The natural stress management ingredient Relora may also help cut snacking according to a new study conducted by the Target Research Group, Nanuet New York.
Sponsored by Next Pharmaceuticals, the research and development company behind Relora, the study found that people that eat sweets such as ice-cream or cake in stressful conditions may be able to cut such snacking by up to 76 per cent. The study also confirmed earlier findings that stressed individuals feel more relaxed when taking Relora, claimed Next Pharmaceuticals.
"Relora appears to work with the body's natural chemistry to maintain normal levels of stress hormones," said Dr James LaValle, director of the Living Longer Clinic in Cincinnati. LaValle has been using Relora at the the clinic for over a year.
"Not only do these stress hormones affect emotional well-being, they have a major impact on appetite and how the body stores and metabolises fat. By working to re-establish a stable balance of these hormones Relora appears to help the stress/weight cycle in individuals that eat excessive sweets when under stress."
Charles Kosmont, CEO of Next Pharmaceuticals, said: "These new findings for Relora underscore the broad health benefits it can bring to stressed individuals...Not only does Relora help people manage the stress in their lives, it now appears that it may also help them improve their diet and perhaps reduce the risks associated with being overweight."
Relora contains two patent-pending proprietary plant extracts, one from Magnolia officinalis and the other from Phellodendron amurense. In initial human trials eight out of 10 stressed individuals felt more relaxed, seven out of 10 enjoyed more restful sleep, and nine out of 10 said it was gentle on the stomach.
Relora has also been shown clinically to normalise the hormone levels associated with stress-induced obesity. This earlier study was completed in January 2002 at the Living Longer clinic in Cincinnati and evaluated the effects of Relora on cortisol and DHEA, two hormones related to stress, and at least in the case of cortisol, also related to food cravings and over eating in stressed individuals.
Relora lowered cortisol levels by 37 per cent and increased DHEA by 227 per cent, claimed Next Pharmaceuticals, bringing both hormones into the normal range. "These findings were statistically significant and support the positive results we have obtained with this ingredient over the past year," said Dr LaValle, principal investigator of the study. "Additional studies are planned to continue supporting the role of Relora as a valuable dietary supplement and beverage or bar ingredient for stress management," said Charles Kosmont, CEO of Next. "In addition, we have a major public relations campaign underway to build consumer and health professional awareness of this new and exciting health enhancing ingredient."
Relora is distributed to manufacturers by Stauber Performance Ingredients, based in Fullerton, California.