True Synergy

If you’ve been around the dietary supplement industry for any amount of time, then you’ve undoubtedly heard someone talking about how their product has a “synergistic” blend of ingredients or that their products are designed to be “synergistic” when used together.

I’ve been developing and researching nutrition products for about two decades, and I can tell you that “synergy” is an exceedingly rare occurrence. Consider the dictionary definition of synergy = “the working together of two things to produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects” (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn).

Despite the breathless marketing claims to the contrary, true synergy is rarely if ever shown for the simple reason that to actually prove synergy, you have to conduct at least three research studies. The first study would show the effects of Product 1 – the second study would show the effects of Product 2 – and the third study would show the synergistic effects (if they exist) of using both Products together (an effect that should be greater than the simple sum of their individual effects).

Most nutrition companies are loathe to invest any funding in even a single clinical trial – so you can forget about most of them even entertaining the idea of supporting a series of research studies designed to assess synergy. Thankfully, the situation at XANGO (where I serve as a scientific advisor) is completely different. Since it’s founding, XANGO has focused on research to understand the health benefits of xanthones and other phytonutrients in the Mangosteen fruit – so a body of research evidence has been built up over the course of several years to confirm the benefits of XANGO® Juice in supporting nearly every system in the body. When Eleviv™ was introduced in 2009, it already had a series of human clinical trials and numerous scientific presentations to support its benefits for balancing stress hormone metabolism and improving energy, mood, and vigor.

Take it from me as a scientist – that’s a darn good position to be in, to have a series of scientific trials on two flagship products (or what XANGO would call “category creating” products) is almost unheard of in the dietary supplement industry.

I wish we saw a lot more research on nutrition products in our industry. I understand that conducting good research can be expensive and time consuming and risky, but I also understand that doing that research is important for the company and its customers to understand what the products can and cannot do. In the case of XANGO, we already knew that XANGO Juice was unmatched in its ability to maintain healthy “C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels” (important for heart health, brain function, immune support, and many aspects of health).* Likewise, we also already knew that Eleviv was unmatched in it ability to restore “metabolic balance” (the ratio between “build up” and “break down” stress hormones – and important for how we feel and function).

Having all this research evidence already on hand, why in the world would XANGO want to conduct yet another study? Simple – because we had been hearing from the field that people who were using XANGO Juice and Eleviv together were experiencing benefits faster and to a greater degree than we had expected. Rather than simply say that the products were synergistic with each other, XANGO wanted to show it.

My group (SupplementWatch) conducted a trial of XANGO Juice plus Eleviv (versus a look-alike placebo of both products) in 30 volunteers with moderate levels of stress (because stress tends to upset both metabolic balance and inflate CRP levels). Each subject consumed 6 ounces of XANGO Juice (or a placebo) and 2 capsules of Eleviv (or a placebo) everyday for 30 days. At the beginning and end of the study, we measured hormones, health markers, and mood state parameters (tension and vigor) – finding that the subjects who received the combination of XANGO Juice plus Eleviv had significant health benefits (lowered CRP levels, improve metabolic balance, reduced tension, and elevated vigor).* Even more interesting and important, however, was that these data suggested a true synergy between the products.

By comparing the results of this new “combination approach” with both products to earlier studies of each product used by itself, we were able to see an approximate 3-fold to 20-fold improvement in overall effectiveness (depending on the measurement) when XANGO Juice and Eleviv are consumed together. The overall “takeaway” from this new study is that both products work – but each product helps the other to work even better and faster – so Eleviv helps XANGO Juice to be better at maintaining healthy CRP levels and XANGO Juice helps Eleviv to be better at maintaining healthy levels of metabolic balance.*

These data were presented at the Annual Scientific Conference of the American Society for Nutrition (Experimental Biology) in Anaheim California (April, 2010) and they represent one of the very rare instances of true synergy in the natural products industry (you can view the scientific abstract and slides at XANGO.com and ShawnTalbott.com).

So what does this new research mean for you? It means that no matter which product you use – XANGO Juice or Eleviv – you’ll be assured of having a safe and effective, science-based dietary supplement that can support your health in numerous ways. And, by using both products together you’re likely to realize an even greater range of health benefits in a shorter period of time and in a more holistic manner.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

2 Responses to “True Synergy”

1. Naomi Anderson says:

   10/07/2010 at 12:25 am

   I can not imagine my life with out our Mangosteen Juice and Eleviv.
   I can hardly wait until we have our new
   diet product this coming 2011.
   Thank You XANGO and Dr Talbott.
2. Vicky Basnayake says:

   09/27/2011 at 7:34 pm

   I feel safe with these products. I want my family and friends all to use it.