Supplements? Food?

While you'll notice that we sell a very limited variety of supplements, food is preferred as the source of bioactives for each principle in the Gene Smart Anti Inflammatory Diet & Exercise Program.  The Gene Smart diet principles are designed to deliver specific types and levels of bioactives that work with your genes naturally to promote health & wellness with emphasis on healthy active aging and reducing whole body inflammation.  These principles are Increase Polyphenols, Add Omegas and Increase Fiber.  And while bioactives for each of these principles can be found in supplements, food is highly recommended because it is a more complete source of nutrition, it typically contains a range of other beneficial nutrients and, often in ways that science does not yet understand, the interaction between the targeted bioactive and the food from which it is sourced may have synergistic effects for our health. In addition, while our specific supplements have benefits based on solid science, the marketplace is full of products with little scientific support.  That's why in general, when it comes to dietary supplements, food is the better option.

Exceptions In Favor of Supplements - Food Bioactive Limitations

Compared to supplements, food is preferred most of the time.  However, in some cases getting the right types and levels of specific bioactives with proven health benefits through food alone can be difficult or impractical based on recent changes in our food supply and our lifestyles. For those situations, we have developed specific supplements - food supplements - to provide specific types and levels of bioactives to directly support the Gene Smart Principles. 

The Reason for Gene Smart Supplements. Food Challenges.

The proven Gene Smart diet & exercise principles were developed based on our latest understanding of science.  In his book, The Gene Smart Diet, Dr. Chilton references nearly 300 studies published in leading scientific journals that support these principles.  With this level of research, it is no surprise that the program works, and people in our clinical study improved health, reduced risk of chronic disease, lost weight, improved energy and experienced less stress each day!

Unlike fad diets, the Gene Smart program's success is not just about which foods to eat and which to avoid, it is about getting the right types and levels of specific bioactives into your body every day.  Based on our food supply and the realities of modern everyday life, this approach provides special challenges related to two of program's principles, Add Omegas and Increase Polyphenols.  To support these two principles, many will benefit from taking supplements; food options are limited, non-existent, or particularly challenging based on our busy schedules. 

That is why Gene Smart developed three supplements recommended by Dr. Chilton to support the Gene Smart program.  Each Gene Smart supplement is formulated with the specific types and dosages of bioactives to work with your genes to help you improve your health.  They meet specific needs of individuals through supplements - food is recommended for everything else.

The Supplements - Food Decision.  Add Omegas Principle

Omega 3:  To get the full health benefits of Omega 3, Dr. Chilton recommends consuming 1,250 – 1,500 mg of EPA + DHA per day.   This level is cardio-protective and offers a range of other health benefits.  The EPA and DHA content of fish varies dramatically, and many popular varieties have less than 500 mg EPA+DHA in a 3.5-ounce serving, so it is very difficult to get these full health-promoting quantities each day by eating fish alone.  Additionally, a significant portion of the population does not like the taste or smell of fish and find it much more palatable to swallow capsules than eat fish.

The Gene Smart Omega 3 Supplement is a premium quality purified fish oil concentrated to deliver 1,200 mg of EPA + DHA in a two softgel serving.  It is especially designed to help individuals increase their Omega 3 Index with just a couple of soft gels a day.

Borage Oil: In his role as the Director of the NIH Sponsored Center for Botanical Lipids, Dr. Chilton has extensively researched the health benefits of GLA, a botanical omega 6 found in Borage Oil.  Dr. Chilton recommends consuming at least 400 mg of GLA daily.  In his labs, he has shown that when combined with the EPA from fish oil, that these levels promote a healthy inflammatory response.*  GLA is not readily available in today’s foods, and the only practical way to get these levels is through a high quality supplement.

The Gene Smart Borage Oil Supplement is a premium quality oil that is cold pressed through a process that does not use hexane or other chemicals.  It contains 400 mg of GLA in each two soft gel serving to deliver the Gene Smart Program's targeted levels of GLA with just a couple of soft gels a day.  GLA should be always be consumed along with EPA from eating oily fish or taking the Gene Smart Omega 3 Supplement.

The Supplements - Food Decision.  Increase Polyphenols

Pomegranate & Green Tea Extract: In the Gene Smart Diet book, Dr. Chilton writes a great deal about the health promoting benefits of certain polyphenols found in pomegranates and in green tea.  We highly encourage you to get your targeted levels of polyphenols through foods - and this supplement may not be necessary for everyone.  However, for those concerned about consistently getting the targeted levels of polyphenols every day, a high quality supplement to boost your polyphenol levels can help ensure that you are getting enough.

The Gene Smart Pomegranate & Green Tea Extract is a unique polyphenol blend designed to contain specific types and levels of polyphenol compounds that impact gene expression.  The latest research on polyphenols suggests that polyphenols greatest benefits may be from its impact on our genes, and not from its antioxidant characteristics.  This is an important distinction because most polyphenol supplements in the market are standardized based on their antioxidant activity. Gene Smart is the very first program to take this important distinction into account.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.