EPHEDRA-FREE DIET INGREDIENT, SUPER CITRIMAX®, AFFIRMED GRAS (GENERALLY RECOGNIZED AS SAFE) FOR BEVERAGES

Published on: 11/19/2003

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BENICIA, Calif., November 19, 2003 – Super CitriMax®, InterHealth Nutraceuticals’ ephedra-free (–)hydroxycitric acid (HCA) weight loss ingredient, has successfully been affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) for use in functional beverages by the Burdock Group, the nation’s leading toxicology specialists in evaluating the safety of food and beverage ingredients. The process involved an intensive review of all safety and toxicology data by a panel of scientific experts.

This news is made even more significant by the growing need to identify safe and effective ephedra-free alternatives to help conquer the country’s obesity epidemic. Recent news coverage has exposed the dangers of ephedra, which has been the top-selling diet ingredient over the past decade. Ephedra has been linked to a number of deaths including 23-year-old Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler. In recent months, states such as Illinois, New York and California have banned the sale of products containing ephedra.

Super CitriMax®, a unique patent-pending, all-natural HCA weight loss ingredient, has been clinically proven safe and effective. A number of HCA ingredients are available in the marketplace, but Super CitriMax® is the #1 selling HCA and the only one to receive GRAS status. Unlike other HCA ingredients, Super CitriMax® is particularly well suited for beverages because it is uniquely tasteless, odorless, colorless, 100 percent soluble and contains 20 percent more HCA than other HCA ingredients.

Recent double-blind, placebo-controlled studies conducted through Georgetown University Medical Center have shown that people who use Super CitriMax® not only experience significant weight loss, but increase fat burning, lower harmful LDL cholesterol, increase beneficial HDL cholesterol and decrease Body Mass Index (BMI), an indicator of obesity health risk. As with GRAS status, this research was done solely on Super CitriMax®’s unique patent-pending calcium/potassium-HCA complex and cannot be applied to other HCA ingredients.

“Two elements were key in the decision to certify Super CitriMax® for GRAS status,” stated Dr. George Burdock, president of the Burdock Group. “First was the historical foundation; HCA has a 2000-year-old history of safe use. Further support came from extensive toxicology studies on Super CitriMax® that provided safety confirmation according to modern scientific standards. This information, along with other data reviewed, provided the substantiation needed to confidently make the GRAS determination.”

“The scientific panel’s decision to confer GRAS status on Super CitriMax® is an important one for the industry and for consumers,” stated InterHealth President & CEO William “Skip” Seroy. “Consumers are increasingly looking to functional foods and beverages as major components of a healthy lifestyle. Given the plethora of ineffective and sometimes dangerous products on the market today, the proven safety and efficacy of Super CitriMax®, as exemplified by its clinical research and GRAS status, is especially important for consumers who seek safe assistance in achieving their weight loss goals.”
The panel of experts who made the GRAS determination included Joseph Borzelleca, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus, Medical College of Virginia), who has more than 40 years experience in determining the safety of food and beverage ingredients; Mildred Christian, Ph.D. (President, Argus International), one of the nation’s outstanding experts in reviewing animal data in applications for human use; and George Burdock, Ph.D. (President, Burdock Group), a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.

A product of InterHealth Nutraceuticals, Inc., Super CitriMax® is a value-added dietary ingredient available to manufacturers for inclusion in a full array of dietary supplements and nutraceutical food and beverage products. InterHealth researches, develops, manufactures, markets and distributes specialty nutritional ingredients, which are sold to manufacturers worldwide. In addition to Super CitriMax®, InterHealth is the maker of OptiBerry®, Aller-7®, ChromeMate®, UC-II™, 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 www.InterHealthUSA.com.

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