Focus on Children
by Warren Matthews of Xtend-Life
An interesting question has been posed on the blog from a reader wanting to compare our Total Balance Children’s with a liquid children’s supplement. Her concern is about having her children swallow tablets. I acknowledge this issue and we do understand that this is a valid point but we wanted to make the very best supplement possible and as such we had no choice but to use a tablet.
In order to explain the reasons clearly I have turned this Q & A into an ‘article’. I hope that you find the explanations helpful.
Question: from ‘ZZ’
I'm very much interested in your product Total Balance for Children. I'm currently in search of a good children's supplement and I'm currently leaning towards ‘Focus Formula for Children’ by Vitabase. However, I would like to know how you came up with the amount of each ingredient (e.g. Phosphatidyl Choline 50mg)? ‘Focus Formula for Children’ by Vitabase has for example 105mg of Phosphatidyl Choline.
BTW, if you would like to take a closer look at Vitabase's website here is the link:
I would appreciate your input in reference to Focus ‘Formula for Children’ by Vitabase and how it compares to TB for Children.
Answer: from Warren Matthews of Xtend-Life
I understand what you are saying and agree that tablets are a problem for some children. However, we had no choice but to use a tablet if we wanted to develop the very best children’s supplement possible.
The very best can only be achieved using an enteric coated tablet, not a capsule and definitely not a liquid. The reason for this is that many nutrients cannot be suspended in a liquid, others are rendered inactive in a liquid and yet others are damaged by stomach acid which is why capsules are also ruled out.
To better illustrate this lets look at the ‘Focus Formula for Children’ that you refer to.
I will break the ingredients up into sections:
Vitamins
The ‘Focus formula for Children’ is missing the following important vitamins, due to being unable to include them in a liquid:
* Vitamin A in the form of natural carotenoids
* Biotin
* Vitamin D3
* Vitamin E
* Tocotrienols
Minerals
The ‘Focus Formula’ is missing the following important minerals and trace elements:
* Boron
* Copper
* Iodine
* Molybdenum
* Sulfur (MSM)
* Silicon
* Strontium
* Tungsten
* Zinc
It should be noted that our Total Balance Children’s also includes Calcium D-Glucarate. This is not present for the calcium content although it does contribute. Its main role is in the area of cancer prevention. There is strong scientific evidence supporting the benefit of cancer prevention. This ingredient is many times more expensive than the normal calcium salts thus it is unusual to find it any supplement, let alone one for children.
Enzymes
These are important for maximum efficacy of all the nutrients but they cannot be used in a liquid environment so there is none in ‘Focus Formula’.
Amino acids
These are very important for children as they are growing up. ‘Focus Formula for Children’ has two which is good… L-Taurine and L-Tyrosine.
We include both these amino acids plus the additional ones listed below. They all play a part and some of them play a serious role in the future health of a child such as L Carnosine which helps protect against glycation. This amino acid has to be released in the upper intestine in order to be effective which is why it must be enclosed in an enteric coated tablet.
Here are the others:
* L Arginine
* L Carnosine
* L Cysteine
* L Glutamine
* L Glutathione
* L Lysine
* L Methionine
* L Ornithine
* L Proline
* N-Acetyl L-Cysteine
Specialty Nutrients
These are a very important component in any children’s supplement. ‘Focus Formula for Children’ has a few but not enough, once again due to the supplement being a liquid as many nutrients cannot be suspended in a liquid. Other nutrients are rendered inactive in a liquid and yet others are damaged by stomach acid which is why capsules are also ruled out.
They do however have the following:
* Phosphatidyl Choline (so does Total Balance Children’s but in a lesser amount).
* Phosphatidyl Serine (so does Total Balance Children’s and the amount is similar).
* Inositol (we use a different form in Total Balance Children’s).
* DMAE (We have replaced this with a special form of Bacopia extract which is more potent and safer. DMAE is considered a drug in some countries including New Zealand).
* GABA (This is also considered a drug so we use other actives to get a better result with no question mark on long term safety).
The specialty ingredients that they don’t have which are in Total Balance Children’s are listed below. It should be noted that many of these ingredients are ineffective unless they are released in the upper intestine…such as Resveratrol, and SAMe which is essential for methylation:
* Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
* Alpha Lipoic Acid
* Astaxanthin
* Coenzyme Q10
* Dimethyl Glycine
* Hesperidin
* Lutein
* Luteolin
* Lycopene
* Myricetin
* N-Acetyl Glucosamine
* Piperine
* Policosanol
* Resveratrol
* RNA
* Rutin
* SAMe
* TMG
* Zeaxanthin
It is also important for children that they can build up their immunity! So, to help strengthen their immune system we have included in Total Balance Children’s some proven bio-active ingredients to help in this area.
These are:
* Aloe Vera Polysaccharides
* Beta 1,3-Glucan
* Tea Polysaccharides
However, in addition to all the above there are also other nutrients which are needed to help build a healthy body. This is why we have included the following extracts. The benefits range from helping build good healthy foundations for the child’s liver through to their eyes:
* Bilberry Extract
* Bacopa Extract
* Alfalfa Extract
* Black Cumin Extract
* Ginger Extract
* Grape Seed Extract
* Green Tea Extract
* Myrrh Extract
* Olive Leaf Extract
* Pine Bark Extract
* Silymarin (Milk Thistle) Extract
* Turmeric Extract
The above shows you what is missing from ‘Focus Formula for Children’.
What would now be a reasonable question is… “What have they included that we do not have in Total Balance Children’s?”
What ‘Focus Formula for Children’ have which we don’t, is a mixture of Omega 6 and Omega 3 oils. The Omega 6 is a non issue as children get plenty of those in their normal diet. However, Omega 3 is definitely a benefit and ‘Focus Formula for Children’ has a small amount blended with the Omega 6, but no indication is given of the breakdown of DHA and EPA.
One of the drawbacks of including these oils in a liquid formula such as this is that it creates a need for emulsifiers. This is likely the main purpose of the soy lecithin which is one of the ingredients present in ‘Focus Formula for Children’.
Depending upon the form, the lecithin oil may be OK if it is the only emulsifier present. Another negative is the need to include sweeteners such as Stevia and flavorings but more importantly preservatives which is why the benzoate is present.
We think that it is much better for children to be given a stand alone purified, concentrated Omega 3 such as our Omega 3/DHA Fish Oil rather than trying to incorporate it in a formula such as ‘Focus Formula for children’.
Hopefully this explanation will help you and other parents better understand why we cannot produce Total Balance Children’s in a liquid form even though it would be more convenient for many people. Our philosophy has always been and will continue to be to only produce the best supplement possible.
There are many products on the market for children (and adults) that have been developed to meet a specific consumer demand, but in the process of doing so make many compromises. We will not make those compromises even though we are aware that it costs us business.
Instead we would rather focus on ensuring that we continue to develop and improve what we have with no compromises. This is why we believe that Total Balance Childrens is the best supplement that you can give your child.
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