Dúvidas sobre produtos Agel - Inglês 2

What is the purpose of the sodium benzoate?

Sodium benzoate is a preservative. The FDA allows 0.1% sodium benzoate in foods. A can of Soda is 12 fluid ounces (355 ml) or approx. 355 grams. 0.1% of that is 0.355 grams or 355 mg of Sodium Benzoate. In each packet of Agel products we use 3 mg of sodium benzoate... that's right... 3 mg. That works out to less than 1/100th of the amount of sodium Benzoate allowable in a can of soda.

We had to preserve the products with something. We chose the smallest amount of the least offensive substance we could find. We say that understanding that a certain percentage of people will be unhappy with what ever decision we make.


What laboratory tests have been conducted on the Agel products?

The analyses that Agel run on each batch of products give us confidence in four areas:

* Microbiological — these measurements ensure that there are no microbes in the products that would cause problems either for storage or to the end user.
* Nutritional — these measurements ensure that the products have all the right nutritional components in them, in the correct proportions so that the products do what we say they will.
* Banned Substances — these measurements ensure that the products to not contain any substances that would show up as positives in anti-doping testing of athletes so that athletes can use the products with confidence.
* Stability — these measurements ensure that the contents of the gel packs do not change appreciably over time so that what leaves the production facility still does everything it is supposed to after 3 months, 6 months or a year.


Does the Mangosteen in EXO contain the whole fruit including the skin?

Yes, it includes the pericarp as well as the whole fruit and the skin. The pericarp is in the rind of the Mangosteen and contains most of the antioxidant Xanthones. It could be compared in structure to the white internal rind of an orange.


What is the source of the Guar Gum and Xanthan Gum in Agel products?

The Guar gum comes from the root extract of the Guar plant and Xanthan is created through a yeast fermentation process.


If I want to do some of my own research on the ingredients in Agel products, where can I find more information?

The first place to locate accurate scientific information is at www.pubmed.gov. This is the U.S. National Institutes of Health sponsored library of peer reviewed published journals from around the world. When using an on online search engine to investigate ingredients for information keep in mind that rankings are based on the number of times the search term appears on the entire internet including in news groups, blogs and chats. What this means is that when there is lots of discussion about a subject it will receive a high ranking whether what is being discussed is true or not. A good conspiracy will get a great ranking whereas a boring set of accurate facts will get a poor ranking. You be the judge.


What is the source and amount of the fucoidan in UMI?

We use 210 mg of fucoidan sourced from Laminaria japonica which is a type of brown seaweed found in Asian waters.


How are the products processed and specifically do the procedures involve hot or cold temperatures?

Yes, all Agel gels are subjected to heat processing for about 30 seconds at 175 F. This short time at a high temperature assures that the product is free from microbes, but is so quick that virtually none of the nutrients are lost.


How does the OHM product compare to the energy drinks?

Most energy drinks contain sugar and caffeine. OHM does not use this approach. The vitamins, ribose, and herbs in OHM allow a person to sustain energy and get the most out what they already have without ramping up the central nervous system. Red Bull is a CNS stimulant combined with quick carbs (sugar).

Gu is maltodextrin with perhaps some caffeine — very similar in concept to the energy drinks. These will provide the endurance athlete with the carbs that they need to keep going. Ohm will allow the person to maximize the usage of these other products.

It is not accurate to compare OHM with caffeinated drinks. There are no stimulants in OHM and it is not designed to give a chemical boost of energy. The B vitamins are to help metabolize food for better utilization of the energy in food. The herbs are "Adaptogens" which are to help the body deal with what ever stresses it encounters; exercise, stress, lack of sleep, etc.


How do we know exactly what ingredients are in each product?

Each box of product has a label on the box with supplement facts and ingredients. Each individual foil packet has a brief general description of the contents of the packet. Consumers may download ingredient and nutritional information from the Agel Corporate website at www.agel.com. Go to the products section and locate the descriptions of each individual product. At the end of each product description you will see a downloadable fact sheet that is a duplicate of the nutrition facts and ingredients information that appears on each box.


EXO and UMI seem to have similar benefits. How is each unique?

EXO supplies the multifunction antioxidants to counteract free radicals. These are generated by normal day-to-day metabolism, oxidative load from exercise, some environmental pro-oxidant toxins and UV rays. These free radicals will be present whether or not systems such as the immune system, lymphatic system and circulatory system are operating normally. They are responsible for the background symptoms of the aging process. They are a baseline expectation which would normally be handled by a baseline intake of food-borne antioxidants but because these are lacking in many modern developed world diets we need to supplement them.

UMI supplies fucoidan which in turn supplies supplementary saccharides that we do not normally get even in a good developed world diet. These saccharides have a range of properties including being antioxidant but their primary benefit is their ability to supplement saccharide stores in cells. Those stores allow the cells to produce good quality message molecules — glycoproteins. The cells in which this is most important are parts of systems which need to communicate to get their job done — the immune system, the nervous system, the endocrine system. These glycoprotein molecules are the language of that communication. To remedy those nutrient deficiencies we need a source of saccharides.

You need EXO if your diet doesn't contain many servings of fruits and vegetables or free radical exposure or production is excessive. EXO will provide the baseline requirement of antioxidants.

You need UMI if your cellular communication systems need to maintain proper function. UMI will provide the additional saccharides that are missing from the modern diet and get communication working again.


Why do the nutrition facts labels on Agel products say that the packets contain a varying number of grams of sugar? I thought the sweetener was fructose.

Nutrition Facts Labels will say 'sugar' if a food product contains any kind of carbohydrate that basically ends in the letters 'ose'. Food labels don't distinguish between kinds of sugar. For example, carbohydrate from fruit (fructose) or milk (lactose) or table sugar (sucrose) will all appear as 'sugar' on a food label. For instance one serving of fruit canned in fruit juice has 14 grams of sugar and 1 cup of skim milk has 12 grams of sugar. Yet neither of these foods has sugar "added" to them. Trying to recognize sources of added versus natural sugars may be a bit confusing at times. If it comes from a food, such as fruit in EXO and or in milk products, it is not an added sugar. Remember that moderate amounts of sugar, no matter what their source, can be part of a healthy diet.


How much sugar is appropriate?

Dietary guidelines recommend up to 10% of your carbohydrate intake can come from "added" sugar. So based on a 2000 calorie diet, depending on your goals and health needs, added sugar could be up to 30 grams per day or 120 calories. One might have up to 300 grams total carbohydrate or 1200 calories of carbohydrates or 60% of total calories in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.


Why did my skin feel hot and appear slightly red with OHM?

OHM contains B3 in the form of niacinamide. It can have a flushing reaction. Sometimes the skin temporarily feels hot and gets red and sometimes a rash appears, but then disappears after a while. It is not harmful, just a bit scary if never experienced before. Niacin flush is an infrequent response to niacin that is completely harmless and easily explained. One of niacin's important benefits is its ability to dilate blood vessels and thereby increase blood flow to various organs of the body. Superficially, the increased blood flow may sometimes result in a blush of the skin and a sense of warmth. If flushing does occurs, we recommend starting out with part of a packet and gradually increasing dosage over time; take with food and avoid consuming with warm beverages. If a reaction does develop, then drink lots of water and relax. It will pass shortly. So why include niacin in our products? Quite simply, their effectiveness is enhanced greatly by niacin. In fact, niacin is an essential vitamin that allows hundreds of critical chemical reactions to take place in our bodies.


Can Agel products help some medical conditions?

Nutritional supplements are for supplementing the diet. They are not for diagnosing, mitigating, preventing or curing any diseases. As GelDocs, it is out of the scope of our legal abilities to diagnose or make recommendations for the treatment of any disease or diagnosed medical condition. That being said, you are probably already aware that good nutrition plays a huge role in the overall health of many lifestyle related conditions. What we have here at Agel is a way to supplement our diets to better ensure optimal nutrition.


What are amounts of the different antioxidants, or the antioxidants families used in EXO, because they are not specified like the other products?

There are so many different kinds of antioxidants and polyphenols in each fruit that it is very difficult to quantify how many there are an how much of each compound there is.

In many cases the whole fruit is used, in some cases only the juice is used, in a couple of cases an extract is used. As far as which antioxidants are being delivered by these fruits, it's difficult to say.


Why do we use Fructose to sweeten the products? Is it natural or synthetic? Why not 'Stevia' as a sweetener?

Fructose is the ideal sweetener for the Agel products. It's simple, stable, readily available, and the sweetness suits most palates. It's also low glycemic and compatible with fruit and plant extracts because it is one. It's sweeter than sucrose on a weight/weight basis so less can be used (and so less calories) for the same level of sweetness. Most important is that fructose can be added in any amount in all regulatory territories. It is a natural product generally isolated from fruit, corn or sugar beets.

Stevia is a great sweetener but it's not an allowed ingredient in many places and can only be added up to certain limits in others. That is it's major limitation but many people also do not like the sweet taste of stevia which is a little different on the palate than sucrose or fructose which, being the most common sugars people use, are therefore well used to.


The vitamins and minerals are "readily assimilated" and "gel technology represents a significant advance in the method of delivery" into the body — is there clinical data to back up this claim?

The Physicians Desk Reference talks about absorption rates of tablets and capsules vs gels/liquids. As stated above, we don't have clinicals yet, but will be running them soon. The USP states that capsules must have a disintegration time of not more then 30 minutes and for tablets, not more then 45 minutes. This means that the supplement could take up to 45 minutes before your body can begin absorbing the nutrients. Our forthcoming clinical trials should only confirm data that has been generally accepted for a long time.


"The preparation does not contain enough of the vitamins or minerals to be considered dangerous" — but does it contain enough to be effective?

The RDI is the base level requirement to avoid deficiency symptoms of a particular nutrient, not necessarily adequate for optimum health (although that's where advice on diet would be beneficial in addition). This is somewhat of a philosophical debate. Some camps believe more is better. Our medical review board strongly feels that people over supplement. The point of a supplement is to "supplement" the diet and not replace it. So when individuals take a high level vit/min/phytonutrient supplement along with their diet, along with whatever else they are taking for their heart, immune etc that also has vitamins and minerals in it that they get more than they need and in some cases (fat soluble vitamins) more than is healthy.


"These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA" What exactly does this mean? Are the products themselves FDA approved? Are the ingredients FDA approved?

Dietary supplements in the USA are regulated but not approved by the FDA...here is link for dietary supplement act: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/dietsupp.html.