The results of a human clinical study have been published in the journal Rejuvenation Research
By Lauren Golin
USF Research News
TAMPA, Fla. – A human clinical study of older adults has demonstrated that participants who took NutraStem Cardio®, a natural dietary supplement created by Natura Therapeutics, Inc., showed a significant increase in cognition when compared to age-matched individuals taking a placebo. Cognition includes processes such as attention, decision making, and memory.
The company’s study, Nutraceutical Intervention Improves Older Adults’ Cognitive Functioning, has been published online ahead of print in the journal Rejuvenation Research.
Natura Therapeutics, a University of South Florida startup and incubator company, conducted the two-month, double-blind placebo study of 105 people. The average age of participants was 73, with 52 people taking NutraStem Cardio® and 53 people taking a placebo. The results indicated that the subjects taking NutraStem Cardio® improved significantly on two measures of decision making speed across the two month test period.
"The results of this study are promising and suggest the potential for interventions like these to improve the cognitive health of older adults," said Paula C. Bickford, Ph.D., co-founder of Natura Therapeutics and co-author of the study. "We are honored to have the NutraStem Cardio® study published in an internationally respected, peer-reviewed journal like Rejuvenation Research.”
“The patented formulation behind the company’s line of products consist of four specific ingredients — blueberry extract, green tea extract, L-Carnosine, and Vitamin D3—that, when combined, have a natural synergy and help adult stem cells replenish,” said Bickford. “Adult stem cells can help repair damaged cells, restore tissues and organs, and support the immune system.”
Natura Therapeutics has an exclusive license to the technology behind NutraStem Cardio®. The study was conducted at the Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute at the University of South Florida. USF is also an owner of the technology. Brent J. Small, USF professor of Aging Studies, was first author of the study.
“Our company’s philosophy is ‘Nature’s Care for Self Repair’,” said Cyndy D. Sanberg, Ph.D., president of Natura Therapeutics and co-author of the study. “We believe that everyone has the ability to repair their body the way Mother Nature intended, naturally.”
Natura Therapeutics has three commercially available products, NutraStem Cardio®, NutraStem Active®, and their latest product, NutraStem Bone & Joint®. The products can be ordered from the company’s website.
Sanberg said that the company is currently developing a weight management product, NutraStem Slim®, which they expect to bring to market in 2014.
“Health and wellness start from within,” said Sanberg. “Natural ingredients like the ones used in NutraStem Cardio® can benefit overall health and well-being.”
About Natura Therapeutics, Inc.
Natura Therapeutics was founded by leading scientists from the University of South Florida in Tampa. Natura is committed to the research and development of dietary supplements that target and improve the adult stem cells of the body, which are responsible for repairing the body. Natura’s products are patented, all-natural, FDA compliant, and developed by Natura’s team of USF scientists in the fields of nutritional science and adult stem cell therapies. Because Natura is a science-based company, a portion of profits is allocated to adult stem cell research and the development of new and improved products.
Lauren Golin can be reached at lgolin@usf.edu.