Link to the study. This information is provided by Nature’s Sunshine Products, Inc.
Understanding the Results of the IN.FORM Clinical Study
Jun 27, 2016, | Health & Wellness
Getting healthy isn’t easy, and our bodies can’t always do it on their own, even if you’re pretty healthy to begin with. Our bodies often require outside assistance to get vitamins and nutrients that we can’t naturally get enough of.
When looking to get healthier, many of us reach for supplements or natural health products for help, but how often do we take these products without fully understanding the benefits? Sure, many products promise to help and reform your body, but you’ll never know how the product works until you try it on yourself.
The system is inefficient. You’re interested in getting health now. That’s why Nature’s Sunshine developed the IN.FORM program.
There is one major difference though. While many may say they have innovative products, Nature’s Sunshine has actually put theirs to the test in a clinical trial. Using a research center and through an independently reviewed study, Nature’s Sunshine sought to prove the effectiveness of the IN.FORM program beyond empty promises.
Nature’s Sunshine wanted to bring more than a pipe dream to customers. They wanted to give them real results. But what good are those results if you can’t understand the findings?
To help you fully understand all of the factors that were measured and affected by the IN.FORM clinical study, we are going to define some of the key terminology. We will also help you understand the healthy standard for these factors and clarify the process the scientific study went through.
By the end of this article, you’ll be able to read the results yourself and determine if the IN.FORM program is what you need to finally reach your health goals.
The Hughes Center for Research and Innovation
The Hughes Center for Research and Innovation is part of Nature’s Sunshine Products (NSP). Located in Lehi, Utah, it serves as a hub for advanced research and development in the field of natural health products. The center is equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and clinic spaces designed to study the interaction of phytochemistry on biological systems12.
Dr. Joseph Lamb is the Medical Director of the Hughes Center, overseeing its various research initiatives2. The center focuses on conducting clinical trials and testing formulations for efficacy, potency, and safety3.
The IN.FORM clinical study was conducted by the Hughes Center for Research and Innovation. The center opened in 2015 in order to bring together experts from scientific and medical fields to pursue discover and understanding of nutritional supplements.
The center contains numerous laboratories, including a chemistry lab, tissue culture lab, and cellular and molecular biology lab. The space also employs four PhD researchers, two Medical Doctors, and employs over 35 researchers and product developers.
Equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation, the multi-million-dollar Hughes Center allows scientists to analyze interactions between the body’s systems and nutritional supplements at a molecular level, which made it the perfect place to conduct a clinical study of the IN.FORM program. The researchers are also equipped with the most appropriate PPE, including FFP3 respiratory masks, goggles, and lab coats so that any samples are not contaminated, and the results of the tests are accurate.
Before the Trial
Before starting the trial, Nature’s Sunshine needed to find two groups of people who were already within the normal range of metabolic health. All of the participants were volunteers and wanted to help with the trial. After all, Data Defeats Disease! Nowadays, lots of people are choosing to take part in health surveys and clinical trials to contribute to medical research. Every time medical research is done, a team of professionals analyze the data and use it to find treatments and prevent future diseases. In this case, we were looking at the metabolic system and weight. The metabolic system is the cellular engine that powers our bodies. It’s comprised of several organs, hormones and enzymes that work together to digest, absorb, process, transport and excrete nutrients.
Both groups followed diet and exercise recommendations, but only the second group received the added benefit of the IN.FORM product protocol. Their success was measured according to numerous factors and then the results were compared at the end of 90 days.
Here are the factors that were measured and what they mean.
- Body weight – Body weight is the total weight of a person. Ideal body weight, or IBW, is a weight that is believed to be maximally healthful for a person based on their height, gender, age, build and degree of muscular development.
- Fat mass – Fat mass is the portion of the human body that is composed strictly of fat. It is added up and measured as total fat mass.
- Triglycerides – The major form of fat stored by the body. A triglyceride consists of three molecules of fatty acid combined with a molecule of the alcohol glycerol. They are the backbone of many types of lipids (fats). Elevated triglycerides can be caused by being overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol consumption and a diet very high in carbohydrates (more than 60 percent of total calories).
- Systolic and diastolic blood pressure – Systolic blood pressure is the top number in the blood pressure ratio. It’s always the highest number and it measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats (when the heart muscle contracts). Diastolic is the bottom number and it measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats (when the heart muscle is resting between beats and refilling with blood). Normal blood pressure features a ratio where your systolic number is less that 120 and your diastolic number is less than 80.
- Cholesterol and LDLs – Cholesterol is a substance that gets transported out of our body through our bloodstream by two different vehicles: HDLs and LDLs. LDLs are known as the “bad” cholesterol because they contribute to plaque, which clogs arteries. HDLs are known as the “good” cholesterol because they help remove LDLs from arteries and shepard the to the liver, where they’re broken down and passed from the body. On should strive to have low LDLs and high HDLs in order to stay healthy and avoid issues like heart attack and stroke.
A healthy individual should work to keep these factors down. The higher they get, the more risk you have for serious health conditions down the road. But, it’s easy for these factors to sneak up on us. Unhealthy behavior leads to high triglycerides, which leads to high LDL cholesterol and increased fat mass and body weight. In order to be and stay healthy, it’s important to maintain a balance in our bodies between all of these factors and more.
The Results
Individuals in the study were monitored for 90 days. The two groups followed the same diet and exercise recommendations, but only one group added the IN.FORM program to their daily regimens.
The results were outstanding.
After 90 days, the group who received IN.FORM products experience median improvement in all of the above factors.
- 12% reduction in body weight
- 21.5% reduction of fat mass
- 51% reduction in triglycerides
- 15/10 mmHg reduction in blood pressure (11% reduction in systolic and 12% diastolic)
- 18% reduction in total cholesterol
- 19% reduction in LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol
The scientists at Nature’s Sunshine Products even went a step future and compared the results to a range of reported data published by commercial weight loss programs in the U.S. Those results were even more stunning!
- 56% more weight loss
- 65% more fat loss
- 125% greater reduction in systolic blood pressure and
- 62% greater reduction in diastolic blood pressure
- 66% greater reduction triglycerides
- 129% greater reduction in total cholesterol
- 80% greater reduction in LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol
In this specific clinical study, the media weight loss for those who received the IN.FORM products was 26 pounds of body weight and 17 pounds of fat. That amount of weight loss is sure to show up when you look in the mirror, but more importantly, that reduction in fat mass makes your whole body healthier. By simply reducing your fat mass, you can help bring your cholesterol and blood pressure closer to health numbers, ensuring a long, happy life.
Conclusion
The IN.FORM program isn’t just for people trying to lose weight, and it isn’t a magic pill that supposed to make weight melt off your body in an unhealthy way. The scientists at Nature’s Sunshine and researchers at the Hughes Center for Research and Innovation have a good to make people live healthier, longer, happier lives.
The results from this IN.FORM study show impressive weight management opportunities, but they also show that the IN.FORM program can help you maintain important health factors like normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These factors are important for everyone to maintain, not just people looking to lose weight. Your overall health relates to all of these factors.
