SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Metagenics, Inc., a nutrigenomics and lifestyle medicine company, announced it will launch UltraMeal® PLUS 360° Stevia in October 2011, to provide physicians and patients with a reduced calorie option of this breakthrough medical food. UltraMeal PLUS 360° Stevia enhances Metagenics’ line of medical foods. Research with the original UltraMeal PLUS 360° formula has shown it to be almost twice as effective as one of the best diets alone for reducing cardiovascular risk factors.
“UltraMeal PLUS 360° Stevia meets the needs of doctors and patients that prefer a lower calorie, fructose-free option of this popular medical food,” said Dr. Robert H. Lerman, M.D., Ph.D., director of medicine and extramural clinical research for Metagenics, Inc. “Our goal in developing this version of UltraMeal PLUS 360° is to have options that meet the preferences of a broad range of people so that they can experience its benefits in reversing metabolic syndrome and reducing the likelihood of heart disease and diabetes.”
UltraMeal PLUS 360° is the first medical food that is tested and demonstrated to be effective and safe for managing metabolic syndrome, including the reduction of risk factors for cardiovascular illness. The chief component works to modulate kinases, enzymes that translate dietary signals and affects complex processes at the cellular level. Metagenics has successfully integrated Selective Kinase Response Modulators (SKRMs), phytochemical substances that can work to help modulate kinases back into balance, within UltraMeal PLUS 360°.
UltraMeal PLUS 360° Stevia uses a combination of stevia and eyrthritol as low-calorie, natural sweeteners. This is an additional product to the original version of UltraMeal PLUS 360°containing fructose, natural non-genetically modified (Non-GMO) and is in an amount equivalent to that found in a large apple or pear. There is also a rice-based version of the medical food available for those who prefer an alternative to soy.
UltraMeal PLUS 360° is backed by years of clinical research and testing to ensure that it is effective and safe. A recent research article in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology published data showing that patients who incorporate the medical food into their diet as well as make necessary lifestyle changes will achieve better, faster results in reducing cardiovascular risk factors, than they would with the lifestyle changes alone. The research, conducted in a multicenter clinical trial at the University of Connecticut, University of Florida and the University of California, Irvine, found that a program consisting of Metagenics’ UltraMeal PLUS 360° and a low-glycemic, Mediterranean-style diet is 40 percent more likely to resolve metabolic syndrome than just using the diet alone.
The use of scientifically-supported combination of medical foods, diet and exercise is part of Metagenics’ FirstLine Therapy® lifestyle medicine program that enables physicians and other healthcare providers to address patients’ needs for long-term lifestyle change in a new practice management model.
“The FirstLine Therapy program offered by Metagenics provides the tools to treat the causes of chronic illness,” said Dr. Lerman. “The impact of these medical foods plus the FirstLine Therapy practice model demonstrates the power nutrigenomics — the science of food used as medicine — has to reduce the current worldwide epidemic of chronic illness.”
UltraMeal PLUS 360° Stevia is the same price as the original UltraMeal PLUS 360°. To locate a healthcare provider offering Metagenics’ UltraMeal PLUS 360° Stevia and other medical foods, visit www.metagenics.com.
For more information on FirstLine Therapy, visit www.firstlinetherapy.com.
About Metagenics, Inc.
Metagenics, Inc. (www.metagenics.com) is a nutrigenomics and lifestyle medicine company focused on reversing chronic illness and improving health. Founded in 1983, Metagenics serves more than 75,000 healthcare providers worldwide through premium quality, science-based medical foods, nutritional formulas, and lifestyle therapy programs to help their patients achieve a lifetime of good health. Metagenics’ scientific staff—among the largest in the nutrigenomics industry—has published more than 80 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has been awarded more than 50 international or domestic patents. The company’s educational arm, Metagenics University, collaborates with renowned medical experts to annually deliver more than 200 events designed to help healthcare professionals stay on the leading edge of lifestyle medicine and incorporate nutrition into their clinical practice.
Metagenics maintains its corporate headquarters in San Clemente, CA; R&D headquarters in Gig Harbor, WA; and operating subsidiaries in Brussels, Belgium and Brisbane, Australia.