecules make up cells.
Electrons surround, or "orbit", an atom in one or more shells. The inner most shell is full when it contains two electrons. Once the inner shell is full, electrons begin to fill the second shell. Once this has eight electrons it is full, and electrons then begin to fill the next shell and so it goes on.
The importance of this is that it is the number of electrons in an atom’s outer shell that determine an atom’s chemical behaviour. Atoms seek to gain maximum stability. To do this they try to complete their outer shells. Those atoms with full outer shells are very stable and don’t tend to chemically react with other atoms. They are said to be inert. Those atoms without full outer shells either (a) try to fill up or empty out their own outer shells by gaining or losing electrons or (b) complete their outer shells by sharing electrons with other atoms.
Generally, the bonds between atoms do not split in a way that leaves a molecule with an odd, unpaired electron. But if they do, free radicals are formed. These free radicals are very unstable. They react quickly with other compounds, trying to capture the needed electron to gain stability. Usually it’s the nearest stable molecule that comes under free radical attack. Once attacked by a free radical, the once stable molecule loses an electron and then it becomes a free radical itself. A chain reaction is begun that can ultimately lead to the disruption of the living cell.
Unfortunately, we can’t avoid free radicals. Some form naturally during our body’s normal metabolic processes and, at times, the body’s own immune system specifically creates them to fight bacteria and viruses. Environmental factors such as cigarette smoke and pollution can also lead to their creation.
Free radical damage is particularly important in terms of aging. One of the main theories put forward as to why we age is what is known as the free radical theory of aging. This states that we age because cells accumulate free radical damage over time. Certainly free radical damage has been highly implicated in the development of both heart disease and cancer.
It is vitally important to protect the body against the action of free radicals and this is where antioxidants step in. Antioxidants act to neutralize free radicals by donating their own electrons to the free radicals to effectively put an end to the free radical “electron stealing” chain reaction. Antioxidants don’t turn themselves into free radicals by doing this because they are stable in either form. Instead they act as scavengers, and help to prevent the cell and tissue damage that would otherwise be caused.
The tocopherols and tocotrienols that form the Vitamin E family are some of the most efficient chain-breaking antioxidants available. Whilst tocopherols are perhaps more widely recognised, their lesser known counter-parts tocotrienols are more powerful antioxidants. In fact, studies have shown that tocotrienols may be twice as effective as tocopherols as antioxidants!
What’s more, tocotrienols, unlike tocopherols, may be extremely useful in terms of cardio vascular health. As we all know only too well, high cholesterol levels can put us at increased risk of cardio vascular problems. Tocotrienols not only assist in the lowering of total cholesterol levels by inhibiting cholesterol production in the liver but they can also work to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol (often referred to as the “bad cholesterol”). Tocotrienols have also been shown to be effective in helping to reduce and reverse arterial blockages which, in turn, lowers risk factors for cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis, heart attack and stroke.
If you add to all the above the fact that tocotrienols have also been shown to confer anti-cancer properties (in some cancers it may even assist in preventing the growth of tumours), you can begin to see why the addition of tocotrienols to Beyond Any Multiple helps to make Beyond Any Multiple such a superior Multivitamin supplement.
2. Resveratrol
Have you ever wondered why people say that if you are going to drink alcohol, drink red wine because it’s good for you? Or have you ever considered what some call the “French Paradox” i.e. French people suffer from significantly lower rates of heart disease than Americans, even though they eat a diet that is much higher in fat? The answer to both these questions may lie in Resveratrol.
Resveratrol is a naturally occurring antibiotic that is produced by several different plants when they come under attack by pathogens such as fungi or bacteria. These types of antibiotics are known as phytoalexins. In particular, Resveratrol is found in the skin of red grapes, and is found in concentrated amounts in red wine. Today, Resveratrol is also produced by chemical synthesis and is sold as a nutritional supplement.
Resveratrol has been shown to have a number of important health benefits:
- I. Cardio vascular health and anti-cancer properties
- II. Stimulation and regeneration of nerve cells
- III. Life extension
I. Cardio vascular health and anti-cancer properties
Research has shown that Resveratrol has a number of blood improving properties, particularly when used in combination with other bioflavonoids, Vitamins C and E, and the trace mineral selenium. Platelet aggregation and free radical damage to the linings of blood vessels is reduced, while healthy blood flow is stimulated. All of this means that Resveratrol can assist the body in inhibiting tumour initiation, promotion and progression. In addition, Resveratrol also has the ability to increase levels of HDL cholesterol (the so called “good cholesterol”), which, together with its blood improving properties, enables Resveratrol to help provides protection against heart attacks, strokes and certain types of cancer
II. Stimulation and regeneration of nerve cells
Scientists based at Milan University have reported in the New Scientist Journal that Resveratrol triggers a seven-fold increase in the activity and effectiveness of an enzyme called mapkinase, which is known to stimulate and regenerate nerve cells. This means that Resveratrol may be able to help stave off neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease by allowing brain cells to grow small extensions through which they can communicate with neighbouring cells.
III. Life extension
Research in this area has been spearheaded by Dr David Sinclair, a biochemist based at Harvard Medical School. Dr Sinclair has focused his research on the genetic components of aging. Ultimately this led him to study a normally inactive set of genes called sirtuins. Earlier studies into life extension via calorie restricted diets had revealed that when sirtuins are activated they trigger a survival mechanism that can help fight off age related diseases, and possibly extend life. After testing over a thousand different compounds, Dr Sinclair finally discovered that Resveratrol would be able to activate sirtuin genes in humans.
In 2003, Dr Sinclair was able to successfully demonstrate that Resveratrol could significantly increase the lifespan of yeast and worms. In the yeast study, Dr Sinclair and his team were able to increase the replicative lifespan of yeast by 701%.
Dr Sinclair then experimented with the effects of Resveratrol on mice. Two groups of mice were fed a high fat diet (60% of calories from fat) but one of these groups was also given 22 mg/kg of Resveratrol. A third group acted as a control and was fed a normal healthy diet without any supplements. Not surprisingly, the mice given the high fat diet suffered the typical repercussions normally associated with obesity. They became incredibly lethargic, started to develop diabetes and cancer, and died much earlier than the other two groups. However, both the high fat plus Resveratrol and normal diet groups had a 30% lower risk of death than the high fat group. And, despite the high fat diet, the high fat plus Resveratrol group of mice were found to be nearly identical in almost all aspects of health to the mice eating a normal healthy diet.
So just how does Resveratrol work to potentially extend lifespan? As mentioned above, it is based on the ideas behind a calorie restricted diet. Such diets have been shown to effectively extend life by as much as 1-2 decades. You may ask, therefore, why don’t we all just adopt this type diet and so live longer? Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy as we aren’t just talking about cutting down on what you eat for a week or two. For a calorie restricted diet to work you would have to be permanently eating 15-30% less food. Such diets aren’t much fun to be on for the rest of your life and, for most, would just be too hard to stick to. However they do deliver significant benefits not just in terms of extended life but also in terms of living healthier for longer. Those on calorie restricted diets have lower levels of cholesterol, lower fasting insulin levels, higher levels of mental focus, and increased endurance. All of these benefits are maintained into old age.
And this is where Resveratrol comes in. Resveratrol, in effect, mimics the results of a calorie restricted diet without the need for actually being on such a diet. It doesn’t mean that you can eat what you like, a healthy diet would still need to be followed, but it does mean that we now have a real possibility of being to significantly extend life span without suffering through the hunger and pain that comes with severely limiting calories. And that the extended life can be one in which we remain healthy and active - after all there is not much point in extending life if the extension gained is one filled with misery, illness and pain.
The importance of Dr Sinclair’s discovery can be put into some sort of context when you consider that Sirtris, the company that Dr Sinclair started with the specific goal of finding a drug to prevent and reverse the effects of aging, was sold to GlaxoSmitheKline in 2008 for a sum in the region of $720 million!
Given that Resveratrol has such potential in terms of life extension, it provides an exciting and important addition to Beyond Any Multiple.
3. Vitamin K2
When a Multivitamin product contains Vitamin K, you’ll find that it is usually only Vitamin K1 that is actually included. Beyond Any Multiple is no exception to this, but in addition to Vitamin K1, Beyond Any Multiple also contains Vitamin K2.
Vitamin K2 (also known as menaquinone) helps to activate Vitamin K-dependent proteins within the body. These proteins are responsible for healthy tissues. The effects of Vitamin K2 are particularly relevant to bone health and for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
With regard to bones, Vitamin K2 activates the protein osteocalcin. Osteocalcin is needed to enable calcium to bind to bone mineral matrix, thus strengthening the skeleton. This is vitally important for our health and well being, particularly as we age. Japanese researchers investigating whether Vitamin K2 treatment prevented the incidence of new fractures in osteoporosis concluded that “Vitamin K2 effectively prevents fractures and sustains lumbar bone mineral density in osteoporosis”.
Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become fragile and brittle, leading to a higher risk of fractures than in normal bone. It occurs when bones lose minerals, such as calcium, more quickly than the body can replace them, leading to a loss of bone thickness (bone mass or density). The risk of developing osteoporosis increases significantly with age. For example, in Australia 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men aged over 60 will suffer an osteoporotic fracture.
You may be forgiven for thinking that a fracture bone is in itself not usually the most critical of medical problems as bones can heal but osteoporotic fractures can herald a whole host of significant health problems including changes in posture, muscle weakness, loss of height, bone deformity of the spine, chronic pain, disability and loss of independence. They may even lead to premature death.
With regard to circulation, Vitamin K2 participates in the carboxylation of Matrix Gla Protein (MGP). Gla (gamma-carboxyglutamic acid) is an amino acid and is the part of the protein that controls calcium. Carboxylation gives the proteins the adhesion they need to hold onto calcium. This enables MGPs to move calcium around. If MGPs don’t get enough Vitamin K, the proteins can't maintain sufficient adhesion to enable them to move calcium which results in calcium drifting out of bones and into the arteries and other soft tissues.
Although calcium is an essential nutrient that is vital to the maintenance of the integrity of our bones, if it gets into our arteries, a process known as arterial calcification occurs i.e. a build-up of calcium in the arterial walls. This process is also often referred to as hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) and is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is responsible for over 50% of deaths in Europe and the US.
The process of arterial calcification can begin as early as the second decade of life and continue throughout adulthood. MGP is the most potent inhibitor of arterial calcification known and, because of Vitamin K2’s role in the carboxylation of MGP, studies have revealed that adequate levels of Vitamin K2 may help in keeping calcium in your bones and out of arterial walls, thus lowering the risk of vascular damage.
For example, the results of the Rotterdam Study3 led its authors to conclude “that an adequate intake of menaquinone could be important for CHD (coronary heart disease) prevention”. This study involved following over 4,800 people for e ten year period and found that an increased intake of Vitamin K2 from dietary sources significantly reduced the risk of CHD mortality by 50% as compared to low dietary Vitamin K2 intake. Vitamin K1 was found to have no effect at all in this regard.
Vitamin K2 may even be able to reverse arterial calcification. A study involving rats published in 2007 demonstrated that supplemental Vitamin K2 actually regressed preformed calcifications4.
It is clear then that the advantages and benefits of Vitamin K2 are only just becoming apparent and public awareness of this crucially important Vitamin is still being developed. Latest research has indicated that Vitamin K2 may also have a role to play in conditions as diverse as Alzheimer’s Disease and some types of cancer through to the incidence and severity of varicose veins.
Perhaps a sign of just how much the significance of Vitamin K2 is now recognised has been demonstrated by the European Union’s formal approval in 2009 of Vitamin K2 as a safe food ingredient in foods and food supplements. This step will undoubtedly lead to more foods being fortified with it.
But even at this stage, when Vitamin K2 has not yet revealed all of its potential benefits to us, its impact on bone health and the prevention of coronary heart disease make it an obvious choice to add to Beyond Any Multiple making Beyond Any Multiple the first Multivitamin to contain this amazing Vitamin.
Dosage
One to three tablets daily as a dietary supplement, or as directed by a physician.
We recommend BAM, Essential Daily Defence and Omegas are taken together, and indeed these supplements can be taken separately, or they can be taken in our "one sachet a day" combination product Beyond Chelation Improved. (As a sound cover-all nutritional package the use of Beyond C and CoQ10/ Idebenone should also be considered).
References
1. Howitz KT, Bitterman KJ, Cohen HY, Lamming DW, Lavu S, Wood JG, Zipkin RE, Chung P, Kisielewski A, Zhang LL, Scherer B, Sinclair DA. Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend Saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan. 2003, Nature 425 (6954): 191–196
2. Shiraki M, Shiraki Y, Aoki C, Miura M. Vitamin K2 (menatetrenone) effectively prevents fractures and sustains lumbar bone mineral density in osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Res. 2000 Mar;15(3):515-21
3. Geleijnse JM, Vermeer C, Grobbee DE, Schurgers LJ, Knapen MH, van der Meer IM, Hofman A, Witteman JC. Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study. J Nutr. 2004 Nov;134(11):3100-5
4. Schurgers LJ, Spronk HM, Soute BA, Schiffers PM, DeMey JG, Vermeer C. Regression of warfarin-induced medial elastocalcinosis by high intake of Vitamin K in rats. Blood. 2007 Apr 1;109(7):2823-31