Anti-Stress Formula*

LifeTime’s Calm & Calmer is a natural anti-stress adaptogen formula that includes anti-anxiety lowering herbs and an amino acid working synergistically to stimulate anti-stress calming factors to help one feel relaxed, but not drowsy.


The Science Behind The Product

CALM & CALMER
ANTI STRESS FORMULA
Relora?
Mechanism of Action
Relora? is an exciting new natural anti-anxiety stress relief ingredient to control stress related eating and drinking that has the added value of being non-sedating with potential anti-depressant properties. In central nervous system receptor binding essays, the plant extracts in Relora? bind to several important targets associated with anxiety. It does not bind to the benzodiazepine receptors that would cause sedation, yet has the relaxing qualities of the benzodiazepine class of drugs in a validated anxiolytic animal model. In addition, it normalizes hormone levels associated with stress-induced obesity and eating/drinking behavior.
Stress is being shown to play a significant role in a wide variety of conditions and disease states. Recent work from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and other major research centers has demonstrated that stress is a significant contributor to immune dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, other age-related disorders, and to excessive body fat. Over 20% of adults have an obesity-like condition characterized by excessive abdominal fat. This condition is related to stress-induced hormone imbalances, especially imbalances of cortisol and DHEA. Until now, the only course of action for losing this fat has been stress reduction with exercise and diet. Relora? can normalize cortisol and DHEA levels in stress individuals, induce relaxation, and act as an aid in controlling weight and stress related eating and drinking.
Human Trials
The first formulation of Relora? was tested and found to be safe, effective, rapid acting, non-sedating dietary supplement that helps control mild anxiety. Fifty subjects were treated with Relora™ for two weeks. The recommended dosage was 200 mg of Relora? three times daily (the new and improved Relora? dosage is 250 mg three times daily). Based on the pre-clinical studies, Relora? was designed and evaluated against the following concepts: Relora? helps control occasional mild anxiety or mild depression and the associated symptoms; irritability, emotional ups and downs, restlessness, tense muscles, poor sleep and concentration difficulties. Post-trial analysis revealed an excellent agreement (82%) with the pretrial concept. Relaxation was reported by 78% of the patients. Though the product does not cause significant sedation, 74% of the patients had a restful sleep. No significant side effects were reported. When subjects were asked about drowsiness, only 24% reported they were drowsy. Relora? was judged to be gentle on the stomach by 94% of the subjects. A second trial was undertaken to measure cortisol and DHEA levels in patients with mild to moderate stress. Elevated cortisol levels and depressed DHEA levels are associated with chronic stress. A two-week regimen of Relora? caused a significant (P=0.003) increase in salivary DHEA (227%) and significant findings support the ability of Relora? to relieve stress and its potential role in weight control and stress-related eating and drinking behavior. A clinical trial on the final formulation is expected to be completed in 2003.
L-Theanine (Suntheanine)
Suntheanine is the trademarked name for Taiyo International Inc.'s patented, enzymatically synthesized L-theanine. A derivative of glutamic acid, L-theanine (L-glutamic acid y-monoethylamide) is one of the neurotransmitters found in the brain. It is also the predominant amino acid component in green tea, found almost exclusively in tea plants (Camellia sinensis). The chemical structure of L-theanine was first reported in 1950 by Dr.Yasuo Sakato. Although most amino acids are found approximately 50 percent of total free amino acid in tea, and constitutes one to two percent of the dry weight of tea leaves.
Although the complete mechanism of L-theanine is still under investigation, notes Taiyo, several studies have been completed showing the various stages of L-theanine metabolism.
L-theanine is absorbed from the small intestine via a sodium-coupled active transport process and crosses the blood-brain barrier, and is absorbed in a dose-dependent manner. It may compete for absorption in the intestinal track and the brain with amino acids found in the methionine group (including isoleucine, leucine, and valine). However, the concentration of amino acids is unchanged by the administration of L-theanine.
The brain emits weak electrical impulses (brain waves) that can be measured on the surface of the head. According to the Japanese Medical Dictionary, these electrical impulses are categorized into four categories based on their frequency (Hz), and produce the following mental effects; Delta (less than 4), sound sleep; Alpha (5 to 13), awake/relaxed; and Beta (greater than 13), awake /excited. L-theanine directly stimulates production of alpha brain waves, which produce a state of deep relaxation and mental alertness.

Rhodiola Rosea

The plant known as rhodiola has long been used in traditional and folk medicine in Scandinavia, in many parts of the former Soviet Union, and in China and elsewhere in Asia. Although more than 200 species have been identified, and 20 are used in traditional medical systems in Asia, the rhodiola-based dietary supplements most widely used in the United States are made from Rhodiola rosea. Also commonly known as golden root, Rhodiloa rosea is widely found at high altitudes in Arctic and mountainous regions throughout Europe and Asia. Anecdotally, Rhodiola rosea has a reputation for stimulating the nervous system, easing depression, eliminating fatigue and enhancing work performance.
On the basis of these effects, rhodiola has been categorized as an adaptogen - a substance that decreases fatigue while increasing the body's natural resistance to various stresses.
Stress is thought to play a significant role in a variety of life circumstances and disease states, and recent work at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other major research centers has shown that stress contributes significantly to immune dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, other age-related disorders, and the accumulation of the excess body fat.
Animals and humans subjected to periods of stress show characteristic changes in levels of several hormones and in parameters associated with the function of the central nervous system (CNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). The CNS changes include a stress-induced depletion of catecholeminergic neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and dopamine; an acute increase in beta-endorphin levels is also observed under stressful conditions. The changes in the HPA include an increase in cortisol, disruption in the circadian rhythm of cortisol secretion, and reduced sensitivity of the HPA to feedback-mediated downregulation of its functions.
An ability of rhodiola -containing supplements to promote weight loss, reported anecdotally in Russia and the United States, may have to do with its effect on the HPA. The body normally responds to stress with an increase in cortisol secretion, with consequences that include food cravings, especially for foods with a high fat or sugar content, such as cookies, candy, or ice cream. These foods further stimulate the stress-cortisol cycle, eventuating in the deposition of excess body fat unless the stress causing this effect is reduced or the body is exercised sufficiently to consume the excess fat. Moreover, excess cortisol release has been reported to be a factor in reducing thyroid hormone levels and thereby decreasing the body's energy output; as well as decreasing immunity and also deof this hormone's target cells, thereby increasing blood sugar levels.
By diminishing cortisol release via the HPA, rhodiola may counteract these effects and help prevent weight gain.