Often referred to as the “miracle tree,” moringa is gaining in global popularity for its beneficial roles not only in nutrition but also in sustainability, global health, and agriculture. So what makes moringa so magnificent?


History and Global Use of Moringa
The moringa (Moringa oleifera) tree is a fast-growing, deciduous tree native to subtropical areas in southern Asia, Africa, and South America. Because of its ability to grow year-round, many cultures have used various parts of the moringa tree both medicinally and as a food source. First described around 2000 B.C., moringa was used as a remedy for over 300 conditions in traditional medicine (1). Today, it continues to thrive globally because of its ability to sustainably improve diets by adding protein, micronutrients, and other phytochemicals.


Nutrients Found in Moringa
Across the globe, people in developing countries supplement their diets with moringa because of its extraordinary nutrient density. Moringa leaves are rich in protein, essential amino acids, and micronutrients such as copper, manganese, iron, zinc, and vitamin A, making it a great source for natural nutrient fortification (2, 3). Moringa is not only abundant in micronutrients, but it also has polyphenols, isothiocyanates, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Its oil is nutritionally similar to olive oil but is more resistant to oxidation and does not become rancid as quickly.
Unlike many botanicals, studies have shown that moringa is hearty and that its nutrients can withstand extreme temperatures such as boiling. By adding the leaves to a broth or even battering and frying them, unserved populations are able to nourish their bodies with an easy-to-grow superfood that can be harvested locally and remain nutritionally stable for long periods of time (4).


Moringa Is More Than a Superfood
The mild flavor of the flower and nutrient-dense leaf are consumed in foods and brewed as a tea, but beyond its nutritional benefits, moringa’s versatility makes it a sustainable solution with many applications. The seed oil is often used in skin and hair care, while the seed itself has more recently been used in water purification. Moringa bark and seed cake are used in textiles and animal feed, the roots are used therapeutically, and the live tree is often used as fencing (5, 6). With little water needed to grow it and the ability to utilize every part of the tree, moringa is a sustainable option across multiple industries with virtually endless uses.

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References
1. Matic I, Guidi A, Kenzo M, et al. Investigation of medicinal plants traditionally used as dietary supplements: A review on Moringa oleifera. J Public Health Afr. 2018 Dec 21; 9(3): 841.
2. Olson ME, Sankaran RP, Fahey JW, et al. Leaf Protein and Mineral Concentrations across the “Miracle Tree” Genus Moringa. PLoS ONE 11(7): e0159782. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159782
3. Glover-Amengor M, Aryeetev R, Afari E, et al. Micronutrient composition and acceptability of Moringa oleifera leaf-fortified dishes by children in Ada-East district, Ghana. Food Sci Nutr. 2017 Mar; 5(2): 317–323.
4. Gopalakrishnan L, Doriya K, Kumar DS. Moringa oleifera: A review on nutritive importance and its medicinal application. Food Science and Human Wellness. 2016 June; 5(2): 49-56.
5. Mulugeta G and Fekadu A. Industrial and Agricultural Potentials of Moringa. Journal of Natural Sciences Research 4 14.
6. Masih LP, Singh S, Elamathi S, et al. Moringa: A multipurpose crop – A review. Proc Indian Natn Sci Acad 85 No. 3 September 2019 pp. 589-601

When used as part of a system combining Shake Days and Cleanse Days, Isagenix products improve body composition and contribute to better heart health during weight loss. They also offer better long-term weight maintenance compared to traditional heart-healthy dieting.

These are the findings of a study published as data sets in two peer-reviewed journals—the first appeared on July 30 in Nutrients and the second on August 29 in Frontiers in Physiology (1,2).
In the study, both men and women using Isagenix products significantly reduced total, abdominal, and visceral body fat, and increased lean body mass percent and metabolism. The body composition changes also contributed to better measures of cardiovascular health during weight loss after 12 weeks.

After initial weight loss, those who continued using Isagenix products also had significantly improved weight maintenance and body composition as well as continued benefits on cardiovascular health measures after 52 weeks in comparison to those who transitioned to a traditional “heart-healthy” diet.

The study was conducted by researchers at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York under the direction of principal investigator and senior corresponding author Paul J. Arciero, Ph.D., Director of the Human Nutrition and Metabolism Laboratory and Professor of Health and Exercise Sciences.

“The novel findings from this study may very well revolutionize how we prescribe weight-loss diets moving forward because of the increase in proportion of lean muscle and drastic reductions in abdominal and visceral fat mass during initial weight loss and the ability to maintain these favorable changes over the long term,” Dr. Arciero said.

Long-term Study Design: Phase 1 Weight Loss and Phase 2 Weight Maintenance 
The researchers designed the new study to evaluate weight loss in both men and women from an Isagenix System over 12 weeks and to determine if the results could be sustained over a year.

The study would also be the first to evaluate how weight loss using Isagenix products affected other factors. These included lean muscle, abdominal and visceral fat, as well as energy metabolism and arterial health.

The design of the 15-month study included one week of phase-in baseline control where subjects maintained a stable weight and, afterward, broke into two phases: Weight Loss Phase 1 of 12 weeks and Weight Maintenance Phase 2 of 52 weeks.

During Weight Loss Phase 1, all participants performed six Shake Days and one Cleanse Day per week.

• As part of Shake Days, subjects replaced two meals per day with IsaLean® Shake, had a 150-calorie snack (men only), one IsaLean Bar, and ate a whole-food dinner consisting of between 450 and 600 calories.
• As part of Cleanse Days, subjects drank the botanical drink Cleanse for Life® along with plenty of water throughout the day, up to six Isagenix Snacks™ wafers, and up to one other 100- or 200-calorie snacks of choice.
• The subjects also received Ageless Essentials™ Daily Pack, Ionix® Supreme, and e+ Energy Shots to consume on all days, as desired.

During Weight Maintenance Phase 2, participants chose to transition to one of the following options:

• Continuing on an Isagenix weight maintenance system by replacing two meals per day with IsaLean Shake or IsaLean Bars, eating a normal diet without food restrictions, and performing 1-2 Cleanse Days per month.
• Transitioning to a dietitian-counseled diet that emphasized eating whole foods, lean meats, and fruits and vegetables in line with American Heart Association recommendations for being “heart healthy.”

Results: A Third of Visceral Fat Lost, Lean Mass Gained, Better Arterial Health, and Enhanced Metabolism
During the initial weight-loss phase (Phase 1), the subjects lost an average of 10 percent of their total body weight, nearly 20 percent body fat, and 33 percent of their visceral fat. They also increased their proportion of lean body mass (9 percent) and had significantly improved cardiovascular health with improvements in arterial flexibility (11 percent).
Over the yearlong weight maintenance period (Phase 2), the subjects who continued following an Isagenix System had a significantly lower body weight (6 percent), lower amount of total body fat (10 percent), and improved lean body mass (5 percent) compared to those who followed a “heart-healthy” diet.

Additionally, those who followed the Isagenix plan had better maintained their initial improvements in arterial health.  “As an active nutrition and exercise science researcher for over 30 years, these were very impressive findings and clearly established our protein-pacing [Shake Days] and intermittent fasting diet regimen [Cleanse Days] as an effective short- and long-term strategy to promote healthy body weight, abdominal and visceral fat mass loss as well as enhanced metabolism and cardiovascular health compared to other commonly prescribed diets,” Dr. Arciero said.
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One of the more intriguing findings from the weight loss phase (Phase 1), said Dr. Arciero, is that “the subjects had a five percent increase in resting metabolic rate, which is likely due to ‘protein pacing,’ or spreading doses of whey protein over the course of the day.”
During the weight-maintenance phase (Phase 2), the study also measured positive effects toward maintaining metabolic rate. “This was possibly related to a higher proportion of calories obtained from protein in the subjects during the Isagenix weight-maintenance phase,” said Eric Gumpricht, Ph.D., Isagenix Manager of Research and Science, and a co-author on the Nutrients publication.

Company’s Continued Commitment to Science
The study demonstrates the continued commitment of Isagenix for funding clinical studies supporting the safety and health benefits of Isagenix products as a way to promote and maintain weight loss, Dr. Gumpricht said.

“We observed safe and efficient weight loss with Isagenix during the weight loss phase for both men and women,” he said. “But more importantly, that continuing incorporating intermittent fasting as Cleanse Days alongside caloric restriction as Isagenix Shake Days helped subjects better maintain those favorable changes to body composition—weight, fat, and visceral fat loss and lean body mass retention and arterial health.”
The findings provide additional scientific validation after earlier work performed at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) found that Isagenix products demonstrated superiority when compared to a traditional heart-healthy diet for improving body composition during weight loss in women after four weeks (3, 4).

The earlier findings from UIC appeared in Nutrition Journal and in Nutrition and Metabolism in 2012.

The new Skidmore College study was registered at National Institute of Health’s ClinicalTrials.gov, a publicly and privately supported registry of clinical studies conducted around the world.

References

1. Arciero PJ, Edmonds R, He F, Ward E, Gumpricht E, Mohr A, Ormsbee MJ, Astrup A.  Protein-Pacing Caloric-Restriction Enhances Body Composition Similarly in Obese Men and Women during Weight Loss and Sustains Efficacy during Long-Term Weight Maintenance. Nutrients2016, 8(8), 476; doi: 10.3390/nu8080476
2. Li Z, He F, Tinsley G et al. Comparison of High-Protein, Intermittent-Fasting Low-Calorie Diet and Heart Healthy Diet for Vascular Health of the Obese Front. Physiol. 7:350. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2016.00350
3. Klempel MC, Kroeger, CM, Bhutani S et al. Intermittent fasting combined with calorie restriction is effective for weight loss and cardio-protection in obese women. Nutr J 2012 11:98. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-11-98.
4. Kroeger CM, Klempel MC, Bhutani S et al. Improvement in coronary heart disease risk factors during an intermittent fasting/calorie restriction regimen: Relationship to adipokine modulations. Nutr Metab 2012;9:98. doi: doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-9-98

2019 is all about results.  

Your current journey into weight loss and better health might focus on the pounds on the scale, the inches on your waist, and the calories in your diet. While those are all important considerations, there’s something else that scientists now know is a key component of weight loss and overall wellness — gut health. 

It’s All About Your Microbiome There is a rich ecosystem inside your gut filled with bacteria, called the microbiome, that contributes to better digestion, healthy weight loss, and overall health. But, life is filled with obstacles and events that can throw your microbiome into chaos, including your diet. Your gut relies on lots of different good bacteria and digestive enzymes to break down food, absorb nutrients, and restore digestive comfort so you can feel great. 

Say Hello to IsaBiome The IsaBiome™ Daily Digestive Health System combines the very best in probiotics and digestive enzymes to support a better gut microbiome and gut health.† Here’s how it works: 

Probiotics 

• With two specialized formulas for vegetarian and conventional diets, the diverse range of probiotics (the healthy bacteria that are great for your gut) help develop a healthy ecosystem in your microbiome and crowd out bad bacteria in your gut.† 
• From development to packaging, we use advanced techniques to ensure the probiotics are viable and effective all the way to your doorstep. No refrigeration required. 
• A diverse blend of probiotics helps build a healthier gut microbiome that contributes to better weight loss and overall wellness.† 

​Digestive Enzymes 

• Also developed for vegetarian and conventional diets, the right digestive enzymes help break down food better so your body can absorb more nutrients.† 
• Our bodies create digestive enzymes on their own, but as we eat a larger variety of foods, the additional enzymes provided in the IsaBiome Daily Digestive Health System can assist your digestive system in breaking them down.† 
• Better digestive health from digestive enzymes means better nutrient absorption and immediate gut relief after eating.† 

​On their own, the probiotics and digestive enzymes from Isagenix have amazing benefits (immediate and/or long term), but combined, they create the IsaBiome Daily Digestive Health System, which can support better overall health, provide digestive comfort, and help you build a healthy lifestyle. These factors are just as important to your Isagenix journey as the inches on your waist or the pounds on the scale. 

​Written by Jim Burch 

†This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

IsaBiome is available right now!