Mr. Olympia 2003 has been crowned and the momentum of change within the professional world of bodybuilding has begun. Here, in this column, we cover the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical world of tomorrow. With the New Year upon us, let's embrace the bright world of tomorrow right now!  

"Fast Dissolve" for better Supplements?

Eurand, a specialty pharmaceutical company, has announced the stellar development of a product labeled AdvaTab.^TM AdvaTab^TM is an innovative, fast-dissolving technology that allows for a medicine or a nutritional to be put into the AdvaTab.^TM The beauty of this development is that the Eurand product allows for the AdvaTab^TM to be placed in the mouth for rapid absorption without the need for water or chewing. Eurand also has a well-respected taste- masking technology (Microcaps®) that will allow for the easier delivery of medicines or nutritionals that don't have a good taste. The AdvaTab^TM dissolves within 15 or so seconds.

A similar delivery technology is known as Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODT). The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research states that an ODT is "a solid dosage form containing medicinal substances, which disintegrates rapidly, usually within a matter of seconds, when placed on the tongue." One of the leaders in this technology is a Minnesota-based company known as Cima Labs, Inc. David Brown of Cima is the thought leader in this technological development field.

Cima's technology is used for the following popular products: Alavert,^TM NuLev®, Remeron®, SolTabs,^TM Tempra® Quicklets, Triaminic®-Softchews® and others. The Cima technology also uses a taste-masking agent so that what typically has to be taken as a pill or capsule due to taste, can now be placed on the tongue without the person who is taking it developing a bad case of "yuck-face." The next generation of dietary supplements may just be using Cima's or Eurand's technology. Watch for easier-to-use products on shelves near you shortly.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

The American Heart Association (AHA) has recommended that we all try to get at least one gram of omega-3 fatty acids daily. This preferably should be from foods (such as salmon). The AHA recognizes that fish oil supplements can play a role in reducing the risk of heart disease. Many people do not like the taste of fish and therefore miss the very valuable health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids. Today, we have fish oil capsules, liquid omega-3 fatty acids, a gel-like product (http://www.coromega.com/) and foods that are enriched with these heart-healthy fats.

 One of the best inventions of recent times in omega-3 fatty acid technology is by Bio-Delivery Sciences International (BDSI). BDSI has a division that focuses on nutrition (Bioral Nutrient Delivery, LLC, or BND). The BND division has a patented technology for the delivery of a stable dry powder known as Bioral^TM Omega-3. The beauty of this product is that it can be used in cooked items (it's shelf-stable and does not affect the taste or odor of whatever food it's mixed with), liquids, powders and almost every other food item you could imagine. Currently, the BND company is looking for partners to license or exploit this "encochealation" technology that allowed them to develop the first shelf-stable, food-stable dry omega-three fatty acid product. Now there appears to be no reason why all protein products and other nutritional supplements don't contain this heart-healthy and natural anti-inflammatory essential fat.

No More Diabetic Needles?

In what may be one of the most exciting breakthroughs in drug-delivery, a small private pharmaceutical company, Altea Therapeutics, has created an insulin patch. As you probably know, people who require insulin therapy (Type I diabetics, for example) have to inject themselves daily (if not several times a day) with insulin in order to, well, live! Insulin therapy allows their bodies to metabolize sugar in an almost normal fashion just like non-diabetics. Imagine the pain of living your life knowing that every day you had to put a small needle in your body one or more times per day. It's neither fun nor easy to do. The Altea patch (known as "AT1391") has just successfully passed the Phase One research segment and uses the PassPort^TM system. Altea Therapeutics' PassPort^TM system was developed to deliver protein and peptide drugs (think growth hormone or other peptides, for example), small molecule drugs and other agents across the skin for local and systemic effect. This PassPort^TM system and the innovations of Altea are things to watch. This could be the greatest advancement in diabetic insulin therapy in decades.

Remember the Stinging Nettle

An herbal that's popular for kidney stones and a sluggish gallbladder, but is probably best known for its diuretic properties, is the Stinging Nettle. Both women and men use this herb, but for different reasons; women for water or fluid retention and men for benign prostate hypertrophy. However, new evidence is mounting that indicates we may have missed the best indication for stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). A group of Iranian scientists have demonstrated that this medicinal plant contains several active fractions, which directly affect the Islets of Langerhans (in the pancreas). They stimulate the pancreas to produce insulin.

The studies also indicate that while blood insulin levels rise, blood glucose (sugar) is lowered to an equal degree. The active fraction has only been labeled as "F1." The results of the most recent study are exciting and demonstrate that quite possibly Urtica Dioica may have a role in the adjunctive treatment for those looking to control their blood sugar naturally. However, much more research is needed and the Urtica Dioica that is used must be purified for the active fractions. Interestingly, it may turn out that this insulin-potentiator may be stronger and more powerful that d-pinnitol and all the other metals or herbals currently on the market, since it works on the cellular level.

What's New in the Low-Carb World?

The area of sugar replacements is one that food scientists are working on night and day. There are a few new natural sugars that are now FDA- approved and should be in products on store shelves any day now. The first is Tagatose. Spherix, one company that produces it states, "It looks like sugar, tastes like sugar, cooks like sugar... well, technically, it is sugar." But it's sugar that's 100 percent natural- not synthesized- and contains almost no calories. Yes, almost no calories! Spherix has discovered and patented a way to make it available for use as a food additive, as well as for a variety of other purposes. Tagatose is the only nonfattening sweetener that tastes, looks, feels and performs like table sugar. Tagatose can supply a major need for baked goods, ice cream, chocolates, chewing gum and other food products that can't be met by the low bulk of high-intensity sweeteners, such as aspartame and saccharin. And it's safe, having recently obtained "generally regarded as safe," or GRAS, status from the FDA. It's a wonder that bar manufacturers are not utilizing a tagatose/maltodextrin mix in order to make a truly low-carbohydrate bar.

Another type of low-calorie sweetener is erythritol. Erythritol has development history dating back into the 1980s by the company Eridex. It is now FDA-approved and considered a new and unique bulk sweetener with a calorie value very close to zero. It's approximately 70 percent as sweet as sucrose. And its small molecular size means it is easily absorbed in the gut and does not cause digestive problems under its anticipated conditions of use.

 Chemically, erythritol belongs to the class of monosaccharide polyols like sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol and glycerol. Erythritol is also a symmetrical molecule and therefore, it exists only in one form, the meso-form. It forms anhydrous crystals with a moderately sweet taste without off-taste or odors. The powder has a transparent white brilliant appearance and dissolves in water to give a colorless, non-viscous solution. Crystals melt at 122°C to form a colorless and brilliant non-viscous melt. Another cool thing about Erythritol is that approximately 90 percent of the ingested amount is excreted in the urine. It is a low-calorie sugar, easily metabolized and almost as sweet as sugar. Sounds good to me! Demand some today!