Fitness & Nutrition Expert, JJ Virgin, discusses tips to keep your man healthy in 2012 on Daytime, WFLA TV in Tampa, FL.  If you need a fast, effective way to take care of joint issues, NEM® (Natural Eggshell Membrane) eases joint issues by increasing comfort & flexibility within 10 days.  Watch Video>>

Pharmacist & Author, Sherry Torkos discusses new, highly effective options for those with joint issues on Wylde on Health.  Joint issues plague aging adults and can be a hindrance creating poor mobility, keeping us from much needed exercise.  Torkos recommends all natural NEM®, (Natural Eggshell Membrane), clinically proven to increase joint comfort & flexibility in only 7-10 days with only a small 500mg daily dose.  Visit our Consumer Products page to find a product with NEM® that works for you!  Watch video>>

The new vegetarian fiber ingredient, Artinia, helps heart health by preventing the oxidation of LDL-cholesterol, which can lead to clogged arteries.  Read more>>

Dr. Cathleen London recommends NEM® in an article in the February 2012 issue of Minnesota Good Age.

The January/February issue of Nutracuetical Business & Technology magazine features an article, “Walking on Egg Shells”, that discusses the beneficial health ingredients found in the eggshell and eggshell membrane.  In the article, Nena Dockery explains how NEM® (Natural Eggshell Membrane) and ESC® (EggShell Calcium) combined are a natural approach to maintaining healthy joints and bones.  In order to strengthen the skeletal system, it is important to give your bones, joints and soft tissue the key nutrients they need.  Nutrients must work in unison to replenish the various parts of the skeletal system so that all elements optimally function together. Read more>>

ESM Technologies, the leading supplier of innovative, commercialized eggshell and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients, is excited to announce the publication of a safety manuscript for their flagship ingredient NEM®.  The manuscript entitled “Safety evaluation of a natural eggshell membrane-derived product” has been published online ahead of print in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2011.12.036).  This research evaluated NEM’s safety via multiple in vitro and in vivo toxicological studies.

The NEM® (Natural Eggshell Membrane) safety and toxicology studies were conducted by a variety of independent research labs.  NEM® was evaluated for cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and oral toxicity (both single acute dose and 90-day repeated-dose) at doses up to fifty times the clinically tested human equivalent dose.  NEM® did not show any signs of toxicity in any of the areas that were evaluated.  These results demonstrate that NEM® is extremely safe for human consumption at the standard daily dose of 500mg per day.  “Although a food-based product such as eggshell membrane would be expected to be inherently safe, we wanted to demonstrate that elevated levels of NEM® could be consumed with complete confidence.” says Kevin J. Ruff, Ph.D., MBA, ESM Technologies’ Director of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs.

This safety evaluation formed the basis for an independent expert panel to deem NEM® Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), allowing NEM® to expand into the food and beverage industry.  There are numerous food and beverage categories for which NEM® is approved for use; a few include beverages and beverage bases, fruit and vegetable juices, baked goods, soft candy and snack foods.  The Allowable Daily Intake (ADI) for NEM® is up to 14 grams per day for food use and intake.

NEM® contains naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans and proteins essential for maintaining healthy joint and connective tissues.  Previous published clinical research on NEM® showed an improvement in joint comfort and flexibility in just 7 to 10 days with only 500mg per day.  Dr. Ruff states, “It is therefore important to demonstrate to the public the safety of this product for use in either dietary supplements or food products that are expected to be consumed on a continuing basis.”

ABSTRACT:

Natural Eggshell Membrane (NEM®) is a novel dietary ingredient that contains naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans and proteins essential for maintaining healthy joint and connective tissues. NEM® was evaluated for safety via in vitro and in vivo toxicological studies. This included testing for cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, acute oral toxicity, and 90-day repeated-dose oral toxicity. NEM® did not exhibit any cytotoxic effects at a dose of 100 μg in an in vitro human cell viability assay after incubation for up to 20 h. NEM® did not exhibit any genotoxic effects in an in vitro assay of four strains of histidine-dependent Salmonella typhimurium and one strain of tryptophan-dependent Escherichia coli at a dose of up to 5000 μg/plate. NEM® did not exhibit any signs of acute toxicity in rats at a single oral dose of up to 2000 mg/kg body weight, nor signs of toxicity (via urinalysis, hematology, clinical chemistry, or histopathological evaluation) in rats at a repeated oral dose of up to 2000 mg/kg body weight per day for 90 days. The results of these studies suggest that NEM® may be safe for human consumption.

Press release>>

NEM® is featured in the February 2012 magazine issue of Fitness RX. Dr. Cathleen London, MD, a family physician and competitive triathlete, discusses how different seasons bring about different sports and activities. This can be difficult for those with joint issues. Dr. London recommends the NEM® (Natural Eggshell Membrane) ingredient found in multiple consumer products. NEM® is clinically proven to improve joint pain and stiffness in 7-10 days, with a small, 500 mg daily dose. NEM® has been included in products that have received the NSF Certification for Sport. To find consumer products containing NEM®, click here.

Dr. London is a board certified Family Practice Physician.  She is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and an Assistant Attending Physician at New York – Presbyterian Hospital.

Carthage, Missouri – ESM Technologies, the leading supplier of innovative, commercialized eggshell and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients, is excited to announce a new research study on NEM® (Natural Eggshell Membrane) has been published in the Journal of Medicinal Food.  This new mechanism of action research was conducted to gain insight into NEM’s clinical efficacy in reducing joint pain and stiffness.

Kevin J. Ruff, Ph.D., MBA, Director of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs for ESM Technologies, states “When human immune cells were exposed to a water extract of NEM® and subsequently compounds that are known to cause an inflammatory response, NEM® was shown to significantly reduce a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines.” This effect was most pronounced for the cytokines Interferon-gamma (IFN-g) and Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α). The reduction in TNF-α was further enhanced by a simulated gastric digestion, likely giving insight into the compounds produced in the stomach following digestion of NEM®. TNF-α plays an important role in inflammatory processes, particularly chronic joint inflammation. Dr. Ruff concludes, “This preliminary work demonstrates that NEM®’s ability to reduce joint pain and stiffness may well be a result of its ability to reduce TNF-α systemically or locally in the joints.”

Of special interest is the methodology used in the publication.  The bioactivity of NEM® was compared to a digested sample of the same product/lot.  The digestion mimicked specific phases of the human digestive processes (acid/pepsin, followed by bile enzymes and salts) and was performed using an in vitro digest protocol at NIS Labs (Klamath Falls, OR).

The testing was performed to examine whether the biological properties of NEM® were preserved or enhanced after digestion.  The data showed that specific anti-inflammatory properties were enhanced after the in vitro digest.  Where the crude product suppressed the inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha production in cultures of human immune cells, the NEM® after an in vitro digest produced similar effect at 100 times lower doses, suggesting stronger anti-inflammatory effects after digestion.  It has been published online ahead of print, (http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/jmf.2011.0197).  The printed edition can be expected early 2012.

NEM® is a unique, natural ingredient derived from eggshell membrane that is composed of naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans such as chondroitin and hyaluronic acid and key proteins like collagen which are all essential for healthy joints.  NEM® has been and continues to be extensively evaluated in both pre-clinical and clinical studies.  In two separate open-label pilot clinical studies in humans (published in Clinical Interventions in Aging), NEM® was shown to be effective at relieving joint pain (18-26%) and increasing flexibility (28%) in as little as 7 days.  The positive results of the pilot studies were confirmed in a follow-up randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in humans (published in Clinical Rheumatology) in which NEM® was shown to reduce joint pain (16%) and stiffness (13%) versus placebo in just 10 days.  By the end of the 60-day trial, nearly one-third of the patients in the treatment group reported a 50% or greater reduction in pain and more than half of these patients experienced a 50% or greater reduction in stiffness.  The conclusions from these studies are that NEM® reduces joint pain and stiffness and increases flexibility both rapidly (7-10 days) and continuously (30-60 days) with just one small 500 mg dose per day.  This most recent research further proves and explains NEM’s effectiveness for joint issues.  Please look for the print edition of the article published in the Journal of Medicinal Food early 2012.

Press release>>

ESM Technologies and Stratum Nutrition would like to wish you a warm holiday season. It is a time to count our blessings and a time to give back. Earlier this year, ESM’s neighboring town of Joplin was devastated by an F-5 tornado. There are still many areas of need. This Holiday Season, we elected to “give back” to the city of Joplin. ESM and Stratum made a $5,000 donation in the name of clients and partners.

“The Miracle of the Human Spirit” is a phrase coined by City Manager Mark Rohr after watching the amazing efforts made by those helping Joplin get back on its feet. The band LiveWire, originally from this area, wrote a song after this title. It was released on November 22, 2011 – the 6 month anniversary of the tornado.

Click here to see the song and video on Youtube.

Yours in Health,

The ESM & Stratum Team

Before & After Photos

St. Marys Church

Individuals who wish to donate to the rebuilding of Joplin may do so by going on line to www.cfswmo.org and press “CLICK HERE TO DONATE”.  Or, if you would rather donate by check, then mail to: Joplin Tornado First Response Fund c/o Community Foundation of the Southwest Missouri, 3510 E. 3rd Street, Joplin, MO 64801 or call 877-359-5534 or 417-206-0087.  All donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by the IRS.  CFSWMO is an affiliate of Community Foundation of the Ozarks

Joplin High School

Joplin Coming Back

ESM Technologies’ Micah Osborne contributes to an article over sports nutrition, “Advancements for the Active“, in the November 2011 issue of Nutrition Industry Executive. ESM’s ingredients, NEM® (Natural Eggshell Membrane) and ESC® (Eggshell Calcium) have been used in products that have attained the NSF certification, Certified for Sport.

Read more on page 28 of NIE >>