INTERHEALTH RECEIVES RESEACH GRANT FROM NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Study to Focus on Cardiovascular Benefits of Protykin®
Published on: 12/23/2003
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BENICIA, Calif., December 23, 2003 - InterHealth Nutraceuticals has received a $149,800 research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the potential benefits of InterHealth's trans-resveratrol ingredient, Protykin®, as a pharmacologiocal preconditioning agent for use in the treatment and prevention of heart attacks. Protykin®, a standardized Polygonum cuspidatum plant extract containing 50 percent trans-resveratrol, has been shown to possess antimutagenic, antibacterial, gastroprotectant, cardioprotectant and phytoestrogen properties.
InterHealth will partner with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine (Farmington , Conn.) to conduct this research. Dr. Debasis Bagchi, vice president of research and development for InterHealth, will serve as the primary investigator on the project. Professor Dipak K. Das, Ph.D., a well renowned cardiovascular biologist and director of cardiovascular research at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, will jointly spearhead the project to evaluate the advanced cardioprotective mechanisms of Protykin and its possible cardiovascular benefits to the human being. It is expected the research will be completed by the end of 2004, with presentation and publication of the results expected in 2005.
"InterHealth is proud to receive this prestigious grant from NIH," stated Dr. Bagchi. "Our team looks forward to continuing our exploration of the cardioprotective benefits of Protykin®. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and we hope this research can help the millions of people at risk for the disease."
Previous research, conducted by researchers at Creighton University Health Sciences Center (Omaha , Neb.) and the University of Connecticut School of Medicine have shown that Protykin® protects the heart from injury after a heart attack. Other research has shown Protykin® promotes wound healing and in helps fight bacteria associated with various gastrointestinal problems. Protykin® is also a powerful phytoestrogen that helps alleviate symptoms of menopause and maintain bone density. Professor John M. Pezzuto of the University of Illinois exhibited in 1997 that resveratrol can inhibit the initiation, promotion and progression of cancer. Recently, Harvard Medical School Researcher David Sinclair demonstrated resveratrol's ability to enhance life span, which was published in the journal Nature.
Founded in 1887, the National Institutes of Health today is one of the world's foremost medical research centers, and the federal focal point for medical research in the United States. The NIH, comprising 27 separate institutes and centers, is one of eight health agencies of the Public Health Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
InterHealth researches, develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty nutritional ingredients, which are sold worldwide to manufacturers of dietary supplements and nutraceutical food and beverage products. InterHealth is the maker of Super CitriMax®, ChromeMate®, ALLER-7®, UC-IIT, OptiBerry®, Protykin®, and L-OptiZinc®. For more information about the company and its products, call 1-800-783-4636 or 1-707-751-2800 (outside U.S.) or visit its website at http://www.interhealthusa.com/.
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