FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 23, 2002

UC DAVIS SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR STUDY OF SAFETY BENEFITS OF VITAMIN, HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) -- Researchers in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition and at the School of Medicine are seeking overweight women to participate in a nine-month study that will investigate the effects of nutritional supplements on obesity, cardiovascular disease risk and general health and well-being.

"More than $50 million is spent in the United States annually on diet programs and other methods to promote weight loss, many with questionable safety and effectiveness," said Robert Hackman, research nutritionist and lead investigator for the study. "With more than half of the nation's population overweight or obese, the impact of questionable supplements on a person's health can be significant."

The UC Davis study will evaluate the benefits of nutritional supplements made up of high levels of vitamins, minerals and herbs, compared to a more-modest potency multivitamin. The high-potency pills contain vitamins and minerals at 60 to 2,000 percent of daily nutrient value plus omega-3 fatty acids and herbal extracts, such as garlic, guarana, Garcinia cambosia, ephedra and other herbs. The modest version contains a multivitamin and mineral mix that is 25 to 100 percent of daily nutrient value.

The trial is a "double-blind" study, with some participants receiving the high potency supplement and others participants receiving the more modest nutritional supplement. Neither the volunteers nor the research staff will know which product is being administered.

The study is currently recruiting up to 100 women from Sacramento and Yolo counties between the ages of 25 and 42 years old who have a body mass index of between 27 and 38. The index range equates to a five-foot-five-inch woman weighing between 165 and 200 pounds.

The women chosen for the study cannot have smoked or been in a weight-loss program six months prior to the study. They must be in overall good health, have no history of chronic or metabolic disease and have no high cholesterol. They also must not have been involved in an exercise program 30 days before the study start.

Study participants will visit the UC Davis campus in Davis and on occasion, UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. Participants will undergo blood tests, a physician examination, an electrocardiogram and body composition measurements during the study while taking the supplements.

Hackman and Carl Keen, professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition, are the principal investigators for the study. To enroll in the study, call (530) 752-2779.

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http://news.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

MEDIA CONTACT:

Martha Alcott, Medical News Office: (916) 734-9027

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