Dear Natasha,
I am writing this letter to convey my utmost admiration and appreciation of Natren probiotics. As an epidemiologist and clinical trials who serves as Director of Research for the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a National Institute of Health Center of Excellence in research for over 15 years, suffice to say that I have a discriminating eye when it comes to evaluating the quality and efficacy of dietary supplements.
I not only serve as a Principal Investigator on rigorous, IRB-approved clinical trials of dietary supplements, I also provide education on the topic of dietary supplements to medical students, medical residents, physicians, a variety of other healthcare professionals, and the general public in invited lectures and workshops that I offer across the world. It is my passion and professional calling to both generate (through my research) and disseminate (through my medical education) unbiased, evidence-based information on dietary supplements to clinicians and the lay public in order to help reduce the global burden of chronic disease and promote optimal health.
Probiotics are unquestionably a powerful tool in reversing this rising tide of chronic disease. While classically known for their ability to improve gastrointestinal conditions, the medical literature and clinical practice have revealed that probiotic therapy can dramatically improve autoimmune disease, metabolic disorders, psychological conditions, and many other chronic diseases. Recent scientific evidence suggests that perturbations in the gut flora that can be mitigated through probiotic supplementation may also contribute to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Probiotics have the potential to reduce incalculable suffering and the financial strain on world economies.
However, while probiotics are perhaps the most promising of all dietary supplements, there currently exists a major and pervasive problem of poor quality among commercially-available probiotic supplements that is rampant throughout the industry. Most probiotics supplements do not have processes in place to ensure that the probiotic microorganisms survive the encapsulation and transit from the time of manufacture to delivery and eventual consumption by the patient. The fact of the matter is that many commercially-available probiotic supplements contain very little activity microorganisms by the time they are consumed. Furthermore, many probiotic supplement formulations do not account for symbiosis or competition between the microorganisms within the capsule. Proprietary blends, that often tout high CFU (colony forming units) counts to mislead consumers that “more is better regardless” of the quality, are particularly poor choices. As a result, many patients are consuming products that are inefficacious.
This is where Natren provides such a great service to the medical community and to consumers at large. Natren probiotics are unquestionably the highest quality of any products on the market. Natren probiotic formulations are intelligibly conceived, clinically tested, and they have the most stringent quality processes in the industry. Furthermore, unlike most dietary supplement companies, Natren focuses their product offerings on probiotics. As such, this provides a degree of expertise and experience that no other company offering probiotic supplements can match. I am impressed with the research supporting Natren probiotics, I have personally seen the benefits experienced by many patients in our clinical practice and my clinical trials, and I have received feedback from people who have attended my medical lectures that they found relief from Natren probiotics that they had not experienced on other probiotics supplements.
While probiotics and other dietary supplements can clearly play a major role in reducing the worldwide financial and medical burden of chronic disease, processes are needed to ensure better product purity and quality. As such, I support your efforts to improve the quality of dietary supplements. In the meanwhile, I am a clinical researcher who remains incredibly appreciative of the unparalleled quality of Natren probiotics. Natren is an example of the type of product quality that will improve human health.
Sincerely,
Chris D’Adamo, Ph.D.
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Assistant Professor
Department of Family and Community Medicine
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health
Director of Research
Center of Integrative Medicine
520 W. Lombard Street, East Hall
Baltimore, MD 21201
— Dr. D'Adamo
