Supplement company Wassen has launched a new one-a-day supplement designed to boost the immune system.
NutriScience contains established antioxidants, vitamins A, C and E along with selenium and co-enzyme Q10, and phytochemicals including lycopene, sulforaphane, resveratrol, alpha lipoic acid and citrus bioflavonoids. The company claims the doses are at levels that could be obtained from the daily diet but have been standardised in the supplement. It is thought that they will work in synergy, just as food antioxidants work alongside other compounds.
Antioxidants help fight damaging free radicals - the chemicals produced by various disease processes and by poisons, smoking and radiation. The antioxidants in lycopene, found in tomatoes and red vegetables, have been shown to support immunity against cell damage. Sulforaphane, present in broccoli, watercress, cabbage and radishes, is thought to support the liver by neutralising harmful toxins.
Resveratrol, found in abundance in the skin of grapes and also in more than 70 plant species including peanuts, has been shown to play a role in preventing cancer and is thought to be partly responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effects of red wine. Alpha-lipoic acid, naturallly produced by the body, but readily absorbed from oral doses, is an antioxidant that also enhances the antioxidant properties of vitamins C and E. Citrus bioflavonoids also enhance vitamin C absorption and help maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.
The Surrey-based company quoted Dr Sarah Brewer, a GP specialising in a natural approach to health. "While diet should always come first, taking a supplement that combines important antioxidants such as selenium, vitamins A, C, E, alpha lipoic acid and co-enzyme Q10 with powerful phytochemicals is an increasingly good idea. Supplements help us to provide valuable future health benefits for those anxious to maintain optimum health and ward off future illnesses such as cancer and heart disease," she said.
The new supplement is available at Boots and independent chemists in the UK, priced at £14.99 for a 30-day supply.