Igennus Healthcare Nutrition

Alzheimer’s Research Trust donation

As a company we really love to support worthwhile causes; each month a percentage of our profits is donated to charitable organisations. Many of you are aware of our ongoing support to ME research charity MERGE, but we also like to contribute to other charities as often as we can. Since July was Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, we felt it appropriate to pledge our donation to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust who work tirelessly to find a cure for this condition. We have donated to them 25p for every box of omega 3 fish oil Vegepa you purchased throughout July. We would like to thank you for your support of this worthwhile cause; Alzheimer’s not only affects those suffering from the disease, but family members, carers and friends too. If you’d like to make a donation to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust directly, please visit their website for more information.   more... :

Psoriasis Awareness Month: upcoming features

After a few hot and sunny weeks, it seems that July, along with the sunshine, has disappeared and that August has materialised upon us as if from nowhere.   Our aim this month is to acknowledge the significance of August as Psoriasis Awareness Month through a combination of helpful articles outlining the facts about the condition and the role that nutrition plays in psoriatic disease.  Our EPA supplements have already helped many people who suffer from psoriosis, and Igennus is dedicated to helping individuals not only with psoriasis, but with other skin disorders such as dermatitis and eczema. We hope to launch a new skin product within the next year; our skincare formulation is based on the latest scientific research with the aim of offering further and direct relief from the symptoms of these dilapidating skin conditions.  So watch this space!   more... :

Update on Plant-based Omega Oils

There is little question around the fact that omega-3 fats offer a variety of  health benefits, from looking after your heart to improving (and maintaining) mood.  Generally, the health properties are associated with long-chain fatty acids primarily found in fish and fish oils.  But what if you are vegetarian or simply exclude fish from your diet for other reasons?  As a follow on from our appearance at the Bristol Veggie Fayre, I have written a small article on this subject entitled ‘Vegetarians, vegans and omega-3s: are they getting enough?’  Published, and due out in the August/September edition of Choice & Wellbeing magazine, I highlight, and explain, current trends in omega-3 intake in non-fish eating populations and how to improve on shortfalls.  Igennus recognises that not everyone can, or wants to take a fish oil and whilst we could provide alternatives such as a flaxseed oil, we also recognise that, as a source of omega-3, flaxseed oil doesn’t really cut the mustard! Having had our eye firmly on the progress of echium seed oil and its route down the path of achieving food approval, we are delighted to be able to offer our customers the best vegetarian source of omega-3 possible.  In fact we have dedicated a site specifically to highlight the benefits and provide current information to our ‘non-fish eating’ customers on how to get the best from their omega-3. Check it out at www.vegetarian-omega3.com.   more... :

Blood Banks Urged to Discourage CFS Donors

The AABB, formerly known as the American Associated of Blood Banks, has called upon its members to discourage patients with chronic fatigue syndrome from donating blood because of concerns over the transmission of the human retrovirus XMRV , first linked to the condition last Autumn. Conclusive evidence confirming the link  between XMRV and CFS has not yet been established, but the findings of Harvey Alter, an infectious diseases specialist from the US National Institutes of Health, created quite a stir at a private workshop last month, with a slide that described the XMRV-CFS association as “extremely strong and likely true, despite the controversy.” Estimating that XMRV and other related viruses  are present in the blood of 3-7% of donors, Alter recommended steps to protect the US blood supply  against contamination with the virus – advice which the AABB has firmly taken on board, with the issuing of a bulletin last Friday recommending, as an interim measure, that its member blood collectors should actively discourage CFS donors not to give blood, in order to avoid transmission of XMRV into the blood supply. Concerns about the potential transmission of XMRV through blood surfaced after the initial publication in the US journal Science, last October, of a study conducted by Lombardi et al (Science 2009;326:585-589), which found that XMRV was common to 67% of ME patients, compared with fewer than 4% of healthy controls.  The researchers, from the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Nevada, also reported that they could secondarily transmit the virus from the blood cells and plasma of infected patients with CFS, raising the possibility of blood-borne transmission. The AABB made the interim recommendation after its Interorganizational Task Force – comprised of representatives from patient groups, experts on XMRV, as well as US government agencies – reviewed the current evidence on XMRV and its risk of transmission. Meanwhile, patient forums are frantic with discussions of XMRV, with hopes of conclusive information and explanations as to the cause, and potential treatment, of CFS and related conditions.   more... :