Hi Naveen,

I can certainly understand why you are dissapointed. It is very, very unusual for HDL to fall and triglycerides to go up under such a regime.

I would be inclined to arrange another test in case there has been a mistake...and it happens more often than you would think. Also, there can be differences between labs.

Did you fast for at least 15 hours prior to the test? Triglycerides are very much influenced by this and could be a factor in the results. With regard to HDL this is puzzling particuarly as you say you have increased your level of exercise.

With regard to the LDL this sometimes can be misleading in that the results are calcuated using HDL and triglyerides and not directly measured. One thing I can be absolutely certain of and that is that the degree of oxidization of your LDL would be a lot less than it was a year ago.

It is the oxidation of LDL which is more important than anything.

I would also suggest that when you get another test that you also have a test for C-Reactive Protein and Homocysteine. The C-Reactive Protein gives an indication of the level of inflammation in the blood which is a more reliable marker of a potential heart problem than any of the other markers.

The homscysteine levels are also important.

I am certain based on the regime that you are on that these markers will be excellent.

But, please get another test and get back to me for more comment.

By the way, although you have cut back on carbs have you increased your intake of fruit and vegetables and reduced intake of processed foods?

Last question. How are you feeling now compared to a year ago?

When will the next generation of Total Balance come out, and will it be better than the current version?

And also will you have energy product free from caffiene?

Thanks!

Jenny

Hi Jenny,

It is quite a logisitical exercise in preparing to phase in the new generation. And...yes, it will be superior to the current generation. We are really quite excited about it.

We expect the timing to be the end of May, beginning of June. We are still examining the sources of some of the new raw ingredients and having them tested to ensure they meet our specifications.

With regard to an energy product we are bringing out a new one shortly but, sorry, it does contain guarana which has caffeine in it.

However, the Total Balance is free of caffeine and will help with energy.

Hi Warren,

I cant for the energy product!
The thing is I'm sensitive to coffee for a year now, it gives me fast heart beat and upsets my stomach.

However even black tea which should contain caffeine
does not effect me at all the way coffee or a Red Bull does...

So is guarana bit different than coffee or Red bull and more like tea type caffeine?

And will it be in a pill or drink form?
At last when is it out?

Thanks for your help and time!

Jenny

Hi Jenny,

Warren is actually out of contact for a few weeks, so I hope you don't mind me stepping in to help on the parts of your comment that I feel i can be of assistance in!

Guarana, it is a natural product, but much like the cocoa bean, it does still contain caffeine. I can actually relate to your particular concerns because I too am sensitive to caffeine to the extent that I cannot drink normal coffee, or eat much (if any!) chocolate. I therefore drink alternatives such as Barley coffee or Dandelion coffee, which are similar but using a natural substance that contains no caffeine from the start. I use these daily. This is by-the-by and I digress slightly, but thought it may just be of interest to you.

Regarding Guarana, it is the Guaranine (which is nearly identical to caffeine) and the closely related alkaloids theobromine and theophylline that make up the primary active agents in Guarana. Guarana has a ratio of 3.6-5.8% caffeine (guaranine) content. This caffeine has many side effects as we know, and hence those of guaranine are potentially identical. This does not mean that all caffeine (or guaranine) is as harmful as you (and myself) have experienced however.

If you are hypersensitive to caffeine then ideally it is advisable not to use products that contain it. However, there is a dose-related aspect to this also (which you pick up on with your green tea/Red Bull question) that I would like to go into.

Now, I am not sure of the mg dosage of Guarana due to be used in our new product, but as you may have noticed with all of our supplements we keep individual doses low, with many interactive and compatible ingredients, rather than high mg doses and limited ingredients.

In comparison with coffee, tea and Red Bull I may be able to help answer your question...

The guaranine content of Guarana is around 11.6mg per gram of product. So, to make a simple example, if we used 1000mg of Guarana, 11.6mg of that only would be gauranine (caffeine). This is a low amount and unless you are particularly hypersensitive may not cause the same problems as with coffee or Red Bull. This is because the average instant cup of coffee contains 65-100mg of caffeine, and an 8.2oz can of Red Bull contains 80mg of caffeine! So you can see the massive difference and hence 1 of 2 reasons for those side effects.

As a comparison with something that you say hasn't given you side effects, green and black tea, being natural products, contain only 15mg of caffeine, close to that of Guarana. So this is a useful comparison to you also.

That other reason I mentioned regarding reactions to coffee and Red Bull (and similar products) is that these products usually also contain fillers, other chemicals, and in the case of a carbonated drink e-numbers and flavourings, all of which could additionally contribute, on top of the high caffeine content!

So, hopefully this gives you something more specific to go on in terms of what you are ingesting.

I hope this helps Jenny.

Thanks for the very informational response Joanna!
Now i know atleast why cofffe and red bull cause this things to me.

I never did drink coffee before, so one day,i was tired and someone offered me black coffee and i was charged up with energy, and since that day i was hooked and had at times had 3 full teaspoons of coffee...

So later after months on, i began to become sensitive to it and stoped drinking it and also stoped energy drinks, as they say too much of anything is not good for you proved right for me.

From what you say the new energy product sounds like a good alternative to coffee.

Will it be in a pill form or drink?

And by the way since i like the smell of coffee,where can i get this other form of coffee you drink which are caffeine free?

Thanks!

Hi Jenny,

The new formula will be in a pill form of some description, but I am not sure at this time if this will be tablet, capsule, or softgel form.

Regarding coffee substitutes, there are many different versions to choose from, many based on chicory, fig, and barley content. Unfortunately these do not usually smell like the strong normal coffee we are used to, so you may not get the same sensation I am afraid from the smell!! I do know what you mean as I too used to love that smell, but the only way to get this is to drink decaffeinated products really. Which is of course possible, but you are still left with the chemical intake that is used to take out the caffeine. So, natural substitutes are a better option.

Bambu is a popular instant substitute, along with Raja and Syningtons Dandelion. However, just to give you an idea in your search, the below links are just examples of many types available to get you started!

http://www.amazon.com/tag/coffee%20substitute/products
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/script/search.html

Hi Jenny,

Just been able to access the blog via an internet cafe. Sorry I had not briefed Joanna completely re the new energy product. It will be in a tablet form.

We will be able to release full ingredient details shortly.

I have never ever fasted prior to my doctor taking a cholesterol test. Why? She is not doing something right. I explained to her I just drank 2 pots of coffee w/non dair creamer and ate a small cookie, now you're running these tests? Of course they came back high. I take 3 omego fatty acids per day and my calorie intake is less than 1500 per day. I am not fat. Is it possible the coffee and or cookie resulted in an inaccurate test?

Hi Sandy,

It is not so critical to fast for cholesterol tests but it is critical or triglycerides. However, if the LDL is a calculated result which it generally is and as triglycerides are used in doing the calculations which they are then it is indeed quite possible that you have a misleading reading.

It may be a good idea to request another set of tests.