March 20, 2012 — Thanks to an agreement between Vista, Calif.-based Global Health Trax Inc. (GHT) and ESB Developments Ltd. of Nottingham, England, GHT is now said to be the only company offering a 100-percent Plant-Based Vitamin D3 product to a North American audience, as well as select international markets.
GHT’s vegetarian- and vegan-suitable Plant Based Vitamin D3 is made with Vitashine — a European product sourced from a type of lichen, and the world’s only known source of vitamin D3 manufactured without animal products.
“Our customers in North America, and other rollout countries, are ecstatic about finally having access to a truly genuine plant-based source of Vitamin D3,” says Jim Rex, president and CEO of GHT, an industry leader in nutritional supplements.
Consumer awareness of vitamin D, known as the “sunshine vitamin,” was amplified in 2009 when a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggested three-quarters of Americans suffer from Vitamin D deficiency, which can diminish bone density and weaken the body’s immune system. Vitamin D3, the naturally occurring form of vitamin D, assists the body in absorbing calcium, helps to reduce inflammation, and supports a healthy immune system.
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, and reported in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Nutrition, concluded that daily supplements of vitamin D3 may improve certain markers of heart health — such as HDL cholesterol — and may be associated with significant reductions in body-fat mass among the overweight and obese.
Common vegetarian vitamin D supplements consist of vitamin D2, a derivative of ergosterol, a fungal-based sterol. Scientific studies have concluded that vitamin D3 is far more potent and efficient than vitamin D2; however, vitamin D3 has traditionally been produced by extracting lanolin from sheep’s wool — a practice that may negatively impact the natural state of the animals, and runs afoul of some consumer ethics.
Sourcing vitamin D3 from an edible form of lichen, which accumulate meaningful levels of useful nutrients while surviving in extreme climates, was “a true breakthrough in the nutritional supplement field, as the only vegetarian vitamin D3 product on the market,” says Rex.
Vitashine is said to be the only vitamin D3 product registered worldwide with the United Kingdom-based Vegetarian Society and Vegan Society.
GHT’s Plant Based Vitamin D3 product line is available for immediate shipment in both spray and capsule form. The 400-IU (International Unit) flavorless spray for adults, and 200-IU fruit-flavored spray for kids, can be applied on food or directly into the mouth. Capsules are available in a 60-count bottle of 5,000-IU softgels, while 60-count bottles of 1,000-IU softgels will be available within 90 days. Both formats provide a full two-month supply of naturally sourced vitamin D3.
GHT is also making these products available to customers as a private-label offering through its wholly owned subsidiary, Health Specialties Manufacturing Inc.
Source: Global Health Trax Inc., ghthealth.com
