Re: Information on Isotonix: CAUTION ADVISED (long)

[Guest guest]

Lots of EMOSS members and others have been talking about these

Isotonix solutions, and I've done some research because I'm

concerned about some of the things I've heard. Here are my concerns

about these Isotonix products, take it or leave it, I have not used

them, but I am analyzing them based on their published ingredients

and programs. One of the red flags for me is that there's no three

to five year data out with these, just nearly-anecdotal single sets

of labs. If you haven't been taking ANYTHING, sure, these might pull

borderline low levels up a bit, but I seriously doubt they are going

to maintain a malabsorbing body in good health indefinitely.

Where are three years' worth of comprehensive blood test results

from even a single post-op? Where are five years' worth of annual

DEXA-scans for a post-op on these products? Nobody can show them to

you. If you value your bones, nerves, and flesh, RUN. I am not

willing to be a guinea pig (especially if I have to pay handsomely

to become one), and I hope you're not wild about the idea either. :-)

Keep in mind that Isotonix is a multi-level marketing business, and

they are notorious for doing their best to sell products while

sometimes ignoring the science (and if you think I'm bitter or

jealous or something, I am actually a MLM distributor for a great

line of human-grade pet foods called Flint River Ranch. MLM

companies are not all bad, but the business model leaves everything

open to more loose interpretation and you must carefully research

these products before using them, especially IMO if you are going to

literally trust them with your life).

I think the recommendation to mix the entire day's dose of

EVERYTHING, vitamins, minerals, B-12, etc., into a 10 oz. glass of

water borders on malpractice. There's nothing " special enough " about

making things " isotonic " to get by your body's ability to absorb

calcium and iron. You can't get them both at the same time, period,

unless perhaps they were being pushed IV, something that can only be

done by a hematologist in a medical setting.

All " isotonic " means, by the way, is " having the same or equal

osmotic pressure " and when spoken of this sort of solution,

typically it means having the same osmotic pressure as blood. Well,

saline has the same osmotic pressure as blood. It means that radical

changes in the chemistry of the liquid do not have to take place for

the liquid to penetrate the cell membranes; it doesn't mean that the

cells will be able to do anything useful with the components of that

solution!

Isotonix Calcium Plus

Each 4.45 g (One level 5 mL spoonful of powder) contains:

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) 40 mg

Calcium (total) (324.7 mg from carbonate, 939 µg from citrate, 225

mg from lactate, 77.7 mg from phosphate, 16.6 mg from sulfate) 645

mg

Cholecalciferol (equiv vitamin D3 445 IU) 11.1 µg

Magnesium (total) (5.7 mg from carbonate, 128.8 mg from oxide) 134.5

mg

Manganese (as sulfate) 723 µg

Potassium (as citrate) 33.8 mg

Riboflavine (vitamin B2) 2.2 mg

in a non-active base of pectin, malic acid, fructose, citric acid,

glucose, natural orange flavour, potassium bicarbonate.

WHERE TO START in on this one?!? First of all, let's look at the

inactive ingredients. I see some free-riding " ose " -- SUGAR. Do you

need that? No. Next, do I see CARBONATE?? Garbage. Do I see

NANOgrams of citrate? Garbage. Calcium phosphate, lactate, and

sulfate are all also poorly absorbed even by normies. I wouldn't bet

anything on this calcium formula except kidney stones. Oh, and you

should be taking this three times a day, by itself, not with iron.

Because you can't absorb more than about 500 mg at a time IF it's

the right stuff, and we should be taking at least 1500 mg a day to

protect our bones.

Isotonix B-12

Each 4.2 g (One level 5 mL spoonful of powder) contains:

Magnesium (as carbonate) 40 mg

Calcium (as sulfate) 3.85 mg

Cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) 120 µg

Folic acid 400 µg

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) 3 mg

in a non-active base of fructose, pectin, citric acid, glucose,

maltodextrin, lemon and lime flavours, potassium bicarbonate and

colloidal anhydrous silica

AGAIN, a whole bunch of SUGARS are getting a free ride into you. And

this B-12 will be next to useless without intrinsic factor (which we

don't have) unless you are holding the liquid in your mouth, under

your tongue, for at least two minutes -- and some of us STILL can't

absorb B-12 sublingually, no matter how how hard we try. Anyone

keeping this stuff in their mouth for two minutes? I doubt it. This

product is an expensive source of folic acid and riboflavin.

Isotonix MultiTech

Each 4.1 g (One level 5 mL spoonful of powder) contains:

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) 120 mg

Biotin (vitamin H) 150 µg

Calcium pantothenate (vitamin B5) 12.3 mg

Cholecalciferol (equiv vitamin D3 410 IU) 10.2 µg

Cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12) 15 µg

dl-alpha-Tocopheryl acetate (equiv vitamin E, 33IU) 33 mg

Folic Acid 300 µg

Betacarotene 4.5 mg

Nicotinamide 49.2 mg

Pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6) 4.1 mg

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) 4.1 mg

Thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1) 4.1 mg

Calcium (total) (52.6 mg from carbonate, 1 mg from pantothenate, 8.6

mg from sulfate) 62.2 mg

Chromium (as nicotinate) 50 µg

Magnesium (as carbonate) 11.7 mg

Manganese (as sulfate) 5.33 mg

Selenium (as sodium selenite) 52 µg

Iodine (as potassium iodide) 88 µg

Zinc (as gluconate) 7.5 mg

in a non-active base of pectin, fructose, citric acid, glucose,

maltodextrin, lemon and lime flavors, potassium bicarbonate and

colloidal anhydrous silica.

SUGARS. More kidney stone-calcium. Not a hell of a lot of other good

stuff. Major stuff missing. Low dose of beta-carotene vitamin A.

Apparently, not such great flavor.

And this " system " runs is $75/month? It's a system alright, to make

a whole chain of distributors a whole bunch of money!!

My home-rolled " system " gives me 200% of the RDA of iron in a form I

can PROVE my body's using, 2520 mg a day of calcium CITRATE and

related minerals in the correct ratios, two complete adult chewable

multi-vitamin/multi-minerals a day, and a B-12 shot twice a month,

and costs a grand total $45 a month. The iron is even Rx, and next

year my insurance will cover it, so I will only be paying $20/month

for supplemental nutrition I can trust.

So the Isotonix as suggested only means taking stuff once a day, and

my " system " involves one softgel, two chewables (no sugar), a shot I

give myself every two weeks, and eight calcium tablets... I " take "

stuff five times a day. I don't care about that. The Isotonix, to

meet anywhere near the correct dosages and spacing for absorbability

would need to be taken four times a day, and to match my program,

would have to be taken six times a day. It would also cost more like

$150/month if you really were comparing equivalent programs at the

prices I could find from distributors who do have websites.

I think the Isotonix phenomenon is only a fad, and I really hope

that it doesn't hurt any of our people along the way. Again, I think

this is one of those cases where someone got excited about something

but people haven't done enough hard-core research to see if it was

going to help US. Normies MIGHT be able to get benefit from these

formulas, but our special needs (no stomach acid, no intrinsic

factor, among others) rule these out as a good choice for us.

From a distributor's website: " Isotonix™ products do not linger in

the stomach. Since isotonic fluids pass through the digestive

process and are rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream,

gastrointestinal discomfort can be avoided. Isotonix™ products are

not encapsulated or compacted into a " form. " There is no need for

fillers, binders, coatings, lubricants, disintegrators or artificial

coloring. With Isotonix™ products, there is no guesswork involved.

You can be assured that when used as directed, you get the exact

amount of nutrients shown, in the exact isotonic state desired. The

delivery efficiency of Isotonix™ helps ensure that maximum benefits

are derived from the supplements. Because the nutrients arrive at

the absorption site more rapidly and highly concentrated, excellent

use of the nutrients should be achieved. "

Unfortunately, our bodies do not provide some of the processing

capabilities that these vitamins require, ESPECIALLY since most of

the absorption sites (duodenum) are bypassed for even the most

proximal of us. And I believe, based on the research that I've done,

that the " slower " forms such as tablets are actually BETTER for us,

inert (but non-sugar) fillers be damned. We don't have a pyloric

valve to slow things down for even a moment, and that means that an

important " system flow control " is missing from the Isotonix

picture.

Each of us has to decide what's best for us. I do think that it's

important, no, CRITICAL, for people to look into the merit of these

products and to do their own thinking about what's best and how they

want to spend their money. I wouldn't take a surgeon's supplement

recommendation fully to heart; how many of them think kids' chewable

Flintstones and Tums (calcium carbonate) are nutritional

powerhouses? Many of them, and anyone who has done even basic

research knows that advice is dead wrong.

Z

Open RNY 09/17/01

http://www.ziobro.us